Brittle bones,
knackered backs
look where have we been,
steaming
bickering
all within,
faltering legs slipping through the streets,

this man;
would you still greet?

Ashen lungs, falling through
bruised hands;
brimming of stench
been home late,
lately—

this man;
would you still put arms around?

old shirt pieces,
spectacles of destiny
uttering broken-frames;
for a new sweater
weaved into his soul-born.

this man,
would you call a miser still?

Look at those fingers,
go across the keyboard—
Look at the tubelight
light those eyes up
all night.

this man
would you still smile for?

For once,
let me know—
this man,
and his tears;
would you bear upon your lap?

You all told me how sorry you were
But what are you apologizing for?
You didn't do anything wrong
So why do you say, "We're so sorry!"
I've heard these words so much they've turned into a blur
So what exactly are you sorry for?

She rustles her feathers, fluttering as she twists and tethers.

Three white dots on her tail, wings with bravery that will never fail.

Perched on a high branch to hide from us below; is she really scared, or is it because it's all she know?

With chirps harmonically right, I wonder if they continue throughout the night

With black, beady eyes she views us all, wondering if it's an illusion when she stands tall

She was little once, like we all were. I wonder how much she's had to endure?

But now she is silent, gone, ran from fear, going anywhere to escape from here.

We humans have given her nothing but a scare. How, I wonder, how can this be fair?

They determine our strength with no brains
We get our brains with the lack of strength
To find balance in this life is unobtainable
Unless you are the propaganda itself

With tests, they see how smart we are
With miles, they see how far we run
Run, run away from it all
But you won't get anywhere

They reward us with worthless prizes
They drown us in our unfamiliar seas
They overwork us with all we know
Is the haunting propaganda outside?

Propaganda. Manipulates us all
To believe it is utterly flawless
Flawless, you must be flawless
Flaws show ugliness and mistakes

Mistakes? There are no mistakes
When you are talking about propaganda

She was given stacks of money, more than she could see
Diamonds, rubies, and emeralds in her jewelry

She had friends that talked to her day and night
She had parents that never took her out of their sight

She had things that only the richest could afford
Piles of things she wanted on her own accord

Shoes, shirts, and dresses too
Not one day people saw her as blue

People assumed that her riches were her ideology
She was given everything, except an apology

The king sat upon his throne
Announcing ideas in the gentlest of tone

The people disagreed, and they fought back
But aggression was something the king had lacked

They rioted with pitchforks and torches
The king saw them yell out each night on their porches

And eventually, they set the castle ablaze
The king fled without even being fazed

He found the kindest people under the trees
The opportunity to build a new kingdom he had to seize

The palace could prosper with the right support
Unlike the old one, which could only distort

So he built with the people, leaving his mark
Until his eyesight started to go dark

He woke up in his old, burning palace again
Surrounding by the sound of illogical, angry men

He realized his prosperous castle was only a desire
“It was merely a dream,” he thought, as his skin lit on fire.

I make my way among a mighty castle, but to everyone else that is merely ruins. The rubble covers the earth surface, but I pick it up and begin to build anew. The others just watch, fascinated by sight, to build a grave into a ceremony of life. They say their time has frozen in place, but I know it will move eternally. As I lay the bricks, one by one, a new story will start to write, for only the authors who let it be that way, and yet I’ll never realize that my new chapter of life has started, and they’re writing their final sentence. Still building this castle, one by one, but the debris still infects the Earth, when suddenly a thought comes to mind. It darkens and swallows the life. I sink to my knees, drowning in fear, as dark clouds gaze from heaven. I’ll never finish this castle. Humanity will never survive. They’ll slowly fade away, never to be remembered again I’ll never finish this castle, if nobody is here to share the memory.