Blurry faces
all giving advice,
everyone with something to say:
Have fun.
Be safe.
Make friends.
Do something great.

As the exodus draws closer
Mom grows nostalgic,
Dad becomes overbearing.
Both wanting what's best for
her little girl
his little princess
going off into the world.

Eventually the car is loaded.
The engine starts with a rumble.
A beginning starting at the end
that is still seen in the rearview.
Everyone waving,
shouting their love,
one last

          *Goodbye.

crumpled among the change
brushing against lint
surrounded by hollow wrappers
and peppermint swirls
Forgotten
deep in my pocket

our happiness captured
so much has changed

one was older,
one was younger,
two years difference both ways.
the older one only cared for a short time
until his interests shifted,
for someone older?
maybe more mature?
now two years later
the younger one sees me as a friend;
side hugs and platonic conversations.
but I fell for both anyways.
I fell so hard
the impact stole my breath
and being near them gave me butterflies.
I don't know why my heart always stops
for those I cannot have.
I hate that they can't be mine,
but I still hopelessly love them.

it does work out sometimes,
now the older one is like a brother
but he still sometimes makes my heart flutter.
however, the younger one holds my heart;
clueless of my feelings.

cause, yes, though the heart wants what it wants,
it rarely gets what it loves.

The stage is set
The lights are ready
The cues are in place
Everything is as it should be
It's the big event
And things look perfect
But only on center stage
In the left wing someone is broken
In the right wing people are angry
And behind the scenes everything is falling apart
People cry and people blame
Angry glares and cruel, harsh words
It's dark and bitter and so hallow
But it's all behind the scenes
All the things the public never sees
Because it's the big event
So when you're on stage
It's stiff, polite masks for everyone
Because perfection is expected
But it cannot be achieved
So we choose to be fake instead
All for the big event
All for the center stage
We do as we are told
And shove our emotions down
Because this is center stage
Where mistakes are not an option
So fake, tight smiles are arranged on our faces
But just till you get backstage
There it all falls away
This is the big event
This is life

Blue lips
Cold hands
Frozen breaths
Wind bitten cheeks
Winter is coming
Winter is here
And they said we have nothing to fear
Yet here we are
Half frozen
And no one listens
To hear our desperate calls
No one answers our hollow yells
It's all blown away when the wind swells
And all that's left is our frozen statues
Our lifeless shells
All because the world didn't help
They didn't try to save us
Just because it was "too cold out"

hello
hi
what's up
the sky
there's no way for me
to be normal around you
whatever you say
whatever you do
I go from straight A's
to not being able to form a sentence
I can't do anything
all because of you

When we were young
Our frozen breath was smoke
From cigarettes

When we were young
Our hands were guns
As we'd to shoot each other to the ground

When we were young
Our lead and our pencil
Were a syringe we pressed against our flesh

When we were young
We didn't have to worry about the cost
Because to us it was all pretend

But now we aren't so young
And the things we do are no longer pretend
So now there are costs we can't escape