Sometimes it's hard to know what you're working towards.
It's difficult to figure out where you want to go.
Sometimes you just need to stop thinking for a moment,
Enjoy your life, and just go with the flow.

Rivers
        are
           only
         as
deep
      as
        your
             imagination
                                makes
                            them.

We have a choice whether or not to be happy.
It's called outlook; a glass half empty or half full.

It took so long to decide what to sing to you.
So I wrote this song just for you.
Sometimes you have to,
Take the bull by the horns and sing,

Uh uh, Uh uh
That Same Old Song...
And it goes,

Up and down again,
Each and every day, it comes,
It comes around again!
That Same Old Song.

And though the years go by,
And now I'm old enough to fly,
That song it stays the same!
That Same Old Song...

Sometimes, I know, my head isn't in the right place
I know, you would, like to break my neck some days,
But you, always, find a way to put a smile on my face,

And we sing, Uh uh
That Same Old Song...
And it goes,

Up and down again,
Each and every day, it comes,
It comes around again!
That Same Old Song.

And though the years go by,
And now I'm old enough to fly,
That song it stays the same!
That Same Old Song...

And even though, sometimes we fight,
You help me jump, and reach new heights!
Sometimes you have to,
Take the bull by the horns and sing,

Uh uh, Uh uh
That Same Old Song...
And it goes,

Up and down again,
Each and every day, it comes,
It comes around again!
That Same Old Song.

And though the years go by,
And now I'm old enough to fly,
That song it stays the same!
That Same Old Song...
That Same Old Song...
That Same Old Song!

A cute little girl with leaves in her hair
Sits by a tree and chews on a pear.
Her clothes are all matted with dirt and debris
She sits in the mountains,
her face to the sea

She's holding a pen with flowers and hearts
she's writing on paper and using her smarts
Someone next to her pokes her in the arm
She puts down her pen and
then turns in alarm

Why can't I let you go
Even as it's killing me
I just want you to know
You're everything I'll ever need

Your voice is in my head
When it tells me I'm enough
It fights my battles for me
Even when I feel unloved

There's something in my brain
That I never will forget
I wish I could refrain
From feeling all of this regret

And you're the only one
I can't get out of my head
Your laughter and your smile
Are what get me out of bed

And every time you leave
My heart breaks and falls apart
And though I try and keep you out
It's really really hard

I know that you're not good for me
This sick and twisted game
But then my heart it skips a beat
Each time I hear your name

You leave and then you call me up
After I feel ok
And then you leave and save me for
Another rainy day

He was shorter than us. Scrawny. Freckles around his lumpy, mushroom nose.

He walked to school alone.

We would hide by his fence and pelt him with leftovers from dinner.

By his locker, we jeered. Rained occasional blows on rounded shoulders. Watched as his face slowly turned the color of ripe tomatoes.

One day, he didn’t come. Not to his fence; not to his locker.

The others saw his mother on television. I saw her eyes gaunt with grief.

They saw his father. I, the tears his father shed.

They moved on to new targets.

It’s just me now, standing here, alone.

Each night the curtain opens
And figures do appear
Through the haze they dip and dance
Singing loud and clear

Every act is different
They never run the same
With each song the lyrics change
Singing out my name

I could become famous
Directing such a show
The cast has so much talent too
Around the stage they go!

As the curtain closes
The actors take their bow
Say goodbye until the end
The sun is rising now.

Each night the actors in my head
Put on an awesome show.
But since it’s all inside my head
No one will ever know.

Negativity
Brings you down
Pulls you to the darkest depths
Sends you to the coldest trench
Tumbling slowly across a plane
Cold. Alone. Dark
Wind is whipping through your hair
Fire burning through the air
Light is shining everywhere
Warm. Strong. Bright.
Soaring through a foggy cloud
Sends you swirling through the sky
Catapults you to new heights
Makes you soar
Positivity

Wind whistles wildly over a wonderfully watery world.
Sand sifts softly through shimmery, silvery snow.
Letters lay lightly on a lazy, lumpy list.
Rain rakes rivets in a rough, rambling road.
Fire fights fiercely through a farmhouse far away.
Dawn dips daintily, and dooms the dark to day.

I promised I always would.
I promised that I'd never.
I promised you no time at all.
I promised them forever.

I promised that I'd go to sleep.
I swore I'd stay awake.
I promised that I'd never steal.
I promised that I'd take.

I promised him a desert.
I vowed to her an ocean.
I swore that I'd abandon them.
I promised them devotion.

I swore I'd hide inside the dark.
I vowed to be the light.
I promised them all love and peace.
I promised them I'd fight.

I thought of all my promises before I fell asleep.
I thought of all my promises, all those I couldn't keep.
I thought of all the people, all those whom I've denied.
I knew that day, that very night, I'd have to pick a side.

Some people think I'm crazy,
but this is what I say:

Being insane is relative.
I take it day by day.

Though people think I'm crazy,
I am completely sure:

There's no such thing as normal.
There cannot be a cure.

Some people think I'm crazy,
I always tell them this:

You're just as sane as I am.
They take it as a diss.

Though people think I'm crazy,
I truly know I'm not.

I say that I'm original.
And that is all I've got.

Roses are yellow
Violets are grey
I hate mushrooms
Mom go away

Once upon a time
in a kingdom far away
There lived a lovely princess
with a smile as bright as day

The princess was to marry
a young prince across the sea.
so they could live in love
and be happy as could be

But one day the Prince's father
came and told him the bad news.
He was taking over both their kingdoms
and he wanted both their shoes.

The princess clung unto her prince
and watched the army ride away
she knew her former kingdom would
be gone by the end of the day

And so she cried and watched the sun
as it sank way down low
and by sunset her kingdom was
all in rubble so

She went and locked herself away
and her prince did it too
they went into the dungeon
and started their lives anew

And there was where the couple died
Oh I forgot to say.
There is no happy ending here
I thought you knew that anyway.

Sometimes you get depressed and its hard to admit you need a helping hand.
Sometimes you just need someone to push past your wall and let you know that they're there and that they care and that they understand or at least want to try to.
Because you can't get it all out yourself.
That's what depression is like.
And its **** hard.

They'll tell you that you're selfish when you finally let them go
They'll guilt you and they'll shame you for not caring
When you take control of all the things that you already know
And let go of all the pain that you've been bearing

They will tremble in the shockwave that you leave them in your wake
As you put the days you wasted far behind you
They will tread above the water in a panic of self-hate
As they realize that there's nobody to run to

They didn't want you, but they did, when they thought you'd walk away
But reality had never crossed their mind
That maybe you are stronger than who you were yesterday
So you had to leave some clues for them to find

They'll scream at you and say that you are wrong to block them out
But the peace is almost deafening to hear
As they realize all the love that now they'll have to live without
They will try and stuff you full of all their fear

So now smile. Walk away until you can't hear anything
What they say is now no longer yours to hold
So go off, enjoy the light that only happiness can bring
And let all the things that you deserve unfold

Today I'm a bit blue
And I'm not sure why
I don't have the flu
I'm healthy, it's true.
So why am I so blue?

Today I'm a little down.
Why would that be?
I'm wearing a frown.
My feelings are brown.
I don't know why I'm down.

Tomorrow I know
What I'm going to be.
I'll put on a show.
My happiness will grow.
Tomorrow, I know.

Tomorrow I'll be happy.
And I won't be blue.
I'll write a bunch of really sappy
Poems for you.

Tomorrow I'll be happy.
Tomorrow I'll be glad.
Tomorrow I'll be golden
And I won't be sad.

Dear Summer,
Thank you for the Rain
Days spent at skating rinks
Summer classes
And hours spent in the car.
Thank you for the new experiences
The opportunities
And lots of new friends.
Thank you for the hard work
The challenges
The ends
And new beginnings.
The heartaches
The headaches
And plenty of growing pains.
Thank you for the warmth
The scolding asphalt
Lying in the sun and burning to a crisp.
Thank you for that one day I spent time with my family
The trip I took with my friends
And everything in between.
Goodbye Summer, you were magnificent.

The sound of the drip is driving me nuts.
But it's that sound that's  keeping me awake.
I would love to collapse in by bed and sleep.
But I must remember what is at stake.

I must finish a job that's interminably there.
A string that hangs just out of reach of my hands.
I know that the night's almost gone but I can't.
Stop myself from drifting to some far away lands.

And just as I get to a happy place there,
the drip pulls be back to my bright little room
The sound of that hopelessly broken faucet
Just adds to the shadows, the cold, and the gloom.

My mind is uneven and all that I do
is hopelessly bent out of what it should be
My poetry's mangled my rhyming is rough
My eyes are all blurry and hearing's failing me.

I can hardly hear myself typing these words.
My vision is dull and my fingers are numb.
The darkness is closing in my little world.
My brain has powered down am I going dumb?

Oh wait. I've nearly been up a whole day.
Maybe I should try sleeping at night.
Maybe if I didn't procrastinate so much,
I would have some free time to see if mother was right.

I know that I should have been finished by six.
She does always tell me to get my stuff done.
Because if I get it done early enough,
I might even, may even get to have fun.

So maybe I'll even try that on the 'morrow.
For now I guess I'll be going to bed.
Forgive me for throwing you all of my problems.
You probably think I've had a knock on the head.

Anyway, well goodbye! It was such a nice chat.
Maybe we can do it again sometime?
I doubt you have even read up to here
of my uneven, rythm-less, bottomless, rhyme.

When something hurts you inside, you repel it until it's impossible to ignore. You deny that anything can touch you, harm you from the inside.
It's hard to be empty, but still feel the pain too.
It's hard to even know what you're feeling.
Or why you're feeling it.

It's the hardest thing to catch
Even when the light is gone
And no sound can be heard

The bugs chirp out the window
As you sink into your bed
And rethink the day
From sunrise to sunset

It runs away
It runs away

You reach for it
Every conversation replays itself
The voices blur inside your head

Your troubles scream your name
Chasing away every dream
Just past your fingertips
Gone as the day

It runs away
It runs away

Your eyes are wide open
Sweat pours down your face
Every insecurity, every fear

You wonder what the day will bring
But long for blissful rest
The demons keep you captive
As it runs away

It runs away

It's the hardest thing to catch
What slips through every darkness
It leaves you there to tremble

And that which runs from light
Blooms in the dark.
And you are left to face
All alone
With what finds you in the night.

What does it mean to write?
Are there fences?
Are there rules?
Is the clear blue sky the limit?
Is it endless or finite?

Should we follow a path?
Is it left?
Or is it right?
Do written words have restrictions?
Like arithmetic and math?

Do you have to be good?
If you are bad,
Should you quit?
Is there even fine a boundary?
Do we really think there should?

Are words upon a page,
A form of life?
Our hallowed kin?
Are the words that live within us,
Our own breath-restricting cage?

I'm ending a chapter....

Starting anew.....

It will never end.

The Moon is my sister,
The Stars are my friends,
The Sun is my ally,
To serve and depend,
I'll shine through the shadows,
And burn through the night,
I'll vanquish the Evil,
And stand with the Light

Back when that fence just seemed so tall
And life was just a game to play with no rules at all
Back when I didn’t know how to play guitar
And then my voice could only reach so far

And I
Couldn’t cry
Didn’t know how to say
Oh oh  and I
Closed my eyes
And waited for it to end

Asking: What is this pain?
What is this hurt?
Is there a way to put it in words?
How do I say
That I’m afraid
To let you go

How do I learn?
How do I lead?
Feels like everythings coming at me
How do I feel when all I wanna do is leave

And I’ll stay by your side
I’ll be there when you cry
And you’ll know that you wont have to do this alone

And I’ll wait through the night
And together we’ll fight
And you’ll know. And we’ll know the answer

For when you
Say goodbye
Just for now
Not for long
You’ll be back
Here to stay
And then we’ll
Face tomorrow

What is this sting?
What is this blow?
Put on a smile and no one will know
We will survive
We’ll live to see tomorrow

Fight through the pain
For when it is gone
Life will still be there for you to lean on
Together we stand
And leave behind our sorrow

And one day you’ll know
And one day you’ll see
And one day you’ll look at me and know
The answer

What's insomnia like?

It's when your body and mind are drained and exhausted, but something inside your head refuses to quiet down.
Its like there's a special compartment of thoughts that only opens when it's time for bed.
A unique box filled with the things you're afraid to address during the day.
The things that chase you.
Haunt you.
Bug you.

The things you'll probably never forget.
Moments permanently ingrained in memory.
Good.
Bad.
Damaging.

Things you regret.
And things you never will.

Something.
Nothing.
Everything.

They cower in the light
And return in the night.
Never leaving
Never resting.

Chasing you to the day.
Chasing all your dreams away.
Wide eyed
Vulnerable.

****** into darkness
A restless trance
Of never ending thoughts
A maddening dance.

What is insomnia?

It is madness.
Ectacy.
Horror.
Trance.
A lost abyss of endless thoughts.
The ones that never leave you.
The ones you'll never release.
Trapped inside for eternal night.

I am headstrong because I always look to myself for approval before following any instruction.

I am positive because I always try and find the good in people no matter how deep it is.

I am proud because I’ve had so many opportunities in my life, and I feel I’ve taken many of them.

I am loyal because there is nothing I won’t do for a friend.

I am brash because I often rush into things without thinking.

I am clumsy because I run into walls a lot and often trip while going down the stairs.

I am kind because I do my best to help people less fortunate than me.

I am easily distracted because there’s always something more interesting than what I’m supposed to be doing.

I am hard-working because when I want something truly, there’s nothing that can get in my way.

I am strong because I stand for what I believe in and don’t let people take me down.

It always seems that the people who call you names...
The people who look at you and say:
Weird
Odd
Crazy
Disgusting
Loud
Annoying
Worthless

It always seems that the people who whisper...
The people who murmur
Hiss
Mutter
Lie
Gossip

It always seems the people who say you're not normal, not worth anything

Are the ones who aren't.

They say you're 'inhuman', but if so, are they?

It was my best friend's birthday
So I went to the store

I got a balloon
And a serving spoon
And some fruit cubes
And frosting tubes

I bought a cake with her name on it
I bought a cake tray with a crack in it
'Cause I dropped it on the floor...
When I was walking out the door

I tripped on a plastic plate
Dropped by some girl named Kate
She left it rolling around the place
And made me fall right on my face

My right hand fell into the cake
The fall made all the cookies break
My shoe went and popped the balloon
My elbow made a dent in the spoon

All the fruit cubes on the floor
The frosting tubes were full no more
There was frosting on her card...
Heck, nothing but frosting for at least a yard!

I think the manager got a little stressed
Before too long, he was only half dressed
Mopping frosting off the floor
Rushing, running through the store

Cantaloupe and melon soup
Rainbow chocolate frosting goop
Big ole hand print in the cake
My fancy party was at stake

I went to go and buy some more
But the manager kicked me out the store
I took my spoon and crushed balloon
My cookies and my mangled cake

I grabbed the fruit cubes off the floor
And ran them to my friend's front door
When she came and answered me
I held them out for her to see

And though I thought she'd cry and pout
She laughed till all her tears ran out
We ate the cake and fruit together
She said it was the "Best Birthday Ever!"

The sun is a fleeting thing
It rises in the morning
It lights our world as the day goes by
We work in its shadow and revel in its rays
But sometimes we want to cry
When the last light of day slips through our fingers.

Love is very rare
It's a feeling we all should share
Something that binds us to one another
But all too often in our lives we do nothing
As the love we should always feel for each other
Slips through our fingers.

Life is a gift to us all
It flows through the air we breathe
And dies in our tears when we grieve
Its in the food we eat, the wine we drink
But the laughter stops  sometimes
And life comes to a standstill
But unless we catch it in our fists
It will slip through our fingers.

Happiness comes and goes
When one will feel it, no one knows.
It is unpredictable as a tornado
It can so easily be muffled by storm clouds
When we let our happiness slip through our fingers.

No matter how poor a person is
Hope still lives in the ground they walk upon
The air flowing through their lungs.
It keeps the world round
and spinning around the sun.
It is the basis of happiness and love
and the one thing in life someone can never lose
unless they let it slip through their fingers.

But even then.
They can always catch it
Before it hits the ground.

I'm cemented to a bitter stone
Frozen on empty lie
Something never understood
Trapped in an eternal state of
Why?

I watch you through the frosted glass

Standing here
Watching through the glass
Everything is so unclear.
Standing here
Miles and miles away
Through the smoke I disappear
Far away
Where your eyes don't see me
Standing here

Translucent wishes,
Fogged up memories
Secrets never uncovered
Unsaid words begging to be
Free

I watch you through the frosted glass

Standing here
Watching through the glass
Everything is so unclear.
Standing here
Miles and miles away
Through the smoke I disappear
Far away
Where your eyes don't see me
Standing here

Get out of my head
Get out of my mind

It's like I can't run
and I can't hide

Standing here
Watching through the glass
Everything is so unclear.
Standing here
Miles and miles away
Through the smoke I disappear
Far away
Where your eyes don't see me
Standing here

You know you're a poet when you nearly **** your best friend over a notepad and a pen.

Searching for something
Not sure where to go
Just feeling around
In a big empty hole

The darkness is blinding
I can't find my way
My senses are gone
I wish they would have stayed

My path is uncertain
The future unknown
The choices to make
I must make all alone

There's nothing to help me
My time's running out
I better choose quickly
There's no time for doubt

I hope that my future
And what waits for me
Will somehow be bright
I'll be happy and free

But first there's this choice
I must find my way
Should I leave all I know?
Or be safe and just stay?

When I was younger, I refused to cry.
I wanted to be solid, fearless, and strong.
But as life continued, I realized that keeping it in only made it worse.
It made me emotionless, stolid, a hollowed out version of what I used to be.
Energetic, cautious, happy.
I never want to go back to who I was then, nor who I was before.
But I'm still not proud of who I am now.
I know that we all self-doubt, and that I may never be the perfect image that I believe I should be, but I suppose that gives us something to work towards.
As we go through life, facing fear, challenge, hurt, we adapt to it in different ways.
I suppose it doesn't matter how we adapt, only that we do.
Pushing forward is all that matters.
When all else fails, we've just got to keep going, and ignore the vines that try to drag us down.

Happy Birthday to you
Here's a poem for you
And thus I shall sing it
Happy Birthday to you

You were born on this day
And now I have to pay.
But since I've got no money,
This rhyme I shall lay

Do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do

You're fourteen years old
Good lord you are old!
You should start looking into health care!
You're fourteen years old.

Now since I'm your friend
I'll be there till the end
Even if you go crazy
I'll always be your friend

Do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do

Now woman watch out
Better practice your pout
The boys'll knock down your door!
You tell them, "get out!"

Happy Birthday to you
Here's a poem for you
And thus I shall sing it
Happy Birthday to you

Do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do

Happy Birthday to you
You don't belong in a zoo
And whatever happens next
Just remember I'll always love you

My fingers twitch
My eyes are wide
As though I can see
the other side

The side of pain
The place where dark
surrounds your soul
muffles the spark

The spark of life
of hope and light
that shines through day
and blinks through night

Nurture the spark
Keep it alive
Let the inferno
Fuel up your drive

Let hope inspire you
Never to cease
When all else is lost
Hope will release

Fight through the pain
for when it is gone,
life will still be there
for you to lean on.

The days go by with a swirling, hazy lack in Circadian Rhythm. It's at night when I'm most awake, my head pounding with thoughts of day.

People come and go, entering my consciousness, only to leave as quickly as they came. These little pores, the tiny holes left by something lost, are quickly filled by new knowledge, new acquaintances, new experiences.

The pit never re-forms, the cavern has crumbled, filling in the empty spaces.

There's a peaceful aspect to life, the part leaving me with the ability to laugh, to keep going, despite my past. The thing that reminds me every day of who I am.

Once, I lost myself; an identity never reclaimed. I fear I'm not who I used to be, but I am someone. I am a person I'm proud of.

I'm proud to say my name. I'm proud to look people in the eye. I am many things. But I am not ashamed of who I am.

I am intelligent. I am brave. I am kind.

These may not always be clear. They are not always noticeable, and there are times when I doubt them, but there's a voice in my head that reminds me not to judge myself for my past.

I can't look back. I never will again. I do not regret that part of my life, for it has shaped me, made me stronger.

I love my life, I love myself, and I love the world that I hope to one day change.

The Lark and the Dove not often meet.
And both their lovely songs are sweet.
But one spring morning when they.
Find they cross on path and way.

When they were young they were both told.
That other species young and old.
Were not the type to find a friend.
For bad will always be the end.

But these two birds, innocent and new.
Did not believe this lesson through.
And eye to eye the birds both saw.
And altogether forgot the law.

And into the sunshine they both play.
And live their song-sweet lives away.
They did not know as they flew into the sun.
A life-long friendship just begun.

They say its irrational.
Are they right?
Are they wrong?

They say its silly.
Am I weak?
Am I a coward?

Sometimes I face it.
What will happen?
I'll be fine.

I slow my movements to molasses.
What if I trip?
What if I fall?

I cannot help but glance behind.
I feel a tingling.
It's in my spine.

I have to know that I am safe.
It is dark.
It is cold.

Our doors are flimsy enough to break.
They can get me.
They can take me.

Well yes I have four dogs.
I am safe.
I am home.

I feel as though in one false step.
I will lose.
I will die.

A sound I make a place I look.
I'll see something.
I'll feel something.

There is a thrill to it though.
I do it a lot.
Every night.

I can run on a collapsing dock in the middle of a hurricane (true story).
Without fear.
A clear head.

But the dark is something that scares me.
The unknown.
Being watched.

I cannot think in front of people.
I might fail.
I may fall.

I can stand atop a cliff.
I can balance.
I love heights.

I can do all kinds of things.
That scare most people.
But not me.
Not me.

But then as I stand in the dark.
In the safest place I should know.
There is only one thing I can think:
What if.

Sometimes my body and brain
Refuse to work.
In order to stop from losing myself
Or being a ****
Or causing other people pain
I just let myself go insane

Mist clusters on top
Of the towering mountain
The lake sits below

Things are always changing, always shifting.
Nothing will ever be still or certain.
There will be losses and gains, just as there always have been.
There will be love and kindness; hate and resentment.
They will always be there, in interminable existence.
My past is in the palm of my hand, sitting there like a lump of wet clay.
As time ticks past, it melts away.
Leaving me, and all of us, for tomorrow.

Water dripping down the wall
chair is tipping, I might fall
water dripping on my head
how I wish that I was dead

Clock is ticking way too slow
Can't be 1 o clock I know
Clock is lulling me to sleep
Time so slow I'd like to weep

Flip through my book page by page
I'm sure reading's all the rage
Flipping pages, nothing new
Must be something else to do

I've been here a thousand years
Drowning in my own shed tears
How long I've been in this room
Sitting, drowning in the gloom.

How I wish that I was out
Roaming, running all about
I wish I could change the world
Someday my flag will be unfurled.

I'm almost there.
Almost to the top.
Nearly at the end.
Kind of finished.
Sort of done.
Barely through with everything.
Somewhat over.
Close to the finale.
Not quite completed.
All but there.
Practically
Just about
Virtually
More or less
I'm almost there.

If I say I dreamed about you.
You may be really great.
I maybe think you're really weird.
Perhaps it's you I hate.
Perhaps my dream was a nightmare.
Perhaps I woke up screaming.
You never really know what I mean,
If I tell you I was dreaming

My mother once told me:
No one can hurt you.
No person can hurt you.
Nothing can hurt you.

My mother once told me:
No one can hurt you.
Unless you let them.
Only you can hurt yourself.

Dark coil constricts
around my gasping body
all the air is gone

I will not fall.
I will not drop.
Into the dark.
I'll never stop.
I won't look back.
I hear the call.
I will not trip
I'll never fall.

Though things seem stark.
The light is there.
The starlight twinkles
Through the air.
When darkness falls
I'll stay awake.
The cold will numb,
The nagging ache.

My fingers twitch
My eyes are wide
As though I can see
the other side

The side of pain
The place where dark
surrounds your soul
muffles the spark

The spark of life
of hope and light
that shines through day
and blinks through night

Nurture the spark
Keep it alive
Let the inferno
Fuel up your drive

Let hope inspire you
Never to cease
When all else is lost
Hope will release

Fight through the pain
for when it is gone,
life will still be there
for you to lean on.