End of the hall, last door on the right
Lies a sick child thats put up a fight
Her body sits broken and bruised as can be
While wars rage on inside her, we see
She still holds home base, with help from a few
Those protecting her heart, keeping her mind like new
So pesky invader, it's time you beware
And leave this strong body with each breath of air

Over and over
I argue this and that.
Maybe not the little things,
Maybe just a few.
Sometimes out loud,
others deep inside.
A constant guilt trip,
never smart enough--
never fast enough--
never thin enough--
never there enough--
never good enough...
Well I can yell,
as loud as my lungs will let me,
from the top of this city,
where I pour in my pity,
to the one with the knife that cuts the deepest,
with a sharpness that makes me feel the cheapest,
ENOUGH!

****** red,
Hovering somewhere between here and there
Dripping hues of orange and pink
Then sweeping purple, majestic and grand
Drapes the fluffy blue
With pinpricks of shinning silver
And a pale white face,
Slowly fading
As the dark breaks way to light,
again

When you close your eyes and open your mind,
What is it you see?
Does your mind draw up images,
Or just intense splashes of warm light?
What do you feel when the day ends?
Sorrow for the setting sun,
Or the mystery of what is to come?
What do you hear when the birds sing?
A pretty little tune, sung for your enjoyment,
Or an entire language you'll never know?
Where do you call home?
A place determined for you,
Or somewhere you have yet to invent?
Who is there when no one else is?
The person who always is,
Or the person you never realized was?
Why do you do that which you do?
Because you can,
Or because you should?
What do you say when the words run dry?
Nothing,
Or Everything?

Liberation, short lived by cold reality
Just a hapless bird, trapped
Who flew outside her gilded cage,
to find one larger still, made of soild glass.
Veiny lines of futile escapes
stretch across the surface, thin as gossamer
Pounding and banging she flutters to the ground
Devoid of strength to resist anymore.

A single tune, a note never purer to be found
Escapes her lifeless lungs
Like thread through a needle
Or water through cracks
Her song, melodic and frail, barely even heard
Reaching the ears of those with open hearts
A single word, her last resort.
**"Help"

Long hours, late nights, many sleepless nights
Tired feet galore
Dorothy’s discarded her Ruby Slippers for shoes of glass
But Glinda kept the magic
The feminine Tin man with his girlish heart and voice
Has had a *** change now
And how a dress of mesh fits 'em oh so well

Toto was put down for eating one of the slippers
Been replaced by house keeping mice
At least they can't chew glass
Scarecrow gained prestige and balance
Those things of which he lacked
The Cowardly Lion shaved his curly mop
We still haven’t seen him since
Aunty Em gained the crown she very much deserved
Uncle Henry preferred the merchant life
Since the Wizard foresaw their separation

Now Cinderella’s in a tizzy
Her stepsisters make her dizzy
And truth be told, you never hear
She had a bit too much to drink, so near
to the ball, first dress was ripped
The other slipped far off her head when she tripped
One shoe on, the other gone
And the rest….
Well, you know.

Always the journey home that calms me
Zipping by familiar sights
Views that never cease to dazzle
As the train speeds from the city lights

Over a high track suspended over forests
Maple and Oak spread as far as can be
To a place where the sun starts to dip
Enough to set the valley, after the next hill, a blaze
Orange, red, purple and pink, the suns best requiem

Though not every sight is beautiful
A tear was shed for Mother Earth
When passing through a polluted marsh
Water too murky to reflect a shadow flicking by
Deep gashes like open wounds in Earth's flesh
From man's machines, she bleeds soil on a hill side

Outside the city's realm, the stars shone
The moon, like a friend that was lost
Too dark to see, I closed my eyes and slept
Letting the gentle chug of the wheels
And the hum of the engine lull me deeper to dreams
Peacefully dreaming of beautiful things
On that journey home, to the end of the line