The words coming out of my mouth
Are not the ones that echo in my brain

I don't need a man
           Should I even go to prom
I'll be miserable either way
           But what will I tell my mom

Truly that hawk flies free
Above all confinement
Above our wants and needs

Truly that hawk flies trapped
By fickle currents
Subject to lift and drag

Truly the truth
Is neither here nor there
But at the cross
Where reason and feeling
Coalesce

Why can't they understand?
When they yell, I cringe
When she cries, I sob
When he falls, I tumble

Why can't they understand?
Their screaming, moaning, *******
Is my burning, aching, stinging

This book feels heavier now
That I've finished flipping
Pages one by one
Part of myself
My feeling, my soul
Has leaked in the letters
Finding meaning
Where once was none
The book lies now soaking
Dripping into each day of my life
Staining lightly my choices
Permeating my thoughts

Sometimes the best advice
is hypocritical

Because the best of us
wish we were better
than what we are

Take the "self"
out of selfish
Toss her in the bowl
Allow her there to rest
Let your "fish" roam

He will find warmer waters
That's instinct, you know
To bring upon creation
What we allow to grow