I eat my corn dog
ketchup on my chin,
and the frogs croak,
while the crickets chirp,
warm air pressing gently on my skin.

A cool breeze tugs my shirt,
carrying a faint smell of cinnamon.

The cries and laughs of children
heard vaguely in the distance.

The birds' singing dies down
as the sun begins to set,
resting for another round,
as it hides its gilded coronet.

Yet the lights of the carnival
reflect like little stars
on the pond's surface,
dainty and novel,
shining without a purpose.

Just for that moment
I am unable to move,
for the night air takes my breath
and my body the darkness soothes,
so that all my pain melts away
as does this passing day,
and I let go of my regret.

I stop pondering whether I'm still sane,
for this moment I wish to remain
petrified like a Vesuvian
and all my worries, I soon forget.

And in those delicate seconds of clarity,
I feel like I truly understand
the meaning of my humanity,
of this abstraction that I perceive as actuality
what it is I really demand.

Everything in harmony
brimming with lucidity;
in utter awe of life,
constant serendipity.

Do you recall
The feeling of fall
With burning leaves
Dancing trees
And a breeze that pervades through all?

Do you remember
The chill of winter
That quiet slumber
And smell of lumber
As you sleep by the fireplace's dying embers?

Do you sing
With the thought of spring
And its blooming flowers
The cheesy lovers
That smile as the wedding bells ring?

Do you honor
The handsome summer
In its endurance
The assurance
And oppression of its motherly warmth

Do you feel
As if life isn't real
That all you see is a dream
That you may fall from the seams
Of the universe?

Even if everything is nothing
And our actions are but indistinguishable vibrations
Upon the vast lake of stars

Is it too much to ask
To remain asleep
And live in my fantasies
Superficial or deep?

And reap what I sow?
And decide to stop or go?
And live as I please?
And be who I want to be?

The sun keeps on shining
And the waves continue to crash
The moon takes the night shift
While your dreams remain trash

Or at least that's what you think
That your efforts will never become
Anything worth mentioning
As you stare down the barrel of your own gun

Please know that it's never true
What's truly useless is to think that way
We all have the ability to change the world
It is these negative thoughts upon which our despair preys

Every step we take shakes the Earth
Leaving a footprint in the lives of those around us
And every word we speak rattles the eardrums
Of everyone within the vicinity of your sound

So don't think that nothing you do matters
Because you have the power to control your destiny
Freedom is an inalienable right, but only if you take it
Because the meaning of life is whatever you make it to be

Will you decline the very thing that makes you human
And roam in the shadows without a purpose?
Or will you accept your strength and continue on your way?
Because there's far more to the iceberg than its surface

They fly from my tongue like sparks from a fire
Those hurtful words aimed at the objects of my admiration
Because I cannot hold them when they are so high up
So I must tear them down from the sky to cradle them in my arms

It may seem ironic to destroy those pretty stars
So bright that they shine even in the darkest of nights
But I simply cannot sleep when they gleam like jewels
Beaming technicolor through my plain window

And call me a fool for being a destructive bigot
Filled to the brim with selfish desire so that I have no room for love
But isn't it so much easier to covet and scorn
Those constellations in the sky where I have no place?

And as I gaze at the pure black blanket void of all light
After I have bulldozed everything around me
So that I am the highest point on Earth
I realize how much I miss the Big Dipper

The Milky Way is huge, an expanse so great
That even I can have a spot of my own; it's free real estate
Among Leo, Gemini, and Pisces, I can have one to call mine
A world of my own where I may do as I see fit

So instead of loathing those with which I have not
Instead of hating those with more fortune or glory
Understand that each of us has something special inside
To contribute to that network of stars seen when the sun goes down

I sit on a bench in the middle of spring,
and absent-mindedly I tilt my head to the sky,
yet unknowingly, the sun creeps from behind
the clouds above and splashes my eyes with waves of light.

Averting my gaze from its hostile rays
I look back down to Earth
and see the crab apple petals tumble over the pavement,
falling into the cracks of the concrete.

The clock tower strikes noon
and I am brought back to reality,
the wind caresses the rough skin of my face
unworthy of the memories or reflections of others.

So that when I meet a child or a pretty woman
whose being is too soft and innocent
For my harsh appearance
I worry that to face them will taint their loveliness.

Yet I accept that this state of being is natural
no matter how menial, how painful,
and is a treasure, a reminder of my mortality,
somehow pleasant and homely, this feeling of vulnerability.

So I hope to enjoy this feeling while it lasts.

It's dark outside of my glass jar
So I stay inside and watch from afar
Taking solace in my cozy isolation
Living life from the percolation
Of air into my domain
Not moving, I remain

In a perpetual state of innocence
My freedom given as the sole expense

Yet curiosity wells up in me
Like a coming storm in a pitch black sea
And waves crash inside my head
Putting myself in shackles of lead
I realize that I'm not living life
What I'm doing is avoiding conflict, strife

For living without troubles
Is the same as a speech made of mumbles

So I untwist the top of my jar
And see around me, in that blackness thick as tar
And see fireflies dancing like licks of flames
With an intensity so powerful it burns the blood in my veins
And I realize that I am also aglow
With a warm feeling growing from my head to my toes

For I have taken my first steps into the real world
Stepped away from my comfortable abode

And accomplished what few can say they have done
To have faced the daunting future instead of turn tail and run
And realize that what's to come is not all shrouded in mystery
Light of other lighting bugs shining brightly through that witchery
We all have some people whom we may call friends
Who see things the way you do, the same prescription lens

Because none of us are truly ever alone
And no sins are too severe to never atone

We are the fires, the lights for tomorrow
And even through hate, pain, stress, scorn, and sorrow,
Not even the sun, nor the moon, or even the stars can compare
We continue to walk through the dark, that burden we must bear
Because we are part of this vast, strange universe
An ocean of singularity in which all will submerse

Today is the day to do something
And waiting will wait for another time
For now is the moment for seizing
And prolonging is not as satisfying

Go out there and live your dreams
Cliche, romantic, unreasonable
For people are not so easily convinced
That their beliefs are utterly unfeasible

A lovely sky on which to gaze
Has clouds that form our whims
Like a puffy dragon, a goofy shark
Or a bug with twenty limbs

And the trees will wave in greetings
When you come outside at last
And the sun will shine a spotlight
Onto your green carpet made of grass

The birds will cheer for you
And the crickets give you applause
For going outside and starting on
A journey that gives you a cause

Pessimism is gloomy
And optimism is unrealistic
Nothing really matters
But thinking so is nihilistic

So go out there and find something
Because waiting is our biggest lie
Dreams cannot move like humans can
And your heart will never say "goodbye"