happy birthday to the boy
who receives the same gift
(my heart) every year
and who every year
refuses to accept it

happy birthday to me
in 48 hours time
a simple 2 days from now
a simple 2 days from him
a simple 2 days apart

maybe this year he'll realize
that all I want for my birthday
is for him to accept my gift
with all of his heart
and we can live the only day of the year
when we are no longer the same age
with our hearts
intertwined into one

streetlights ignite
the darkness after nightfall
setting the shadows ablaze
and, all the while,
remain endlessly
unprecedented unattractive unappreciated and unnoticed
despite their best intentions
and unaltered loyalty to illuminate our nights

without them, nighttime wanderers
would be absorbed by the night
and not be seen til morning
they are the only guides left
when twilight swallows the adventurous whole

so this is a thank you
to the undervalued streetlights

I'm tired of only being able to write
about love and heartache

I want to grow
and expand
and mature

I want to learn
about the world
and all that it holds

I want to be my own person
away from the infactuation
and obsession

I want
to be
m o r e