I need the strength to
talk to the strangers who
walk by without second glances who would
sprint from second chances
leaping invisible hurdles and
making record time

I want to
make conversation that makes up for every night
I’ve been silent
I need to
grasp a stranger’s hand and
look him in the eyes and
tell him that he has trapped a desperate voice
in his throat and he doesn’t know
he’s holding it
for ransom

let it bellow its anthem
and skim across your tongue which
you’ve been holding for too long
right now it’s just
crawling
to be heard

give me the right words
that allow me to confess
that I
desire something more than routine

give me the right tools to clean
my heart
so that I can pass it on to
someone else
give me the strength to
find my own strength

so that I can excavate
my soul and
shine the bright light on
a shadow
because I believe that
the only way we can truly
matter is if we
make a stranger feel like
they do.