Ryan Galloway

Ryan Galloway Aug 2014

The porcelain princess circles the stage of the music box
In the center of a crystal dome
Her arms frozen in a beautiful pose
But that was all it was
It wasn't enough
She was made to create wonder
In the bright eyes of the little girl
But she couldn't see that it was hollow
Painted to fit her own fragile little world
And it works
As long as it stays on that shelf
Singing it's haunting melody
Mesmerizing the mind
As a siren of the sea
It weaves dreams of beauty
In the young girls head
Telling her what it means to be pretty
While she lies in her bed
Yet it ends
With a light nudge
The crystal dome shatters
Along with the princess inside
And the fatal crime is revealed
The illusion of that painted world remains
Hanging along with the stale air
The last broken tones suspending
With the harmony meant to ensnare
The little girl nursed the cut on her hand
Inflicted by the fall
And yet she didn't know that the beautiful little princess
In that pristine little world cut much deeper than any piece of glass ever could.

Ryan Galloway Jul 2014

Landscape

This is where I find myself
In a place completely new to me
And it seemed to happen
in a mere blink
I am lost
Dropped off
In a foreign land
With no means to find myself again
It's actually fairly tiring stumbling around like this
And I don't really have the hope
To maintain this illusion anymore
To seem like I know what I'm doing
To perform confidence
For the deserted landscape that surrounds me
That is why I must rest in the shadow of the cross
For there is no longer any lasting shade
All other landmarks have long ago faded away
Leaving me to bear the blunt force
Of the ever burning Sun
That is the last bit of hope I have left
A little mustard seed
But soon it will be replaced by a magnificent tree.

Ryan Galloway Jul 2014

Remade

I am tired
The aches of my bones have exceeded my years
No longer able to lift my own weight
My arms stage a mutiny
Against the mind that is still crying out orders
In hoarse desperation
I give up
The tendons clinging to my tattered skeleton
Are letting go
And, I resolve, so should I
Let go
Lord this is where I am
I would say this is where I stand
Yet I'm sure that would be an overestimation
Of my current state
Yet I can't really complain can I
With you laying broken on the cross
For these now worn down bones
Take me and use me
For my own will
Is what lead me here
To this place of suffering
Remake me
For it is my only hope

Ryan Galloway Jun 2014

Parents

A young boy calls to his father
Longing for the comfort of his hands
To hang onto every word as if it was treasure
Just like what the pirates fought over in that distant land
That his dad often told him about
He looks to his mother
To calm the fears he had come to hold
And her soothing nature
Told him it was ok to let go
Let go of all the anxieties and worries he had picked up though the day
And all of the insecurities and names he gathered along the way
He knew that he was safe here
This resting place
Where he could be himself and not have to put up a face
This was his home in the loving embrace
Of his parents

Ryan Galloway Jun 2014

Books

I find myself in the books I keep by my bedside at night.
I imagine the words slowly seeping into my dreams
And painting the skies with the oddest shades of green
And the rivers that flow through the restless land
Move along with the breath of my lips
That I see rustling the sails of the ships
Waiting for the wind to send them to lands unknown
Yes, I find myself in the books
That I have stacked on the pillow by my head
And for the hours that I allow my mind to fly
I am the hero
I am the knight
Saving the damsel in distress
I am the weary and tired traveller running into the arms of my beloved
I am the one facing the dangers of the dark
And in that moment,
I am fearless
Not because I find courage in the space that exists
Between dreams and reality
But because in that moment
I know that, though those words may be chained to that page
That they are part of me.

Ryan Galloway Jun 2014

Footnote

I am drowning in a sea of anxiety...
Wait maybe I should put that differently
I am buried beneath worry
Well not so much that...
But I am definitely distraught
And at the very least I am very confused
About what you do to me
I mean here I am minding my own business
Trying to convince myself I am content in my loneliness
And then you show up
Seeing my efforts as all in vain
I'll have you know I was fairly happy pretending I was happy all along
And by fairly I mean not at all
But I had learned to hide that foot note deep enough
That no one would know
But you did didn't you
You saw how hard I was trying
To maintain the face
That I put on to cover the me that I didn't want to be seen
I tried with such desperation
Because truth be told I find it ugly
I have spent a vast amount of time
Looking and investigating the inner parts of me
And I really find it disgusting
Yet when you gaze through my facade I feel comfort
That you can look at me and not be afraid
Or revolted at what you see
Which confuses me more

Ryan Galloway Jun 2014

Staring

When I see you time stops
And I can almost see the air around you glisten
As it does in movies
But then I realize that I'm staring
And it quickly becomes awkward
My eyes quickly dart away
hoping that you hadn't caught
My prolonged gaze
And as my eyes drift back my fears are confirmed
I catch your eyes focused on mine
But I quickly realize
That you were kind of staring at me as well
Perhaps it was hopeful thinking
Messing with my hope filled mind
But I quickly match your gaze
Finding myself unable to look away
And we sit there
Until I realize that time
Was still passing by
And I hadn't even said anything
So while I continued my gazing
I decided to say hi
And you returned my greeting