A Thousand Paper Shreds

You want to leave this place behind,

be free,

to escape to a place of fantasy.

To leave the life you've led in a thousand paper shreds.

Documents, diaries, pictures too,

deserted so you can start anew.

The things you thought protected you,

kept you alive, like your 9 to 5,

suit and tie, and that car you idolize,

and the search for a trophy wife or Mr. Right;

but it's left you uptight, this uphill fight,

this is far from what you thought life would be.

Monotonous, desolate, a death to your dreams.

While money came in, hope was drained out,

This shouldn't be what life is about.

The lights, the scene, the cityscape,

it's something you just want to escape,

and chases the dreams you were meant to chase.

Because deep in your soul,

you know you were made for more...

This piece came from a conversation where a friend of mine was saying she had to change into something else because she was covered in a thousand paper shred. I thought that made a great line for a poem, so I took to facebook to see what directions people might take with that. After a lot of fantastic feedback I took the direction of a man who has been following what society dictates happiness should look like, and finding it's emptiness wants to leave it all and start over somewhere new, really chasing his dreams and purpose this time.