13 Reasons Why Not

One
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
I know it feels it
But you aren’t broken
I promise

Two
Cakes alright I spose
Sometimes it’s dry and bland
And crumbles apart in your hands
And it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
But sometimes
You’re given a slice
That’s nice and warm and fresh
There’s the perfect dollop of frosting on top
There’s not too much
Not too little
It’s just right.
You might get some perfect cake tomorrow
So sit tight
Don’t go anywhere just yet.

Three
I know it hurts
But that hurts worse
Much worse.

Four
Dogs.

Five
Your best friend’s birthday is coming up
They’re waking up
And counting the days
Counting their blessings you met.
You might not know them yet
But they’re out there
Waiting.
It would suck if you go
Without saying goodbye
Before you even said hello.

Six
Sex
Sexy sexy
Vanilla sex
Sex with strangers or lovers
Or more
Or less.
You can do it front ways
Or side ways
With heteros or gays
One partner
Two partner
Red partner
Blue partner
It doesn’t matter
It would just suck if you missed out.

Seven
Remember when you broke that lamp?
Your mother’s lamp?
The light went out
As it shattered to the floor
Scattering
Your heart fluttering and then
Stop.
You choked on the lump in your throat
As her footsteps stalked the hallway
You knew she’d be angry
Or sad or both.
You shine brighter than any lamp she’ll ever own
She won’t ever see the light again
If you break.

Eight
Pain is like energy
It cannot be destroyed
It won’t just go away.
The pain will stay behind
Haunting those who could’ve fixed it.

Nine
By 2033
World leaders will finally care
About poverty
And refugees
Climate change and
Human rights and
Great Whites
And trees!
But to save the world we really need your vote.

Ten
Ten years from now there’s a person
An older person
A wiser person
A wonderful person
A person who will look back and say
Hey, I made it.
Please don’t make that person
Disappear.

Eleven
You haven’t finished reading
All the books on the shelf.
Buying a book
Is like buying a promise
And you can’t just leave behind
A shelf of broken promises.
Finish the books
And keep on buying more.

Twelve
I know.
I know you want to go.
I know it’s dark
Your knees are on the floor
And you can’t see the doors
Or the windows
Or the hand in front of your face.
You can see only one way out
And it looks clear
And straight
And easy
Trust me, I know.
But it’s not really a way out
If it doesn’t go anywhere.

Thirteen
Thirteen isn’t enough
There is more
There is so much more
You can have more than thirteen
If you just stay
I promise.

Written and Performed by: Jessica Sheridan

Featured Image: Zac Quitzau. Facebook Page – Zac’s Doodles