silhouettes running down brick walls like

flashfloods clinging to ***** mascara
where starstruck children run in mud
call me the eve of original sin
for the things I have seen and the places I've been

for ridges of ink etched in landscapes of skin
for heartbeats in hoodies saying lest we forget

in the valley of the shadow of death
they rest with hands crossed over their chests

I look back.
A dad, a sister, a brother, a mom.
Moving five, seven, no, thirteen times.
A father gone,
A sister to school.
Another stepdad,
No three boyfriends.
Of all, two criminals.

I look back more.
Three, four, school districts.
You promised one final.
Promise not kept.

I’m sixteen.
My first car, breaks.
My second car, breaks.
My third car, Mom breaks.

One, three, four attempts.
Goodnight.

I break; But looking back
It could have been worse.
No dad, no mom;
Just brother and sister.

At least I have three.
Goodnight.

In these moments I've spent here
I've thought about my life
I realized all I've put you through
The sorrow, pain and strife!
I'm sorry dear I have to say
I've caused so many tears
No matter what, you stood by me
So strong for all these years!
I don't deserve a girl like you
A blessing all my own
I can't imagine living one day
Without you and alone!
You've often made the hard times pale
Those times that seemed so bleak
You stayed so strong and fought so hard
Those days I'd fallen weak!
I'll never find the words to say
How much your true love means
You're on my mind and in my heart
You're filling up my dreams!
I've prayed I'd find you all my life
I'd almost given in
Now that I've got you to myself
Won't ever lose again!
You're every thing I'll ever want
You're all my dreams come true
My life now makes such perfect sense
Since moment I found you!

I want to hold onto you in the pulse of morning
In between youth and old age,
That flash of golden sun pouring through the shutters
When the world softly begins to hum
Before we need to face the day

I want to dance that last dance with you
Before the lights turn off and music haunts the silent air
Before they close the doors

You take me by the heart before you hold my hand
Just by opening your eyes
Thank you for seeing me as no one else does
For recognizing the colors of my spirit
For always saying I love you without side effects and without small print
You are honest to goodness, honest goodness
And I want to bother you every second of every day
As long as my life keeps playing

[record spinning]
"I love you in the morning and in the afternoon
I love you in the evening and underneath the moon"
[bump and static]

Am I chasing the sun
Or running away from shadows
I'll never tell him I loved him
So I can stay friends with the dead
But I'll leave my home and religion
To love another

Please don't ask me to leave you
Don't ask me to turn back
Where you go, I will go also
Where you stay, I will stay
Your family will be my family
Your God my God

Bulbous eyes and gaping mouth see splayed flesh
Served on rice with wasabi, bodies naked and fresh
Bash my glass brimming with koi fish swimming
"Am I WINNING?!" he screamed so drunk on saki, a wok he'd
Swept off the counter, I floundered
And so spying asked "Why are you crying?"
Because the waitress with plaited hair quit last week?
Because you're short on rent and you're all out of drink?
Well so am I PUT ME BACK IN THE WATER!
The fodder that expects me to
Always look pretty.

Love blossoms in a thousand colors
It buds in our hearts and blooms in gestures of kindess
Petals that softly caress away tears
Envelope us in fragrance, the sweet embrace of loved ones lost

Humanity burns in six billion candles
Melting wax day by day, warming the world
So many snuffed out before their time
Some still living-dead, burnt out of compassion

A little boy asks what use are flowers and candles
They are gestures of love and humanity
Which do actually protect us from violence