Crocodile tears
Washed the painted smile
From her hollow mask —
Revealing
Nothing but disdain
Beneath.

Partners in a cautious dance
To silent songs —
Shames we hide
Twisting, twirling
Around the truth,
Matching steps
To fit the lie.

Seemingly
Blind to me,
Your apathy
Makes me wonder —
Do my accomplishments
Not matter,
Or could it be
The problem
Is you?

How petty,
How self-centered —
Such tragedy
We bestow upon the world
In the absence
Of personal joy.

Seen through
Burnt glass lenses
The world appears
Darker than it is.

Judge
By what they
Do onto others.
Acts may be forgiven
But intent matters —
And before you do,
Know that goes
For reactions too.

Glare all you like —
I don't mind your disapproval.
You do you
But I'll be me.

Only innocence
Brings true beauty.
Wonder lives
In absence
Of preconception.

More often than not
There's no justice
In getting even.

My dreams are filled
With unknown faces,
Places I have never seen
Perhaps I got lost,
Looking for the place
My heart belongs —
Which obviously
Isn't here.

To understand,
Adjust your perspective —
From the inside
We but see
The negative.

Love would lead
If we could live
In beautiful empty
Between thoughts, distracting.

Acknowledging the urgency —
The situation dire,
We lack
The incline to act
To save ourselves.

When depression reigns,
Each chance you get
Binge happiness —
Let it warm you.

See the deception,
Recognize
Who steers the fight.
Don't watch the ball,
Watch the hands —
No victors walk
The arena's sands.

Envy.
Resentment.
Condemnation.
Blame.
Spite.
These selfish thoughts
Divide us.

These horror stories
Sadly
Are not fiction.

In smoldering heat,
Walking streets filled with
Smiles dressed in summer —
Dark thoughts hit me
Like cold shivers in July.

When struggling
Imagine each step
A journey
And press on.