Step right up, it's the main event!
Look at the fool that we have to present!
You'll feel like the victim, but you'll always consent!
Because you're fooled by lust, and you'll never relent.

Am I just the puppet being pulled by your string?
Do you speed up the tempo but force me to sing?
I suppose we are all clowns in your circus ring,
But it's for your validation that I so desperately cling.

Your misery and pain feel like an addiction,
Serene but so sullen; a moral confliction.
Their cries of support ring hollow contradiction,
From safe distance they echo, a hallow affliction.

Burn in the light, your rage fuels the reason.
Self pity and sacrifice are always in season.
Your put up the wall, but still cry out treason.
You let logic flee, allowing doubt to ease in.

Your soul can't be saved, it's time to replace.
The feeling of hope, the departure of grace.
In walks resentment to help fill the space,
A devil of a temptress in satin and lace.

So embrace this demon, it rose from your ashes.
Reckless in nature, who knows where it crashes.
Get dragged along while your monster thrashes.
But know this in truth, you've always shown flashes...

Who you want to be for them,
Is who you need to be for yourself.
Extend your branch, they snap your stems,
And you're left alone in dying health.

You gave out all your survival kits,
Left alone in your sinking ship.
But if you just realized who didn't fit,
You'd have survived that maiden trip.

Stop dying for other people's sins,
The man with the beard did that first.
You aren't allowed to claim their wins,
And your denial just makes it the worst.

If you want the world you think they owe,
Then go and actually make it your own.
Because we all reap what we will sow,
And your bounty can't fit in just one zone.

“They’re never gonna love you till you can love yourself.”
The echoes of their words knock the feelings off the shelf.
Shattered feelings recover, but the bond is not the same.
The cracks in the soul will only weaken in blame.

“Your pain doesn’t excuse the damage you’ve done.”
Remorse doesn’t fix the holes made with the gun.
The dead stay dead, you don’t get to blame them now.
Because healing doesn’t start with when, but how.

“You aren’t responsible with making all things right.”
You’ll drive yourself mad in the wars that you fight.
The world will go on, even after you’re dead.
So find yourself at peace with the demons in your head.

The sun will still rise, even if your horizon is bleak.
You’ve experienced the valleys, it’s time to climb the peak.
Plant your flag in the base, and shout from the sky.
“Today I live for me, and that is the banner I fly.”

I’m sitting in a corner,
She stares at me, and I should warn her.
But she doesn’t need the guidance,
It’s not history, this is science.
And her name carries some fame,
She’s not receptive to the game,
She wears her feelings on her sleeves,
Away from her heart she believes.
Cause her strength is in her mind
It’s where her planets are aligned
In this galaxy of truth,
She blinks and stars become the proof
That there is something more to see
And something more we all could be
If we just follow right beside her
A cosmic planetary collider

So I take paper and pen
And ask if not now then truly when?
Because I’m waiting for the sign
When both our planets will align
And if that star is in the distance
I’ll keep on flying with persistence
Because I know that if I’m stronger
It won’t take very much longer.

You want to capture all the pain,
But you don’t know how to feel.
Your misery is the world’s gain,
A story too grim to be real.

The camera shutters, the pictures flash,
The image fits the frame.
Behind the lens your feelings clash
The model knows not the game.

You sketch your paranoia until the pen runs out of ink.
And if the canvas fills up then you’re stuck there left to think.
Is your portrait missing color, is the shading cast to show?
Does the pain that you keep hiding have too much space to grow?

The vibrations from the strings you pluck
Match the heartbeat that is low
It’s just a matter of time or luck,
They’ll finally hear the show.

The outlet doesn’t matter if results remain the same.
The audience will always think that it’s all just a game.
So dance and sing, click and sketch, do it all you must.
Because someone will always find it, that much your heart must trust.

Her song is like a siren’s call that leads me to my death.
The same old tricks that make me fall will take my final breath.
The stench of death comes off her clothes but still it smells so sweet.
From highest highs to lowest lows, it’s the fate I’m doomed to meet.

She’ll offer you forbidden fruit while knowing what it holds.
You’re dignity now hers to loot, your soul bending while it folds.
But just one flash of that perfect smile, you believe it every time.
You know she’s guilty all the while, yet you help commit the crime.

You say you’re tired of the game, you always know the score.
And if the rules remain the same, why keep coming back for more?
Because denial is your only friend, and you know it to be true.
So watch her wait until the end, then get ready for round 2.

This will be so hard to write,
Haven't given time in a minute.
But I'm being brought into the light,
And it's about time I admit it.

I've realized my place in the crowd,
The blurry picture comes into focus.
I think my personality's too loud
That's why I'm prescribed in small doses.

Or maybe just the times have changed,
And I've been left in the past.
My friendships have now become outranged
Despite those claims that they'd last.

I shouldn't be the one to cry,
I applaud those who gain success.
But it comes at watching relationships die,
And myself being labeled excess.

So I'll sit and wait to see what comes,
And hope that I'll still remain.
Otherwise I'll sit and twiddle my thumbs,
Because with me there's nothing to gain.

You can't control how people think
Or how they truly feel.
Your only hope is that when they blink
They see what's truly real.
Their smiles hide the lies they tell,
Speaking lines that match their face.
An image that they're pressed to sell,
You're the constituent of their disgrace.

They don't care for your objection,
Only hearing what works best.
Their kindness masks rejection,
While your pain seeps through your chest.
Firmly rooted in their stances,
Their opinions refuse to budge.
They refuse second chances,
And prefer to simply judge.

All roads lead to self-salvation
You just need to travel light
The rebel laughs at retaliation,
And will revel in any fight.
So even if the mask they wear
Looks like the one of a friend.
Watch out to see if they really care,
Or cause another wound to mend.

The lines are drawn across the sand,
The soldiers are forming rank.
Arm the troops and strike the band,
On all sides the squad will flank.

The target is a haughty one,
On a tower at the peak of the hill.
A mirage the glimmers in the sun,
All driven simply for the thrill.

The fools rush in like always,
Shot down to set the pace.
Their failures fill up the displays,
Their solemn looks on a sunken face.

The battle plan to capture the flag,
Works best in a tandem pair.
One takes the lead, the other will sag,
The substance to back up the flair.

And as the war comes to a end,
Darkness changes into light.
The losers plug their wounds to mend,
For there's always Friday night...

Your words lack meaning when backed by lies.
They pour out your mouth but drip through your eyes.
They fall like rain, the forecast reads pain.
But you must let them out to keep yourself sane.

They echo and haunt your every single thought.
A salvation you wish that you simply just bought.
Your soul up for bid, but who do we kid?
Its value diminished by the truth that you hid.

The list of your sins would make Satan blush.
Your hell is the product of dreams that you crush.
A spectator sport, with no need for support.
You glow in the spotlight cast down on the court.

Nothing remains as you receive your fate.
The harshest reality for all of your hate.
Condemned to the fact that you made a pact,
Your soul was the fee for the devil to attract.

You feel the world around you
Put a target on your back
Your brain aligns a bullseye
From the confidence you lack
So you arm yourself with self defense
Prepared for chaos and war
Death be ******, it's a suicide mission
Your pride must settle the score

Your camouflage is obvious
Your colors glow in sight
The same colors that dim for day
And glow to haunt your night
The shade in which you're blushing
Turns from red to pale white
You mistake me for being unarmed
Unprepared for such a fight

I'm cloaked in self-assurance
While your shots land at my chest
I turn around and shake my head
And leave you alone just like the rest
So as you stand there with the shells
Of the bullets that you fired
At least next time you load your gun
Your shots will be inspired

The tides have changed, they rise and fall,
Your ship is trapped inside the sea.
And although mayday is what you must call,
You hope it's answered by anyone but me.

This isn't your first time setting sail,
Holes remain in the bow from the past,
But where nature before would always fail,
The eye of the storm approaches fast.

Your crew has abandoned ship for shore,
Saving their necks as they watch you sink.
And instead of letting me help even the score,
You choose to drown holding the chain to link.

Red skies give sailors a double meaning,
A morning warning or night's delight.
But as your vessel begins careening,
Remember you chose to ignore the light.

We treat our hearts like fighters,
12 rounds trapped in the fear cage inside.
Pride be our fuel, anger our lighters,
Our souls wastelands with nowhere to hide.

Ego hijacks our common sense,
Making shallow love our prize.
Emoting makes our minds go tense,
Until help screams out from our eyes.

The leaps and bounds we **** ourselves for,
Isn't enough to keep our hearts at bay.
Nothing will ever even the score,
There are no words they can simply say.

So why do we put ourselves through hell?
Why can't we just swallow our pride?
Because love is a feeling they just want to sell,
And in debt there's no place to hide.

Your name is like a memory,
But one I greatly wish forgotten.
Your presence does not better me
Instead leaves me alone and rotten.
Your song traps like a siren
Alluring all who hear its call.
As a slave, I hope you're hiring,
At your feet I'll always fall.

False hopes and dreams only remain,
Where the shell of a man once stood.
Your taste could drive any insane,
Convert a man from the greater good.
You don't know the crime that you commit,
Everytime you simply cast a smile.
It's a ****** of pride you'll never admit,
You just laugh and give your denial.

Your absence leaves me at a loss,
With nothing in it's place to fill.
I'll drink to forget just like a boss,
And hope none of my feelings spill.
But the liquor just doesn't fill the gap
Instead it leaves me hollow and alone.
Bringing out feelings from the gap,
The ones you put in the 'friend zone'.

They say you need to love yourself,
In order to find it from another.
But self-esteem is a false sign of wealth,
When they all treat you like a brother.
I'm just so ******* tired of wearing a face,
Biting my tongue as you give up your heart.
A man who can't handle such beauty or grace,
I guess that's why I've been cast in this part.

Affluence drives the influence,
Brevity mistaken for clarity.
Conveniently concise in assured confluence,
Dependent on constant hilarity.

Engaged in a cult of personality,
Forced diction to subdue the masses.
Grotesquely shaped by a warped reality,
Hidden in plain sight of our fat *****.

Irony isn't noted, only subdued and ignored,
Jaded eyes with headlights all dimmed.
Knowledge is left for survivors to hoard,
Laying in the waste that's been already skimmed.

Might over right, the motto tonight,
No room for a shred of reason.
Oppose this with light, and fall out of sight
Privilege lost in the change of the season.

Question it all as it encloses you in,
Restrained by those who suppress the opposed.
Stricken by goals of absolvement of sins,
Temporary ends to a means they supposed.

Under our cloaks are a beacon of hope,
Values that lie in the morals we hold.
We believe unity is the method to cope,
Xenophobia leaves all involved cold.

Your turn to decide: time to run or hide?
Zealous feelings aside, all along for the ride!

It's the gift and curse of the artist,
To peak so high and drop so low.
This work seems like not the hardest,
Emotional damage seldom shows.
Inspiration formed in heartbreak,
A mighty hurricane of change.
Emotions finally able to make,
But then scatter out of range.

It's how characters become reality,
The artist's vision begins to show.
Through the high and low duality,
Our hero meets his greatest foe.
If this tale is autobiographical,
Then I shall control the story.
But which ending is more appicable:
Greatest failure or greatest glory?

So here's another story, of hyperbole and glory.
The words of a soul at 24.,
But the game's not done, it's just only begun.
Let's just even the score!

If life's truly a garden,
Then it must take **** to grow.
Instead of letting the top soil harden,
It's time to reap all that I sow.
Won't struggle to tread water,
While being caught in the undertow.
I'll float and tread, not fish food fodder,
I won't let my weakness show.

So if this is to be my destiny,
And I'm bound to this by fate.
Then take from me this soliloquy,
Cause I no longer harbor hate.
It's draining always fighting within
Internal conflict and silent debate,
But through dialogue rebuild can begin,
Because so many others can relate.

The haunting truth of misguided youth,
We feel weak in fate's cruel hand
But through these cries we debunk their lies
Side by side our friends we stand.

Take a knife right to my chest,
Watch the words bleed from my heart.
Pulsating in gasps, they won't be the best,
But for me it's just the start.
My feelings pour out like a cabernet,
A cup that happens to be your face
And when I finally figure out what to say,
I might be able to finally save some grace.

I don't question if you care anymore,
Your actions solidify where you stand.
A high scoring game when you check the score,
My total is number 1 in all the land.
But score doesn't matter in this day and age,
All that matters is style of play
Don't reward those who follow the steps on the page,
Non-chalance and obliviousness lead the way.

And like I said before, its not about you,
I know that you're doing your best.
I'm just tired of failing in all that I do,
Of watching success go to all the rest.
"Stop trying so hard, you're time will come,"
Sounds good to those who reached the top.
But I can't control time while I'm under its thumb,
And for giving it my all, why stop?

The truth of it all is that I'm not the one,
Who gets an easy ending to my tale.
Having to sacrifice my heart isn't fun,
But I'll do it to help others not fail.
I can't find the answers, I'll just help my friends,
Live vicariously as they find their mates.
Martrydom can be my means for these ends,
And my part to save those with sealed fates.

Look at the world that I create,
Where everyone plays a part.
A center in which all feelings relate,
But unable to be chained to our heart.

I can play God in this world I've made,
But I can't control how they act.
All I know is in time the characters fade,
A narrator too tongue-tied to react.

The audience buckles as the scene unfolds,
Gripped tightly as it all plays out.
The star delivers for us all to behold,
And tie in what the show's all about.

With the best stories being based on truth,
I guess mine will continue to twist.
And if you're still reading then there is the proof,
This story is one you just can't resist.

I've learned a lot of things since birth,
My ideals I cleverly contrive.
But I've never could price my own self-worth,
What value do I derive?
 
If I was presented upon the shelf,
And a dollar bill was the max.
I'd want you to protect your wealth,
I'm pocket change including tax.

There is one thing I can't project,
And it should drive up the price.
I'm a commodity that my friends collect,
To them my value is thrice.

So my price upon the shelf will raise,
And for more time I'll have to sit.
In time, someone will cast a gaze,
And see my value a perfect fit.

If it's easier for you to apologize,
Then get permission from the go.
Then you need to look inside yourself,
And see what's left to show.
Because you override your boundaries,
Entry is allowed from any source
Data corrupts your mind's processor
Nature's taken off of its course.

We should try to fix your sanity,
And hope it spreads into your heart.
Because masked beyond all the vanity,
Is the real place that we should start.
You jump like a dog who hears their name,
With fits of joys or absolute fears.
You can't differ voices when all sound the same.
So more often it's puddles of tears.

Let's talk about the loves in your life,
The catalyst for all these games.
I'd ask your heart, mind and genitals,
But they'd tell me three different names.
One is passion through intelligence,
One makes your heart just feel the best.
But one just gets you so turned on,
That you just say **** the rest.

And now you're looking in the mirror,
A broken soul worn down by jade.
You're memories reverse to childhood,
And then they begin to fade.
But the image that's left to reflect,
Is the image you've made your own,
The cracks in the mirror increase your shine,
To remind your soul you're never alone.

We are all just little dreamers,
With ambition and goals in our head.
Through rallying cries and vocal screamers,
We keep marching until we are dead.
Our hopes lay over the horizon,
Our fears dwell in the valleys below.
The gold in the sunset we keep our eyes on,
Is better than what we already know.

Our cast is made up of broken smiles,
And eyes that have seen real hell.
And although we've suffered different trials,
We unite under the same rallying bell.
Learning from our ancestors before us,
We carry their badge in our hearts.
In their rallying cries we form our chorus,
In this symphony we all play our parts.

And they won't silence us until we are done,
Until all our demands have been met.
If our bodies go down by the blast of the gun,
More of us will arrive you can bet.
It takes more than a bullet to **** an ideal,
And we will stand by it to the end.
Consider this cry our grand reveal,
Of the fallen hearts on the mend.

It's hard for me to understand,
Why I continue to force my hand.
Because it's clear from the start,
That my place in your heart,
Is a drop in a barren wasteland.

I just don't get why I'm not enough,
I guess I just don't have the right stuff.
Maybe I just care too much,
About your emotional well being and such,
But I guess I'll just keep calling your bluff.

Friendship is hard for me to obtain,
Because few that I try with seek mutual gain.
I'm simply used as a crutch,
A safety net you can clutch,
Then you recover and never see me again.

So do me a favor and make intentions known,
That way I can help you reap what you've sewn.
And at the cost of my soul,
You'll finally hit your goal,
And I'll stay being the friend you disown.

It's through my constant neuroses,
That I think they all oppose me.
And I know all along that its completely wrong,
But a better performance to live out this song.
Inspired by music that's born out of heartbreak,
I wander how much more that my soul can take.
Becuase my greatest fear without a doubt,
Is being the one that's always left out.
For I always have to keep in touch,
Because for others that just is too much.
Of an effort to try and really care,
They prefer it simply that I'm not there.
A burden I know it, it's clear when I show it,
Another chance for me to just blow it.
It's clear that the neurosis that's in my head,
Just won't go away until I am dead.
But death is for cowards who refuse to fight,
That can't see it's darkest just before light.
So I'll keep on fighting until the very end
Because although I'm neurotic I still have some friends.

As a king I sit at the top of the hill,
My throne cast into the shadows of night.
Behind my casings I watch the thrill,
Of the echoes just itching to fight.
For which cry or plea of insanity,
Warrants a much needed action of change.
But through vanity we're denied humanity
And all hope remains out of range.

A city littered with broken dreams
Scattered like trash on a public street.
The tattered faces more than what it seems,
But strung as those lost in the beat.
The smell in the air as foul as the crimes
Committed behind the veil of justice.
And here in lies the question of times,
Has our trigger for empathy become restless?

Dollars and cents without common sense
Spread towards the towns select few.
Remorseless souls, no signs of their repents
Noticiblally absent from the public's pew
Our father's fantasy, our mother's dreams,
Once beaconed as the hope of the West
But now it seems, just lost to the screams,
And left to the wayside like the rest.

In a new age of romance,
One never knows where to turn.
And in this room of broken souls,
I question which desire burns
Loneliness sits on my left,
Sleaziness hangs on my right.
One admits that they feel alone,
The other lies into the night.

And being caught in the middle,
I'm torn between which side to stick my flag.
And the further I cave into temptation,
My conscious begins to drag.
The left provides a conscious clean,
While feeling hollow, but remaining pure.
But at the cost of my own morality,
The right simply provides the cure.

The fence I reside on begins to crumble,
And a decision I must make.
Stay true to myself but feel dead inside,
Or mince some words and join the fake.
The greatest gift is the moment,
A present not to be soiled.
But while the nice ones sit and wait,
The ******* become spoiled.

I look in the mirror, and fake a smile,
And hope pretentiousness is worth the while.
Because if I'm lost, heed this at all cost
Courage is more noble than denial.

I stare in the mirror and reflect,
Can't believe this face is my own.
Hypocracies align and intersect,
Muddling everything I've known.
I say I want to be a friend,
Someone who will truly care.
My words I claim until my end,
The badge I choose to wear.

Criticize the acts you do,
The venom drips from my tongue.
Every wrong of yours I knew,
Out in public they are hung.
And I'm not any better,
In fact I'm ******* worse.
Your flaws drive my petty letters,
These jagged lines I write in verse.

And I'm no little choir boy,
My mistakes I'll take to my grave.
But my flaws don't inspire your joy,
Maybe it's my soul I need to save.
But this is not to garner pity,
This is for me to say I'm wrong.
Our paths will cross in this jaded city,
And I want us to still get along.

No more judgment, no more scolding,
I'm moving on from being that guy.
My goal is to be always emboldening,
And let the pilot be the one to fly.
Your potential for greatness is evident,
It's the reason I haven't jumped ship.
But it's time to repay the time I spent,
Firing shots until I emptied my clip.

So this is my apology,
My intentions strayed from being true.
Our stars not aligned in astrology,
But I'll make it up to you.
Take from this what you may,
Do with it what you please.
I've run out of negativity to say,
I just want us to be at ease.

I can't believe I fell again,
Forever cast the fool.
I sat and tried to comfort you,
While you cried alone at school.
I tried to tell you everything,
You just didn't want to hear.
And now this beast has come to life,
Everything I always feared.

I'm everything you need in life,
But not enough you like.
I give my best performance,
He just winks and drops the mike.
His perfect hair, his cheeky smile,
That boy just sure can spit that fire.
And keeps on splitting what your inhaling,
While you only only just get higher.

But I just can't be hateful,
In fact I'm green with envy,
I only wish you'd tell the truth,
There's no need here to defend me
Glad to know I'm an appetizer,
To prepare you for the meal.
I hope he says he loves you, then lies.
Then you'd know how how this ******* feels.

My god it's truly tragic,
That this is how it ends.
I would have accepted honesty
Cause I thought that we were friends.
But instead you show your colors,
Shining bright for all to see.
And the reality of the matter is,
The only fool here is me.

So take another snapshot,
With some whiskey and your lens.
You sit and cry about your life
And all your dead end friends.
When the truth is that you'll never change,
You didn't care at all.
And now I'm stuck with all the pieces,
The shatters from the fall.

A bird will never learn to fly,
If it refuses to leave the nest.
The bird that just won't touch the sky,
Can never soar above the rest.

And although the nest will keep it warm,
While safe under mother's wing.
The bird will deal with too much harm
If the bird can't truly sing.

So be the bird that takes the chance,
And flies towards the setting sun.
Because a bird that's caught in passing glance
Is better than a cage built for one.

Here's a story about a man
Who put it on the line
Mostly calm as best as he can,
It's rare to hear him whine.

But never the fool he has to play,
The man's usually on top.
But in this moment he's nothing to say,
His eyes scream to make it stop.

Relationship woven with a pattern of trust.
Gone up in ashes with drunken lust,
A spark into a flame,
He turns his head in shame,
He lays his cards upon the table,
He's folding from this game.

He'll never say it, but we all know
That this cut him pretty deep
And to be strong, he won't let it show,
But inside he'll silently weep.

A soldier leaves no comrade behind,
A brotherhood bond struck true.
And as our friend we shall remind,
That he's better off without you.

Two birds leave their nest and begin to fly together.
A dark omen in the sky predicates nasty weather.
Undeterred by their state, they choose their own fate.
And fly like one under a lone ruffled feather.

Thunder and lighting echo in the dark of the night.
These birds can sense that they are in for a fight.
The wind begins to shift, their flight begins to drift.
As they soar in the sky looking for a beacon of light.

The winds shift again, the birds caught in its path.
Mother Nature begins to show her draconian wrath.
The birds begin to ascend, precious energy they must spend,
Hell's fury unleash, no salvation for the birds nature hath.

The birds begin to fall, descending to the ground.
But nowhere is safe from the echoes of the sound.
Lighting strikes the Earth, completing the circle from birth.
Crescendoing with the raindrops, death begins to hound.

My lungs keep me breathing, but am I really alive?
24 years later, and I'm just living to survive.
Because cowards end their life,
With a gun, pills or a knife.
And none of those are the answer I'm trying to derive.

My life has been flipped, in every possible sense.
I fear I'm becoming always mentioned in the past tense.
I work at night and sleep all day,
No one to hear what I've got to say,
I'm staying afloat, but at what expense?

These are my feeble cries to a unconcerned crowd.
I continue to chant "when will I make you proud?"
Because the people don't care
All they will do is stare.
As I cause a scene with a voice that echoes loud.

Your voice is my alarm clock
Your scent like salts to bring me back
To another day of conflict,
As I brace for your attack.

The guns are blazing in this fight
It's high noon in this Wild West
But before I have time to load,
You've fired two into my chest.

Trust was lost with innocence,
But you still will play this game.
Only, you can turn it off,
I wish I could do the same.

I finally find a moment of peace,
But you decide that you want more.
I emptied the bench hours ago,
While you just run up the score.

And after all the struggle,
I collapse and close my eyes
On pillows of broken promises,
Blankets quilted out of lies.

I've made this bed I rest in,
Toss and turn throughout the night,
A greater foe, this time myself
As I relive every fight.

Once again I've caught you,
Strung out on your lies.
Plead your case, you always do,
The truth bleeds through your eyes.

Run around behind my back,
Not knowing people talk.
This time I'll finally cut the slack,
And have you take a walk.

I've fallen for this every time,
Only because I hope I'm wrong.
But I'm the victim of every crime,
A different tune hides a familiar song.

You can't fix this or yourself,
So let this bleed out and fade.
And even in your failing health,
You know this is the world you made.

It's darkest before dawn,
But I still hate the sunrise,
Cause it's another day to predicate
On empty, hollow lies.
A debt to anxiety, always ready to collect
Cause once I made the fatal mistake
Of sticking out my neck.

Isolate for safety, quarantine my mind,
Cause my conviction of contradiction
Is embedded in this grind.
Of self validation, through false obligation,
To keep myself alive.
Cause to write these words, it's quite absurd
That it's where happiness will derive.

The reflection in the mirror is the one I truly fear,
For it can't hold my secrets in,
But if my heart starts pouring out,
I won't know where to begin.
So disguise it in humor, cloak it in wit.
Dance to the fate maker's song.
Cause for the sake of all I love,
It's the only way to move along.

We keep running, running, running away.
Avoiding reality despite what they say.
It may get better, but we just can't wait.
Feet to the ground, decide our own fate.

The glamour and glitz, we'll take a pass.
The faux appearance of high upper class.
We've got what we want, no more than we need.
Avoiding the allure of consumption by greed.

Late nights of adventure, writing our story.
Hoping that the results lead us to glory.
A car full of people, good music and hope.
Doing what we can to help ourselves cope.

We've all got our problems, but not on this night.
In this brief moment, there's no need to fight.
For we've got each other, a means to an end.
Our souls remain whole, through the bonds of a friend.

It's another night alone in my bed.
Thoughts of you trapped in my head.
And despite knowing the truth, evident with blinding proof,
My pride won't let me not be the fool.

And I know that you're better off with another,
And I know my presence can hauntingly hover,
But this is all I know, as my act will surely show,
Just how I revel in the acting a fool.

If this is the role I'm cast to be,
I'll wear my crown with unbridled glee.
Never relenting, always presenting,
Playing your games like a fool.

Your name would echo in the hallway
My friends experts in the game you play.
But I refused to listen, as your smile would glisten,
A boy predestined to be the fool.

Fast forward the clock and look at us now,
Your rise to the top left them all asking how,
But here I remain, fighting for a level plain.
Permanently cast as your silly little fool.

And as we grow old and grey,
I'll finally have the proper words to say,
I'll tell you it all, my reckoning will call,
My dying breath as the fool.

I continue to hold to this slimmer of hope,
For it's the only way that I can truly cope,
With how you really don't care, a hollow heart with pretty hair.
But in the end I'm always the fool.

Social obligation, feeling brave.
We flock like herds of sheep.
Awkward conversations, an optimist's grave,
Another night to struggle to sleep.

We gather like rats at a hole in the wall,
Drawn in by the droning of the beat.
I question why we can't resist the call,
When it's failure we are doomed to repeat.

Smile and pretend, laugh at the hollow pit inside,
Fill your soul with whiskey disguised as hope.
But on the floor, there's nowhere to hide.
So you take another drink and hope.

And when the lights come on at the end of the night,
You look more lost than ever before.
Because deep down you know you're right.
And that everyone inside is empty at their core.

We are the product of a failed generation,
Residue of our parents latchkey degradation.
They wonder why the youth are quick to die,
But can't look the truth directly in the eye.

They deny the fact, saying we turned out alright.
Downing another Xanax to avoid the urge to fight.
Complaining that drug use is destroying the kids.
Ignoring the irony with the bliss under their lids.

We're out of control, they're out of excuses.
Not willing to conform to what the propaganda produces.
An image we've produced, of danger and fear.
Not knowing what impending generation draws near.

But not lost on us, is the ability to care.
Believing everyone should have to play fair.
Finding common ground is what our age does best.
And that trait shall remain when our past dies with the rest.

Swollen eyes and hallowed cries
Gaze upon the city streets.
Crooked lies, no alibis,
For every fate we meet.

We turn away, little to say.
Waste not our dying breath
But it's the way we live today
For its all that we have left.

The total score of 1984,
We fall victim to the lie.
Strive not for more cause we adore,
All which will make us die.

So in a row, away we go
Ready to be sold.
And we'll never reap what we truly sow.
For our dreams perish with the old.

In order to be greater,
I must become less,
Of this incoherent, non-adherent,
Hopeless little mess.

I'll find something to believe in,
Or someone I can trust.
Because peace of mind, to help unwind
From an existence that's unjust.

I'll throw my hat into the ring,
And put my feet upon the floor.
At the end of the day, despite what they say,
Someone will always keep score.

So here's to giving it my best,
And leaving nothing to regret.
It's all on the line, to give what is mine.
And hope it's all worth the bet.

I mistook myself for someone who mattered,
Instead of the guy whose emotions are tattered,
Scattered, splattered, and laying on the floor,
The result of my failures from the night before.

I mistook myself for someone who cared,
Whose heart I prayed you would have spared,
Impaired and repaired, propped up again.
Not asking if, but sadly when.

I mistook myself for being your friend,
An emotional shoulder that I could lend.
My time you would spend, with nothing to show.
And now I'm left with nowhere to go.

I mistook myself one too many times.
And paid the price for your awful crimes.
Your words echo like chimes, like bells in the air.
But I know the truth, that you never would care.

Doubt, fear, hollow remorse.
Afraid that nature has went off course.
Unable to locate the primary source.
Of where my feelings brood.

I blame the others for lack of concern.
My passion and dreams just crackle and burn.
Their intimacy and trust I'll never earn.
For I'm simply just some dude.

To appeal to none, to exist in space.
The deafening echo from the look on their face.
A puppet for amusement, if that's the case.
Then time for a change of attitude.

If I'm alone, it's honestly fine.
Because it's nobody's fault but mine.
Wondering why is crossing the line.
And I wouldn't want to be rude.

If I care too much, then so it be.
I'll learn to exist solely for me.
But until my tense can change to we.
My life is one big interlude.

Constantly in pursuit,
Evil at it's root,
Others follow suit,
Because E Pluribus Unum

Blinded by the signs,
Polluted in their minds,
Stacked up in their binds
To gloat for what they've done.

The chase for evermore,
Terrified of being poor,
Striving for the highest score,
Without having any fun.

Consumed by absolute greed,
Green is the color they bleed,
It's all they want, crave, and need.
In their death, it's the smoking gun...

What are your demons that keep you awake?
The smile on your face that you grimly fake.
The howling call of 3 AM will beckon.
Claiming your sanity, despite what you reckon.

Do your demons lie in the reflection of the mirror?
The consumation of your trials and fear.
That no matter the reason, it's clear in your eyes.
That the mirror will only conjure your lies.

Perhaps your demons dwell inside of your head.
Emerging as thoughts as you lie in bed.
Despite your reassurance, it's easy to see.
Your ego can't accept what you turned out to be.

So lie to yourself, keep saying you're fine.
And keep walking your carefully scripted line.
But the demons know all, and will tear you apart.
Because yours reside in the center of your heart.

People are fickle, people are strange.
Only pretend to care until you're out of range.
Use you to prop themselves up again.
Toss you aside completely after then.

They'll never say it, but it's inherently true.
They just never really cared about you.
Concealed among silence and a phony smile.
Pretending to be your friend all the while.

You change your mind like the color of your hair.
How easy it is to pretend that you care.
But have some decency and say it to my face.
And end this facade with some dying grace.

When I was young, what I feared the most,
Were the monsters under my bed.
But when I grew up, I began to host,
Those monsters in my head.

As time went on, I began to find
Those monsters became my friends.
Battles ensued inside my mind
Just simple means to the ends.

Fear, doubt, and self loathing reigned,
As the three wise men inside.
Under their control, my confidence waned
And forced self respect to hide.

These monsters continue to reign supreme.
And refuse to let me be sane.
The answer differs from nightmare to dream,
Victory, or a bullet to the brain.

When you open your mouth, I begin to sigh.
Your conversations always start with "me, my, or I".
Force feed the others to consume your lie.
To prove a point you simply must make.

No amount of cover-up will mask your vanity.
You're the driving force behind the decline of humanity.
Mascara will only emphasize the look of insanity.
That shows in every photo you take.

You call it confidence, most call it deceit.
At the edge of the frame, decency lies in defeat.  
Pushed out by your ego, empathy sent to retreat.
With every crooked smile that you fake.

So stay true to yourself, ignorance is blissfully gold.
Vanity and conceit disguised in your attempt to be bold.
Your feeling of humility left out in the cold.
A process you enabled for egotistic's sake.

Your style and grace illuminate this place,
When you crack a smile on your face.
But your eyes conceal a world full of lies,
That was created by all the other guys.

I'm not depressed, I'm just uninspired by all the rest,
Whose eyes seem to fixate entirely on your chest.
And after a while, it'll go out of style.
But you'll hide your denial with a crooked smile.

Its insane to know they have nothing to gain,
By attempting to get inside of your brain.
But I'm not the same, and I know its a shame,
But there's no one to blame for this silly little game.

So give me a chance, more than just a glance,
My intentions are greater than to get in your pants.
Because more than your bed, I want in your head.
To prove that romance is anything but dead.