"If this is the only thing we do together this year, it's probably the most important."

I guess you're so used to having an indecisive bystander at hand
that recognizing the difference between
the authentic and distorted is out of the question.
I'm the exceedingly rusted tinman...
The Dimmesdale without the dirty little secret.
Maybe if you make the words look a smidge more elegant,
it'll take your concentration off reality for a fraction of a second.
Or maybe not.
Maybe if you ease up on the unnoticed effort,
your punishment will remain indistinguishable.
Why are you still striving for what was?
The birds already digested your thick yet heedless trail of bread crumbs.
You're lost.
You're inadequate.
You're the dried-out sponge.
You're attempting to ignore the fact that you're in over your head.
But don't worry, dear.
It's only a matter of time before your malnourished mind eats you alive.
What will you do with that last breath of yours?
Cry out a feigned, "I love you"?
PLEASE.
You need it more than we do.
Hold your breath.
No one is listening.