stop
two minutes
just stop
it's two minutes
stop overthinking the overthinking of overthinking
have you forgotten that
sunsets are free?
just like hikes
and kisses
and spirits (both kinds).

let yourself breathe, even if it's just a little
listen to the silence
make some noise
your burdens aren't as great as you may think, otherwise you wouldn't be here
so, stop.
be.
wood is burning
and you are still equal parts shrapnel and stardust

i hate that calling you used to fill me with confetti
and now it feels like the morning after the party

I have made you bleed
I have made you sweat
I have made you starve
I have made you ache

I have put you in the mud
I have put you in the ring
I have put you in the crossfire of heartbreak and misunderstanding

I have picked and prodded you like a foreign beast
I have roughed you up like a schoolyard bully
I have carelessly clutched & betrayed your touch

And, yet, toxically, you stay
You open eyes each morning
You rise
You move  
You work

You build things & restore tragedy
You absorb and give
You release
You force air inside your lungs
You put it there, even on the days I don't feel
You deserve to breathe

I am imperfect, as you very well know
But for what you have done
I look in the mirror
And desire to be


Kind.