I made up the person I see you to be

I can make you my puppet on a guilty string

I can make you dance a hot jig of ugly

I can make your eyes the most beautiful I’ve ever seen

And I can make your mouth my only desire.

Then I remember I am making it all up

And I let you go

So you disappear into forgiveness.

You are a figment of my imagination

You don’t exist but in my head

I have the power to make you grand or awful

As I wish.

I can make you love me or despise me

I can make you a narcissistic sociopath

Or a lovingly brilliant man

I can use you to help me stay stuck in this place

Planted in a deteriorating body

Justifying my entertaining existence

Explaining my rights and privileges here

Or I can remember to take a breath

And to take a beat.

And to release everything that never was anyway.

We are not really here

You know that, right?

Deep inside, you must remember

There is more than Plato’s Cave

We are home, asleep yet safe

Dreaming we are in a thousand other places

Just next door you are holding me

Around the corner you profess your undying love

Across the street you just shot me in the head

And you whispered lies to my coworkers yesterday

We are running through the woods together

We are dressed to the 9s and dancing a quadrille

Our boat is sinking off the coast of a warm island.

And our playground chalk is pink and blue

We are living all these lives and all these lies

Together, everywhere, and all at once

But none of this is real

All these little dreams bind and capture us

And keep us struggling for another day

Death doesn’t free us

Only forgiveness of every perceived sin

Truly released and recognized as folly

Will lighten the darkness of this false world

I will sing my part in salvation’s song

I will let this go for heaven’s sake.

My deepest desire is to wake up in Love.