Sirens yip and bark
Like frightened gazelles on a
Asphalt savanna

Children and teens howl
And laugh at games and parties
Like hyena packs

Cars and trucks rumble
Like lions lounging in the
Hot summer sunshine

Parents chatter in
The shade of oak trees, like a
Calm herd of zebras

Smoke rises in air
And all gather to the grill
Like a water hole

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul*
It read, a dove caught and crucified
Over two pages whole

If you've ever woken up in the dead of night
Feeling like you had to scream and howl
And you frantically start to gasp and write
Knowing you need to get everything out
Only to try and show it to the world the next day
And run when someone looks near you
Well, then you know just how my day
Looks if seen from my view

If you've ever written lyrics for all
To see, posting work anonymously
Feeling like you could swim over falls
And live your life courageously
And then you awake in the late evening
Because it's either the world's end or a branch on a pane
I don't have to explain exactly what I'm meaning
Because you and I feel the same

If you've ever known you're going mad
Even though you try to deny it
And then you wonder if it's actually bad
Later, you actually know it
But you don't dare to say anything
Because it will destroy your path and dreams
Then, I think you'll understand
Just what the hell I mean

On hot summer days that strech ouy like this
Bird and bug song harmonized in the air
Cool water splashing with the sound of kids
Hearts start to be wild and do as wished
Leafed breezes blow away all hardened care
Creatures come from the dens in which they hid
As stars draw in like a smooth panther fur
And future folds out, bright and unsure
Music calls out in the dead of night
As all come out to camp, dance, chat, and play
We try our bravado and our own fright
As summer nights flow into the dog days

When you finally smile,
when you finally make it out...
when it finally lets you go.
It comes back ten times harder,
just to make you quit,
and I want to.
But I will not,
it's hard.
But I will
Not.

mind the little victories
much as you might how the sting
of hurt does
it just takes willpower
a pill and a lot of beer