(read forward, then backward, line by line)

I ran.
Not knowing what else to do
There was so much blood on my hands
It was mine
The kitchen knife
Caught in my chest
Guilt
Consumed by
Fear
I was heightened by
Adrenaline
But running on
Wasn’t enough
While trying to stay calm,
Losing control
It was me that would end up
Dead. Because
He was
In front of me
The whole time
It was too late
Trapped
I found myself
Locked in chains
My fate was
Death.

You can't put a crown on a clown and expect a king.

when you're in a crowded room
full of people
but no one sees you
they look right through you.

you smile,
you laugh,
you chat,
but they don't know
the real you.

the small talk,
mundane and
superficial interactions
drain the life out of your soul.

somehow you
end up leaving
emptier and lonelier
than you ever were before.

I sold my soul when I was twelve,  
Whispering wishes to the stars above,  
Asking for love and wealth untold,  
A dream too heavy for a heart so bold.  

At fourteen, I worked beneath the sun,  
Chasing the promises I thought I’d won,  
Each dollar earned, each task I’d do,  
Building a life I never knew.  

But now, at almost seventeen,  
I see the truth where once was green—  
It wasn’t riches that filled the void,  
But the love I found, the heart I enjoyed.  

So here I stand, both lost and found,  
A life that swirls in endless sound,  
For in your eyes, I finally see,  
The love I sought was meant to be.

Am I in a dream?
Is this real life?
How can I tell with all this hate and strife?

Am I in a dream?
How do I know,
When up is down and fast is slow?

Am I in a dream?
I cannot hide.
School is a pit and I fell deep inside.

If I’m in a dream,
Why can’t I be bold,
When I know I know I can? At least that’s what I’m told.

Am I in a dream?
Is this real life?