There once was a lingering Almost
That followed you like a ghost.
She's haunted your past
Leaves you downcast
and both lifeless and comatose

She decided to stay for a while
So long that she had a child
His name is Regret
who will make you forget
Exactly how to reconcile

But one day you decide you've had enough
And demand that they pack up their stuff
They were so close to leaving
And almost believing
Until they called your bluff.

The funny thing is it wasn't always this way
As if he was forced from his bed
Kicked out by the thing he craves.
Reason tells him it's okay
That it's all in his head
And that she is lying there safe.

But try telling that to his heart
Convinced of its own reality
with each beat in his shirt
Drenched in a cold hyperbole.

So he'll trade his sleep away
To take up the night watch
As if he can offer an ounce of assurance
In hopes of keeping his dream
from becoming
A nightmare.

You caught my eye and wouldn't let go
I tried to work past it but you said "no".
You didn't consume my thoughts before
But now that I've noticed, you demand more.
Your presence controls me like an addict
So like an itch on my head, I scratch it.
Just once; no, twice, again and again
just hoping that scratching will bring this to an end
Because I can't move on
Until I know you're gone.
I've seen others like you in the past
And I know you won't be the last
But I can't help but go insane
By seeing on my desk a coffee stain.

The tragedy's over, it's finite.
But it's still tragedy, it's infinite.
A single action multiplied through all of reality.
Two lives subtracted from this universe indefinitely.
One, deemed slightly odd, just wanted to get even
Emotions compounded, suspending all reason.
The other in a more integral union
Now leaving a remainder with no solution.
But regardless of identities, what's the difference
when actions like these have a sequence?
A series of lives lost;
Lost to the shell method
With empty shells bouncing on the floor
The death toll adding up more and more.
As a country, what is our limit?
what constitutes a significant digit?
We hear about tragedies with such frequency
we think "it won't happen to me".
And that might be the root of these events,
A mindset of disconnect.
That our lives all run parallel...but only until they intersect.
But the hole in that theory is that we're already in a universal set.
If we integrated that thought into the way we live
We  might have less families asking "iff"
Because that might be a tragedy on par:
Living as if our neighbors are imaginary parts.
So, let's shift our prime focus from our own simple interest
Before its outcome produces absolute divergence.

If I were blind, would I still notice
If I were blind, could I still see
The God of the universe all around me?
When I was blind, did I take a pause
To see the world with its beauty and flaws?
The beauty in the flaws, a divine duo despite its dysfunction
Both enhancing the other in the greatest of junctions.
There is light in this world, reflecting His image
Scattered throughout every city and village.
Joy dispersed, only a fraction refracted.
Hope eternal without it being retracted.
Despite the dark hidden in each heart
The light left its mark that could not depart;
Marks engraved that conquered the grave
Not to save face but provide saving grace
Not interested in the face of the earth
But wishing for us to have rebirth.
Upon the hill, the light could not be put out
Shining brightest in the shadows of doubt.
Because beyond the shadow of a doubt lies a flickering flame
Holding on for dear life, clinging to His name.
By this small light, we have gained a glimpse
Of the evidence of His fingerprints
Seeing, not the whole, but only a part
Is enough to plant seeds of faith in a heart.
But the condition of this world is not conducive to growth.
Lies are mixed with truth, and discernment is elusive to both.
Seeds need sunlight in order to flourish,
So lean towards the Son to be nourished.
His body the bread, His blood the wine:
The ultimate covenant to span all of time.
There's beauty in this marriage, light coming to dark,
Holiness and sin, the contrast is stark.
One magnifies the other when put side by side,
Which is exactly why Jesus died.
He saw what we can't: the condition of our heart.
And he did what we couldn't: gave us a restart.
White as snow from blood red
Void removed; life instead.
So, open your eyes, search the dark in the night
And open your heart to let there be light.