Go ahead —
Act the part,
Flash that smile.
When I close my eyes
Or look away,
All that remains
Is the hollow,
Flat approximation
Of a laugh.

Words with a pulse —
Emotion distilled to
An open connection.

Regardless your beliefs,
Tradition does not justify
Bringing harm
To anything
Or anyone.

Do not despair,
Keep going —
Getting lost
First requires
Giving up.

Engage the undiscovered trail,
Reacquaint with long-lost thrills —
Awaken, adventurer.

A quick hello,
A little encouragement,
Just to let you know
That I think of you, my friend —
A reminder
That you are not alone.
You've got this.

Tales of hardship —
Bumpy roads
And broken wheels —
Remind me
How far I've come.

Shake the right tree
And you'll eat,
Just beware —
Shaking the wrong one
Might get you chased
By angry monkeys

Layers of composure —
Decorative and paper-thin,
Separate my inner turmoil
From the face bearing a grin.

Wry impossibility,
Stalled contingency,
My ultimate regret.
Painful afterimages
Burned into my
Mental retina —
You're with me still.

Comfort me
Until my tears run dry,
Love me
Until the pain subsides —
Never let me go.

Cast into uncertainty —
Fiddle until it feels right.

Positive spins
On negative thoughts —
Only you can
Make your day.

Exploring unused muscles,
Moving in directions
Unfamiliar —
Mazes, countless variations
On down.

Beauty, skin deep
Cuts to my core —
Softness numbing
My defenses.

There's a beat to each word,
Rhythms to every message.
Pay attention,
You just might hear it.
Call it what you will —
A piece of heart,
A slice of soul,
An emotional footprint —
It is you.

There's still night to wander —
Get off that lazy ass,
We're wasting twilight.

Even lost in
Welcoming darkness,
Take your time
To appreciate the last light.

No two stops in the same place,
All I leave behind, I bury.
Whatever I can't carry, it is gone.
Still, abandoning my past
I seek comfort in my demons —
Running forward, looking back.