I wish that I could turn all my hate into candles.  Maybe I could burn down the anger until it was nothing more than a pile of wax and a wick that didn’t catch a flame anymore.  Maybe I would stare at the fire in wonder, realizing how much time I’ve wasted staying awake with thoughts of revenge dancing seduction in my mind.  Maybe then I could sleep without misery and live without constriction, for the heart would be unbound by the heavy chains of gold.

    I wish that I could turn all my worries into leaves.  Maybe in the Fall I could watch them drop one by one to the Earth, slowly buried underneath the weight of themselves.  Maybe I could gather all of them up in a plastic bag and toss them aside.  Or maybe I could rake them all into a pile and leap in, scattering them all into the wind, where they would be carried far away from me.  Maybe then I could write without paranoia and live without guilt, for the mind would be freed from the terrible weight of the stones.

    I wish that I could turn all my fears into eagles.  Maybe I could watch them soar on wings that look far too fragile, but still hold their bodies aloft.  Maybe I could see the fear flying away into the sun on wings of those so much more heavenly than I.  Maybe I could stand in a field and watch all the color drain back into the world, brought down from the sky by something that isn’t afraid to fly.  Maybe then I could walk without hesitation and speak without shame, for the conscience would be unfurled, able to fly in the air without the gale force winds.

    I wish I could turn my regrets into dust.  Maybe I could blow the fluffy gray out of the little corners in my room, freeing the particles to drift.  Maybe I could use a towel to cleanse the desk of decay, away from the papers and pens that lay in haphazard fashion beneath.  Maybe I could vacuum it all up into a bag and throw it away, only to be touched when the garbage truck rolls down the street.  Maybe then I could see the present and venture out, for the eyes and smile would not be hidden by the mask of so many lies.

    I wish that I could turn my memories into stars.  Maybe I could lie upon my back in the night, gazing at the black expanse in awe of the universe.  Maybe I could connect the dots with a pale hand in the light cast down by the full moon.  Maybe I could breathe in the scent of roses and wish on the wishing star for something more in this world.  Maybe then I could cry and face the crowd, for the courage and resolve of the past would have the entire sky to dance.

    I wish I could turn my love into diamonds.  Maybe I could set them in the jewelry box and name then one by one.  Maybe I could take a cloth, so very careful, and brush them clean of the dust and the grime that seems to collect in even the most sealed of places.  Maybe I could string them all together and wear them out on the town in the moonlight and streetlamps, making them sparkle all the brighter.  Maybe then I could feel and laugh without remorse, for the belief and the loyalty that has been fenced in would be able to open the big black gate once more.

    But most of all…

    I wish I could turn my ambition into action.  Maybe I could cure the world of cancer, setting all those children free from I.V. chains and letting them live the way they were meant to.  Maybe I could stop all of the wars and let peace reign over us all, a king and queen fit for eternity.  Maybe I could find all the answers to the questions everyone has and assure them that they are worth more than a dollar amount.  Maybe then we could all live in harmony and shake each other’s hands, for the aggression and spite that weaves itself in our ears would be removed.

    I wish a great many things, perhaps the last even more impossible than the first.  All I want, all I wish, is for the world to be free and the children to live, for parents to remain together and grandparents to see the next generation, for the birds to fly and the flowers to bloom.  Maybe then we could all sit back with a satisfied smile and realize that the world is a beautiful place, filled with beautiful scenes, beautiful plants, beautiful animals, and even more beautiful humans.

    For wish can turn into a thought, a thought to a voice, a voice to an action, and an action to a resolution.