freedom came to me today
prayers answered beautifully
released from my prison
i no longer abide
your rules don’t fit me
they’re way too tight
and way too mild
”tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?”

alone
to wander through thick woods
daylight fades across grey skies
fall dissolving into winter
right before my eyes
dusk and dawn
play hide and seek
with the sun
leaving flakes of frozen tears
depositing atop littered leaves
a snow globe momentarily
proof of life
disappearing too quickly

i said i wouldn’t bother you
but bothering is what i do
ask my ex. he’ll say ‘it’s true!’

how hard it is to just sit tight
my heart and stomach start colliding
no choice left. i’m now resigned

each time your brown eyes meet mine
complete heterochromia beguiling
hypnotizing, spellbinding

with each new dawn
fault lines are drawn
regret turns to art
everyone else has moved on

to lessen the sting
i write and i sing
knickknacks of my trade
jaded and smiling

mercy
come find me
tell me i’m worthy

beauty
don’t leave me
i’m already lonely

creativity
come back to me
show me what i could be

she stays
taken for granted
longing for love
playing her hand
she knows it’s a bluff
she stays
lost in confusion
laying awake
used for amusement
still she stays

a favorite song
a conversation
a warning cry
a radio station
a photo album
cycles through
a favorite meal
what’s old is new

you got your wish
your message rang loud 
never quite enough 
because i’m not enough for myself 

the truth felt so deeply 
down into my bones 
you’ve reaffirmed that 
the emperor has no clothes 

the final tie that bound me to you
broke like a smile
no drama
no pain
only the slightest of jealousy
that passed with one blink of my eyes
because what i have now
is complete peace of mind

when you look in the mirror, who is it you see?
did you write your own lyric, or did you steal it from me?

words trapped between the softness of your skin
they stand in stark contrast to your actions again