I am the water.
I lap eagerly at the shore
And crawl down into the darkest abyss.
I give life
I give home to life
I take life away
I lull and soothe
Then lash out
Throwing a violent tantrum
Tearing apart everything in my path

I am in the water.
Fighting desperately against the currents
Shoved down by the swell
To rise up again
My lungs beg for air
I'm at war with the sea
And I'm losing
Caught in the tides
And swallowed up in the end.

I have dreams.
Visions of what I want this world to be.
Most of all I have desires.
Wishes for changes I could never make.
Not alone.
Don't wake me up.
Let me keep dreaming.
Let me keep wishing.
Let me live in this place of make-believe.
Where things are good.
And people are kind.
And the only danger exists when it's time to face reality.

The words taste bitter in my throat
They choke me
I stutter as I try to draw in air
Tears bite into the corners of my eyes
But I refuse to let them escape from their cage
Weak and in a daze, I'm left tripping over my own two feet
Every beat of my heart feels like my last
My skin crawls with an invisible swarm of insects
My teeth chatter louder than my own thoughts
I attempt to calm myself
How foolish of me
I'm not ready to let you go
But you're slipping away so swiftly.

She slipped through my fingers and my heart.
Nothing left but ashes, memories, and old photographs.
She never smiled in those pictures.
I watched the wind pick her up and sweep her away.
Well, she finally got her wish.
She's free to roam.
Swallowed by fire and spit out into the world.
No longer a person; she was burnt down to nothing.
Nothing but the gritty, bitter reminder that she once possessed a beautiful body.
That she once had dreams, ideas, and feelings.
She doesn't feel anything now.
Maybe I can finally let go.

Guilt gnaws at the back my mind.
I was entrusted with the responsibility of her well being.
And look at her.
Slain.
Her life was worth more than this.
Could this all be some twisted nightmare?
Will I awake in a state of utter despair to find her sleeping peacefully at my side?
One can only hope.
But something tells me I'm not sleeping.
And neither is she.
Is there still time to breathe new life into her?
Can I reverse the damage that's been done?
I must try.
I have to try.

She stood before me, a frail and broken child battered by the years.
I found myself questioning where her beauty escaped to.
Once I would have swept her into my arms.
Not now.
Not anymore.
She is far too delicate.
Withering slowly.
I would love to caress her cheek once more.
Brush those stray locks of hair away from her eyes.
But once I do, what will I see?
There's nothing there in her blank stare.
She looks ready to flee.
A bird perched on a branch; ready to take off.
I've lost the only thing important to me.
She is no more.

Her eyes were much like the vast array of stars that span across my night sky.
They betrayed her emotions in a single blink.
Lying was useless at this point.
I could read her like a book.
Endless chapters written solely for the purpose of dissecting her thoughts and feelings.
There was just too much chaos in her gaze.
I had to look away.

He cries
Lonely in the sky
With only the clouds
To keep him company
On fragile wings
He flies
Not ever knowing
Just how lucky he is
To get his feet off the ground
And fly
His song is the sweetest
He'll never know
For his mind is simple
He knows only to fly
And though he may be lonely
I envy him
He goes with the wind
He's free to roam
And soar

Liquid death
Cold to the touch
Lapping at my skin
Drag me out to sea
I can't keep my grip on the shore
I will float
Weightless above the world beneath me
Until I can go no further
And I will sink
Enraged waves will pull me down
And their grip will not loosen
Despair awaits at the ocean floor.

I'll write you a love song
And sing you to sleep
I'll whisper the words while you dream
And when you awaken
I'll be by your side
Watching and keeping you safe.