Night sky starlight bleeds through hazy sky glow,
The half-moon peering in and out from the clouds,
As I swing to and fro on a creaky old swing-set,
Cool mist blankets my sweatshirt with dew drops,

A slight shiver crawling up and down my spine,
Sucking sickly acrid smoke through trembling lips,
Breathless with sodden eyes looking to the skies,
This bittersweet substitute for a need I’ve deprived,

Daydreams crumble like glowing ash to the pavement,
Realizing a dreadfully deafening silence and then the
Soft chirping of crickets, rustling of trees in the wind,
The vague hum of a dim malfunctioning streetlight,

Paranoia seeps into every crack of my damaged mind,
Gluing the gaps and leaving me in constant terror of
An invisible threat; aching hopelessly for sudden relief,
Of this longing I have for the one I may never hold,

I once abused the fragile remnants of my innocence,
Puncturing my skin with the tip of a rusty steel knife,
Lapping the warm blood as it dribbles down my arm,
These scars I carry as proof of the strength I still have,

As I wander this playground like the child I never was,
Alone and troubled, reflecting upon the life I’ve lived,
I catch a glimpse of myself, peering back in a window,
I fall off the brink into a pool of tears; is this really me?