I am falling Perpetual spirals into the dark I feel my hands grasping As air passes through my fingers Something feels off and I really can't tell If the caution is real Or a phantom of my fear I'm in the land of ghosts and demons Haunted by these oppressive memories It's hard to know what's worse The monsters or the claustrophobia Flowers can't bloom in the darkness and Humans cannot thrive in isolation This place is lifeless, suffocating Only tolerable through inebriation Kindess is but a mask here Trusting no one a necessity Half these people want me dead And a quarter could care less Don't tell me I'm overreacting When even family aim their guns I've made my escape and now I know what growth feels like I've tasted the freshness of freedom Witnessed the miracle of peace It is not like this everywhere So don't try to normalize this hate I found celebration beyond tolerance And I've built my home there This place is a noxious poison and I'm done trying to survive it
From a visit to Wisconsin after moving to Washington state.