by design, we need.

i question mortality,
the bending,
shifting
shapes
of
who we are.

i look past the gravel
collected on
tired eyes
in hope
of finding
the space that divides
the rolling tides
of oceans,
of lost souls
drowning
on the cup that
has been given them.

i couldn't swallow another drop,
but i'm thirsty for more.

i wonder if i'll ever awaken.
i wonder of the smiles i have taken.
and the frowns i have received.
i wonder why it has played out this way.
i wonder for all who have grieved.
i wonder if we can ever grow beyond this.
i wonder of unnecessary needs.

i strain my eyes to see clearer.
nearer now,
the empty cup
swallowed up
by thirsty mouths,
and greedy hands.
it still stands,
this growing need
that never falters,
always bleeds.

so sudden
it is taken away
like the waning moon
in the blink of an eye.
and the innocent die
day by day.
it happens too soon,
so sudden
this way.

a once overflowing cup
is now nothing more
than rust
and jagged tin,
holding on,
dreaming of being filled
once more
with the dreams
and sudden scars
cut too deep
to heal.

and i wonder
of this often when i
try to believe
in a world without war
and monetary need.
i'm grasping at straws,
yet i cannot do much
more than hope
to believe,
to dream
a dream
so much bigger
than me.