you get to a point where it starts to feel okay to
feel again, and the midnight aire doesn't suffocate
you, and the sky doesn't seem to hang so low
anymore, and if i would've told myself this a
month ago, that it'd all be okay, i wouldn't have
believed dit, but here i am, standing in the middle of
a forest with no one around for miles and a miles,
and i do not feel alone.

Temptation is being tempted to spend your last dollar
on a package of M&M;’s in the vending machine in the teachers lounge.
Temptation is being tempted to go through the McDonald’s drive through
even when you know the consequences.
Temptation is when you are tempted to take one of the free cookies at Hannaford
even though you are over the age of 12.
Temptation is everywhere,
everyday.
Sometimes it’s simple,
sometimes it’s more complex.
Temptation is being tempted every time you see your crush in the hall,
to get a burst of confidence and just walk up and kiss them.
It’s being tempted to ride the Zipper at the fair for the first time
even thought you are afraid of heights.
It’s the “want” to see your presents that have been hidden in the closet
even though you are supposed to wait until Christmas morning.
It’s the “need” to buy those jeans that fit you perfectly
even though they cost more than your phone bill.
You can’t ignore it, though sometimes you can control it
but only if you want to.

I remember the day when you said to me
the beauty of this world is under lock and key.
The ugliness and hatred is all you can see
and once a bird is caged, it'll never again be free.

But all your life you never did try
to spread your wings and learn to fly.
Nor did you look past the grief of war
to see all the peace we've been fighting for.

I remember writing a poem about an orange
though we all know nothing rhymes with orange
and after that I didn't write for a long time
since you said a poem's not a poem if it doesn't rhyme.

But all your life you never had a clue
of how to go above and beyond what's expected of you.
You weren't one of a kind, instead one of few
who settled for average and stuck to what you knew.

I remember sitting down for dinner with you
with my sushi rolls and pork moo-shu
and you said eating ethnic things
will not make me interesting.

But all your life you sat on floors
watching TV when you could be outdoors.
Eating pepperoni pizza and chicken wings,
never trying any new things.

I remember that time when you yelled at me
'cause I failed my first test on geometry.
Your face turned red as you grabbed hold of my head and said
"if you stopped your **** writing you might've passed math instead!"

But all your life you focused too much
on solving equations and numbers and such.
Your math mark went up but your english mark fell,
now you've forgotten how to solve for x and still can't even spell.

I remember when your words used to put me down
and I wore a bag over my head when it should have been a crown.
I thought I was nothing but I was wrong,
I guess I had just been listening to your lies for far too long.

See, all your life you felt insecure
because of the disappointment you felt when you looked in the mirror.
You spent too much time existing that you forgot how to live,
you've been drained of all happiness like flour in a sieve.

I have realized now that I need not feel bad
and no longer will I let your words make me sad.
You're the most ordinary person I ever knew,
and for that I pity you, I really do.