Most will never realize —
Honor is a carrot.

Ignore all threats
And prosper.

"Bad day?" I ask.
"Bad life," she says,
Rendering me speechless.

I know that one day
I will stumble.
It is hard
Walking this fragile line
Between what you wish to hear
And what I never want to say.

Might you seek me
Once I am gone,
Imagine me
The red at dawn —
Checking in, once daily —
And remember
How you made me feel.

Retracing mistakes, following
Crumbs of lost identity
Hoping
To find myself again.

This too
Shall crash.

All that is left
Are words
Long past their meaning,
Begging never to be said.

Sulking amidst corpses —
Myriads of dismissed choices,
All of which once led
To better lives —
We contemplate our poor fate,
And curse the stars,
Trapped in our own minds.

White seems a lie.
Depression shows the world
In black and ashen —
What was lost
And what is
Left to lose.

The best of you,
The worst of me —
We all choose
What we see.

What plan?
I never intended
To make it this far.

A firmament alight —
Emotions flare
Like warning beacons,
Blinding me
To the drowned out
Dark of night.

Judge not a reaction
Without knowing its cause —
Oftentimes it may be
Closer than you'd like.

Silenced songs denied crescendo —
Muted voices, singing
Long-forgotten songs of pain.
An ever-growing, unheard requiem
Ignored —
For the world
Desires to dance.

You may hate me for it,
But know
I'm doing this
For you.

Tend to even
The smallest dream
With tender loving care.
It matters not
If they might prove
Roadmaps to a better life,
Or mere
Reality-defying fantasies —
What's born out of love,
Is always worth
The effort.

Reject the incentive —
Leave the carrot,
Chase the stick.

Reunited with a self
A million turns of fate
From where I stand —
I am amazed
That I got to
Where I am.

Sepia Trees frame
The path to Winter,
Still shivering
From summer joys.
Pleasant thoughts
To brave the cold —
Warm enough to last
Until Spring
Arrives once more.