Open wounds
Cannot heal —
Stop poking.

At chapter's end
The monsters win.

Value is feeling,
Worth is believing
The price we have paid
Was appropriate.

Don't miss the chance
Before you take the curve —
Pause the chaos
And enjoy the view
Of the dead-end paths not taken
In the depths below.

Do anything
Or you'll regret
Nothing.

It's the moments —
Never mind their order.

Good intentions,
Poor motivation —
Between what we want
And what's not getting done.

The more we want,
The more we need,
The more we pay
For happiness.

What we own
Weighs us down —
Lose your shit
And be free.

Each heart a lair,
Each memory a treasure,
Each soul a dragon
Hiding from the
Knights in white,
Out to change the past.

Pain is poetry
Until it rhymes —
Then it's just
A cliche.

The grim, the bright,
The human tides —
Come up for air,
Don't let them drown you.

Mistake? Retake!
Don't stop at the bottom —
Every breath a chance
To try again.

You never felt it go,
Nor would you have
Cared if you did.
It may have been
Your pain,
But it's mine now,
And I will bear it.

No routes to take,
No signs,
No guiding lights,
No rules to live or die by.
Just time.

If life dealt you
A bad hand,
Stop playing games.

No day goes by where
I do not curse
The me on top —
The devious survivalist,
The asshole taking
Care of number one,
Whether I want it to or not.

Shadows crawl across the floor
Like instincts of the sinister —
I should know.
I recognize their every movement.

Never mind
The breaths between smiles —
It's life,
But not the good stuff.

Beauty is
A gown of ivy,
Kept with thorns —
Comfort is a luxury
Most can't afford.