Peace was the damsel in distress 
 Being held by the beast and I just never seemed to be able to reach her in time to actually survive 
 Peace was a dream
 A blow of a candle 
 A wish
 The rub of a lamp
 A promise 
 But take caution  
 Because peace never came without caution
 New year dreams 
 Being free
 Not caring 
 Just hoping
 For the first time in a long time
 For peace
 Had it for a split second
 But it was gone before I could even process it
 And the next thing I knew 9 months went by and it was the worst year of my life
 Lives taken, still losing
 New virus, Gun violence
 And now the world I once thought was too big to be all struggle
 Was now too small
 Started cracking my shell
 And I knew
 That my safe place could not save me from a cough, or a gun, or the anxious feeling that had made a home in my chest
 For months
 That's the only feeling I felt
 No rest
 9 months later 
 Peace was more than just a dream
 It was a hand we all wanted to just stretch out to us
 But sadly we could never reach