a darkness is upon us. i feel there is this gaping void all around me, wherever I turn. a great big emptiness that's pulling me in. should I follow? or stay behind? what keeps me from letting the forces take me? what keeps me from stepping back? why do I fear my life without it? why can't I find a reason to go on? why can't I live with being adequate? why can't I see myself the way others do--intelligent, full of promise, beautiful, and a million different other things? maybe i'm hopeless. destined to live a life of emptiness, desperation, always wanting more, always saying "what if I had done something different?" when can I quit asking when?