You don't have to be perfect to be beautiful

Stain glass is a broken mess
Until it's arranged and aligned
And finally allowed to shine

I want to stay in the place
Where the wind holds sway

Where I can whisper my story
And with a whoosh he'll wisk it on it's way

From my cheeks, he'll brush tears
And with my hair he will play

He'll whistle a quiet tune
Until I drift to sleep where I lay

My world didn't end when we did


We both got an "after"


The only difference is yours is happy


And mine isn't over

When I was young
I learned of my inky blood
My paper bones, and graphite mind

When I was young
I wrote to please my family
Who loved words even if they were mine

When I aged
And the world grew strange
I wrote for me to understand that time

When I aged
And those words were for me
I was scared to share those precious things

Now I am old
And am starting to share
The words that have been trapped inside

Now I am old
And still young at heart
Wondering if others will appreciate my art

You need this mountain
This new trial, this next "what then?"
Because a year ago or a few,
This hurdle would've tripped you
Then? You'd have given up or quit
Now? You're strong enough to surmount it

Proof comes in trials every so often
Of how we changed and how far we've gotten

It gives us the strength to keep climbing
To never give up, to keep on striving

Should I give up on the right way,

When the easy way

Looks to get me there so much sooner?

You must be an angel or a miracle

'Cause you're always there when I need you

You don't know how loved that makes me feel

And the Sun loved his people

So much that when he couldn't be there

He left a reminder of his light in the sky

A brilliance in the blackness

One they could look to

One they could hold onto in the dark

And it was his promise that

He would always return

That they were never really alone

A woman sat here,
To ponder radiation

A priest sat here,
In prayer for his congregation

A soldier sat here,
Cradling ammo and gun

A knight sat here,
His maiden's hand finally won

A Roman sat here, proud
Of building this wall

And I sit here, watching
Past and present revolve

Pondering how this wall
Stood here in every story
As a silent sentinel

Sobbing, screaming
Hyperventilating, heaving,
Face goes numb
Dry throat sticks
Coughing, coughing, coughing, nearly sick

And there is no space with enough space
And certainly no beauty or grace
In these knee-buckling bouts of anxiety
When sanity comes apart at the seams
And crazy doesn't seem a description too extreme

Crazy must be what I am
Because how did I let my life get so far out of hand?
That I'm here, now, melting down like a nuclear plant
Radioactive but not like the hulk or superman
Just hoping I have strength enough left to stand

I believe I'll make it out eventually
But until then
I am the enemy, the survivor
And the battle they fought in

There is nothing
like the wonder
A curious soul feels
When they come
To a new idea
Molded in lead
Housed in paper
And filled with
Imagination

I have never been a social creature
And as such was of a make and model
Of my own refined design
It made me unique but now
As I have let loose the words of my mind
I find it ever harder to remain myself
To distinguish which words are mine and which are manufactured to please others

Why can the world

Still fall to ash

When the finish line just barely

Came within your grasp?

You say that I don't see what you see
When you look yourself in the eyes
And you're right because
You've only ever seen a monster in disguise.

You think somehow you've fooled us

You only know the critic, the judge,
The jury, the executioner,
The unimpressed, impertinent nit-picker
And then you look at you and wonder
How anyone can love her?

We don't.

We love the girl who glows
When she sees falling snow
Who wrinkles up her nose
When you offer her tomatoes
We love the girl who chose
To be kind in the face of foes.
Who encouraged others to grow
And become better as they go

So no, we DON'T see what you see
We see more, we see clearer
And we will love you as you deserve to be
Til one day you see the same in the mirror

If you ever wonder how much I love you?

Remember I saw that cliff
Long before I jumped off it
And believed that you would catch me

But you didn't and I broke
And there your heart awoke
And oh my love how you grieved

You put your everything
Into my rebuilding
Until I was whole again

Now I knew the pain
But also how you've changed
So I jump, for belief in a different end

Once a upon a time
Starts a story into motion
A mild mannered man
Or a witch brewing potion

The story continues on
Weaving a perfect tapestry
A villain gains their power,
A detective now deep in mystery

The last few pages are come
Through all the plot's bending
We know what they will say but stay
Because people seek an....

You were never looking at me
For there was so much
In the world to be seen

But I looked at you my friend
And saw the world
Through your eyes, like a lens

And saw a place I'd never imagined
In detail or expanse
And caught them in our fashion

A world to be developed
One that together we'd make better
Held to our hearts, enveloped

A sunshine person,
Like joy in a bottle,
Or a summer star shower,
Is a stand-alone marvel,

They make light of the storms
No monsoon is ever frightening
They laugh like the thunder
When they crack jokes like lightning

They take every green fast
So they can feel the wind race
But happily stop for the roses
When reds make for a slow pace

You can blow out every candle
Or even pull the stars from the sky
But you can't take their shine
Because it comes from inside

You need love
Like you need air
You can only hold
Your breath for so long.

If you disagree,
It's cause it's time
For you to take a breath

Nobody wants broken people
Their cracks keep them from holding
A job, a love, a life together

Their sharp edges
Hurt the ones who try to hold them from
Giving in, giving up, falling apart

And while they try to fix themselves,
The world moves on, holding its head high
Missing the misery at its feet

Nobody want their life to fall to pieces
But if the space wasn't cleared
Where would you build
The person you want to become?

Have you ever fit a *****
Only to find it tweaked?
Have you ever replaced a door hinge
Only to find the new one squeaked?
Or fixed a concern with another?
Because I'm afraid, right now, that's me.

I filled my head with helium
And it keeps trying to float away.
My hands shiver as if cold
On this warm and sunny day.
My heart kicked up its tempo
Though my body only sways.

I think might be dying,
At the very least I'm green.
How long can it freeze my brain,
Clogging up my blood stream?
Until finally I wonder how much
Is too much when taking in caffeine?

We hope for "once in a million" loves
We envy  "once upon a time" romances
But no one knows how to find them
Because really what are the chances?

Ah but we know the chances!
So don't give up at one or two
Or twelve or three thousand and six
For a million tries is worth a love that's true

Nothing feels quite the same

As walking through a city

Papered in all the old memories

That made you happy


Where past and present blend

Into a new kind of "when"

With words, I am building

A hostel for my wandering thoughts

A house for my happy memories

A home for my deepest hurts

And a castle for my grandest dreams

Alright brain, we have time to ****

And a creative quota to fill

It's your fault that words

Make me feel happy and heard

So make my feelings tangible

Something I can hold, something manageable

I was waiting for my fear to dissipate
Before I let in love and fate

I waited and waited patiently
Til even Time starting rushing me

And now I stand at a crossroads
Of braving love in fear or being alone

So I'll take the right road at the bend,
Fight my fear, and hope to find you at the end

I drank the ocean,
Down to the very last drop
But I still feel empty

I stand on the sun
Blind and burning
But the shadows inside remain

I watch the stars turn
In the black of the night
And see my heart reflected

We were a world
"Of grin and bear it"
And of silent pain
Until tables turned, rules shifted

Now everyone speaks
Shouts out into the distance
But with all the noise
Still, no one can listen

I have to stay awake


While my eyes stay open

I am in control

But when my eyes close

My memory is maestero


Right now she's in a rage

Drowning in the sorrow

Burning in injustice

Unwilling to wait 'til tomorrow


But I have to wait because

Right now if these memories play

My demons will win

And I'll waste away


So I have to stay awake

Did you think we'd
Love you less
When you put your flaws on display?

As if they could ever
Be comparable
To even one of the reasons we stay?

They are dust on diamonds