Are You Okay, Today?

Are you okay, today?
Have you been okay in a long while?
Nah, don’t tell me that!
I’m not asking about-
Yesterday or last week or month.
I’m asking you about today,
Are you okay?

It’s always easy-
Simple to talk about what you’ve gone through before
It feels nice to say I struggled,
Rather than I’m struggling.
It’s easy to feed our ego-
That we ain’t losers.
Rather we are fighters.
But, here’s my question-
Are you okay?
Are you good now?
What are the fights you’re losin’?
What are the battlefields you’re failing at?
What are the things-
That are draining you out?
Sucking every piece of life out of you?
What’s that one thing-
That encircles your mind?
Attacking your thought system?
Aching your heart?

If you’re wonderin’
Why I’m asking all these,
It’s all because I want you to know,
Here I’m-
Fighting to take the next breath,
Questioning my entire existence.
And here’s my honest answer-
For my own question.
I am so not okay!
It’s been a long while since I was okay.
And I’m not okay today either.

I know it takes everything inside of you-
To declare that outloud,
To say that you’re weak,
To admit that you’re losin’
But just know that you’re not alone!
I bet so many people are not,
I think they mastered the art of pretending, perhaps!

It’s easy to talk about old days, right?
About your past?
How you were strong back then?
But, let me break it to you-
It’s already in the past.
Today is a new day,
New challenge, new struggle!
And today matters!
All the feelings you’re feeling ,
Right now, at this moment,
They matter!
You don’t need validation from others!
It’s your thought,
It’s your feeling.
That’s all that matters.
And I hope you get the courage,
To say that you’re not okay!
Outloud, at least to someone.

And remember,
It’s okay not to be okay.
It’s fine to feel weak.
It’s fine to lose all the optimism.
It’s okay to fight.
It’s okay to struggle.
Try to hang in there!