Perfect Imperfection

Potholes abound, dust in the air.
This ground is trodden by many feet.
Mostly my own.
I could walk it in my sleep,
but I'm too afraid to close my eyes.
They'll trip me.
I see the beautiful green trees all around,
but I'm the one walking in their shadows.
Too dark to see.
Threads of light stream down
and tangle my feet together.
Lost in glee.
I tug at my shackles thinking
maybe this once I'll succeed.
I'll be free.
Ironic beauty surrounds me.
Stupid things never meant to be.
Confusion proliferates.
Surrealism is all that's left.
Trickery to hide the theft.
Innocence vanished.
Completion is found
in one who's whole.
Restoration begins.
Hope filled peasants
watch the parade.
Hoping for ever.
All that's left is
split-second candy.
Once again empty.
I see the blindness choking me.
Dust collecting near my mouth.
One last breathe.
Screams mute the world.
My ears fall on deaf words.
A falling dream.
The bottom ever farther,
the cliff ever near.
Just out of reach.
The Hope Diamond in a crystal case
longed for, needed, hoped for.
Perfection flawed.
Lost in a maze of feelings
looking for escape from vultures.
Edge and center overlap.
Twisted staircase in a haunted house leading up to the bottom.
I forgive everybody.
But me.
Stained glass windows not strong enough to stand on.
False beauty filled with air.
Perfect imperfection.