I’ve made, or that’s been made
By the world, to contain
All the dreams that
Struggle to break

Free, to escape,
To be real,
To take on a shape,
And find a mind
Other than mine
To steal.

So very angry
That my veneer conceals too much,
That it obscures what’s underneath.
I’m angry, bursting
To expose and let you find
What you won’t take the time to look for.

There is a light somewhere in there,
I swear!
Worlds and worlds inside my mind,
Too far away from sight

And I am angry, raging mad
And furious, seeing red,
Because you won’t comprehend -

So very angry, going mad,
Despairing, so misread -
How much is mere pretend.

Hear
The silent whisper,
Hear
The wretched sigh;
Feel
The aching hunger,
See
How much he tries;

Tries
And tries again,
But seems always to go wrong.

So desperate to find love…
Strange
That hope can burn so long.

Free to retreat,
To find that place inside,
Where worlds are made
To hide the world outside:

A world too bright,
Too real to comprehend;
The dreams preserve
The peace of just-pretend.

But morning waits,
Awaits my tired return;
I brave the light
To one more darkness earn.

Frustration, inside;
There’s no one who sees.
Desperation, inside,
The frantic disease.

Inside, all inside;
Appearing unstirred.
Untroubled, outside;
The tempest unheard.

Do you hear the longing in my words?
Is that why you seem so deterred
When I’ve barely had time to speak?

What is it you see?
What is it you hear?
Won’t you please tell me?
Be sincere, no, severe!

I’ll change, and I’ll hide
That which pushes away;
I’ll keep it inside,
And no longer betray

My desire, the lust
For a soul understanding;
For a deep, certain trust,
For that love undemanding.

But it’s still just pretend,
For my longing, that ache,
Breaks through and offends,
Reveals my composure as fake.

And then they see the desperation in my eyes,
And they wave good-bye without waiting to know

Or hear the wistful words that die
On the lips of an admiring freak.

How did I get here
And can I go back?
The future’s not clear;
My vision’s gone black.

Dare I go on,
Must I keep to this course?
Is the past really gone,
Am I cut off from my source?

No longer a choice,
The path has been taken;
No longer a voice
To say, “I was mistaken.”

Let confidence come,
And then tear self-doubt to shreds.

Let sadness fade,
And let not happiness be prey

Nor hope succumb
To life’s many fickle threads.

Let anger go,
And cast out suspicion too;

Let fear escape,
With despair as well to follow.

Let power flow,
To fight all existence through;

And let courage find shape
In a heart no longer hollow.

Let light invade,
And lift the veil,
Of darkness in the mind;

Let mind evade,
Once more prevail,
No longer be confined.

Let light crusade
And pierce the veil
Of darkness in the mind;

Let light invade,
And without fail,
Give sight back to the blind.

Breaking down the wall
That just won’t go away;
Chip here and there, but though I try,
The wall seems set to stay.

It hides my mind, conceals my soul,
And yet how I long to show
The world who I really am;
Bask in recognition’s glow.

Let in the light,
Let people see,
Let someone know me true;
The wall blocks out,
The wall obscures,
Lets only figments through.

And yet here I am, behind the screen,
Wait for someone to see in,
Past the wall my self’s put up to keep
My heart’s hope from growing thin.

A paradox, it seems, but while
There’s no one able to know
My mind complete, still there’s a chance
To be found when out I go.

And thus the wall protects, and guards my soul,
Somehow keeps alive the flame,
For though there may be failure and defeat,
There’s always the wall to blame.