Shame, a blur of red and orange, smudging the canvas
Lost, a jagged line, twisting and turning
Afraid, a swirl of blue and black, consuming the frame

Stares, a splash of yellow, piercing the darkness
Voice, a stroke of purple, trembling and raw
Frame, a smear of green, contorted and broken

No name, a drip of pink, fading into the background
No future, a smudge of brown, dull and uninviting
All bridges, a streak of white, burned and crumbling

Shame, a prison, enclosing the soul in a cage of color
Guilt, a shadow, creeping in and consuming the light
Freedom, a burst of gold, shining and radiant

Love, a flood of color, washing away the shame and the guilt
Hope, a beacon, shining and guiding the way

It was but a rising tide than an explosion,
Bringing life to a halt, but still we endure,
Time was always a luxury I couldn't afford,
Now that I have so much of it I fail to be cured,
Cured of this stillness that resides within me,
Courage to create eludes and blankness stares back from the mirror,
Am I just a shadow of who I once was?
Was I once a shadow mistaken for light?
A distant audience to my own mediocre life,
All that I learned goes to waste in the dungeons of my mind,
Everything new spills out for no more can be accommodated within,
Does everyone else too feel bleak like a dying tree?
Is it me who is just dead inside,
So self absorbed and blinded to my surroundings,
Washed in self pity that I can't see what lies at the next step,
Then again why do I believe a word I say,
When this sadness has become my security blanket.

Cold like a blue breeze,
This lonesome waits to feel,
To feel the warmth of your sun,
Whose light could brighten the dark,
Chasing it away from the farthest reaches inside,
And burn once again the flame that is lost,
A fire of creation to birth wonders

I can't breathe,
It's crushing me,
The burden of expectations and disappointments,
I can't breathe,
There's still a long way to go till this misery ends.

Wave after wave we rode the highs,
Steadying our footing before the next rise,
It all crashes into laughter and the salty foam,
Time flew by as the clouds framed the setting sun,
Lighting our path as the time came to head back home.

I lived in the fleeting moments loving the rush of being alive,
Forgetting about the dark night that lay over the horizon,
As we crossed the threshold back into our abode,
The interlude ended as the last light receded from the windows,
Leaving me in unattended in the murk of my thoughts.

Unequipped for the blackness that glared at me,
I searched for a glimmer of a forgotten dream,
There was once a fire that shone bright my hopes & ambitions,
Not even embers remain that I may stoke a new flame,
Aimlessly I move through the motions of the daily mundane.

Slowly collapsing under the unbearable weight,
Wishing that I could find meaning in life,
Or give up altogether and end it tonight,
"Why am I even here?" Echoes back at me from the dark,
I fear there is nothing else left for me here.

Not everyone can be a star
no matter how we wish for heavenly light
most of us will not illuminate the night
those who burn and seem so bright
will oft ignite and fall
burning cinders
merely human after all