a fraction of an instant
leaves a salty-sweet taste in my mouth
an aching feeling of nostalgia
comparable to hunger
emotions like these aren't enjoyable
a war is fought
an intense battle
between happy
and sad
somewhere a stalemate is found
and outcomes bittersweet
crashing through the brambles to ruin everyone's mood
a confusion of the senses
with no satisfaction
a stinging injustice
that the woe dealt
cannot be properly mourned
due to the element of lingering happiness
still,
milk chocolate is found to be too sweet
and 100% cocoa
too dark
and so a compromise is made
everyone's favorite chocolate is bittersweet

I wrote a song once
About a girl
With chamomile eyes
It wasn't about the color
It was about the feel
The way her eyes seemed to embrace you
To wrap you up
And hold you
And protect you
You are not that girl
Your eyes
Are nothing like that
Your eyes
Are a dark
Deep brown
Sharp
All edges
Daring me
Pushing me
Teasing me
Your eyes have a hint of laughter
And contradiction
A cool brown
That can cut through me
When you are mad
Relentless and so, so impassive
But make my stomach drop
When you give me that look
You know the one I'm talking about
It's all eyes
All tilt of the head
Twist of the lips
As they curve up
In a teasing smile
And the ember
In the brown ashes
Of your daring eyes
Makes me weak

At a young age
Us girls learn
That the theft
Of our choice
Our pure untouched skin
And our freedom of deciding
Who gets to touch it
The theft
Of our innocence
Our youth
Our ability to say no
That theft
Is less punishable
Than the theft
Of a man's wristwatch

do you see them there?
heads bowed
heavy with a past
they cannot stomach
do you seem them there?
an aura of gray seems to follow them,
and people step away when they pass
frightened perhaps,
that the misfortune of the less fortunate
will cling to their
expensive coats
and warm mittens
do you see them there?
they do not sing the anthem
or pledge their allegiance
they have no love
for a country that does not love them
they will not lose what is left of their dignity
attempting to run after
a world that has left them in the dust
they are the essence of dust
unclean specks
unimportant to the
                                     big
the
                                     loud
the ones who run the show
they are far from running the show
do you see them there?
breaths catching in the cold air
an unadulterated bitter anger
at those above them
for placing themselves above them
do you see them there?
because sometimes they get
     l
         o
              s
                   t

I'm sorry I made you the center of my hurricane
the point which I pivot around
the peak
I'm sorry that I raised you too high
forgetting that you're afraid of heights
I'm sorry I made you the heart
of my universe
forgetting it's lonely out in space
I'm sorry
I didn't mean for it to be like this
I was lonely in space too
I thought
I just thought
maybe we could be lonely together
but I forgot
that sometimes people don't mind being lonely