Would You

If you saw me crying,
Would you honestly feel remorse?
If you saw the damage you've done,
Would you step off your high horse?

If you saw me breaking,
Would you stop to pick up pieces?
If you saw me singing,
Would you hear what my soul says?

If you saw me falling apart,
Would you hold me through the night?
If you saw me alone in the dark,
Would you share with me your light?

If you saw me on my knees,
Would you wipe away my tears?
If you saw me hiding away
Would you quiet all my fears?

If you saw me all alone,
Would you stand right by my side?
If you saw me crying,
Would you really apologize?

All This Time

I miss the chime of your voice,
Despite the pain your tongue caused.
I miss the creases in your hands,
The hands I long to hold.
I miss your laughter
At the dumbest things.
After all this time,
I'm still missing you.

I miss the way we used to talk
For hours, just the two of us,
In the dead of the night.
I miss the good times,
Being children, acting silly.
I miss staying up all night.
After all this time,
The pain is gone, but memories remain.

What happened?
My question is still unanswered.
Where did you go, why did you leave?
"Parting is such sweet sorrow."
They say separation breeds affection,
Which must be somewhat true
For after all this time,
I think I still love you.

Answer Me

Airwaves, won't you carry for me
A message, to be taken far and near,
And then carry back the words
Of those who'd answer me?

I know it's time to give up,
Time to stop wasting breath,
Time to stop wasting time,
For they won't answer me.

Lungs, you need to stop,
Stop wasting breath, hush,
Voice, don't speak. There's no point;
They won't answer me.

Fingerprints

Shattered, broken, scattered:
Pieces of a soul, being collected.
One by one, gently, you find them.
You bring them back and set them in my lap,
Watching eagerly as I put them back together.
But I do not wipe off your fingerprints.

Little marks of labor, of love,
Testimony to your heroic self,
You run far to find the pieces,
The pieces to repair a soul.
You wait patiently as I put them back together,
And I don't wipe off your fingerprints.

Tender stains of memories,
Of days gone by, of stories told;
Kisses from your flesh,
Given without a second thought.
You watch happily as I put them back together,
Yet I won't wipe off your fingerprints.

Painted Red

(This poem was requested for a story being written by a friend)

Painted red:
The grass, the trees, the sky,
Should all be painted red.
Red is the ink of the blood of us all;
Green is the parchment of life,
And it is painted red.
The blood of my veins,
Of my father, my mother,
Spilled forth, painting red,
But not from my flesh.
The ink was hers, not mine.
The ink of man and woman
Pools deeply, on the ground,
And I have lost a sister,
So the world is painted red.

Beautiful

She is so beautiful,
But she can't see it for herself.
Her mirror distorts the reflection,
And her camera is never quite clean.

She cannot look deep into her own eyes;
She cannot see the precious soul within.
She cannot feel the tenderness of her touch;
She can't understand it and never will begin.
She cannot see why she's worth it to all;
She cannot be wrapped in her own warm love.
She cannot say to herself "I'm beautiful;"
She cannot believe she's enough.

She is so beautiful,
But she can't see it for herself.
Her mirror distorts the reflection,
And her camera is never quite clean.

Invisible

Young children seem to think
That it would be cool
To be invisible.
But no.
Being invisible is not cool
Is not fun
Is not something to joke about.
To be invisible is to live a tragedy.

I Am Alone

I look around,
Seeing all these faces,
All these names,
And I am alone.
Completely, utterly alone.
I see these people,
Rushing through their lives,
Passing me by,
So I am alone.
I am left alone.
I look at this screen,
Scan the numbers,
Read the names,
But in silence, I am alone.
Even connected, still alone.
I cry out to someone, anyone,
A scream, piercing shout,
A whisper, echoing silence.
There is no answer; I am alone.
Completely, and utterly, alone.

I'm Alive, I Exist

Just take a moment.
Turn around.
Acknowledge that I'm alive.
Notice that I exist.
Just a second.
That's all I ask.
Long enough to see I'm alive.
Time enough to realize I exist.
My heart is beating,
My lungs barely breathing,
But I'm alive,
And I exist.
There's a person here.
A person with a heart and soul.
A person who's alive.
A person who exists.
A person with feelings.
A person who is me.
Because I'm alive.
And because I exist.
If I were invisible or silent,
Without my face or my voice,
I wouldn't be alive.
I wouldn't exist.
But I'm right here,
And I'm crying desperately
For someone to see I'm alive,
And for someone to realize I exist.

At The Top

It's lonely at the top;
We've heard a million times.
How many of us know it's true
That at the top stand very few?
It's quiet at the top;
Some would call it peace.
But while others see them as blessed,
Those at the top feel loneliness.
At the top stand the greats,
The heroes, the legends,
And those who soar above,
All of which need someone to love.

Deep Breath

Take a deep breath.
Stay calm; count the seconds.
Breathe, my friend.
Breathe deeply before you scream.
Breathe deeply before you sing.
Take a deep breath.
Steady now; stay in control.
Breathe, my friend.
Breathe deeply before you fight.
Breathe deeply before you play.
Take a deep breath.
Strong lungs; hold the air.
Breathe, my friend.
Breathe deeply before you work.
Breathe deeply before you create.
Take a deep breath.
Stay calm; count the seconds.
Breathe, my friend.
Take a deep breath.