happy

Starlight Guitar

The velveteen sky lies studded with stars

They’re dear friends of old who greet me from afar

Once I knew them by name, but now memory fails

I fumble through my mind but, alas! to no avail

I remember scenes, though, like postcards from the past,

Times I’d bare my soul to the friends I’d amassed

My starry-framed companions shed light on my thoughts

Dilemmas and decisions that tied my heart in knots

I held midnight monologues with my friends, the stars

Who wisely kept their distance, watching me only from afar

They’d listen non-judgementally, never once interrupting,

A friendship born of convenience, but supportive and touching

 

The stars remained there, but I moved on, and forgot

The kindly way they’d listen to my rambling thoughts

My fears, despairs, and anguish, my sorrows and my rage

Their counsel was unparalleled, trustworthy and sage.

Their lessons they taught well, and I never took for granted

The power of an ear for the aggrieved and disenchanted

And so now I am returning to those dear friends of yore

Seeking that compassion that they lent me before

I’ve come armed with a speech, but in a different form

One that I expect will take the starry sky by storm

Because I’m too old now, to go rambling to stars

And invisible ears (though I know they listen from afar)

Imaginary friends, like starlight, are timebound — they expire

And if a human heard my monologue, the consequence would be dire

That’s why I brought my six-string (along with ungloved hands)

A different form of a rant I know the stars will understand

Words are one form of expression, but music moves the soul

And as I strum and sing my songs, I feel myself turn whole

The stars (my friends!) seem to twinkle just a little brighter

And, bit my bit, I let negativity go, let my heart beats lighter

There’s no better cure for inner strife, no matter where you are

That’s why I’ve brought out my guitar, and now sing to the stars

Happy

They tell me to write something happy. I try,

But every word out forms a piece of a lie

All that I know is twisted and cruel

And to try to be…happy? That’s something new

Why try to be happy? What’s that achieve?

Does it feed hungry children, or cure a disease?

Does it rebuild the structure of a bridge that collapsed?

Does it fix the mistakes that I made in the past?

Happy sounds  strange, like a word I forgot

In some long-lost summer when I still fought

For a chance at a future I lost long ago

They might tell me to be happy, but how, I don’t know

Dance

In the midst of nightmares, roses can bloom

And, when hope burns in fires, the fumes fill the room

In the darkest of nights, stars somehow shine through

And, when night finally breaks, the sun shines anew

In the middle of torture, of anger, of grief

Some beauty emerges to give us relief

A gentle reminder to live through the pain

Because the best way to dance is to dance in the rain

Alive!

I feel the whole world smiling at me

I laugh, and sing, and feel so carefree

I skip on the sidewalk as birds fly by

I chase after squirrels and bright butterflies

I can dance in the rain without wetting my feet

I feel light and disjointed, but oddly complete

I’m dancing on air, not a cloud in the sky,

For the first time I can remember, I feel alive