paint away the grey smudges
underneath your eyes
little black rainclouds
of your demise
cautiously stroke
inside the lines
so no one will notice
their actual size
and the lack of skill
lack of will...
little red
what goes on in your
tear-soaked
head
why do you
sit up in your bed
so late
why don't you
finish the day
with a little game
of pretend
it will carry you through
till the end
honey,
every thespian
will tell you
never to leave home
without a mask
darling,
you never know
when you'll need to
act

Write as if you've never written before.
Write as if you'll never write again.
Write as if the person you love most in life ends up as the person you hate most at the wake of death.
Write as if nobody will ever see your work.
Write as if you've died more times in your own life than you've lived.
Write as if the music is still there.
Write as if you've suffered through your years.
Write as if you have the worst dayjob on earth.
Write as if it reads the reader. Rather than the reader reading your work.