hansel left
a breadcrumb trail
unaware the sparrows
picked his best
intentions clean
leaving no way
of finding the way
out of the forest

i leave my own
trail of heartaches
in semipoetic verse
to the cacophony
of sparrows
already well aware
there is no path back
into the light

she told me
there is no happiness
unless you find it within
which left the shattered
understanding this
schismatic poison
so deeply ingrained
was all there ever will be

each new morning
i make a flaccid excuse
to continue forward
knowing no one will ever
hear the voices screaming
nor truly grasp the edge
where breadcrumbs became
desperate pleas for help

everyone struggles
some of us just learned
a bitter acceptance
from the first breath
there is nothing more than
chasing other people’s dreams
while the things we want
grow further and farther away