Realization

I finally realized tonight, deep down, what I've thought I knew all along: that truly, friends sustain me, revitalize me, fuel me, give me reason. And even though I dream, there is no more necessity.

They sing in silence over virtual words and greet me unfailingly on the other side of the night. I keep them with me, especially the ones who aren't afraid of one ounce of what I am. The ones who write the way they speak and take it as it comes and never want me to change the fact that I speak the way I write.

That's a rarity, apparently. Some people love it about me. Most people fear it and run away and never look back. Many crawl into bed and cry for the fact that their minds work in a different pattern. I'll trade you, if you'd like. If you want the Madness, I'll give you that and everything that comes along with it: the loneliness, the walls, the wind, the music, the suffocating ink. What will you give me in return? I ask for nothing except time and quiet. And a fulfillment of my greatest wish: "Please don't leave. Don't leave."

So don't leave. And then I'll be happy.