A real college experience,
Doesn't have to be hookups and drugs,
Or getting high,
And smashing beer mugs.

A real college experience,
Isn't medicating the stress,
With alcohol abounding,
Until you undress.

A real college experience,
Doesn't have to be wasted,
On the numbness of losing,
All the dreams you once tasted.

A real college experience,
Can't be defined,
By society, by peers,
​Just your own mind.

In the waiting room,
My patience is tested,
Anxiety is abounding,
My mind is infested.

But soon I'll be out,
And diagnosed anew,
And the medication will help,
Me to get through:

All the uncertainty,
All the success,
All the failure,
And all the rest.

But, for now, I wait,
To be called in,
By a woman in scrubs,
Who doesn't know where I've been.

Nature is an escape,
An escape from society,
Which breathes in greed,
And exhales anxiety.

But nature is wild,
And into it, I walk.
With caution, with wonder,
It is peace, I unlock.

But a peace with a price,
For now I'm alone,
And my will to survive,
Is now all my own.

There's no deceit here,
No politicians, no lies,
No easy way out,
No cyber-disguise.

And into the wild,
I walk with fear,
And the only way out,
​Is to find my way here.

Be still, and know,
Yes, waters will rise,
And rain will fall,
From gloomy skies.

Be still, and know,
We're in good hands,
Like fragile seashells,
In the faithful sea sands.

Be still, and know,
We're stronger than rock,
With endless opportunities,
If only we'd knock.

Be still, and know,
​We may not stay dry 
But dancing in the rain,
Can be fun if we try.

The sun sets,
And we forget,
The end of time,
Hasn't happened yet.

The sun falls,
And we do too,
Only to get up,
For each day is new.

The sun lies down,
And we ask why,
The sun's bright light,
Must someday die.

The sun sleeps,
And we all plea,
For another day,
To live and feel free.

The sun may not ruse,
For quite awhile,
But that doesn't mean,
There's no reason to smile.

There's so much perspective,
In the world to gain.
There's so much to learn,
From hope and from pain.

 A life without failure,
Isn't a life at all,
For success means nothing,
If you don't learn to fall.

This chaos in your mind,
May  never quite cease,
But your heart will learn how,
​To find your inner peace.

Why's it so easy,
To be hurt, then delighted?
Our feelings are so gullible,
And come when uinvited.

But if we become blind,
To our heart, but not our mind,
What have we to gain?
And what is human kind?

For hours on our tongue,
We let hard candy melt,
And let taste overcome,
All the feelings we have felt.

Its sweetness gives us pleasure,
But it leaves us wanting more,
Of the authentic human pain,
​That burns us to our core.

*Written with a mirror's perspective.*

Other people,
Are all I see.
Only other people,
But what about me?

I give you so much,
Your reflection now known,
But what about me?
Can I see my own?

I get cleaned, then ignored,
For eternity it seems.
Sometimes you’re satisfied,
Others I hear screams.

But what about me?
So selflessly alone.
Forever is my friend,
And your perception is my throne.

Other people,
That’s all I get to see.
Yet all you ask is,
"But what about me?"

A tight jaw,
Tells me I'm stressed.
I expect myself,
To top all the rest.

So much change,
Is so very near,
And my winding path,
Is still quite unclear.

My flame is burned out;
The wick is gone.
My candle seems dead,
With no respawn.

So what to do?
Have faith and trust?
That starts off strong,
Then turns to dust.

My only hope,
Is to be calm and relax.
Perhaps then I can,
Finally regain my wax.
 

Beautiful chaos,
Panic, everyone!
Your lifeless faces,
Blend into one.

Scream, Yell,
Fear the fear itself!
Step off the pedestal.
Fall to save yourself.

Nervous, are you?
Yoda, I am not.
Enemy, I am.
Your soul, I have caught.

Running is useless,
Hiding, a waste of time.
Lucky for you,
I'm at my prime.

This is the end,
To a happy beginning.
Good has been conquered
And evil is winning.

Once upon a time,
In a land close behind.
There lived small hope;
Difficult to find.

It grew across seas,
To witness the faces,
To breathe it all in,
Before all hope erases.

There's so much more dark,
Now that there's light.
We gave up altogether;
Loosing the great fight.

Once upon a time,
There was hope to send.
Where did it all go?
You decide. The end.

Tragedy cannot be,
Prevented for eternity.
Some souls may disagree.
But this is simply honesty.

Our spirits bend, but never break,
For our mere sanity's sake.
Our strength may very well seem fake,
But it could overflow a lake.

Now we cannot truthfully lie,
For many innocent did die.
For them, we kneel and cry.
What's next? No alibi.

*In memory of the 9/11 victims. R.I.P.*

There's a first time for all,
Until you fail.
All of those hopes and dreams?
They set sail.

Your feelings are hurt?
Aw, you poor thing.
This isn't one of those times,
For you to just sing.

What a pathetic soul,
Twisted and confused.
They see imperfection,
And laugh; amused.

Maybe they're the ones,
Who fall short.
Nevermind, forget that.
This is just our sport.

To be nervous would be foolish,
For there is nothing to fear.
Except loneliness and darkness,
Is certainly near.

Shutdown all hope!
Hit self-destruct!
For it is impossible,
For you to reconstruct.

Introvert, you are?
Stop all self-pity.
Extrovert, maybe?
You think you're so witty.

Who are you?
No. One.
Stop asking yourself.
Undone.

Hide behind your guitar,
And the rhyming word.
We cried, but guess what?
No one heard.

It was the best of times,
It was the worst of times!
Forget the first part, 
Life gives you limes.

Just enough sourness,
To feel the pain.
Just enough hurt,
To go insane.

You may prefer sweetness,
For some reason.
Little did you know,
It isn't in season.

Am I getting too dark?
Twas only a matter of time.
Taste the words;
Taste the lime.

Only the good,
Happen to die.
No wonder we live so long.
No wonder we cry:

 For forgiveness,
For truth,
For Power,
For Youth.

Ignorance is no excuse,
For all that we have done.
Continue the habits-
Evil has won.

Tis an easy escape,
To the dark side.
Where all of humanity,
Shall subside.

Sight of light, you proclaim!
Little nasty liar.
Evil has many plots of land,
And you are a buyer.

Complete the tasks now,
Before all is lost.
Overwhelmed, you are?
Tis part of the cost.

Rushing to the end,
The one not in sight.
A cliff, you see.
Tragedy-no flight.

To fall is cliché,
Let’s call it descending.
A fun activity while,
Your payments are pending.

Manipulate survival,
Until it doesn’t exist.
For it longs to kill,
And you’re on the list.

Ability shall be questioned,
To calculate one’s worth.
After all, that is the standard,
For a waste-of-time birth.

Garbage can, your new home,
Deemed the value of a rock.
But prove them all wrong!
Put them into shock!

Success is but a theory,
Money a worthless prize.
Little did they know,
That you’d be their demise.

Call an ambulance, quickly!
For the rich are cut!
Never mind, let them bleed.
And not a single but!

Regrets, they cry, wounded,
Losing all nerve.
But you say to them, “Silence!
Tis what you deserve.”

Sudden blindness,
Broken glass.
Lost your way?
None shall pass.

Left alone;
Survive yourself.
Harsh? We know.
It all comes with wealth.

Skip a step,
Write procedure one.
When you make a mistake,
Give up; you’re done.

Rules are rules,
Hypocrites must create,
To give themselves a purpose.
We could stop them! Never mind, too late.

Mountain of knowledge heaped,
Once I found,
That note of yours left,
On the cold ground.

Your story a tragedy:
Father died at year five.
A drunken car crash.
You wish he was alive.

Life will never be the same,
With your best friend gone.
A dad lost, never found;
Didn’t know him long.

Rewind and tell him to stay home,
“Daddy, don’t go!”
Love has to overcome time!
The universe said no.

Mountain of knowledge heaped,
Once I found,
Your poor, broken heart,
Crumpled on the ground.

What prevented you from receiving,
Your precious reply?
They stopped altogether;
What to imply?

Honesty is all you want.
Lies are all you’ll get.
Forget them; they’re cretins!
Little soul, do not fret.

Never mind,
How pathetic this is!
Of course they ignore you!
They aced the quiz.

Tell paper your secrets,
For you are certainly doomed.
There are no bandages,
For your inflated wound.