drowning in the seas of consumerism (isn't it lovely?)

staring glassy eyed at those bright storefronts

a moth in a sea of lanterns

dear darling, when will you ever learn?

the world is an ocean threatening to suck you in

the whirlpools of despair spinning you round

undercurrents of hate and worthlessness dragging you to the depths of your own personal hell

the lights reflecting off your crystallized smile

shattered so beautifully by a single ray of reality

each fragment a piece of the soul you kept so willingly on your sleeve

dear darling, can’t you see?

this cotton candy world will dissolve with just the smallest drop

Clutching the bags of things you didn’t remember buying

but that doesn’t even matter, at this point

now you’re just picking up the pieces.

of secret hearts and steel vaults

Hello there darling

what’s with the sad stories scrawled on your face?

The things you try to keep locked behind your walls

What is it you let no one see?

But all the starlight in your eyes can’t hide the pain

these secrets like a carefully woven tapestry specifically tailored to make a maze of your mind

your secrets fill you up

weigh you down

prevent you from flying away

but without them, you’d be nothing

just an empty shell of what once could have been

things dying and withering in the light of day

flames of knowledge licking away at the strands of your secret desires wants and dreams

but wouldn’t that be better?

to stand in the glow and watch it crumble to ash?

Wouldn’t it set you free from these woven shackles around your ankles?

feel the heat of freedom burning oh so sweet against the waning day

take a breath

take a chance

and come on, take a risk

you could be more than you ever imagined

so let’s watch it burn.

ballad for a sweet summer night

inspirited by (this picture)

----

The night outside is so very inviting.

Well, maybe not so much the night as the lovely, cool darkness.

Tantalizingly close, oh, how I wish it would never end…

The cool air matches the cool edges now preoccupying my mind,

Sharpened steel against the fragile paper;

Pressing down, guess who never stood a chance?

And all of a sudden the faint resistance stops-

There’s blood spilling past the keys,

making those ivories blush,

candy red splatters haphazardly,

oh what mother would say about cleanliness.

strobes of darkness fade in and out on the periphery

heat leaving in pulses

each one stronger than the last

there’s no more melody

only the echoes of keys pressed by invisible hands

since these never worked the way they should have

always a disappointment

maybe they’re better put to use as instruments of art.

this piano is forever stained red as roses

the tendrils of deep crimson covering the monochrome

no longer a simple exercise in contrast

red as moonflowers superheroes lipstick sunspots

the world fades in and out in out in out again

and as my eyes close in delicious wonderfullovely wantedneeded sweet sleep i cant help but think

isnt it prettier this way

?

letters to strangers four

Hey you

Yeah you

Looking for all the world like you own them all

But I know better

Or, at least, I used to

You and me, babycakes, we could have shown them

Wiped the rain-spattered streets with their sorry excuses for dreams

There’s no use wasting time on easy things.

We could have shown the world what we could do

You and me, babycakes,

Me and you

For once, we would be what’s right in the world

No longer the silly little outcasts

We could have changed the world

Written out the hopes we never dared to have

Painted the sky in the colors of dreams

But then the sad truth sank in

The world didn’t want us

And we didn’t really want us either.

letters to strangers three

hey there darling, you think you can hide? I don't know you but I know you well.

---3

Hey you

Yeah you

The one dancing out of sync

Just one beat off the music

Three steps ahead makes you look one step behind

Out of sync with reality

Phasing in and out like the strobes you so adore

Never quite living up to what the world wants you to be

Simply because you’re doing all that and more

You don’t belong here

You’re a rebel

You’re a star

You’re a fighter

You’re a lover

This world isn’t good enough for you

But no one seems to realize what they would miss out on

But that’s okay, you say.

It’s all okay.

We’re all okay.

(We’re not okay.)

letters to strangers (two)

this one goes out to you, diamond in a sea of rhinestone sparkles.

Hey you

Yeah you

Watching your days pass by in vain

Always looking for the easy way out

But never quite wanting what you find

When will you learn that you can’t hide behind those mirrored eyes you seem to adore?

Despite your façade

your visage

your lovely masquerade ball of a mind

Sometimes it takes time to see past your glitter-dusted masks

But that’s okay, you know,

Because we have all the time in the world.

letters to strangers (one)

Dedicated to the girl in the reindeer shirt.

Hey you

Yeah you

Staring down the sunset like it insulted you personally

What are you trying to prove?

All wasted on these star-dusted dreams

You said this would be your ticket out of here

But do you really want to leave?

Always expecting more than you’ll ever be able to have

But never letting yourself slow down to think of what having it would be like

Judging and being judged, but that’s just life,

Moving on and never taking it personal,

Never bothering to look back,

Living large and breaking hearts,

Isn’t that the way it should be?

Isn’t that the way you should be?