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.

author notes ▼

Free verse, 332 words, 40 lines.
Written for "Write from the Heart Poetry Contest" 
Received Honorable Mention
Prompt: Write an elegy to your favorite musician, living or dead.
To learn more about Dan on Wikipedia, click here.  
The term "ragged insomnia" is an anagram of the name Imagine Dragons. A running joke among band members goes that their chosen name is really a secret anagram. Fans enjoy dreaming up all possible combinations of the letters. Ragged Insomnia was used by the band to release a "secret" song a few years ago, but they neither confirmed nor denied this is the phrase they had in mind.
Shots (from Smoke + Mirrors, 2015) 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 so exactly expressing how I felt.