Legacy of the Abyss

I inherited from my father silence and weariness
His calloused hand
The gaze of one who has no room left
I inherited poverty
Which no one chooses to have
And the anger that builds up
With nowhere to go

My grandfather dug the abyss
My father was medicated in it
And I was born at the bottom
Trying to understand what this is

Sartre said that I make myself
But where do I begin
If the inheritance they gave me
Has already bound me since the cradle?

Legacy of the abyss
What they gave me to carry
Legacy of the abyss
The pain I didn't choose to inherit
Dug and medicated
That is my last name
Legacy of the abyss

But I'm going to break the cycle
I don't want to pass on to my child
What was passed on to me
The misery
The silence
The wounds that won't heal

I want to break the chain
That binds my lineage
I want the abyss to stop
In my wake

Existence precedes essence
So I reinvent myself
I'm not just what I inherited
I am what I build now
Condemned to be free
But freedom is my weapon
I'll carve out a new path
Even if it's with my fingernails

Legacy of the abyss
What they gave me to carry
Legacy of the abyss
The pain I didn't choose to inherit

I inherited the pain
But I won't pass it on
I inherited the abyss
But I'll be the bridge
I inherited the silence
But I'll shout for everyone

The cycle breaks within me
I am the end of the chain
I am not just a legacy
I am not just the past
I am not just the abyss
I am the one who chooses what comes next

Broken and healed
But still standing
I am what I choose to be