permission slips

let my heroes be

permission slips

backstage passes to

passions

that are ours

and yours alone

let my teachers be

permission slips

unchained lifetimes

to try

fail

be foolish

crazy

arrive messy

late

unkempt

desireless

let these thieves

inspire you

to flee

foment

flake

disintegrate

dissolve

inhabit

primitive

sincerity

flawed

fluent in grief

joy

sorrow

let my healers be

permission slips

to sway humans

dance

to drop out

resist less

press

quit pretending

provoke

eschew safety

unconscious settling for

your parents'

notions of success

or meaning or

contentment

seething

I will say not one word

but smile

everything out

of my life

that is not

love

will find you

if you don't go looking

for it