War
Started by a single shot
No good or evil
Only humans

People
Stricken by fear
Ordered to fight
No matter how bad it got

Music
Sung by one side
Then the other
Soon everyone sings

Peace
For just one night
A truce struck without generals
A decision made by soldiers

Magic
It's real
This is what it looks like

Thrown off a shooting star, I drifted through space
I watched stars pass by, but none offered me their light
Then I found your star with its pale glow
I basked in its light, and offered what I could of my own

For a moment, I could see your star in the future shining next to mine
But then it flickered and dimmed, and I didn't have enough light to help
So I waited for the day when our stars would shine together.
I watched it grow brighter, day after day

It burned brighter, and brighter,
Then went out.
Leaving nothing but the cold, unending black.

I don't know when it faded.
I don't know why.
All I know is that your star is gone.

I can still see the light behind my eyes.
The warmth left on my skin hasn't turned cold.
And that small light you gave me
Is still there for me to share.

Even though your star is gone
And it will never return
Its light will never fade
so long as my star burns on.

Every time I make a mistake
That mistake creates
another vulture circling
Hanging there, waiting
To remind me of that time
I was less than I could be

There are many of them there
It scares me to think
That another could appear
Other people must be able to see them
They must remember that time
That I was less than they wanted me to be

With so many mistakes over my head
That everyone else can see
They must be thinking to themselves
That something's wrong with me
Deep down, they must know what I know
That I'm a mistake

But in time I learned
That other people don't see them
No, they don't care,
because they've made mistakes too
Even though I make mistakes
that does not make me a mistake

I took roots and stood still
allowing the world to pass me by
Until I looked up one night
and saw a shooting star fly by

You were so bright and colorful
I'd never seen something so unique
I wanted so much for you to stay
for your light to be something I could keep

I couldn't believe my eyes
when you slowed down for me
I thought maybe you'd stay
But I could see you wanted to leave

I grabbed hold and held tightly
While you thrashed and burned
Neither of us gave in
Until we'd both been hurt

So I let you go
and watched you fly away
Deep down I knew
I'd never see you again

But you came back
And this time I let you be
Because you're still a shooting star
and I'm still a tree

Your humor used to bring people together
You spoke of family, of kids growing up in tough times
We laughed with you about it
Never knowing with whom we were laughing

We sang about chocolate cake
Of going back to bed, like we'd wanted to
The jokes were shared by so many people
Now they only fall flat

We can't laugh anymore
You took that from us
But those memories are ours to keep
So all that's left to say is...

Thank you for sharing
I'm glad for those years of laughter
Of the talk of good kids going bad
Even if you turned out to be one of them

(Toad)
I never knew how to be strong
I always thought there was something wrong
with me, but she made me see
And now the only person who believed in me
is gone

(Moon)
I believe in you too
I only wish I knew what to do
I'm always too confused
To be of any use
But I'll try to be here for you

(Both)
Now it's up to us
Our friends won't even discuss
The possibility
of hostility
We're drifting alone in the dark
But there's still a small spark
of hope

(Toad)
You ran away
I only wish you'd say
Why you did it
I could've stopped it
I'll always be there to save
you

(Moon)
I don't want to be saved
I'm only trying to be brave
Like you and my sister
I want to stop something sinister
Before it's too late to save
you

(Both)
You're my everything
But you won't tell me anything
I only want to help you,
I can't live without you
We're drifting apart in the dark
But there's still a small spark
of hope

(Moon)
I dreamed about you today
I wish I had the courage to ask you to stay
But I don't know if I'm strong enough
My world is just too rough
And I don't know if I can find my way
anymore

(Toad)
That woman that took your eyes
I swear that I'll be her demise
I know she's coming
But I'm not running
There will be no more cries
anymore

(Both)
We were put to the test
and though we tried our best
We couldn't win alone
But we're not alone
We're drifting together in the dark
So there's still a small spark
of hope

(Moon)
You saved my life by giving yours
Trapped behind closed doors
I can still hear your voice
So I'm making my choice
I'm drifting alone in the dark
But I've still got a small spark
of you

You closed your eyes
and spread your wings
But you didn't fly away
I know why; you were afraid

You're afraid for the people you're leaving behind
You can see their tears
You can see their pain
I see it too

But I also see their love
The love of all these people coming together
They're taking care of one another
Even though they themselves are in pain

So don't be afraid
Let butterfly wings guide you to peace
And although you're leaving our lives
The love you gave us will never leave our hearts

I know it's hard when I go away
It'd be easier if I could always stay
But here's a promise to you
I'll always come back for you

When I leave, it's tough
I think we've all had enough
I wish it would end too
So I could spend more time with you

I didn't see you learn to walk
I didn't hear you learn to talk
I'm missing more now too
But I'll always be there for you

Soon I'll be home to stay
Then we can hang out and play
Those gray skies will turn blue
Cos I'm coming home for you

In spite of the times we yelled at one another
We got through it together
To the years of spaceships and video games
Of action figures and code names
Through that whole time
our friendship survived

Even when I went away
And you had to stay
I came back in a hurry
and we enjoyed old movies and curry
Together, we'll thrive
and our friendship will survive

Even now, we're still together
We will be forever
Even though we're apart
It won't fade, it won't even start
We've got the rest of our lives
because true friendship survives

Beware the Shadow People
That sit in the dark corners
They shout and mock
Where no one can see them

If you argue, they attack you
They call you a liar, a fake
Kindness confuses them
So they feed on hate

They act strong
it's easy when you can't see them
But get them into the light
And they're small, so small

They're all different
as are you and I
So one must know them
to shine the light

And remember
The Shadow People
are still people
so be kind

It's staying together while being hundreds of miles apart
It's rolling your eyes and smiling
It's missing someone when they're far away
It's accepting someone for who they are
It's letting someone grow
and letting someone go
It's taking care of yourself for them
While they take care of themselves for you

Love is saying yes instead of no
It's hundreds of questions before the sun comes up
It's leaving someone with a memory that outlives you
It's being together to chase away the pain

Love is you
And Love is me

Oh, my sad prince
I can see the dark in your eyes
It's closing in again, isn't it?
Cutting off the sun and blackening the skies.

I hate to see you this way
So downcast and forlorn
No one else sees it,
They neither weep nor mourn

I used to fear
that I'd see nothing more
That the light in you would die
And you'd lose the fight and the war

Now I know there is more
I see something in your eyes
Not pain, not misery
But an idea on the rise

You found your way out of the dark
All you needed was a paper and pen
So don't lose hope, my love
For the light will shine again

Swirling darkness all around
It's all I hear, the only sound

Is this what life is?
A black, unending abyss?

I was told I was special, did they lie?
If not, why am I so lost?  Why?

I fall deeper into the pit
That's all there is, this is it

This is life now, endless black.
I don't know if I can ever go back

To the old days that shone like the sun
I remember the smiles, I remember the fun

But I can't have that now, it's all gone
There's nothing, those days are done

I'm alone, I always will be
I'm unwanted, I must be

Alone... Unwanted... Unloved

Every night I can feel it
Like some evil spirit
Watching me in the dark
Waiting for the spark
Of fear that will breathe life
into its world and intensify the strife
That I feel every hour
to remind me I have no power
in the storm of the world that I
try to live in, try to survive
But there's no port in this storm
Only voices demanding that I conform
To the accepted standard and way
That everyone else lives, to stay
quote "normal", to never speak
of the storm inside that seeks to wreak
havoc on my person, on my world
It's so much easier to remain curled
Up inside, never risking the chaos outside
Is it real?  Is it fake?  I can't decide.
So I look out, and the room is completely quiet
But in my head, it's a riot
Of thoughts and emotions whirling and stumbling
And it all keeps jumbling
How I feel inside, who I am
All I want is to understand
This world, this storm, this panic, this fear
To know why it must always draw near.
Why can't it stay away?  Why won't it leave?
All I want is for it to relieve
me of its terror and give me some peace
All I want is for the storm to cease
All I want is for it to stop

Such a soft touch
My hand in yours
So simple
So gentle
May it never end

I love that face
Don't change it
I can see you inside

It's real
never fake
You're happy without smiling

I can see through you
To the smile on the inside
It's in your eyes

A brightly colored thread weaves through space
Its color, indescribable
It only knows that it is different
from every other thread

It loops and ducks
It twists and turns
Crossing other threads
Seemingly at random

Sometimes, threads intertwine
And new threads emerge
Sometimes, a thread's journey stops short
It can never know why

Millions of threads
Millions of lives
Twisting and changing
All ignorant of the grand design

To the threads there is no design
No grand scheme
Only the organized chaos
They all call life

A light shines through a world of darkness
It creeps over the hills that guard a valley
And peeks through the trees that hide it
Heralding a new day

The sun breathes life into that valley
Awakening old and new
They trudge through dew-soaked grass
to gather and welcome the new day

The smiles never leave their faces
For they feel the love of one another
The love they bring with the new day
And the love the new day brings to them

It never vanishes from the valley
Not until long after the sun leaves the sky
Not until the heat of fire has faded
Not until those lives bid the day farewell

As the final echoes of life die down
They disperse back to their shelters
And allow darkness to set in
As they all begin a dream of a new day

When I was young, and bigger kids would push me down
I wanted to push them back
But you told me "No, that won't help."

When I was older, and other people hurt me
I wanted to hurt them back.
But you told me "No, that won't heal the pain."

When people tricked me and hurt me with their lies
I wanted to see them in pain too.
But you told me "No, it won't change anything."

When I saw other people in pain,
I wanted to fix it.
But you told me "There's nothing you can do."

Then I saw other people that loved them
Other people that wanted to fix it.
And I said "I'm here for you."

And you said "Yes.  That's helping."

Now I look out and see people that don't know
People that try to push back.
People that try to heal their pain by causing more.
People that hurt themselves trying to help others.
And I know why they're like that.

They didn't have you.

Now it's my turn.
There's someone who doesn't know
Someone that needs me to show him
I'll show him the right way.
I know I can do it.
Because I had you.

On that first day of school
when you didn't know anyone at all
I was there so you wouldn't feel afraid.

Over the summer, when everyone else had gone off to camp
I was there to run through the fields with you.
We were wizards fighting dragons, or pirates sailing the seas.
We played all day until your mom and dad came and got you.

Or that time when you tried getting an extra cookie
I was there to be the lookout.
I wasn't very good at it.
Sorry about that.

We laughed and played.
We sang and we danced.
And we were there to have fun
for as long as we could.

But then one day, things changed.
The fun stopped, and the work started.
You were always too busy with school.
And when you weren't, you went out with friends.
I don't think you noticed me anymore.
But still, I was there.

When that one friend yelled at you,
I was there when they slammed the door.
Or that other friend that just never showed up.
I was there when you locked yourself in your room.
I don't think you knew I could hear you crying.

As the days went by, I watched you change.
No matter what happened, no matter what you did,
I was there, just in case you needed a friend.

Then one day, you looked up at me and said
"Hello"
And I smiled and said
"Hello"

And we talked like we used to.
We drifted away
back to those shining days.
And for a moment,
we were there together.

It didn't last long.
Soon, you had to go away.
I was there when your parents left you
at that strange place you called "college".

I was there then.
I'm here now.
And I'll be there tomorrow.
Because that's what friends are for.

With love,
Your Imaginary Friend

ADHD kept talking
and Depression began scheming
He mumbled something to Anxiety
and Anxiety started screaming

Happiness couldn't take it
and ran far away
ADHD got desperate
and started listening to hate

He found joy in pain
it made the screaming cease
but nothing lasted forever
they couldn't find their peace

Until Kindness came along
and held Anxiety
the noise died down
and he finally quieted

Kindness smiled at Depression
no matter how Hate protested
And breathed with ADHD
until he finally rested

Sometimes Kindness tires
Sometimes there's too much to take
But Happiness will return
If they don't listen to Hate

I used to believe in you
You always knew what to do
When the world was black as the night
You held out your hand and said it's alright
You said "I'm always here for you"

But then before my very eyes
The world was stained red by your demise
All alone you've left us
With no one to defend us
Poisoned by the snake and its lies

Those days that shone gold like the sun
The days of laughter, the days of fun
It took them from us with its scheming
And its silver fangs are still gleaming
All I want to do is run

When you finally returned
It wasn't long before I learned
You weren't the same as before
You're on another side of this war
What we had was scattered and burned

There's no one else but me
That can stop the coming tragedy
I have to choose a path ahead
Before we all wind up dead
Why does it have to be me?

Red like roses, black as the skies
Our blood now spills, our innocence dies
I don't want this to be how it ends
But you've taken so many friends
Their screams erased the lullabies

And now, my love, all we have left are goodbyes

Life knocks me down, I get back up
Nothing keeps me down, not forever
The storm gets worse, I rise up
I can bear some bad weather

Flying on the wings of hope
I'll soar above my fears
The sun shining on clouds below
I'll wipe away my tears

Life gets hard, I get harder
It's tough, but it's all I've got
I'll stick it through, pushing farther
Living every day for me and my lot

Flying on the wings of hope
I'll look to the rising sun
Ignore my doubts and woes
Learning to have some fun

Some days it's hard to get up
On my mistakes I sometimes dwell
But my heart won't let me give up
I know all will be well

Flying on the wings of hope
Rising above the pain
There's no time to mope
I've got to enjoy the rain

Flying on the wings of hope
Remembering the people who care
For them, for me, I'll learn to cope
And always stay in the air

Flying on the wings of hope

When you're yourself, that's the best
You don't have to be like the rest
To yourself, be true
And be you, be you

Being different is fine
So do it all the time
It shouldn't make you blue
Just be you, be you

Sometimes others don't understand
This wasn't what they had planned
But they can't decide for you
So be you, be you

Who you are is your choice
Speak with your own voice
You're important too
So be you, be you

Don't be afraid
To lead your own parade
Make it how ever you want to
So long as it's you, it's you

Everyone has their own part to play
Everyone has something important to say
Don't forget that you do too
And always be you, be you