I read the newspaper stained in black
I watch the television covered in blood
I listen to the corrupted comebacks
Coming from the people I used to love

The world holds so much negativity
As I try to escape my own
I cower from the harsh world outside
Counting my reasons to be alone

I was raised to fear the world
Just follow what others say
Continue being the passive wallflower
As I count my reasons to stay

Out there is a world where I fall and fail
While my inner world consumes me
Overstimulated and stressed in all kinds
Desperately searching for peace

To leave a toxic friend behind
Is like taking a bullet out from its wound
You'd think it would be better to keep it inside
Less pain you would have to endure through

Though, the longer it stays, you cannot help but mind
No amount of negligence will sooth
A toxin that spreads, the longer it binds
A parting that was long overdue

As if taking out the bullet crosses some line
Swaying from a future that respects you
A toxic friend is a still a friend who once stood by your side
It is okay to grieve for the friend you outgrew

A part of me still wishes to die
Maybe that part of me should
That part so attached to my demons alike
To rid myself of them; if only I could

Spiteful thoughts fester in the darkest corners
They tell me I am simply no-good
Isolate yourself, you'll be happier that way
You have lived long enough misunderstood

How loud is her voice, condescending and cruel
Yet, she raised me since childhood
Like a toxic love you cannot seem to part with
I still live for the day I would

Lost in assumptions and conclusions
Living amongst influences and illusions
How easy it is to lose my sense of self

While drowning in other's expectations
That often discourages original creations
I consider just being like everyone else

But to go down a path already made
Starves me of the adventure that I crave
And an undaunted outlook I have not yet felt

I am a palette among paintings
Still in the process of creating
A new colour to call myself

I was entranced by him
Until his riptide brought me in
Into an ocean of infatuation
Where I was left stranded

His waves came and left
To me, like mixed signs
Struggling with my emotions
Robbed me of clarity and sight

I was then pulled under
Falling further from the light
As my heart weighed heavier
From this growing feeling inside

His eyes resemble the ocean's trenches
I was captivated by curiosity
Of what lies beneath the shallows of him
The depths of his soul intrigues me

He felt like home
The other half of my soul
My heart has always been homeless

I held a nomad's heart
Unable to take part
In settling for a love that was fruitless

Yet with him, time stood still
Leaving my fate unfulfilled
With him, I found no need to wander

Because of him, I stayed
He consumed more of my days
In him, I found safety and comfort

Then one day I realized
I became spoiled with vice
For I was a vagabond who stayed

What use are my wings
If I am not exploring
My heart was simply led astray

As though I was caught under glass
Because I had trespassed
In a home that was not meant for me

He felt like home
When I did not have my own
I was not looking for one initially

I explored love's territory
Leaving my own love's story
As I resume my journey again

There are times I still wonder
On those days of endless ponder
If I had made the right choice in the end

Life took away her wings
A vital and precious piece of her
She laid there, defenceless and vulnerable
She had encountered life at its worst

What is a butterfly without her wings
No appearance to hide behind
She had to live with what was left of her
Life sadly had not been kind

She questioned who she was
With her new inability to fly
Her newfound lack of freedom
Awaited a fate she could not fight

Without her wings, she began to crawl
Reverting back to a childlike state
For an end gives rise to a new beginning
Her positivity was something innate

Her downfalls made her climb higher
Pain didn't bother her anymore
Her fear to fall had diminished
She was stronger than before

Her fighting spirit emerged out of her
Giving form to new wings
Her tears nurtured and shaped them
She began her new chance at living