The whole idea of it makes me feel
Like a raven exploding out of a dark confinement
The first raindrop to fall in spring
A kind of adrenaline shot of the spirit
A static shock of the psyche
A growing light of the soul

You tell me it is foolish to be looking forward
But that is because you have forgotten
The pain of a lonely child
And the annoyance of authority
But I can lie on my bed and remember every time I cried
When mom left me alone to attend school
When dad failed to be there
When the other children threw things at me
And called me harsh names

But now I am mostly at the window
Watching the late afternoon light
Back then it never cast
Such a long shadow on my face
And my heart has never pounded so hard
As it does today
All the sadness drained out of it

This is the beginning of joy, I say to myself,
As I walk through the universe in my combat boots
It is time to say good-bye to rules
Time to run my life the way I want

It seems only yesterday I used to believe
There was nothing under my skin but darkness
If you cut me I could blot out the sun
But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life,
I skin my knees. I bleed.
Life is now