A     n acrostic
C     an be challenging
R     efining words into patterns
0      f different meanings
S     o we can see the world
T     o be open to new ways of seeing
I       f we've a mind to
C      onsider it so

Are you alive?
Don’t test your pulse
You know that’s not what I mean
A beating heart means nothing
When your head is grey
When your breath is short
When your lungs refuse to breathe
I don’t ask if your body’s alive
I ask if your mind is
Are your breaths long?
Do you enjoy the feel of them inflating?
Do you see it for the miracle it is?
You ARE alive
There ARE people who care
There IS someone who loves you
Who would become what you are now if you were gone
You wouldn’t wish this feeling on anyone
So don’t just live for yourself
Live for the people who love you

My life is like a song
I’ve had more verses than I can remember
And the chorus drives me crazy from time to time
My life is like a song
I keep wondering when the bridge will come
And if the outro will follow soon after
Maybe I’ll get a chance at another verse
But maybe not
My life is like a song
The outro terrifies me
So does the bridge
For the bridge is the beginning of my end
Maybe it’ll be a nice change of pace
Maybe the bridge is years long and I have nothing to worry about
But maybe the bridge is a fleeting feeling
Two wandering gazes that meet in a crowd
A strangers hand brushing against another’s
A conversation that ends so quick when you wanted it to last forever
My life is like a song
I don’t know if you’ll be the bridge, the chorus, the outro or a verse
I can only hope that you’ll be one of them

breathe
do you feel your lungs expanding?
do you feel you chest rising?
open
open your eyes
do you see the sun?
the moon?
the stars?
the clouds?
all of them were made for you
you
wonderful
       beautiful
                lovely
                                ­           YOU
sincerely,
someone who cares

Lately I've been feeling
Disconnected from the world
It seems such a dreadful place
It feels far away from home

So I come to my safe haven
Read and write for hours
Write and read some more
And I know I'm not alone

For I get to see each of you
The outcasts, the weirdos
The misfits, the poets...
But above all, the kind

My little beacons of hope...
My people

“𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀.”
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗲'𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗽.
𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗮𝗻, 𝗮 𝘁𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗿,
𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽.

“𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁?”
𝗔 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵, 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘄, 𝗮 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲—
𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗲, 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝗺𝗲,
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗲.

“𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀
𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄.”
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗱?
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗲?

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲... 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗵, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲—
𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀,
𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗲𝘀,
𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀,
𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝘁,
𝗙𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲.
𝗗𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴,
𝗡𝗼 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲, 𝗻𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲.

𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹. 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹. 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵
𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘄𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗯𝘀,
𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄: 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘂𝗻𝘁.
𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗱𝗲.