A child called to me.
"Hello over there."
I didn't respond.
"Thank you for your service, mister."
I pretended not to hear her.

I was invited to dance later that night.
"Will you join me?"
I refused.
"Do you want to go get a drink?"
My false smile evaporated.

I could go on. This isn't even worth reading. I just have nobody to talk to and so much to say. I only wish listeners weren't so full of flesh and blood.

We're taught to move on,
To be strong!
Shake it off, champ!
You'll get 'em next time!

Except this isn't a ******* baseball game is it?

These losses aren't ephemeral,
And loving the ghost of someone,
Is like dragging a cinder block
Tied around your neck

Your delicate skin chafes, tears and bleeds,
And as you gag,
Perhaps you wish you'd find yourself
In a lake with that cinder block

Gurgling, staring eyes wide
At the block to do something!
Haven't you loved it so?
Bubbles rise.

Fade to black and remember
Your thankless love,
Remember how you held this torch,
And became a martyr for no one

It's okay.
It will be alright.
I won't lie awake
Throughout the night.
This is good.
It's what I wanted.
Don't be upset when
It all goes Wrong.
So wrong.

My poultices
Were poisonous,
Infecting her
Open wounds.
For every tear
I thought to shed
she'd already bled tenfold.

I couldn't see?
I didn't know?
I claimed affection...
Yet it didn't show?

It's too late now
For me
To turn back
What has been done.
I'll hold Her Heart close
In memories
Alone.

If you are uncomfortable when you look in the mirror,
keep in mind:
We spent thousands of years
trying to convince the earth
she was flat.

We wrote her maps as evidence of the things we saw;
and she believed them.
She cried tsunamis, and had earthquake breakdowns.

Keep in mind: the Sun never gave up hope.
The earth will keep spinning and breathing
the star-dusty space void of encouragement.

Next time you look in the mirror
and second-guess your potential divinity,
remember you will keep shining and living.

Because the Sun is out there
believing in you,
compensating for lack of the human capacity
to treat each other empathically.

You don’t need proof or approval
to be exactly what you are;
Eventually everyone will see
your infinite beauty.

if i had clear skin,
i'd be the most confident boy
now let's stop acting like sadness and self loathing is a competition
because trust me baby i've been playing this game for years
and there is no prize

"I love you,"
One:
You are the first person to ever say that to me
The grass felt soft and the air warm
We couldn't stop laughing

"I love you,"
Two:
I'm a bit more skeptical because words aren't actions
And you're actions are yelling another story; it sounds more like a tragedy than a comedy.

Three:
Someone told me they loved me before, but hadn't thought about what it means. I trust you are most selective with my feelings. (A candle-lit dinner means more than artificial light.)

"I _ _ _ _ you,"
Four:
We say "love" as often as "hate;" they can be equally destructive.

Five:
I'm alone. I can love myself.

"I love you,"
Six:
This time I said it first. That was a mistake. You are only skin deep. You couldn't understand anything more than perfume and mascara. It makes all the difference if you break or are broken.

Seven:
We are collapsing buildings, screaming it one last time before we accept we never had a chance. If we had been trees we could have swayed in the breeze.

Eight:
I am alone.

"I love,"
Nine:
My love is for someone else, not for myself.

Ten:
I'm very cautious when someone says, "I love you." I've heard it before. I have only seen it through squinting eyes.
When it's honest, I hope I know how to care for it properly.

If you are going to shine in this world,
it is essential to know:

You will cast shadows.

People will hate you for
the darkness,
instead of praising you
for clarity.

As with any cloying flavor,
It would seem you've had your fill.
Sugar sweetness had its way
but now you spit the swill.
You took all that I had to give,
You barely stopped to chew.
Our cake sat atop a pedestal
Left to stale
One of the few.
Now we're left with crumbs on bedsheets
And cavities of the heart.
A sweettooth brought us together
But hunger tore us apart.

I set sail into night
Silent
Alone
The ebbing light my guide
Drifting
Unsure
Surrounded on all sides
By fears
Like waves

I mistook her eyes
For birthday candles
And when she whispered
Hello
My wish came true