A toxic wave of heat swells over the foothills
Suffocating everything it touches
A coyote's desperate howl echoes through the empty void
Cacti sprout abundantly up through the desolate earth like skeletons of the past
The land is empty, deprived of life
Barren
A borderless labyrinth stretching on into eternity
Solitary
Lifeless
Lonely

Tall grass sways In the wind above my head
Darkness hangs in the air like smoke
threatening to choke me out at any moment
I'm completely alone
Lost
I look around desperately praying for anything
I see a light in the distance
Hope
I sprint through the grass with arms outstretched completely unguarded
You met me with open arms
Unthinkingly I grabbed your hand and let you lead me
We reached a dark dense forest with a narrow path stretching out before us
I felt safe
I let your light lead me on
You kept me safe from the forest
Each move so careful so precise
You played a perfect game
You led me to the heart of the forest
I relied on your light like the very air I breathe
Then you turned your light off and you let go
I could feel your presence leave mine
Yet I couldn't see or hear
Immobilized
I tried to follow you
I started walking
Then running!
Then sprinting after you!
Until I tripped
Tears began to fall and it was as if they would never stop
Now here I sit destroyed by my very protector
Broken
On July 7th 2011

fat
annoying
ugly
A seed planted at a young age
Growing deep In my subconscious mind

Comments are made
Tears are shed
The critic is brought closer to the surface of consciousness
The seed planted oh so long ago sprouts and begins to blossom

Fat
Annoying
Ugly
I watch my plant grow
Helpless and full of desperation

What started as a question
Has now become a reality filled with judgements and critics
Presumptions feed on my thoughts like wildfire
Now an all consuming conflagration
Leaving me
Obsessed
Empty
Starving

FAT
ANNOYING
UGLY

My plant is now a dense forest
My fire burns brighter than ever before
FAT
ANNOYING
UGLY
WORTHLESS
HOPELESS

­lost.

I am trapped
Lost in a forest fire
Created by my worst critic
**ME.