after the shuffle

clouds float, slowly making their way across the sky
while the moon and I choose to remain motionless.

at a standstill.

the sky has become so clear that even the stars have deemed it worthy of making an appearance in this beautiful, smog-ridden city.

at the touch and scent of cold cement,
I breathe the air.

deep, steady breaths of fresh night air.

post-preface

stare, listen to
the song spilling
over and
into

stare, watch four
blinks shift from
past to
future

now

an awakening
behind, though forever
inside

what change, what beauty, what gladness

the one who's always in

denial

...DENIAL?

You have misinterpreted me. Who I am.

And I'm sorry--I'm not saying this to be cruel--but you are the one whose life is DRIVEN by denial.

Or actually, one could say your life is NOT driven because of it.

denial?

try

feeling.
sensitivity.
optimism.
idealism.

Your words hurt me...wound me.
They're poison, and this is all I can do to flush it out.

YET

Your name was on my ticket. At first, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. But no. Right there, in bold letters, your name was printed on my ticket.

And I laughed to myself at what was just another.

combination

the bruises
are no longer
visible

but that doesn't

mean they
are no longer
there

move

gold lights

track's

hum

shrill horn

cabin's

squeaks

bumpsrattlesvibrations

(an otherwise consistent task)

figurative

at any other time,
from any other person,
I would jump

to hear it.

but now,
with you,
clarity

is my one desire.

minutes till

for some strange reason
(at this specific second)
my inner monologue
is pissing me off.

WHY

not a clue

lying here, I yearn for
an out-of-body experience
but must resort to--

WAIT

hold on, stop
(I like myself again)

can't you see
how it saves me?

broken

Turn it off.

This is what I needed to do. But the noise is somehow still there: the euphony, the energy, and the static. I hear it all, the songs that are still playing. No matter what buttons I choose to press, I not only continue to hear the noise, but I feel it--flowing through me. All over. But I know that over time, the music will grow softer and softer. A little bit each day, until finally--it fades into a distant melody.

shared

such...real happiness is almost always accompanied by real pain. it's a package deal. you simply cannot have one without the other. so...get used to it?

altitude: 37026 ft

Blue sky
above me

Blue sky
surrounding me

Endless blankets
(of clouds)
below me;

Up here,
in the air

I journey through
unparalleled beauty

and think to myself:
I was born to fly.