Let me sleep
Reality isn’t all
My dreams
Made it out
To be

Tidal waves of disappointment
Crash into me
As my
Conflicting opinion
Clashes
With your image
Of who you
Wish me
To be

I’m okay
With the horrors
I live each night
With eyes closed
We go way back
It’s the unknown
I might meet
While I’m awake
That scares me

I don’t need to be
An icon
Remembered
Or even
Understood
I just want to be
Heard
While I’m
Still here

I’m glad
You like my words
But these poems
I write for me
They are
Captured reflections
Of my sanity today
So I can still understand
What I’m about to do
Tomorrow

No matter
How much strength
It takes
Sometimes
There is weakness
In forcing
A smile

Scary woods
Don't consist solely
Of scary trees
Don't judge me
For my heritage
Instead
See who I
Despite my origins
Chose to become

Inch forward
Into darkness
Navigate
By memory
Of light

Blessed coffee
Pure and dark
You clear
The fog of sleep
Carry me
Through office hours
Alleviate my suffering
In dealing with
Stupidity
Thank you
For helping me
Survive another week

What may not yet be right
Can still look
Better than before
Dressed in
Periwinkle shades of night
Softened in the glow
Of a new moon rising

My biggest flaw
I've been told
I always try
To fix
What ain't broken
So ever since
When in doubt
To be sure
I break it first

You
Taught me
How to lie

Seeking adventure
They found
Trouble instead
And to their
Utter surprise
Liked it

Dance
Through passive crowds
Draw lively patterns
Standing out
Amidst the endless
Uniform tracks
Of those
Without dreams

The world may burn
For all I care
As long as you
Are safe
With me

Swing
To life's cadence
Find rhythm
In everything
You doobie-do

Don't fear
Letting go
Focus on
What's left
After release

Back home
Where nostalgia lives
Once cherished memories
Seem smaller
Now you've seen
The world beyond

In case of disappointment
Lower expectations
Never standards

Treasure each dream
However unlikely