Almost

You know, I almost gave them up...
These words,
The ability to string together beauty like a strand of pearls
To leave a part of myself on the paper, exposed to the world
Emotional nakedness is certainly the most intimate

I almost gave it up, you know...
The music
The way it soothes my soul
Melody of my emotions, explaining them better than I ever could
How it controls my body, moves my hips, stomps my feet
Hands clapping to the beat of my heart

You know, I almost gave it up...
The joy
Of an uncontrollable giggle and laughing until you cry
Of all the reasons to be breathless, laughter is best of all
The relief you feel after finally regaining control and realizing you let so much go

I almost gave it up, you know...
Sunrises and sunsets
The beauty of a rainy day
The moon and the stars
Simple things that make up your memories
Inhale, exhale; one foot in front of the other

I almost gave up...

But these things are
The essence of
Me...

To let them go would mean that I consent to being a shell of myself
Just a sum of parts instead of a whole
Ghost in the machine

If I've learned anything in this life, the only thing I want it empty of, is regret.