Color-Coded Psyche

dreaming in lost colors, pondering what is real,

taking the good with the bad, trying to move on,

making the effort at every junction, crying at failure,

always seeing blue instead of brighter shades—

you tell them you're doing better than yesterday.

*

watching the passers-by, slipping into stasis,

spending what you don't have, buying in bulk,

drifting away from friends, knowing too little,

wondering why you can never be enough—

you tell them you're doing better than last week.

*

sleeping through the night, rising with the sun,

chasing away waking nightmares, listening in full,

taking chances on people, learning to walk away,

feeling grounded instead of floating out of control—

you tell them you're doing better than last month.

*

seeing the fleeting seasons, learning to cook,

taking steps to self-revolution, writing poems,

calling up your old coworker, speaking up for once,

realizing that maybe the future could be golden—

you tell them you're doing better than six months ago.

*

writing down the present and the past, feeling lighter,

making acquaintances and friends alike, humming,

painting in a life that could be, coloring life's canvas,

lingering on the richer hues to find and cherish—

you tell them you're doing better than a year ago.

*

and then it all comes into focus, like a still brought to life,

because the colors and shapes are finally moving again,

the cogs in life's machine starting to shed all the rust,

and you're no longer waiting for wishes on shooting stars—

you tell them your life is so much more than grayscale now.