Sandcastles by the sea,                                                             ­                     
                                           ­                                                                 ­        
fairy tales & tea parties,                                                         ­                               
                                 ­                                                                 ­                  
pink buttercream frosting,                                                        ­                            
                                                                ­                                                  
  glitter and butterfly wings                                                            ­                  
                                                                ­                                                  
  Those are some of the things,                                                          ­                  
                                              ­                                                                 ­       
  that her memory brings                                                           ­                                         
                       ­                                                                 ­                        
  Party dresses and sweet sixteen,                                                         ­                 
                                                                ­                                          
  slumber parties with no slumbering,                                                      ­          
                                                      ­                                                            
my little girl did all these things                                                          
­                                                                 ­                                                 
and it hurts remembering                                                      ­                        
                                                                ­                                          
  Football games and movie dates,                                                           ­                   
                                             ­                                                                 ­  
  blue flower printed pillowcase,                                                      ­    
                                                                ­                                            
  Mister, the soft brown teddy bear,                                                    
       ­                                                                 ­                                    
  ringlets of soft blonde hair                                                             ­                 
                                               ­                                                                 ­  
  My memories are all I have,                                                            ­              
                                                                ­                                            
leaving me broken and sad                                                              ­                          
                                      ­                                                                 ­           
She is gone, she lost the fight,                                                           ­               
                                                                ­                                              
cancer has taken her life                                                             ­                           
                                                                ­                                          
Tonight, there's a star that's shining bright,                                                          ­                                                                 ­                                         
                       ­                                                                 ­                                
I wish I may, I wish I might,                                                           ­                   
                                                                ­                                                
bring her home and I'll be alright,                                                         ­           
                                                                ­                                                  
  my angel, my ray of light

With his hands on his
ears,                                                            ­                    
                                                                ­                                                        
he tries not to
hear,                                                            ­                                        
                                                                ­                                                        
as the voices cry
out,                                                             ­                               
                                 ­                                                                 ­                      
in his head fear
sprouts                                                          ­                                    
                            ­                                                                 ­                         
You can sense his
frustration,                                                     ­                             
                                                                ­                                              
without knowing the
situation                                                       ­                                                                 ­
 You can see he's suffering
inside,                                                          ­                                              
                  ­                                                                 ­                               
and it makes me want to
cry                                                              ­                                      
                                                                ­                                                
Teary eyes and a smile on his
face,                                                            ­        
                                                        ­                                                            
he says that he feels out of place                                                            ­                                                                 ­   
 Urges me to want to pull him in                                                               ­                                                                 ­                                                                 ­                                       
   try to give him strength
within                                                           ­         
                                                                ­                                                
Many years of pain, lived again &
again,                                                          
­                                                                 ­                                                   
as we both pray for it to go
away                                                             ­                               
                                                                ­                                        
knowing it has yet to
end                                                             ­                                                       
                                                                ­                                                    
So fragile is he, yet as strong as can
be                                                               ­     
                                                                ­                                                    
   you want to love him eternally                                                        ­  
                                                              ­                                                
Sweet, gentle giant innocent as a
child                                                            ­  
                                                                ­                                                
  with a perfect disposition and a weary smile

You are so beautiful,                                                       ­                                         
                       ­                                                                 ­                                
let me take you in                                                               ­                                               
                                                                ­                                                      
Just lay there, be still,                                                           ­                               
                                                                ­                                                        
I want to taste your
  skin                                                          ­                              
                                                                ­                                                      
my heart's beating like a
drum,                                                            ­                    
                                                                ­                                                      
are you listening?                                                       ­                                                     
                                                                ­                                                        
I am about to come
undone,                                                          ­              
                                                  ­                                                          
inside, I'm
shivering                                                       ­                                                       
                                                                ­                                                
Your hair smells of
flowers                                                          ­                
                                                                ­                                                  
  that were sitting out in the
sun                                                              ­                    
                                            ­                                                                 ­  
 more fragrant by the
  hour,                                                         ­                           
                                     ­                                                                 ­            
like citrus and
cardamom                                                         ­                       
                                                                ­                                                
Your lips are like rare
wine,                                                            ­              
                                                                ­                                                        
I want to drink you
in                                                              ­                                                                 ­        
 let me take all my time                                                             ­                                   
                             ­                                                                 ­                       
   to light a fire within                                                           ­                         
                                                                ­                                                    
Lit up by
candlelight,                                                     ­                                         
                                                                ­                                                
your face is all
aglow                                                            ­                                  
                                                                ­                                                        
I want to take all night,                                                           ­                 
                                               ­                                                                 ­
show you love you've never
known                                                            ­                          
                                                                ­                                                  
My heart can't get
enough                                                           ­                     
                                           ­                                                                 ­          
and my mind is taking me,                                                              ­        
                                                                ­                                                        
to all the ways I can love                                                             ­                           
                                                                ­                                                
your mind, soul and body                                                             ­                   
                                             ­                                                                 ­    
You are so
beautiful,                                                       ­                                     
                           ­                                                                 ­                      
you really have no
idea                                                             ­                           
                                     ­                                                                 ­      
you've made my life meaningful,                                                      ­              
                                                  ­                                                                
  just by being here

Music boxes play, stuffed animals on
display,                                                    
                                                                ­                                              
waiting for children who have gone
away                                                        
    ­                                                                 ­                                 
Bedrooms left quiet & undisturbed                                                      ­
                                                                ­                                      
voicemails unanswered, texts unpurged                                                         ­                                                                 ­                                                                                                                ­                                                         
All these missing children, postered on a wall
                                                                                  ­                                      
I think of the broken lives behind them
all                                                    
         ­                                                                 ­                            
Endangered or missing, they aren't where,
                                                          ­                                                  
  someone can protect them, show them
  they care                                                    
                                                                ­                                                
Beautiful angels taken or gone
away                                                            
                                                                ­                                            
maybe their mystery will be solved
today                                                  
                                                                ­                                                   
    For every parent who patiently lies in
wait                                                             ­ 
                                                               ­                                                         
   I pray that they bring their child home safe

Green meadows covered in moss                                                             ­               
                                                 ­                                                                 ­    
like carpeting so moist & soft                                                             ­       
                                                                ­                                            
  Weeping willow branches silently
reaching                                                         ­             
                                                                ­                                        
dandelions in the breeze, seeds
releasing                                                        ­                      
                                                                 ­                                                   
  Bees buzzing around in the
sunshine                                                         ­                 
                                               ­                                                                 ­        
  as birds pick at grapes on the
vine                                                             ­   
                                                                ­                                          
Fragrant flowers with yellow
pollen                                                           ­         
                                                       ­                                                     
opened mouth to nurture this
garden                                                          
                                                                ­                                                           Wild pink roses & white
daisies                                                          ­                                  
                                                                ­                                            
clamor for space near the
euphrasy                                                         ­           
                                                     ­                                                               
As the sun slumbers in
sleep,                                                           ­                 
                                                                ­                                          
fireflies redecorate the scenery                                                          ­                    
                                                                ­                                            
Beauty as far as the eye can see                                                              ­        
                                                        ­                                                                
­I take in the garden, and it takes me

She runs to catch up, he leads the way,                                                          
                                                                ­                                                      
I'm sure that their love has seen better
days                                                             ­               
                                                                ­                                                      
It's probable that they'd always held
hands                                                      
                                                                ­                                                     
  while she made sure he felt like the
  man                                                           ­               
                                                 ­                                                                 ­   
  He'd hold the door open as she walked
  in,                                                           ­                       
                                         ­                                                                 ­          
  now he runs ahead & she's left chasing
  him                                                           ­         
                                                       ­                                                         
  They both sit at the diner with nothing to
say,                                                             ­ 
                                                               ­                                                     
he reads the dinner menu as she looks
away                                                             ­                             
                                   ­                                                                 ­          
What ever happened to how was your day?                                    
                        ­                                                                 ­                         
  The golden couple is now a dull
  gray                                                      
                                                                ­                                                
They eat in silence & when they are
through,                                                    
                                                                ­                                                    
he pays the bills without any
cues                                                             ­       
                                                                ­                                                
They leave the same way they walked
in,                                                              ­                
                                                                ­                                                    
he runs ahead & she is chasing him                                                              ­
                                                                ­                                        
Whatever happened to make them this way?                                              
                                                                ­                                                      
A couple with nothing left to say

You look but you don't see,                                                             ­                       
                                         ­                                                                 ­            
the inner beauty in
me                                                               ­                     
                                                                ­                                                        
So caught up on
physicality's                                                    ­                        
                                        ­                                                                 ­             
and your shallow
personality                                                      ­                              
                                                                ­                                                           Have you ever looked at
  yourself,                                                     ­                                     
                                                                ­                                                
you're no better than anyone
else                                                             ­         
                                                                ­                                                   
You are so cocky & self-
   assured                                                          ­              
                                                  ­                                                                 ­   
but can't say an intelligent
word                                                             ­                     
                                                                ­                                                        
  I am so glad that I'm not
you,                                                             ­                   
                                             ­                                                                 ­         
   at least I know what's the
truth                                                            ­              
                                                                ­                                                  
Thinking you're some kind of
sleuth,                                                        
                                                                ­                                            
searching for the fountain of
youth                                                            ­        
                                                                ­                                                    
  Do you really think those young girls,                                                  
        ­                                                                 ­                                      
 want to be a part of your sad
world?                                                           ­                       
                                         ­                                                                 ­        
   You can't love anyone but
  yourself                                                      ­                                              
                  ­                                                                 ­                               
 You can't connect with anyone
  else                                                          ­                          
                                      ­                                                                 ­               
  A world where women are objects & no
  opinions,                                                     ­                   
                                                                ­                                              
  where men speak loud & make all the
  decisions,                                              
     ­                                                                 ­                                        
  where men sit high on their thrones as
  kings,                                                        ­                
                                                ­                                                                 ­     
a place where women don't do any
  speaking,                                                     ­                               
                                                                ­                                              
where what you say goes, or else                                                             ­           
                                                                ­                                              
What women would surely call
hell                                                             ­           
                                                     ­                                                           
  Wel­l, I have an opinion, I have a
  say,                                                          ­                          
                                                                ­                                                        
I don't need your validation,
okay?                                                           ­                                                                 ­        
                                                        ­                                                                
­ I may not be the homecoming
queen                                                            ­  
                                                              ­                                                      
or a model on a movie
screen                                                           ­                       
                                         ­                                                                 ­        
but I am proud to have integrity                                                        ­              
                                                  ­                                                                
­ and morals that you're lacking                                                          ­              
                                                  ­                                                                 ­ 
Go, live in your sad little
world,                                                           ­                             
                                                                ­                                                
  have fun with a bevy of
  girls                                                         ­             
                                                                ­                                                       
  It won't last long, you will
  see,                                                          ­                
                                                                ­                                                      
 in the end they will be like me