Her mind was like a mad house
An eternal prison she stayed
Voices ringing in her ears
To use the sharpened blade.

Despite the yearning feeling
Of the pinch of relieving pain
She must keep it together
She must act completely sane.
No one else must know
Of the crushing feeling inside
To others she holds a mask
Her real feelings she must hide.

No one cared for her name
Though she didn't really mind
As long as she made them smile
As long as to them she was kind.
So her name's been long forgotten
And in her head she dreamed
That things will soon be better
Than what I've previously seen.

Don't worry about the quiet girl
She's accepted her life's cards
Just lend her a gentle smile
And maybe she'll let down her guard.

The ever smiling mask she wore
Was the only thing she showed.
No one got between the cracks
To see the tears that always flowed.

The smile painted on his face
It never stopped the pain he had.
For nothing could keep him from
The things that made him sad.

They're lonely. And broken.
Locked away inside their minds.
They're always waiting for the one
Who knows how to break their binds.

Today could have been the day
Where I watched you crawl away.
Soon to stand.
Soon to run.
Soon to come back to me.

Today could have been the day
Where we sat there and played.
Hours with you.
Days with you.
That I would never forget.

Today could have been the day
Where I sent you on your way.
Off to school.
Off to life.
Off and away from me.

Today could have been the day
Where I sat down to pray.
Pray for love.
Pray for life.
Pray of both for you.

Today could have been the day
Where I offered to pay.
For college.
For weddings.
For more time with you.

But today was the day
I remember your joy.
So fleeting.
So pure.
To soon to leave.

It was the dance with death
That set her apart.
The one where she survived
But others of course did not.

Death's cold bone fingers
Wrapped around her scrawny frame
And onto the dance floor they went
To decide her precarious fate.

For the young girl lay dying
In a lonely hospital bed.
Where her only comfort that lay
Was that she wasn't already dead.

Only Death could tell
If she would live through the night.
And it seemed like she would
As they danced away from the light.

Soon the doctors would see
The miracle of her breath.
As she woke up next morning,
Free of the dance with Death.

Mama always told me
There's no monsters under the bed
What she didn't know was that
It resided in my head.

Dad looked under bed for me
But all he found was dust.
I told him it wasn't there
But in my head it really must.

I couldn't believe there wasn't
Some evil invisible thing.
For in my head that swirled around
Were dark thoughts that reigned as king.

I can't take it much longer
I'm afraid of its mighty grip.
I fear what I'll do
If into its dark I slip.

Black silhouette, against an auburn sky,
Her hair flowed and glowed in the half light.
Golden clouds and creaky boards,
Stretched over the mirrored ocean's view.

She was beautiful, even if I couldn't see her.
Her form was all that mattered.
Relaxed and at ease, calm and reflective.
Nothing else seemed to matter.