He drives along the empty road
Till his headlights fall upon the deer
He stops, inches from its body.
Its dark eyes widen with fear.
Hazel brown eyes: Just like his daughter’s

He blares his horn repeatedly
To scare it off with the loud sound
A vain attempt; the stag stays
Unmoving, it holds its ground.
Obstinate creature: Just like his daughter.

He groans in frustration,
The animal stares in silence;
Its eyes shine with a hint of anger
It’s stance the picture of defiance  
Quietly rebellious: Just like his daughter.

Through his window, he shouts at it
To move off the narrow road
But the deer just stands, looking confused,
Instead of running off to its abode
It doesn’t understand: Just like his daughter.

Doesn’t it know to run away?
He’s never seen such behaviour;
Such a myriad of emotions  
Expressed by a simple deer.
It’s an enigma: Just like his daughter.

He looks helplessly at the deer,
Unsure of what will happen now
He’s almost out of options but
He knows he’ll find a way somehow.
After all, he never gives up: Just like his daughter.

She walks in the rain, annoyed
As the hair she combed so perfectly
Dances freely with the wind,
A tangled mess; wild and unruly

She zips her jacket till her chin
As she continues on her path
It's another feeble attempt to
Shield herself from the clouds wrath

She walks, sidestepping puddles
Her brand new boots caked with muck
She reaches the bus stop, cursing
The dreary weather in which she's stuck

She waits for the bus, impatient
As raindrops fall upon her face
Oh, how she hates the icy breeze
That knocks her hood out of its place!

She waits; half drenched, half frozen
As thunder roars from the skies
As though haughtily boasting about
All the umbrellas that it's destroyed

Finally, the bus arrives;
Her saviour, her salvation!!!
Now she braces herself for
The long long ride to her destination.

You lie asleep on your bed
The monsters wait underneath;
To grab you with their scaly hands.
They smile with their crooked teeth

The gremlins dance in the shadows
As your closed eyes start to dream
They crawl along your room, just
Waiting to pounce; to make you scream

In your slumber, you don't hear,
Fingernails drag across your window
By the bony hands of a hooded figure;
The ghost of a soldier's widow.

Safe and warm in your blanket,
You sleep completely unware
Of the howling trees and tortured wails Carried along by the cold nights air

You rest, immersed in your dream,
You don't hear your floorboards creek
Or smell the stench of a ghouls breath
Or see the sights that would make you shriek

You sleep, all cozy and snug
You think that everything's alright
Oblivious you are to all the creatures
And things that go bump in the night

The sun rises and back into
Their holes and corners they scurry.
You awaken, well rested and fresh
And continue on without a worry.

You'll never know what went on
While you dreamed of happy times
The horrors that once lurked in your room
Wait, hidden,  for a chance to strike...

He watches, sitting on the raft,
As the rapids near at a fast pace
He clutches his paddle tightly
With a look of terror etched on his face

His friends sit around him
Laughing,  cheering,  ready for action
He starts to regret his  
Decision to come by a tiny fraction

Their guide warns them to be ready
Now begins the battle
Of the raft against the rapids
His only weapon is his paddle

They hit the rapids with a giant splash
His friends shriek with delight
The raft bumps; up and down and up again.  
He holds on with all his might

Water splashes his focused face,
As he paddles along furiously.
So sure he is that the raft will flip
While his friends shout out in ecstacy.

Finally,  calmness decends
The rapids end at last
He takes a deep breath of relief
His heart is still beating fast

The raft moves on the placid water
His friend exclaims, "Wasn't that fun?!"
He doesn't say how scared he was
He just laughs along with everyone.

He sits, head between his paws
His eyes watch them as they rush
Around so early in the morning
He knows they'll leave soon enough

Last minute packing is happening
Some bags are packed and ready to go
He sits, despondent,  in his corner
When they'll be back, he doesn't know

They pet him gently on his head
He knows they're saying goodbye
They speak in their foreign language
Their voices soothe him for a while

He wags his tail sadly,
He gives their faces a hearty lick
In his own way, he tries to tell them
"Oh please, come back quick!"

They coo and croon at him
They try to get him to play
He sits unmoving,  in a sulk
He knows, in minutes, they'll go away

They won't leave him alone, no.
The maid will keep him company
But it's not the same to him
He'll sorely miss his family

The bags are loaded into the car
He knows he can't come with
Their time to leave has arrived
With a mournful little whine, he sits

They'll come back, they always do
With one last pat, they depart
He listens as their car drives off
Now, his lonely days will start.

The sun shines as I fly;
As I fly  high, as I fly low
There is a question on my mind
'Where is it that I'm trying to go?'

I make some noise, I spread my wings
I join my peers in an aimless flight.
I ask myself; Where is my purpose?
It's not before me. It's not in sight.

The eagles hunts the rats
The vulture eats what remains
The parrot sings with its pretty wings
And I sit, in my nest, all grey and plain

My friends, my brothers and all the others
Never feel that something is amiss
We have no role or goal or greater calling
Is our purpose just to exist?

The humans don't seem to like us
Other birds think they're superior
We eat worms and spread germs
Our other talents are unclear.

We sit, We sleep,  We ****, We eat
An endless mundane routine
Sometimes,  I feel there must be more;
That our purpose is there, it's just unseen

There must be a reason for our creation
We can't be such a usless species
We're just a nusiance to the world
Finding answers won't be easy.

My mind is made; I begin my journey.
What is my purpose? I must know!
Over the trees, the sun sets
As I fly high, as I fly low.

Stop for a moment and look
As closely as you can at me.
Now, do you see the difference between
Who I really am and who you see?

You see someone who hasn't existed
For many many years now
It'll be hard to get her back but
I know you'll manage somehow

You'll push and push till she appears
Whether I like it or not.
She's a better person in your eyes
I only resemble her somewhat

She's charming,  smart and confident.
I'm just a work in progress.
She's the one to get work done
I was her once and now I've regressed.

So sure you are that you know me
When I myself have no clue
Maybe you see things in me that I don't
Maybe someday I'll see them through you.

Everytime you tell me to be her
The confidence I've built starts to shake
What if I can't be what you want?  
I'll be just another mistake you made.

I'm more scared of what you think of me
Than what the world has to say
They're not the ones who raised me
And loved me everyday.

Everytime we talk, I'm looking for
The answers that will make you proud
Sometimes,  I keep in what I really feel
Sometimes I don't know what you're talking about.

You think I lost myself somewhere
I think you don't like who I've become
"Ordinary,  average, mediocre,
A girl who just wants to have fun"

These words you've used to describe me now.
You just want the old me back.
You want me to want to be her again
She's the epitome of everything I lack.  

You don't see how hard I'm trying
You just want the end result
You don't see me as I am
You just see who I can become.