It sits there lurking at the back of your mind
waiting for that moment when it comes from behind
whatever emotion you’ve just come through
pushing past thoughts in an orderly queue
The blackness of thought, the start of a spiral
generating negativity before going viral
it just takes one thing to push you over the edge
and there you stand on a precipice, on a ledge
not in the physical world but up there in your mind
With no outward symptoms for people to find
or help you with demons that fight in your head
you’re alone with your thoughts and filled full of dread
It's difficult to assess the negativity
when to the outside world you appear to be
operating just as you did before
these black thoughts came to the fore
Those close might notice some of the signs
that your thoughts are becoming much more malign
but it’s likely to be such a subtle change
that they may not notice anything strange
or be able to provide positive interaction
to counteract these warring mental factions
But these demons they’re clever they just chip away
at your personality, day after day
it’s a skill that they’ve honed and they do it so well
leaving you hollow, just a fragile shell.