Half As Long And Twice As Loud Poem by Maya Hanson

I'd love to write one
of those half open stories
Sour, salty, bittersweet,
spilling out memories
I'd love to be one
of those unbroken girls
Sunshine could hold me
with the weight of the world

But I love half as long
and I love twice as loud,
messy like a lonely voice
screaming for a crowd
I love like a fear of heights,
scattered punchlines in the air
I love like an explosion
until the oxygen's not there

I'm an empty castle, you can
break the drawbridge down
I can dance to escape with you
until our feet touch the ground
I call back and hear your echo
like sugar on my tongue
Breathing in your temporary
into raw and silent lungs

But I love half as long
and I love twice as loud,
messy like a lonely voice
screaming for a crowd
I love like a question mark,
ink and unknown memories
I love like a cage of freedom
bringing you to your knees

I'm on a cliff, I can
jump or you can push me
My eyes sealed shut
with what I can never be
But like rain in the morning
I'll coat your skin for today
Pick up the brush, paint
my arms with what you say

But I love half as long
and I love twice as loud,
messy like a lonely voice
screaming for a crowd
I love like a stolen conscience
in flickering blue light
Like a wolf but sweeter, gentler,
turn my sighs into your sight

I could love now like a
piercing flashlight beam
I'll unravel my fingers
so I speak what you mean
Darling, if this crumbles
just take it from me
I'll never be set in stone,
I'm not a guarantee

But I love half as long
and I love twice as loud,
messy like a lonely voice
screaming for a crowd
I love like a bareback rider,
wild horses, waterfalls
I love like a tornado
and you can have it all