So quickly
From pillar to ruins
A single moment
And the world came toppling down
Suffocating smoke
Abundant ashes
The illusion shattered
Then nothing mattered

Help.
Why is that so difficult?
How can four letters freeze my tongue
And quicken my heart?
What about that deserves the power to shut me up and crumble again?
Help.

You aren’t used to me being away from home.
I could say the same about you.
You call and act normal.
There’s nothing normal about change.
You don’t tell me, but it’s apparent.
I know.

Flounder.
Flounder?
I am floundering to write something
Something of worth
A flounder is a fish
And Ariel's best friend
But Flounder isn't a flounder in the movie
Or the television series
What IS he?
Ariel calls him a guppy when he's scared
Or trying to stay locked in his comfort zone
there!
I've abandoned my comfort zone recently
No.
My shell was forcefully removed
In part by my own hand
But mostly not
It was painful
It still is painful
But here I am
And I tied myself into the poem
I did it
Did I?

When the emotions were so frenzied that they spilled out of my mind
And I furiously typed to sort my thoughts
It was cathartic and it showed me I could create something of my own
Yet now I'm left with cobwebs and stress and
I'm alone
You'd think that this is progress, though progress it may be
But after all the chaos now I am left alone with me

Here's a piece of paper with gold embossing.
Go make something of yourself.
Be what you want.
Fulfill your wildest dreams!
But not that.

Dogs are so loyal
So happy and free
Their joy is contagious
Even to me