.

It was a beautiful dream,

sultry skin tightly against mine,
soft sighs echoed in the night

frantic fingers clutched satin sheets as
passion erupted in a torrid frenzy,

when sensual lips again invited

and I kissed you once more

before falling asleep

****** and bruised,we hold our heads up high.
We keep blocking the noise inside our heads by cursing at the sky,singing the anthem of the ******.
Hell bound,we only pray for things we need to make us feel alive.
Only when tucked in "I love you's" or "I'm a mess" do we say "God".
We keep committing crimes,using our sob stories as our excuses.
As if your bruises and wounds are enough to provide vindication,
As if our pain could justify our sins.
Neglected social casualties,we glorify our alienation,use our insecurities as weapons and wound others instead.
I'm sorry because we can't be saved.I'm sorry because we are told that,"it's all in your head".I'm sorry because growing up means succumbing to the cancer that is life.
I'm sorry,I really am.

Acting
by Ahmad ***
I feel like sometimes we are very good at acting
Very good at putting on a show
When we are really feeling something else inside
We teach ourselves
That certain feelings
Certain things are unnacceptable
We are supposed to be civil
We are supposed to put on a good face
We are supposed to hide the negative feelings
The dark feelings that well up inside of us
If we don't accept ourselves for who we are
For better or for worst
We will keep acting
Keep playing the part that everyone else has for us
Afraid to stop acting
And to live our own lives
And to keep us from truly expressing
The uniqueness that everyone has inside

My name is signed between my skin
In ink for words we say but don't take in
They write a new name on every whim
And my blue ink skin it blends right in

We break out of our cages in succession of escape
Say words lacking meaning but then we mean them in the end
They shove us into paper boxes and leave ***** agape,
Yet with possibilities of freedom we lay eyes shut and pretend.

A box and a pen in collision of our thoughts
Until we become one with the blue ink they sought

-SZ