By Bridget Landers

We can be the calm before the storm 
The lull of a false sense of security 
The feeling of loneliness in a crowded room 

And overcrowded in the empty ones
We can be the good, the bad, and the ugly 
The sad, the happy, and the beautiful 

Or all at once, never pick and choose 
We can be heaven  
Or we can be hell 

Even the in-between 
The judge, the jury, the persecution, the sentence 
Though never the innocent or guilty  

We can be either a loud cacophony 
Or the sweetest of softest melodies 
And we are never silent 

Not even if you beg on hands and knees 
We are the screams you make when no one is listening 
We are the silence when you want them to listen 

We are you when you are smiling  
Even though you are in pain 
We are the shadow of your victories

The reflection of your mistakes  
We are neither angel nor demon 
Nor Jesus, God, or Satan

We are you. 
We are always you.