It was a cold night, as I sat right there on the porch lost in a silent tearful crowd.

A voice pierced  the quietude of the night, "Are you alright, dear? Is there something that isn't quite right?"

I lifted my head to see who it was in front of me,  a stranger stood tall in the gloom, Handsome and charming, yet a shadow seemed to consume the kindness in his eyes.

' Good evening sir, sorry are you looking for someone?' I replied.

' Not exactly,  I  was passing by the neighborhood and couldn't help but notice you sitting right here. You look tired and like you need rest'  said the stranger

' Oh! I'm just exhausted.  Sorry I don't think I've seen your face before sir. Do you live in this area? ' stammered, a touch of fear, "But the weariness on my face, perhaps it makes things quite clear."

He chuckled, a sound both hollow and strangely sweet, "My dear, I am everything.  I am known by many, my name is whispered in every street. Some fear me, some crave me,  I  am a release from life's weary hold, But all know my name, for I offer solace, to both young and old."

' oh! That sounds interesting but I still don't think I know you.  Anyways my name is Joy , nice to make your acquaintance.  What's your name sir?'

He laughed again. I couldn't tell from how it sounded that it seemed I'd just said something childish.  I don't know but it felt that way.

' you still don't get it? Oh poor child! My name is death'

"Oh," I whispered, a flicker of recognition in my heart, The burden I carried, a burden that wanted to tear me apart. "You are him," I breathed, the name stuck in my throat, The answer to the darkness, the final, silent note.

"You seem to need my help," he purred,

In a predator's gentle guise, "Come with me, child, and find peace in the stars that lie beyond these skies."

"Peace," I echoed,   the word tasted bitter on my tongue, "But not the peace you offer, a darkness forever unsung.

Heavier grew the silence, the weight of unspoken despair, The battle within me, a burden I longed not to bear. "Rest," I pleaded, the word a desperate, yearning cry, "But not the rest of oblivion, a chance to simply lie down and die."

He watched me intently, a flicker of surprise in his gaze, Perhaps a chink in his armor, a glimpse of a brighter maze. "Within," he mused, the amusement fading from his tone, "Perhaps the true solace lies not in the places unknown."

Yes," I affirmed, a newfound strength in my voice, "To face the darkness head-on, a fight with a heart that truly has a choice. To carry this burden, not with despair, but with a will to mend, For even in darkness, the light of dawn will ascend."

The stranger lingered, then with a sigh, he slowly began to fade, Leaving me bathed in moonlight, a choice I bravely had made. The path ahead uncertain, the battle far from won, But hope, like a fragile ember, had begun to be outrun.

So let the darkness come, let the storm clouds gather near, For even in the shadows, a brighter future can appear. Death is not the answer, the easy way out of the fight, There's beauty in the struggle, a glimmer of golden light.