I had an idea for a Dan poem and then thought, why not write a character poem for all of Next to Normal? I wrote one for everyone in the Goodman family and also Henry. My poems are amateur at best, though.
Dan
What if you lose your mind
At the same time
As the one you love
Rushing to hide the break
For the sake
Of the one you love
So no one knows both are unstable
So you lie and hide
Even though the break may be fatal
Yet the one you love
Pushes you to push things away
Hide the torment and the pain
To be okay for the one you love
Natalie
Perfect is a piano piece
Not a person or a romance
Perfect only belongs to tests
Tests, and pieces, and problems
All things you can completely get right
But people and romances and families
Cannot be perfect
Not at the beginning or end
Or when people look back
But the pieces we get to play
The pieces tested by time
And written by imperfect dead guys
Those can be perfect
And that's as close as we'll get
Diana
I hope you find something that lasts
Or that you have the strength to leave
I hope you never lose again
Or that you have the strength to grieve
I hope you keep your sanity
But try first to keep your heart
I hope you have a happy end
But try first to have your start
I hope you will remember me
But let go if you must
I hope that we meet again
But I know I broke your trust
I hope your life is beautiful
Or that at least you live
I hope your heart can love again
Or that at least you forgive
Gabe
Everyone's breaking down always
I've seen it for sixteen years
In the shadows, I spend my days
Judging, taking notes
Breaking down myself
Losing every bit of hope
Am I the core of the issues
Or were they destined to fail?
I jeer and mock and taunt
But I want them to prevail
To beat the next break down
To be a little more okay
Because I've spent 16 years in a breakdown
And the devil just won't go away
Henry
I didn't ask for her
To be perfect
But I know
That I'm perfect for her
Because Screwups
Deserve Screwups
And we're perfectly screwed
We're disasters
That fit together
Not perfect
But perfectly determined to try
I don't want her
To be perfect
I just want her
To be mine