• Have you ever realized
    That you gotta live for yourself?
    Has something ever hit you
    Like a ton of bricks,
    And when you bust through the rubble,
    Brush yourself off,
    You realize:
    What the hell am I doing?

    So what did you do
    When that happened,
    Or what would you do?
    Anything?
    Me?
    You don't even have to ask.

    I want what's best
    No, not just for me;
    For you, too,
    Because, believe it or not,
    I care about you, too.
    Whether you've hurt me
    Like no other, sticking a thorn
    Through my heart
    Where it's already bleeding,
    Whatever I feel toward you,
    Is something, nonetheless.
    Whether I love you like
    A brother or sister
    And every moment with you
    I hope is good and happy.
    Whether I secretly like you
    And I wish for eye contact,
    A word or two,
    Anything.
    As long as I know you,
    Or think I do,
    I've staked you out;
    I've pinpointed what I feel
    About you.
    And that means that, yeah,
    I care about you.

    But I'm not an angel,
    And I'm not a Mother Theresa.
    There are some people
    Who just get the fire growing
    In my heart, and you can
    See it in my eyes
    Like a nightmare.
    And yeah,
    I get hurt.
    By you, or by you,
    Or by you.

    And then there are those
    Who I could never live without.
    A day without you
    Is like the darkest, coldest night.
    And I search for you,
    Desperate,
    Because I need what only
    You can bring out in me,
    What you can help me with,
    And what you, alone,
    Accomplished with me.
    Loving.
    And trusting.

    You see,
    I cannot stay stone-faced for long;
    This stoicism can't always be there.
    My guard can't always be up,
    But you'll know when it is.
    Sometimes, I need to feel
    The pain I feel;
    The sadness that threatens
    To turn me inside-out;
    The anger
    That bloodies my knuckles
    And bruises my bones
    Before I ever touch anything;
    The fear that wants to
    Push me off the nearest bridge
    And wait to hear that inevitable
    "Splash";
    The love that makes me who I am,
    That trusts me with myself;
    The disappointment
    That lingers like a long face,
    Forever distorted;
    The hate that clouds
    My vision;
    and, of course,
    The happiness
    That makes me comfortable
    Being myself.
    These are all my masks,
    My elaborate costumes
    That I put on before I step
    In front of you;
    Behind you;
    Beside you.
    Everything you think I feel,
    No doubt I really do.
    But I know something,
    Something that all of you know, too;
    You and I, as human beings,
    All feel these same emotions,
    At one time or another.

    You thought we were so different?
    You thought I didn't understand you,
    That I never would?
    Don't flatter yourself, kid.
    Because you and I,
    Whether angels or devils,
    Stereotypes or stereotypes,
    Same or different;
    We all fight a similar battle,
    Because we all live,
    Whether we open our eyes the next morning
    Or we close our eyes
    For the last time.