Your beautiful soul deserves
so much more
than my shadows

Where they poured cement
in an attempt to turn the world grey,
the seed finds a crack
from which it bursts forth,
petals unfurling
in glorious revelation,
rushing towards the sun
in exaltation,
breaking borders
and denying monotony,
standing tall,
a velvet fist
raised in victorious salute.

This girl I used to know
Is stuck to my ceiling
A miracle of chemistry
Never mind gravity
This strange feeling
That got stuck there and
Died on a school Tuesday
And I remember how the final words
That tasted those soft lips
Sounded like the snap-crackle-crunch of
My spine breaking
How every Wednesday since then is
Bring yourself to work
And I go as a better version of myself
But I always get caught
Somehow
And now that I'm lost out here in the world
It happens somewhere inside my head
And I'd dig it out with a spoon
If only I knew how
And I miss this entire world we had
The quirky things that are no longer there
Like the demolished wood and plastic arcade
The sweet smell of Dr. Peppers and sweaty pennies
Everything feels unreal now
A documentary without an audience
Shot from a million miles away
Beauty is locked behind bulletproof glass
And everything is displayed for us to "touch"
But all we ever get to do is "see"
A cold existence
Without texture
A smudge of something that once was
Splinters and cuts if you get too close
And happiness is stuck in detention
Until you divide yourself with infinity
And pre-order the game of life
Twice
And I remember how
When two people launch their kites
And the storm comes
The strings always find a way to tangle
Until one side snaps
And breaks free of the other
I remember how a penny has two sides
And a world without broken hearts
Is a world without hearts at all
But I miss the games we played
And there's this awkward silence
Like when a game we shared ends
And we both say we're out of pennies;
And one of us lies.