the flash of lightning
stalked by the rumbles of thunder

Half-shut eyes shying away,
Lids fluttering from flat lines to fear.
Heaviness with
Every inhalation of this acid,
Poisoned air stippled with pollution,
Hatred and despair.
Envision trembling voids that yearn
For the pull of a black hole's infinite birth.

Wisps
           Clouds

Inflatable anchors
Lay in the water of
           the sea.
Shall we
               fish?

Ignore repulsion, my dear,
Accept compulsion, don't fear.
Don't let mere, bleary tears
Steer you from clear theory.

Expulsion of fear
Touching hard polished skin
Staring at distant glassy eyes
Yearning for glints of life
Searching, a step onto
An opaque sphere of
Infinite limitations

Finally, I am able to open my mouth
And Breathe
Without tension or stress.
No longer must I hold my breath and tighten my chest
And conform, appeal, or impress
The expectations, vanities, and stupidities
Of certain personalities.
Now,
I progress.
I have tolerated and waited,
Filling up the quotas issued by the blind
Outdated, unknowledgeable of the strife,
Of how many times we have broken down
And forced ourselves to shuffingly, reluctantly
Gather our pieces with disconnected, searching hands
And red-rimmed eyes.
For our will was to continue
Playing the game to be accepted into
A bigger game that offers
A paradox
Of freedom and responsibility.
I ordered the pocket-sized portion so
My portable paradox will have never have to leave my sight.

Faces outlined in black crayon,
Lonely parking lot trees,
Isolated by concrete, asphalt, and litter,
Mentally vain, narcissistic, futile
Fear of the void