Ragged Insomnia

Dan Reynolds, a man of great talent,
Born to a Mormon family, brought up with strictness and love
By a devout mom and grandma
Who drilled decent behavior into his heart of gold.
Depression and confusion set in at age twelve
So he began to write lyrics, composing secret songs
Spilling his feelings into cryptic words to share
With family members quite unaware of what spiritual doubts
Lurked beneath bops and beats and melodies
Which came together daily, year in and year out.
A long path to fame: from a university dropout
To being lead singer of an explosive breakout band
Much maligned by professional critics,
But beloved by millions globally.
He shares his heart with us in unforgettable words
Strung playfully together with the charm of nursery rhymes.
Sincerity marks all he does, and his only wish
Is that we connect with the depths of emotion in his music
And know we are not alone in what we feel.
"Your life is worth living," he tells us at each show
He knows all too well so many different pains:
Losing close companions to cancer and suicide
Struggling to move, fighting joint-stiffening disease
Each day is a battle to see color through gray
To feel anything through numbness
To be there for family and filter out haters
Learning to move on, to grow and evolve
The beauty of it all is, we can join him on his journey
Reaching for hope, wholeness and sobriety
And creating a safe space for all of humanity
To bond with each other's joys and sorrows
To escape what divides us, if only for a moment
His art inspires us to reach within ourselves
And find the strength to continue, whatever may come.
Dan Reynolds,
Long may you live and strong be your love
Keep doing what you do and never give up
The people you've touched through your music
Will never forget the heart they've met
Your legacy lasts as long as the lifespan of dragons.

Free verse, 332 words, 40 lines.
Written for "Write from the Heart Poetry Contest" 
Prompt: Write an elegy to your favorite musician, living or dead.
To learn more about Dan, click here.  
This is one of my all-time favorite Imagine Dragons songs. I cried when I heard it the first time and for many years after, because I never thought I'd find a song which so exactly expressed how I felt.