Green smudges on a child's knees
As he falls into the grass
After playing in the trees

Dirt puddles on a child's pants
From rolling in the soil
But no one takes a second glance

Grass stains and mud spots
The wounds of a child's play
Maybe if our scars were only that
We'd all be okay

Ring around the rosie
Red inflamed circles of hurt
Keep them hidden deep because
People are terrified
That pain is contagious

Pocket full of posies
Show the world only beautiful things
Because everything comes with strings
And they don't want to see
The truth and harsh reality

Ashes, ashes
Burn your faults and burn your fears
So that no one will ever find them here
Put on a mask to hide your melted face
So that no one will ever see your disgrace

We all fall down*
Don't ever let them see you trip
Though we all do the same and rip
The only difference between us is our names
For we are *all hiding our shame

Don't cry, don't cry
Not now, not here
Don't let them see it anywhere
Hold your breath and count to ten
Then slowly let it out again
Point your chin up to the sky
Look up and then wipe your eyes
Put a cork in it
No one wants to see
How you're hurting
How you feel

She burnt up as her life burnt down
But her screams for help did not make a sound
And all of the joys that she had ever found
Were long turned into ashes now

Her name was embroidered on his fragile heart
Only thin stitches kept him from falling apart
The thousands of needle ****** couldn't compare
To the agony he felt when she was not there
His aorta was lined with little yarn knots
That made her fill and clutter all of his thoughts
As the thick blood passed through it got stuck in the thread
And he could not forget a single word that she said
And so a blood clot formed and he fell in love
She was now something he could never be free of

Tell me, tell me
What makes you tick?
What makes your mind free
From everyone's tricks?

Show me, show me
All of your scars
All that you want to be
And all that you are

Let me, let me
Know all about you
Hit me with your debris
And make my feelings new

Your faults they will seem to ignore
Your value they claim to adore
They don't make it seem like a chore
They don't claim that it makes them sore
Until they are done and slam the door
Only to leave you on the floor
Kindness didn't used to be a war
It doesn't seem like that anymore
Though they used to restore
They now only deplore
They will drown you 'til you're washed ashore
Until you've nothing left to live for

While tending to the wounds of others
Crowded emotions seem to smother
Used as a distraction from our own pain
And happens to work out for others' gain
On the inside all we feel is void
Until we are completely destroyed
So do not get lost in the raging flood
And drown in your own pool of blood

If I had to guess on what I've seen
I'm not too sure that she likes me
I've played the game, I know it well
But with this girl it's hard to tell

If I could talk to just anyone
Then talking to him would be fun
He seems funny, he seems so nice
I only need to break the ice

I'm afraid of what she might say
If I give too much of myself away
If she thinks me another man
Will she like me for who I am

When conversing, he seems so closed
Almost as if he is trying to pose
Wondering what he is hiding
I conclude that it's dividing

With her style and class she is far above me
Afraid to ask if she could ever love me
A girl like her, a boy like me
I have my wants, she is my need*

With his depth and thought he's far away from me
Afraid to wonder if he could know me
A mind like his, a fool like me
My longing for him is decreed

There's a quality to her smile
That these days is not often seen
One that triggers memories
Of places you'd hate to leave

There's a depth inside of her eyes
Of oceans deep and rivers wide
No submarine could endure
The bottom of her waters

There's a sad ache to her touch
A whisper on her wind
That brings you oh so close to her
Then let's you go again

There's a graveness in her voice
A silence filled with screams
That penetrates your very soul
If you dare to listen

Would you like to know a secret
If you do, this one's for free
If you care to dare to look real close
You'll see this girl is me

One week left
'til school starts
One week left
'til I fall apart

Preparations begin
for sleepless nights
Frustrations give in
to haunting frights

Anxiety skyrockets
in my weary mind
Checking all my pockets
to see if I can find

Time

*Just a little bit longer
Of having sanity as an option

What if I'm not good enough
What if my mind finally crumbles
What if I just can't be tough
What if my feet start to stumble

What if my fake little smile
Couldn't hold up my face
What if they don't walk a mile
In my shoes, in my place

What if they know how much I care
About them and everything
What if they shoot me out of the air
And saw off my frail wings

What if I decide to trust someone
But I make a mistake
What if I don't say that I'm done
Before I fall and break

What if I act just a little too nice
And they only take me for granted
What if I point out a horrible vice
And their opinion of me is slanted

I know, I know
I say I don't care
*Yet, full of woe
I've no smiles to spare

staring at the
plain
page

from inside a
muffled
mind

full of my
empty
efforts

wasting all my
ticking
time

drying my pen's
idle
ink

as I sit here
trying to think

Sometimes when I look in the mirror
I feel like I am not what I see
The whole world might run in terror
If they were to truly see me

See, all I do is live in this shell
This isn't who I really am
I only need a dark place to dwell
This show I give is just a sham

I'm not a lump of organs and flesh
That eats and walks and ***** in breath
With this body, I can't seem to mesh
Maybe that's why I do not fear death

In my conscious mind is where I live
Trapped here inside my aching skull
If you would see what I have to give
I may no longer seem so dull

It's not my brain that's the hurricane
It's only me, a parasite
Here inside this host of cellophane
Always in invisible plight

I don't know how to describe
But they all seem to inscribe
Their every pain on me

Whenever someone feels down
I just kind of start to frown
But they will never see

I know it doesn't make sense
My feelings are so intense
And they drive me crazy

What I feel is much deeper
The cliff doesn't get steeper
Will I ever be free?

What a wondrous delight!
We have conquered the night!
Oh, this glorious light,
Has driven off our fright!

But- gosh golly- oh my!
Have you seen the bright sky?
Do not worry or sigh,
For today, we will fly!

In the clouds, we will soar!
High up, above the moor!
Oh, how the sea will roar,
When we're far past the shore!

Come now, and please do follow!
There's not time tomorrow!
Do not sit and wallow,
But fly like the swallow!

Fly now, my bird,
**For we shall never know
When the skies will close.

and sometimes she thought
all her life had ever wrought
was a thickened plot

and tied in a knot
she wondered if she would rot
every time she fought

and she was distraught
that she might never be caught
she was always fraught

and she hadn't taught
herself all the things she ought
so sickness she bought

in the dead of night
the silence overwhelms me
and I can hear all

Come on in! Step inside!
Don't forget: try to hide!
Cover your weary face
With soft ribbons and lace.
You'll win at any task
If you just wear this mask.
Don't ever let them know.
Don't let emotions show.
We'll teach you a smooth dance,
So you'll live in a trance.
Your face will never fall
Within this sacred hall!
Life will be a parade!
Come to the masquerade!

I often want to tell you,
But, you see, I'm too afraid.
So I go and live my life
The host of a masquerade.
One day, I'll lie in my grave
Buried by the earth and *****.
Regret things I never said
And all the mistakes I made.

*Words left unspoken
Will bury you alive.

There's always a place
Where the sand meets the sea,
Yet Earth's changing face
Seems so stable to me.

Nature is a maze
Mountains, deserts, and plains,
Yet we, in our craze,
Seem to enjoy its chains.

Dependence, we own
We kiss the dry soil,
Yet seeds we have sown
Seem so worth the toil.

Pains we do endure
Natural disaster,
Yet this ground's allure
Results in hereafter.

All my nights are hide and seek
Searching here and there for sleep
Just around the corner, I peek
Falling down a ***** so deep
I can barely even speak
So I lay here, counting sheep

Usually I hide away
Deep within my shell
I'm safe

Usually I just obey
Ignorance, I sell
I'm sound

Usually I do not say
And I dare not tell
I'm silent

Somehow, unlike anyone else
*You make me comfortable
When I'm vulnerable

Photographs can't capture
The majesty of sight
The daisies in the rain
Cloaked in vibrant light

Recordings can't capture
The music of ears
Melody of wonder
All I wish to hear

Words can't always capture
Feelings I possess
Raging storms in me
Leave me as a mess

All that we can see
All that we can hear
Is nothing but a dream
It isn't really there

When I am near
I lose my breath
In a swift movement

When I am gone
I lose my breath
In a slow suffocation

Both are excruciating
But I can't seem to decide
Which is worse

Nothing but your words
Float in my head

Nothing but your words
Heavy as lead

Nothing but your words
Hang by a thread

Nothing but your words
Fill me with dread

Thinking about him:
palpatations

Being around him:
flutter

Talking to him:
fibrillation

All that's left is
cardiac arrest...

Those eyes captivate me
When I look into them
I lose the ability to breathe

Those eyes reach into me
They grab my stomach
And tie it in a thousand knots

Those eyes devastate me
I cannot know about the
Universe that lies inside them

Those eyes are a mystery
But a miniscule clue
Has been left behind...

And I don't know what to do.

It's been asked before
But nevermore
Why does the caged bird sing?

He's been locked away
No sight of day
Why does the caged bird sing?

His vision's blocked
Out of sight, he's locked
Why does the caged bird sing?

No soul to hear
His voice so clear
Why does the caged bird sing?

But oh how his song
Is out of tune, it's wrong
Why does the caged bird sing?

Maybe what he sings
Isn't what it seems
Maybe it's only screams.

Skin made of frost
Hair made of snow
Thought to be lost
But only she knows

Dashes around
Quick as her fox
Never is bound
But destiny knocks

The cold gives life
It pumps her heart
Never caused strife
Love tore her apart

It took her down
Though she was warned
She falls and drowns
When a child is born

And as she melts
Without the cold
She knew she felt
What she had been told