"it's all about character," i said
"like cartoons?" you asked
but that's not what i meant

i mean the way you panic before a test and take baths when you're sad and say you're going to do something but you don't.
you never do.

promises are empty and so is
the chamber where i keep my sanity
so i make my own characters:

these
right now
strumming words and
lacing sentences with
passion and complexity
because simplicity is overrated

i crave tangibility and this lined paper is about as close as i can get

my hands are numb
my wrists are sore
be the relief i need to get by
be the astronomer who connects these dots
and gives a name to the constellations
that mean nothing to most
(but i think they're beautiful even if they are burning out a billion miles away)

i just need some character
and you have plenty to go around