A line cook at Denny’s (must have own pans)
Is an artist, accomplished in assemblage
Compositions of eggs (rather like Cezanne’s)
Toast, bacon, waffles for his decoupage

His gesso is the window layered in steam
Built of reflections and condensation
Hinting at the flowing Interstate stream
Beyond the No Smoking pumping station

The line cook has indeed his pans and plans -
Art, as the muse of cookery commands

I am just filling in time
Sleeping through the dark times of the day
As dreams compete with the daily mind grime

Following the human way
Eating my fill of the ritual, survival routine
Facing life in the best possible way

Loving, hating, crying when I can. Guess I’m
Following the birth to death plan
Just by filling in time

Burying is over
People make their way out
On the grave the shades of trees sleep
Outside the hustling bustling gets rhythm
The churchyard gate
Is the wall between two worlds
No one wants to get in
Burying is over
Everything is over

With such longings
With much strife
My heart mutters lies,

Take my belongings
Take my life
My soul flutters... flies!

Sometimes you stand aside
and weep over things not done
And sometimes you wait and wail in the wings
wondering where the rain beat you

i dread the day you learn
for the first time that
you can't just love all
the darkness in me away

and no matter how much
you care i will still toss
and turn at night and scars
might still appear on my skin

i dread the day you realize
that you can't cure me
and sometimes all you can do
is stand next to me and
hold my hand through fog
pouring out of my ears so black
and thick we can't even see
each other's faces

i dread the days i can't
get out of bed
the days you want to
take me out and all
i can manage is a prettified
shell of myself

i dread the day you learn
that sometimes no matter
how hard i try i still can't
pull myself together

the day you learn that
there isn't an answer
you can give that will
save me from my fears

you aren't the first person
who has tried to love the
darkness inside away
my family and friends
have given it their all
but someday you too will learn
that if love could
cure mental illness
the world would be
a much better place