I jumped in without hesitation
Even though I knew I would drown
In your eyes, blue as the sea

I was hoping you would throw me a life vest
Instead you stood back and grinned
As you watched the waves engulf me

I’m not protecting myself
When I tell you no
I’m protecting you

From trying to reach
My head in the clouds
Just to come tumbling back down

Or trying to swim down
Into the depths of me
And not having enough oxygen
To breathe

Or getting lost in the
Labyrinth of my mind
With no exit sign

Despite what I want
I won’t let there be
Casualties because of me

Per-fec-tion (noun)
/ pərˈfekSH(ə)n/
noun

Perfection isn’t

An Endearing personality
That captivates all who see you
Paired with a captivating voice
Others look up to

Waking up every morning
With a smile on your face
As you walk through life
The embodiment of beauty and grace

Passing through
Day to day trials with ease
Treating the storms of life
As if they were only a breeze

That’s madness

Perfection is

Coming home to bills
Scattered across the kitchen table
Wondering if your daughter’s childhood
Will ever be stable

Having a face marked with
A new wrinkle line
Paired with your
Unquenched need for more wine

Not knowing if the tears will stop
Or where to run
When your best friend’s
Time on Earth is done

That’s imperfect

Don’t judge my ash filled lungs
Or my veins filled with whiskey
When I only use them
To fill the void you left

My soul is a fire dancing inside of me
And I don’t want to hurt someone else
And leave their ashes in my wake
So I’m holding out for someone
Whose fire burns just as bright as mine

I once heard about a place
That appeared almost overnight
I had to see it for myself
So I decided to go at twilight

I heard there was no sadness there
And it was impossible to have a defect
After hearing all the rumors
I was not sure what to expect

I walked through the fun house
And I was amazed at what I saw
The reflections in the mirrors
Didn’t look like me at all

Captivated by their beauty
My eyes never left the mirror
When I saw myself reflected back
I took a few steps to be nearer

That’s when I saw
Too small for anyone else to see
A crack in the mirror
That had the reflection of me

I no longer looked like everyone else
The crack made me look strange
My pimples, wrinkles and scar came back
It was quite an unwelcome change

In front of a reflection nearby
Was just your average guy
He was so focused on his reflection
He did not notice me squeeze by

I walked around the fun house more
And was shocked at what I saw
Most of these people looked nothing
like their reflection at all

When they saw their reflections
Their eyes did not stray
I even heard a man talking to a woman
And their eyes still never looked away

I thought it was strange
A fun house that made you pretty
Overnight becoming quite the hit
In every town and city

But I guess it’s not so different
Than filters and mascara
After more walking and looking
I had decided to end this era

So I walked out of the fun house
Into a world that was much clearer
I smiled when I saw my scar
In my car’s rearview mirror