I was born
flail chested,
heart unprotected;
struggling to breathe
and live
and exist,
with all of this pain.
Face of a child;
all alone,
only denied a smile.
What it cost
was the faith
in the wake
of the storm.
When the light only showed me
fear and mistrust,
the eyes shut out madness
and squeezed back against tears.
So clear was the image,
leading me,
coaxing me up,
off of my bed
and into the night.
Fear became my wings
and in the sliver of the moon,
I flew away.
I don’t think I turned out hard,
but neither does the stone
think it is so.
I’ve tried to care again,
but it seems
it gets no easier
further down the road.
When I packed up my soul
and ran away;
I thought that I’d found Neverland,
but it was all a lie.
A fancy and well designed cage.
No circus in the world could yet hold me.
Even with a broken heart,
even when they stole my wings,
I simply donned my shadows
and just walked away.
So far,
I have been delighted
to be here
with all of you,
but sometimes
I can hear
the whistle of the Midnight Train
and I know my ride is coming soon.
My breastbone is healed
and I have grown strong;
at least it feels so,
in the quiet moments before the dawn awakes
and breaks the sky
one light at a time
and I start looking
for good places to hide.
HG – 2016
