Life is lonely

estranged and grey

but he had a brilliant mind

bright enough to shower the world with stars

his jokes caused laughter

to bubble up

up

but he only felt down

and how could we know?

signs of sadness aren't blaring horns

nor hexagonal red

reading out a singular word

please

and I want to cry

for everyone lost

to a battle they can no longer fight

I've been there, too

on the edge of a precipice

my body leaning more towards the cavernous nothingness

than solid, safe ground

and it's okay

to cry sometimes

to feel

for your heart to seem shredded

your throat constricted

your chest harboring an unbearable weight

because I'm not sure if it gets better

but there are quiet, valued moments

that if you were gone

you wouldn't see:

imagine seeing the way hyacinth flowers flow in the breeze

listening to new friends blaring music on the radio

following the flicker of a fish's tail

eating eggs and bacon in the morning

giving a gift for a holiday

walking in the rain

and maybe we all won't achieve our dreams

but we can make life more bearable

my heart aches for actors

for artists

for people

like Williams

who felt so lonely they parted too soon

and what terrifies me

is that we die alone

we don't take our sweethearts

our money

or our fame

we return back to the stars

from whence we came

but if I'm dying with myself

alone and decaying

I want to live with myself

treat myself like a plant

growing from gratitude

refreshed by tears

happy, sad, or angry

it's alright, you know

to falter and stumble

to crawl and trip

to scream and cry

so long as you keep going

because you can do so many things in this life

our time

is limited

our love limitless

we can give all we have

and some are greedy

but others grateful

we should take a note from Williams' book:

make people laugh

but don't forget to laugh yourself

because life continues

no matter the squalls

make something of yourself

allow yourself to breathe

because you

are worth it.