We live in odd times,
It is a time of confusion, of peril, of treachery.
We live in odd times,
In a time of pain and prosperity.

We work ourselves to the bone,
We push each other to the limit.
Our futures are always shone,
But the present, never worth it.

We live in odd times,
We see each other go by,
Walking, running, driving, always in the lines,
Never to look up, never to say hi

We live in our own bubbles,
Keeping everyone at a distance.
Oblivious to everyone else’s troubles,
But hoping for the world’s kisses.

We live in odd times,
Every door, closed.
Every word, lies.
Every question, posed.

Though we live in odd times,
We are not blind.
We see those who commit crimes,
And those who are always kind.

We are creatures of emotion and logic,
We have realized that we drew the lines,
And that this world does not have to be tragic.
These truly are, odd times.

I am on a street
I have to choose a path to take
I do not know if the roads will ever meet
This is a decision I do not think I can make

I am trying to make a choice
What do I do , I don’t know
From behind me I hear a voice
Telling me where to go
Now all I hear is noise

People shouting at me
Louder and louder
“This is what you should be”
Pushing me farther and farther

“Stop,” I yell “let me choose”
But my efforts were in vain
For I had already been pushed,
To the path that I must take

The path is steep
I am confident about the start
So to go forward, I take a leap
Only to find I want to depart

The next few steps were a struggle
For I did not read the map
All I heard was my confidence rumble
But I never left the path

I found some help along the way
They made my travels fun
But they did not stay to my dismay
I feel like this journey will never be done

I see it, it’s finally concluded
The road has ended
I no longer feel secluded
But I felt once again, that I was to be muted

For I had another road to take
I waited for the voices
But all I heard and saw was the morning wake
Now, it seemed I will make my own choices

This is now my choice to make
I feel bereft
For others always made the decision I had to take
I went left

The journey felt like it had been going on for an eon
I learned to enjoy the journey, not knowing where I was headed
Just kept going on and on
And to my luck the road never ended

My story is not one that needs to be told,
But tell it I will.
I am a lantern, once bought, then sold
I am a simple lantern, without a frill.

Hung on a roof I was,
Lit all day, and all night.
I hung there in silence,
Not a sound, not a sight.

Most days, I went unnoticed,
I was nothing special, no story worth telling.
But every once in a while, people would stop, and stare,
They saw something compelling.

I am a shadow, that lives within a much bigger light,
But I am my own source, I live in no prison.
I have a story to tell, one that is very bright,
If only you wish to listen.

Life gave you lemons,
you made lemonade.
Life gave you oranges,
you made orange juice.

Life gave you love,
you threw it away.
Life gave you money,
you used it to play.

Life gave you friends,
you let them go.
Life gave you help,
you left it alone.

Life gave you knowledge,
you never used it.
Life gave you health,
you abused it.

Life gave you hope,
you trusted it.
Life gave you sadness,
you embraced it.

Life gave you happiness,
you ignored it.
Life gave you faith,
you scoffed at it.

Everything you wanted,
you were given.
Everything you had,
was never fulfilling.