i ingest these poisons
so i may grasp the nature
of the impermanent.
i gather up broken pieces
of broken people
so i may see beauty
despite hopelessness
i become the strength
where others have none
yet it is this paradigm
that will tear me undone.
for a bridge to brighter shores
is useless
if it breaks under the weight
of a thousand bare feet
a mirror will only reflect
what the eyes long to see.