Regret came to me in a dream and asked if I would ever open my heart to him. I said that I would never. That confidence is an emotion he has never felt in his life and I could not be with someone who sees themselves as only a list of do-overs. He was quiet as he thought of a retort, yet he couldnt find one, and with a whip of his hand he slowly dissipated into air, claiming that he would be back.

Death was a bit more direct. He approached me on the street, golden hair paired with red eyes, and with a scary smile he said he’d like to take me out. I told him that he wasnt persistent enough to be serious, if he was then I wouldnt be getting these requests from him every few months. He laughed and let me walk past him; sharp, he said.

Perserverance was the opposite of death. She came back asking me time and time again to come travel the world with her, I said I couldnt. I could see myself falling for her but the tough do not fall for the sensitive and out of all the things I could be, I never wanted to be strong.

Redress told me that my refusal last time had hurt her but that she wanted to ask again, in case I wanted to fix my wrong. I told her to stop being so concieted, that I was not being unfair but honest, and the truth was the truth, wheather she wanted to see it as such or not. There was no wrong to right.

Finally came vanity. She sat at the kitchen table, a roomate in her own right, and asked when we would get back together. I told her to ask the walls. The hole she had punched into the living room lay behind a badly hung tapestry as I reminded her that she could never face her mistakes. No one is perfect, and all that pride left her more alone than she would have liked.

I went to my room after that, and dreamed about insanity. He said that he knows how much I think about him and I didnt try to refuse. He never stood in reality and no answer I gave wouldve been concise. I told him to leave and let me dream, but he stayed, floating above my form upside down and laughing, then in a moment of clarity he reached out his hand. Come on, he whispered, you cant stay here.

I told him that I could but still took the offering and let him fly me through the clouds.

I have all these different people in my life and none of them are all bad. I look at regret and see someone striving for growth, Death, as inconsistent as he is, might be one of the kindest men I know. Perserverance is always on adventures searching for more stories to tell, Redress despite mistaking a persons honesty for unfairness, has a strong sense of justice. And vanity, regardless of her pride, knows herself better than anyone. There is no all good or all bad, feelings are complicated and the human condition is hardly ever easy. Its ok to let insanity take you for a drive now and then, but dont forget that pain is not all there is. There is no finish line, there are no expectations, live how you want.