your voice was some kind of faint afterthought
drifting around in the ether.
i reached with fingertips stretched
only barely to graze
what had left as swiftly as it came

in that moment,
in that perfectly fleeting instant,
i felt whole and brave.
but the whole turned to half
and the brave didn’t catch.

sure, it’s a thorn in my side
(more like a mark on my hide),
but my lungs will still fill
with every drop of air
they could ever care to hold
and breathe, i shall.

you see,
my mistakes have led me down a path
and my life has given me a past
and i've known forevers that don't last
and i've mixed my treasures with my trash

for, you see,
some things don't happen (though i wish they would)
but it's all the bad that makes us good