Toonland

Did you ever wish
Things were cartoon-bright
So that everything,
Was either black or white?

Like in cartoons, we’d roll in barrels
Down a sloping hill
Never hurting, never crashing,
Guiding it with our will

We could let our hearts
Burst out of our chests
Beating with mad strides;
Our lover would gasp
With popping-out eyes
We’d tow our emotions
Out on a line

We would run from our enemies
Through mouse holes, the sky
They’d be left
Scratching their heads
Wondering when we
Learned how to fly
(While we soared above,
Pulling on our jet pack string,
Circling in our spiral of love)

If we were cartoons, we’d be playing a game
With a winner, some prizes, no sorrow or shame
It’s all in good humor, nobody gets hurt
Not even your friend
And your crush
Would dare flirt

If we lived in Toonland
On someone’s TV
They could watch us, rewind,
We couldn’t be free

So if we were cartoons,
And couldn’t get hurt
(We could dance, we could love, we could even flirt)
I wouldn’t be able
To own what was mine—
Or think from my mind—
Or say, “do you mind?”
That why I’m glad
We all live in reality
Cuz if we didn’t
(If we lived in cartoons)
I couldn’t write poetry