More Than A 'bad Day' Poem by Daniel Chapman

I woke up today with a feeling I couldn't name,
The kind that settles in your chest before the pain.
I knew—before my feet hit the floor—
Today wasn't just hard… it was something more.

Deep in my stomach, where fear likes to hide,
Something was wrong, and I couldn't outrun the tide.
It's a feeling that visits only a few times in life,
The kind that cuts quiet, sharp as a knife.

I wonder if my emotions talk to the stars at night,
If the universe whispers when something isn't right.
There has to be a reason my heart feels this scared,
Like I'm bracing for loss before it's even declared.

My body burns, but my soul feels numb,
Like warmth left first… and left me undone.
Why today? Why this heaviness now?
Why does breathing feel like making a vow?

I want to quit this life, just set it down,
Disappear quietly, no noise, no sound.
But who do you run to when you're grown and alone?
When help feels distant, and pride feels like stone.

I start questioning everything life handed to me,
Every choice, every turn, every "this is meant to be."
My struggles don't feel seasonal—they feel engraved,
Like storms that were meant to stay, not just pass through my days.

Maybe I'm bleeding onto this paper for nothing at all,
Maybe these words won't catch me if I fall.
But honestly… who am I trying to please?
Everyone's already decided what they see.

I can't call my mama to save me this time,
No gentle voice saying, "Baby, you'll be fine."
I'm a grown man now—I swallow my pride,
Smile through the hurt, keep the truth inside.

I paint my life in peaches and cream,
So nobody questions the cracks they don't see.
But behind closed doors, behind practiced smiles,
I've been barely holding it together for miles.

So hear me when I say—
This isn't weakness.
This isn't a phase.

This is more than exhaustion.
More than a bad mood.
More than just another bad day.

This is a soul asking how much more it can take…
Before it finally breaks.