You've had a day, and bad day it was. But can you compensate for another's day's loss? You may have felt that you lost the opportunity but another may have felt complete disunity. You may have cried over something you couldn't keep, while another hid their tears over something buried deep. You may have cursed the cards that you were dealt, while another wished they could feel what you felt. You call it a disaster, a world that's turned unkind, but someone else's battlefield may be harder to find. So tell me, how bad is bad? Is it the pain that you can see? Or the silent weight that someone carries secretly? For what breaks one person may barely leave a scar, and what seems small to you may be another's hardest war. And perhaps that's the point: Don't measure pain by what is shown. You never know how much another soul has borne.
If you beg, you lose yourself. A hollow echo rattling on a shelf, Trading your spine for a passing nod, Kneeling to mortals as if they were god. If you give up, you lose dignity. Surrendering quietly, willingly, Folding your hands before the bell even rings, Clipped by the shadow of broken wings. If you run, you lose courage. Leaving your blood in the mechanical forage, Choosing the dark and the safety of walls, Fading away as the empire falls. If you cheat, you lose self-respect. A cracked little mirror of your own neglect, Winning a race where the finish is fake, Swallowing water while choking on lake. If you gossip, you lose love. Trading the warmth of the skies above For poison dropped gently from a velvet tongue, A song of betrayal too easily sung. But— If you swim in poison to taste the golden cure, If the hands that reach for it aren't quite pure, If you burn your own name just to light up the game... You’ve lost nothing. You’ve gained fame.
The sun descending in the West, The evening star does shine; The birds are silent in their nest, And I must seek for mine. The moon, like a flower In heaven’s high bower, With silent delight, Sits and smiles on the night. Farewell, green fields and happy groves, Where flocks have took delight, Where lambs have nibbled, silent moves The feet of angels bright; Unseen, they pour blessing, And joy without ceasing, On each bud and blossom, And each sleeping bosom. They look in every thoughtless nest Where birds are covered warm; They visit caves of every beast, To keep them all from harm: If they see any weeping That should have been sleeping, They pour sleep on their head, And sit down by their bed. When wolves and tigers howl for prey, They pitying stand and weep; Seeking to drive their thirst away, And keep them from the sheep. But, if they rush dreadful, The angels, most heedful, Receive each mild spirit, New worlds to inherit. And there the lion’s ruddy eyes Shall flow with tears of gold: And pitying the tender cries, And walking round the fold: Saying: ‘Wrath by His meekness, And, by His health, sickness, Is driven away From our immortal day. ‘And now beside thee, bleating lamb, I can lie down and sleep, Or think on Him who bore thy name, Graze after thee, and weep. For, washed in life’s river, My bright mane for ever Shall shine like the gold, As I guard o’er the fold.
[F---- is, presumably, Mrs. Frances Sargent Osgood] Beloved! amid the earnest woes That crowd around my earthly path-- (Drear path, alas! where grows Not even one lonely rose)-- My soul at least a solace hath In dreams of thee, and therein knows An Eden of bland repose. And thus thy memory is to me Like some enchanted far-off isle In some tumultuous sea-- Some ocean throbbing far and free With storms--but where meanwhile Serenest skies continually Just o'er that one bright island smile.
(Ahem...!) The way you look at me, my dearest friend, Has crossed the bounds of devotion's end. The light in your eyes, the way they shine, Has made your feelings known as mine. The way you blush when our eyes collide, And lower your gaze with nowhere to hide. It seems your heart has something to confess, Yet hides behind a veil of shyness. A thousand excuses to be by my side, To meet me again, though you try to hide. Your little pretences are no mystery, Yet every excuse tells a different story. Wherever I go, wherever I stay, You find your way, you come my way. When I'm not around, you search for me, Though you hide it all so carefully. I've heard that my thoughts keep you awake, That every night, your peace they take. And what of me? Even my name alone, Has found a home where your heart has grown. How long will you keep this secret concealed? When every unspoken feeling is revealed. The truth you once guarded so mysteriously, Is now known to the world for all to see.
I know it can’t just be me. I know that's true. I know there are others like me. Those who can’t stand mornings. Those who shut themselves out. Those who can’t succeed. They ask themselves why. They can’t seem to change. They’ve given up. I know there’s others like me. I also know. In this dark room, doing nothing, it doesn’t feel like others feel the way you do. It just feels… Utterly fucking depressing. Please anything, anyone, distract me from this depressing life of mine.
Never pick me, For you, I'm not the one to be, I don't deserve your love, Like the ground doesn't belong to a dove, You are innocent in every way, So I'm sorry, I'll have to push you away, Maybe you will get another one better, I'm not the one when cold who would offer a sweater, I am not the one to seek and find, For you should look both ways, before you cross my mind.