Is This What It Means?

I stand alone in a cavern oh so deep The tar-imbued darkness offers seldom sleep But, alas, I’m home alone, tangled in the sheets Oh, is this what it means to dream My eyes adjust to the light of day A morning-delirious psychedelic breakaway My eggshell mind invents a safe escape Oh, is this what it means to be awake I visit the world, my smile stapled to my cheeks The sharp, unfolded back stabs every stranger I try to meet I unpin myself, focused only on being me Oh, is this what it means to finally breathe Tears are streaming from my eyes I’ve learned life can be more than compromise In spite of rain, a tattered, war-torn cry Oh, this is what it means to be alive This is what it means to be alive