To function, the parachute must
Unfold reliably
Unfold consistently
Unfold without twisting
Unfold without tangling
Unfold at the right place and time

I have done all of these things,
And read all of the instructions,
Read every book ever written, But —
I twisted, and I tangled,
I unfolded in all the wrong places
All I could do was keep falling
Crashing reliably, consistently
To the ground.

Everyone’s issuing statements and opinions,
declaring unsolicited absolutes
Like they’re experts on other people dying
And entitled to their life
Well, have you died yet?
Do I owe you my happiness, then?
Once you have
Died every day in your life, then I’ll ask your advice.
Why can’t you just be happy?
Clearly it’s very simple, they are all shouting.
You must be selfish to be so sad.
Clearly you have never met your darkness
Never traveled your depths
Fought yourself for air…
It’s a shame, then
You will never know
Any

single

Thing.

Why do you cut down those flowers and bring them inside
The beauty of nature is for everyone to enjoy
Their stems have feelings
It hurts Mother Earth
Well, I said
We are humans, sometimes we like to take a little of the beauty for ourselves
Our beings thought about it enough to feel the need
to cut the flowers and bring them inside to look at
We can’t always be outside
In the sun and elements and visible to everyone
Who knows, I think,
Maybe we are specks in another universe
And when someone cuts the flowers from that ground
We die in this world
And are brought inside