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1.6k · Aug 2015
It's worth defending
JRL Aug 2015
body parts strewn everywhere.
        what is It?
        what is value?
         billions of people everywhere.
Life.
         who values It anymore?
         who would waste It?
         who would treat It with contempt?
Life.
~National Pro-Life Alliance~ www.prolifealliance.com/mission.html
"Because every human life is precious in the eyes of God, and science and common sense dictate that life begins at conception, it is clear that abortion is the wanton taking of human life and no truly great nation can allow this practice to take place."
1.0k · Feb 2017
Bittersweet
JRL Feb 2017
PRE-CHORUS ::
Can you taste it? Can you taste it!? CAN YOU TASTE IT!?!?
THIS IS BITTERSWEET!

CHORUS ::
Tear me up inside! Treat me like the ones who hurt you!
THIS IS BITTERSWEET!
Never again! Will I ever trust your word!
THIS IS BITTERSWEET!
Clever deceiver! Leading me on like you did, then rejecting my every effort!
IS THIS BITTERSWEET?
Was this love ever sweet?"

VERSES 1, 2, & 3 ::
Tear me up inside, like you always do with your sweet demeanor. Unknown to me, this is the last time. Your intentions seemed clear, you shared your heart. Or was it false emotion?

Do you really see him in me!? Now the trust we had is gone. Everything you said is a lie, should I have expected this from you? Take my gift and burn it. I'm burning. Slow burning. You were the only one who ever listened.

The hardest part of this is knowing I lost what I convinced was love. I'm not bitter. Four later and still alone. My intentions were pure. Who can know yours.

LOW OUTRO CHORUS:
Now you tear me up inside. Accusing me, just as the one who hurt you. Never again will I ever trust your word. What is real? False portrayals and misguided intentions. Know that we were never sweet."
TM
False Pretense
869 · Mar 2016
You Fell Asleep in My Arms
JRL Mar 2016
December 2nd, 2015 – you fell asleep in my arms . .
Remember the conversation we had, if you could change one thing about you what would it be? You're beautiful. You think you aren't, but this time you're wrong! Nothing anyone says, and no judgmental look will make me think any less of you, your eyes are my favorite, and your chin (even though you hate it) makes you you!
You fell asleep in my arms! You trust me!? I gazed on your face and thought quietly to myself, how lucky I am to have met you at this time in my life! Your breathing slows and becomes deeper as you slowly drift off to sleep. Your arm twitches, your warm body across my chest . . I touch your arm it gives me a settling feeling of belonging, it's like you're mine already. You were always mine.

Girl, this is the happiest I've ever been, words can't even express how my heart longs for you now, miles away in this cold bed, I fight sleepy eyes to pen these words before I forget. This is love. You fell asleep in my arms for the first time, I'll never forget and I'll never get over it.
695 · Apr 2016
Decent chance
JRL Apr 2016
you* want a second chance with me!?
The first time around you told me no,
but now you want to see if "we" will work out?
I took a chance to see if "we" would work, you said no.
Now the tables have turned and you are revisiting "us"
well here's my answer. No.
Why do you let fear drive you?
You never gave me a chance, and now you'll never have the chance again.
If we were truly meant to be then should've let your guard down and given me the chance.

You said I was different, but you treated me like everyone else.
1 yr. later and I've moved on,
I'm over you, but you're trying to re-kindle the flame I once had.
"we" won't work out even though you want to give me the chance.
You'll give me the chance now,
but I don't want you.
The tables have turned,
you never trusted me enough to give me a decent chance.
To the girl who turned down the request to be my girlfriend:

You told me secrets no one else knows, about your childhood and the struggles of abuse, multiple suicide attempts, and a failed engagement. I understood you, and I wanted us to be more than just friends.
You wanted to be more than just friends with me too, you said so.
It still hurts to know you threw me away despite what we had.
All I wanted was the honesty I gave you, reciprocated. But you couldn't tell me all you truly felt, instead 1 year later I learn that you did indeed love me but I was moving too fast- why couldn't you have just told me that? Instead you couldn't even tell me to my face, but sent 4 text messages and we're through. Shallow. All-time low. I was so sure you were the one. Coincidence? We're both still single and alone full a year later, and I've never been more content to be single. Last April was a different story, we had a genuine relationship but you never gave me the chance because you let irrational fear drive us apart. There's no looking back now - I'm just a lost cause it's all I'll ever be. TM
554 · Aug 2015
Never Alone
JRL Aug 2015
You forced chemicals through my veins
Little did I know that I had a choice
My blood runs rich with death
They say I'll live, but I know I'm dying

You will never know the pain
You will never know the agony
All you know is

I never deserved this life
I question my existence every day
Even through the pain I've held onto one thing

You were always there by my side
Even when I couldn't touch you
You felt my pain

Even when my family deserted me
I was never alone
553 · May 2016
One More Reason
JRL May 2016
Just because I have the perfect life doesn't mean anything.
I've never felt so empty and alone.
The things in this life don't satisfy,
I've yet to find true love and the reason to live.
It's these scars I bear that make me human
No one will ever know my pain of existance

What's your reason? I'll tell you mine,
to live is to die!
To give and to sacrifice everything
True love will NEVER FAIL!
That's why I will never stop loving you.

This is more than a song about my love for you,
You're the reason I live, the reason I die.
Nothing compares to the treasure you are,
Taking me as I am, with all my shortcomings
You never cease to amaze me with your love.

GIVE ME ONE MORE REASON!
To live another day
      breathe another breath
             To know that you're mine . .

What's your reason? I'll tell you mine,
to live is to die!
To give and to sacrifice everything
True love will NEVER FAIL!
That's why I will never stop loving you.

Are you just another let down? Another promise?
       A disillusion of love?
Don't leave me stranded here,
I can't bear the thought of losing the
flame that keeps my heart burning
You're the best thing that's ever happened to me!
No one will ever know my pain of existence, except you.

GIVE ME ONE MORE REASON!
To live another day
      breathe another breath
             To know that you're mine . .

What's your reason? I'll tell you mine,
to live is to die!
To give and to sacrifice everything
True love will NEVER FAIL!
That's why I will never stop loving you.

Tell me all your reasons, I'll tell you mine.
to live is to die, to give and to sacrifice everything
            True love will never fail . .
            OUR LOVE WILL NEVER FAIL
You're the reason I'm alive!

Give me one more reason NOT to love you

Give me one more reason.
I've been sitting on this song for a while, probably since spring 2015 - finally looked at it again since I first wrote the song, decided to post it without making any changes. Hope you like it!
486 · May 2017
Rejection
JRL May 2017
His surrendered hands outstretched - grasping to hear a voice of direction, "DON'T LET ME FADE AWAY! SHOW ME A SIGN, THAT THIS IS ALL WORTH IT."
2 attempts at medical school admission and 2 failing MCAT scores, I'm facing a third admission attempt in the face, I'm resilient but how persistent am I to be?

**CAPS are loosely inspired by Wage War's song Don't Let Me Fade Away
JRL Mar 2016
The words I wanted to say didn't come out
I smile and gaze into your eyes – unsure
Unsure if you feel the same
– tensions are high – the silence unbearable
I have to say it . . . but should I wait . . .
You're waiting for the words to come
I wanted to wait and have this conversation later
But here we are
         On your bed again
                       And my mind's gone blank
                                 "Use your words!"

Okay . . Here we go . . .
This is happening now!
   . . .       . . .       . . .       . . .       . . .       . . .      
         . . .       . . .       . . .       . . .       . . .       . . .

Was it really that hard?
– I still felt I could have said it better –
But she really doesn't care, care that I made no sense . .
She's still pleased with me – Even though I'm beating myself up for rambling, saying nothing for 10 min., I didn't really say nothing – but it wasn't eloquent!

I should stop thinking out loud.
   Do that beforehand . . .
   Anxiety has melted away – now she's in my arms
            Soon enough I'll tell her, give it time . . .
VK.
******* Tinder.
JRL Mar 2016
Wanting to be wanted by the one
the one who I have never met
I think, maybe our paths have crossed?
Make a wish: ______
I always thought I would be with her by this age, but no . . . .
Working hard towards the larger goal – the bigger calling – neglecting my interpersonal needs and interactions . . .
On the outside everyone sees success
On the inside I'm lonely and uncertain.
– But who?
                    Who is there to be honest with,
                    honest and open about my emotions,
                    fears, and hopes?
Wanting to be wanted by the one
I know she is out there – it's just a matter of time.
Make a wish, it's eleven-eleven.
370 · Aug 2015
Identity Crisis
JRL Aug 2015
Look down on me for who I am
You have an identity crisis on your hands
330 · Aug 2015
S.M.O.K.E.
JRL Aug 2015
I don't smell a lion
Smoke obscures your face - uncovering who you truly are
Evil is your greatest love
Your melancholy smile haunts all who behold your face.
Oh the pleasure of being a martyr
Living in darkness is so comfortable - Dark Moral Objectivity
The veil you wear is sickening - self-righteous *****
Gloom enters with you, striking fear into everyone
Don't think you aren't isolated
The veil you wear isolates - the veil brings you power too
Though you are recognized you aren't accepted
Moral convictions mean nothing - utter nothingness.
          Your bed is a shrine to the past,
                    of past lovers whose hearts
                    you ripped out - leaving their
                    lifeless skeletons to continue
                    wandering - searching for a love
                    that they will never find . . . .
Once the epitome of purity - your perceived innocence is smoke
Thick smoke fills the room - suffocating all who breathe it in.
You breathe in smoke everyday - You spew smoke onto everyone around you.
Smoke like a noose chokes me - thrashing wildly I grasp for truth, all I have is smoke.
305 · Mar 2016
The Certain Questioner
JRL Mar 2016
Only God knows my pure intentions
Some call me a perfectionist critic,
The skeptic speaks with boastful words, smooth like silk, it's the elitism of pride
I can't fight these heavy eyes
My heart aches to know, to know with certainty that I'll NEVER be alone
Again I, the questioner, seek to be satisfied . . .
Three times again . . .
Three times now and I'm still alone
– never to try again . .
I've given up all hope on love
305 · Mar 2016
Light a Fire
JRL Mar 2016
Curious. Curious to see if we're meant to be.
Expectations. Expectations couldn't be higher than they are now.
Questions. Questions, oh so many questions to be answered.
Uncertainty. So much uncertainty about her.
        What if she's not looking to be more than friends?
        What if the night is a failure?
        What if she's not who she claims to be?
I guess I'll never know victory unless I try!
Here goes nothing! Maybe it'll be something in the end!
– Do I dare light a fire?
303 · Mar 2016
Ignorant Hope
JRL Mar 2016
Don't you hate it!?
When no one hears you cry out alone
No one knows why you're quiet
Quiet because No One Cares enough to ask
Maybe it's selfish to demand attention
– but is it really?
No one thrives alone
This is why you'll never thrive

There was hope, hope that you'd not be alone
But the contexts forced in-genuine emotion
– are you destined for a life of bitter solitude?

You are drowning in an ocean of envy . .
A deep dark never-satisfying ocean
Disgust
Because no one knows why,
why you will be alone
when all the voices speak
the opposite . . .

Smiles fill the faces of ignorance
Ignorant hope – never to be fulfilled
There's still a lack and it needs to be filled
TM
303 · Aug 2015
Sea of Apathy
JRL Aug 2015
We've got an identity crisis on our hands, I know you better than you know yourself, you keep pushing me away, but you always come running back to me, don't you know who you're talking to? If you came running back to me you should know that I've moved on. (But if you prove your love, I'll change my mind completely!) You never spoke the truth, but I never saw through your lies. I thought you were predicable in your own way, never could I have been more wrong about anyone I thought I loved. The feelings were there, the thrill of my heart, the tug of emotions, but it was never real. I was once captivated by your look, your beautiful grey-blue eyes pierced deep into my own blue. It's now just a blur of emotion, you are nothing more to me than a stranger who avoids any fleeting glances. I'm a nobody to you, just another face lost in a sea of apathy.
296 · Mar 2016
Glass and Horizons
JRL Mar 2016
It's in that moment when you realize, that what you have isn't enough, but what you need is out of reach.
It's times like these you need a savior, someone to pick you up, pull you out, but you've never been so far away.
Doing what you said you'd never do, it's a compromise, a sunken ship, mutiny to everything you ever valued.

Glass pushed to lips, the amber liquid burn, burn, burns.

It's unfortunate that tomorrow will come with no resolve
Off to find a new ship
New ships bring new horizons
279 · Mar 2016
*Overnight*
JRL Mar 2016
I'll paint you a picture
with words I can't express

I'm losing my sanity!
This is compromise, it's NOT what I wanted!

We talked about better days
If you only knew You never asked me!
you left it all up to assumption
Now You're left alone
         a quiet life without me . .

You thought it was love, but no . .
Love respects.

Change doesn't happen overnight . .
I can't carry you forever,
You have to want what I have
More than you love me
Until you grasp that we
are LOST and our LOVE
WON'T LAST!
VK
JRL Sep 2018
"In this wilderness your bodies will fall - you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you."

The guilty do NOT go unpunished!

Punishing the children to the third and fourth generation.
The promise remains - blood was spilled.

You will suffer for your unfaithfulness,
until the last of your bodies lies to rest.
Yes, you will suffer for your sins
and know what it is like to have me against you.

Banding against me you will meed your end,
Here you will die.

How long will you treat me with contempt?
I am slow to anger, abounding in LOVE - in your presumption,
I will beat you down.

Do not despise my word - follow me wholeheartedly and salvation will inherit the generous promise I made.
Numbers 14 (NIV)
parenthesis is meant to be a spoken word intro, chorus line is "The promise remains - blood was spilled" think progressive deathcore.
272 · Mar 2016
Unnoticed
JRL Mar 2016
You need someone
Someone to hold you when you cry
To listen to every word you say
I hate I can't be the one
I can't be the shoulder to lay your head on
To embrace you
Getting lost
Losing myself never felt so right
But reality speaks
You're alone tonight
Unnoticed
Wanting to be wanted
You're strong
But now you'r weak
Because you're alone
Alone and afraid
Afraid of never attaining what you need
It's so much more than being wanted
Longing, desire . . .
Love
Tears fall
Un-seen by humanity
You're still alone
Alone and waiting
JRL Aug 2015
It's been said before that true love
is mutual . . . I just want to know
one thing . . . Do you feel the way
I do?

I finally let my guard down
To fall in love with you
Don't you know I've been waiting?
So here's my heart . . .
264 · Mar 2018
Γάτα
JRL Mar 2018
Sound pierces silence in the dead of night.
She awakens to prowl the path of destruction.
Screaming fills the air as the hearts of man sink into despair.
Feeding quietly on their souls the beast stares off - oblivion soon to follow
No one knows what's ahead - cowering in darkness they know death will soon fill their nostrils.
A stampede through their home causes shrieking and pandemonium.
There is no happy ending but hope lies in the unknown of extinction.
An unconditioned stimulus controls the innate reward pathway of her sick mind!
HABITUATION!
I'll never forget - though she will, truth lies in the size of the response which slowly fades into the dark.
September 2017
JRL May 2016
Such a relief to know I'm not the only kid with a ****** up past . .
No one loves baggage, especially me
But I'm never looking back
It's not about living with regret,
Now you know to be more careful!

I'm in my head again
Overthinking my life and every decision I ever made about you!
I chose you first - mistake
You were worth it, but I wasn't
Mutual respect for eachother fell apart
- My values weren't yours, all you wanted from
  me was compromise in return for temporary
  happiness -

How could I live with grief eating me away?
I love you but it's clear you don't . . .
I should've known from the start, but to think we'd end up like this?
This could never be predicted
You go work on your self esteem, And I'll stop being careful!
VK.
260 · Mar 2016
largely Unnoticed
JRL Mar 2016
I fade into the background noise
As no one listens
It's like no one cares, but
the truth is: No one really does.

Working hard to please
All the efforts go largely Unnoticed

It's not a bargain if you walk
all over me!
It's not a friendship when I'm left alone.
a hit-and-run
        This is life.
        My story up until now.

I don't need an applause or a good word
When the waves crash down, and I'm lost in the undertow
I desperately need you – to pull me back

I don't matter – You bring me validity and meaning
Life is so much more than routine monotony
No one Really cares who lives and dies,
        But what I leave behind
       Will not be largely unnoticed
I know who I'm living for and the legacy I lead . .
251 · Mar 2016
Propel
JRL Mar 2016
Trapped and abandoned
The house I live in is filled with empty smiles
They think they know who they are
The play the part so perfectly, but no
– it is all just a lie –
Don't fake like you love and understand me
Stop living the lie and come back down
(Is this abandonment)
Alone with hope – hope in abandonment
Abandonment which leads me to know who I really am
The world lives on while the battle in my head
defines who I will come to be
For life, marked change means hope anew
A better day can only be ahead
Externally it seems desperate,
but know this: I am propelled forward by abandonment.
My identity is secure now – defined by what crushes the souls of men and destroys the hope of ever being loved again.
Acceptance is what I make of it: Defined by lack.
242 · Mar 2016
All My Affections
JRL Mar 2016
– Love to be loved.
It is a deep longing I have these days,
to hold her in my arms
to kiss her soft lips.
There is something settling about love,
maybe knowing that finally I have found the one,
the one who loves me back
the one who listens and remembers.
Desire. It drives me the distance.
Beauty. Outward beauty never lasts – intrinsic beauty does.
               to hold her tightly in my arms,
               she knows I think about us all the time,
               – maybe I am obsessed about love
One of these days I will tell her.
Tell her of all the plans I have for us,
For our happiness . . .
             The world only sees external beauty,
             but no one knows her like I do . . .
             – maybe I am obsessed with love
Now that I know she too wants me
It drives me the distance.
Time well spent is late nights with her.
It is a deep longing I have these days,
            Love to be loved, all my affections –
240 · Aug 2015
We are the Forgotten
JRL Aug 2015
I'm like a stray                                                           I can't erase the past
wandering endlessly..                                               No one can take back
But the difference is                                                  what you've given to me!
that I'm NOT lost                                                      Brace for impact
I chose this life                                                            I­'m just one of the
                                                                ­                    forgotten!
We are the forgotten!
NO one knows who
we really are

We've been beat down
and bruised

But there's nothing
But there's nothing
that can hold us
back now

Don't compromise your dream
to please everyone else's

Not everyone who has a purpose will find it!
231 · Mar 2016
"Tangible Emotion"
JRL Mar 2016
I'm never going back
Back to being deceived
You led me on
And to think I could change you
You lied to me
Why didn't you just speak your thoughts?
I'm so over feeling cheated
It's bizarre you'd still think we're friends
We'll never be that close again.
I thought we'd be friends
But now I avoid you
Never thought I'd stoop so low
Everything is NOT okay between us
I trusted you
All I wanted was your friendship
Guarantees aren't certain with you
Call me careless – but I've lost hope
Hope that love will find me
Who knew my life would play out this way
LOST
Never to experience "tangible emotion"
The ups & downs
Have never felt so meaningless . . . . . . . . . .
11 months gone with no regrets
– if only you could say the same . . .
JRL Mar 2016
Fixation. The thorn in my raw flesh aches, needle points and burning, a twisting dull pain . .
It won't stop until I reach a place of happiness.
But is that what I really need?
Happiness won't satisfy me now.
Who can be alone and happy?
I've become accustomed to embrace this thorn, I bear it.
Why try to hide from what haunts me?
Love satisfies.
Happiness comes from a place of genuine love
Love isn't Weakness,
I'm strong
                   but love is failing . .
226 · Mar 2016
Lost Cause
JRL Mar 2016
You weren't always meaningless to me
But now I'm nothing more to you . . . I couldn't be more

All those long walks in the summer
Will stick out in my mind . . . All the secrets we shared in your car
Was I ever more than someone, to listen to your problems?
Or was I more?
You thought I was moving too fast
Well too bad you never told me that! . . . You never told me that

******* and your, pretty little face
You never mattered to me, like I didn't to you
It hurts more than you know, I'm just a lost cause, it's all I'll ever be, I'm always meaningless to you

I always told myself I'd never play
The blame game with the, suburban Girl
But every day I realize, I meant every word I said to you . . . too bad you never listened to me
You were quick to, throw me away . . . Now you're on to the next one

You know what you're missing and, you'll never have the chance, *again
226 · Mar 2016
Speak to Destroy
JRL Mar 2016
Your scathing words rip into me
You tear me apart flaw by flaw
Never listening only blaming and speaking death
Echoes of your lies linger as I try and sleep
Hate fills my mind, not of the lies you speak, but of hate for myself
I'll never view myself the same
Your blunt words cut deeper than imagined
Am I still loved by the enemy that haunts me nightly?
When do I stop taking the lies you speak?
You pry and you meddle, but I'll never trust you again
You speak to destroy, I'm just a city waiting for your tongue
222 · May 2016
Probably Not.
JRL May 2016
No more, "what could have been . . ." thoughts running through my head. Another mistake, and I'll kick myself for it over and over again. This is not what I wanted, not what I expected. It feels so cold to be alone. Another day and I don't care that I'm afraid, I've learned to take my fears and live each day regardless of my past. There's no "on to the next one . ." mantra with me. No, I'll embrace the past and all the mistakes that make me who I am. There's no moving on or regrets. I always told myself that word would be reserved for only one. You were the only one. I thought you meant the world, but in the end we both ended up broken. Maybe we need eachother now more than ever. Probably not.

Probably not.
VK. ******* Tinder
216 · Mar 2018
I'm Only Human (version 2)
JRL Mar 2018
You are perfect, you never make mistakes . .
It's always me . .
You always try to fix me and point out everything I do,
Is there any grace?

Correction unto perfection . .

I don't want to settle for less,
But I'm giving my best . .  
And it's never enough . .
All I ever do is let you down . .

What must I do to satisfy you? - become you?

Can't I be myself, have my own life,
Make my own decisions, have my own convictions . .  
I'm old enough now to own what I believe,
I'm not disowning you, but we won't agree on everything . .

I'm not a people pleaser anymore . .

There is responsibility on my part . .
Winter 2011
I don't know why 18 year old me loved the double ellipses instead of the grammatically correct triple ellipses; I was weird - still am.
215 · Mar 2016
No Match to You {the blade}
JRL Mar 2016
I never thought you'd be the one
be the one to hurt me the most
But now I know how you feel
living everyday with regret & pain
Yeah, it cuts deep – thinking we had something special
I think back to the words you spoke . . .
. . . those meaningless words – they bring a tear to my eye
I wipe it away violently, to regain composure . . .
emotionless you'd never think I was broken inside
How can I recover from cuts so deep?
– the blade I hold now doesn't match to you

If I lived another day I would go mad!
The hurt overwhelms my body
                                                        and overshadows the past

It's the same old cycle, meaningless words
from a cold heart, cutting deep, deeper than
the blade I now hold to my skin.
215 · Aug 2015
Alone (*sic)
JRL Aug 2015
No one hears you cry in the dark of night
No one knows your name

You scream out! There's no one to hold your hand

There you are sitting alone avoiding fleeting glances in a sea of apathy
You think you know what's best but you never gave me a chance
205 · May 2016
3%
JRL May 2016
3%
I hate to think that it has to come to this,
Seeing you makes me wish I was never brave,
Brave enough to step out of my comfort zone
To ask you on our first date.

If it helps you to know that I still think about you,
There's a pile of letters underneath my bed addressed to you
I don't have the heart to send them
I already broke your heart once . . .

Here's to the past of broken hearts and shattered dreams
I was 97% sure we were something special, together
All I ever wanted was for you to be happy,
But in the end, misery, like a stone wall, is all I'm left with
3% changed me forever, and I'll never be the same

I didn't mean to say all I did - I'm sorry, I'll do better
I guess I was moving too fast - but you never said anything
Now all I have are memories of you
Your smile, your touch, the sound of your voice . .
Your smile, your touch, the sound of your voice!

But I'm empty and alone, without you by my side
3% uncertainty is all it takes to shatter dreams . . . all I wanted was your honesty, that's all I gave you . . . I guess I was terribly wrong about you . . . VK.
202 · Mar 2016
Together & Alone
JRL Mar 2016
Every time I try I just ******* fail.
Will I die alone, with no one to hold me close?
Isolation, never to leave the comfort of familiar.
It kills me inside, but I know I have to change.
The one time I'm brave I thought I got lucky,
Lucky because it seemed like love so genuine.
Who could've predicted that love so bold and passionate would burn out so quickly and cold?
I say never again!
Never again be so bold, because I'll just fail.
Like I do every ******* time.
The irrationality of situational irony,
Love could, and will, spark from a dormant tinder,
Glowing hot beneath the darkness of isolation.
How on earth will I change now!?
I get brave then it works out only to fail later.
**** this. Who knew love was so ambiguous?
Whoever can attain love, I envy – miserably.
It makes me sick to know that others know the taste of true love, the taste of sweet, tangible love.
They always told me to wait; it's been so long.
They always told me she's out there; alone without me.

I guess we both have this in common – at least we can be restless together and alone.
201 · Dec 2017
'One Up'
JRL Dec 2017
DON’T EVER!
FOR ANY REASON!
EVER TALK TO ME OR ASK QUESTIONS!
Though it’s admittedly your fault…
We speak volumes to instigate change,
Since you always have to be right,
Your ‘one-up’ only exacerbates your lack of humility – emphasizing your arrogance.

THINGS THAT BOTHER OTHERS DON’T BOTHER ME!
I TRY TO IGNORE IT!
BECAUSE IT’S NOT IMPORTANT!
Is there any way to encourage responsibility or transparency?
If your pet peeve is accountability – then you live vicariously through us.
We are responsible and live your life.
EMPTY PROMISES!

Treat me like an ignorant idiot – I LOSE RESPECT FOR YOU!
Everyone is replaceable – I’M INDISPENSABLE!
It’ll take weeks for you to recover.
DISCONNECTED FROM DAILY REALITY!
Pockets padded you will never understand the struggle.

LIVE WHAT YOU PREACH!
YOUR WORDS ARE EMPTY!
THIS IS WHY I’LL NEVER LIVE FOR YOU!

STAND UP! (LET’S GO! LET’S GO!)
WE HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE! (LET’S GO! LET’S GO!)
I LIVE WITH CONVICTION NOT EMOTION
**CAPS lyrics are meant to be screamed/***** vocals
**standard type are meant to be spoken

Oh Sleeper | Beartooth | Oceans Ate Alaska | Novelists | Silent Planet
196 · Aug 2015
Take Her Home
JRL Aug 2015
(God) Let me be the one
           who takes her home  (who takes you home)
           to call her mine          (to call you mine)
           we'll live forever
184 · Mar 2018
I'm only human.
JRL Mar 2018
You always tell me what I do wrong
. . point out all my mistakes

. . correction unto perfection
I don't want to settle for less but I'm
giving my best.. and it's not enough . .

What must I do to satisfy you?
- become you? can't I be myself, have my own
life, make my own decisions, have my own convictions?

I wanna live like I'm alive
Freedom (Free?) to be myself

I'm unique but yet the same as you.

I'm only human.
Winter 2011
Wow! Looking back at old hand-written journals really takes me back in time! I just turned 25 this year - reminiscing is a sweet thing.
182 · Jan 2017
[untitled]
JRL Jan 2017
To everyone who never knew
Never knew I had a voice
A reason to be heard . .
To be silent no more!
I am royalty, born for such a time as this.
Silent screams no longer fill my lungs.
October 22, 2016
Diamonds: F#maj7 - C#maj7 - E - B x2
                    F#min7 - C#min7 - E - B x2
              Vs: C#m7
                    C#m7 - A - E
Esther 4:14
173 · Mar 2016
More than I have to give
JRL Mar 2016
Let's not get emotional here
You want more than I have to give
Don't make this into what it's not meant to be
I hesitate because I just don't know What the future holds
How can I ever know?
173 · Mar 2016
This Is Love (together)
JRL Mar 2016
There's nothing as magnificent!
Unrest fills my heart . . . Don't forget!
Exclusive solitude – serene and sacred
Your nerves pulsate – my touch calms them
Your embrace gives me worth and meaning.
Interlocked – your arms on mine, it brings me security
I kiss your neck as you wrap your arms around me.
Our hearts beat in tandem, like clockwork.
Never will I forget this moment! This moment of passion, of grace.
No one will ever match your beauty – serene and secure.
Warm to the touch – this is trust.
As I gaze into your eyes I'll never forget!
You and I will never be the same – together.
157 · Sep 2018
Take me now!
JRL Sep 2018
Take me now!
So sick of living this way,
no pleasure or purpose because happiness
isn't worth living for.

The pain of existence is too much to bear,
but I've learned to thrive.

Lost, and broken, with a decaying life.
Numb to the pain that burdens the heart,
another lifeless body in the road.

It's the fear of knowing that everything we've
become is dead and complacent.
Who can know the weight of existence?

Speak the Truth!
See through the murky lies that permeate
our predictable culture.

A sea of Apathy: moral convictions mean nothing.
It's a thick suffocating smoke filling the minds of all who
breathe it in - in the end we are left with nothing.
2018; this piece could easily fit into a spoken-word progressive metalcore composition maybe Silent Planet style with more emphasis on the wording than musical technicality. This written work came from a particularly dark place in my life earlier this year feeling lost and purposeless. I'm back on track now! As it's been said before, "If there's no meaning, there'll be no inspiration" (~ABR)  and:
“Sunny days wouldn't be special if it wasn't for rain
Joy wouldn't feel so good if it wasn't for pain
Death gotta be easy, ‘cause life is hard
It'll leave you physically, mentally and emotionally scarred" (~50 Cent)
141 · Mar 2018
SLOWLY.
JRL Mar 2018
We are so different,
It separates us.
Fortunately? Or unfortunately,
At least we don't fight anymore.
I CAN'T RELATE! I CAN'T RELATE!
You don't understand,
You have no empathy or compassion,
But I can't blame you for that.
Siblings, yes.
Were we ever friends? WHO WILL KNOW?
Will I ever be good enough for you?
Or am I just your ****** up kid brother,
18 months makes all the difference.
NEVER ENOUGH! I'LL NEVER BE ENOUGH
I'll always be a mess,
Inglorious hero,
And you're ******* perfect.
IT'S THE DEMON INSIDE MY HEAD!
That's what you told me, "just be better."
Times will never be like they used to be,
You're the hero - NOT ME.
Now **** the victim you made of me,
SLOWLY.
CAPS are meant to be screamed
standard are meant to be sung

2/27/18
135 · Mar 2018
The Situation.
JRL Mar 2018
Frustrated beyond words.
The dysfunction is far reaching,
And I cannot influence change.
Complacency has rooted deep in the system,
Ignore the problem 'til it rears its ugly face,
Cure the symptom to no end - the heart is rotting and will stop beating,
Those who see this don't endure,
They warn, advocate for change - retrospect: futile efforts wasted.
There truly is no hope,
The strategy will never align with the mission - with the vision never to be achieved.
Wasting resources to gain resources will never balance - the wounds are deep for those who bled and died for the cause.
Failure is eminent - why does it take so long to admit failure?
It's no small matter, lives are at stake - but the dollar means more than the grief-stricken lives damaged and violated.
#dysfunctional management #can't take it anymore #millennial #motivation #I'm the change
130 · Feb 2019
Lifeline
JRL Feb 2019
"If there's no meaning, there'll be no inspiration" ~August Burns Red
This quote is from August Burns Red's song Lifeline off their 2017 record Phantom Anthem;

This quote holds such deep meaning to me. When I first listened to the song in 2017 I was at a pivotal point in my life both personally and professionally. I was a non-traditional pre-med student working an entry level job in healthcare as a medical billing specialist. Setback on my MCAT scores were keeping me from acceptance into medical school. I was in a bad place mentally because I was hanging everything on the prospective job: my sense of self-worth, happiness, and professional identity. Yes, I was committed to doing whatever it took to become the physician I desire to be, but my MCAT proved to be the biggest hurdle in my pursuit. More than pushing myself intellectually and academically to do well on the exam I realized my tenacity wasn’t lacking but rather I was my own worst enemy in my ‘no compromise’ aspiration to become an osteopathic physician. I was self-limiting opportunities because, “it’s not in my plan”
My biggest mistake in the process of pursuing medicine was the blinders I held to my own eyes. It really started in 2014 when I began my first application cycle investigating medical school programs. From 2014 through 2017 I pursued entrance into osteopathic medical programs while studying and re-taking the MCAT. Osteopathic philosophy was the most attractive feature and captivated me as an idealistic pre-med student, I was convinced it was the most practical way to practice medicine. As I’ve matured and worked in healthcare now for 4 years I’ve realized I don’t have to compromise those philosophies. A physician is a leader who leads with conviction – osteopathic medicine was the movement, the subsector that I closely identified with, maybe not too dissimilar to Meyers-Briggs personality traits or horoscope sign descriptions.
More than anything in 2017 I came to terms with my faith as the driving force, the motivation and inspiration behind my pursuit and desire to serve others with medicine. I returned to my theist roots and pressed into my spiritual community which has since become the best decision I could make. Personally I have never experienced liberation like I have in admitting that I don’t have all the answers and I’m not dictating my own life purpose. It’s a relief to trust in a higher being that guides and leads me in accordance with His plan and purposes. My tattoo reminds me that despite my failings and shortcomings, I have a unique purpose and all I have to do is ask. No matter if I’m in the highest of highs or lowest depression I can look up amidst the chaos and know there is a God and he works all things for my good – given I serve, trust, and love him with all that I am and have to give.
Inspiration and creativity for me personally is contingent on my spiritual state and faith. When I get impatient and act in my own strength I lose sight of my own sense of purpose. In the fall of 2018 a thought came into my head – one that I said I’d never consider: applying to international Caribbean medical programs. At first I immediately thought back to my commitment as an undergraduate that I would not consider Caribbean schools even as a last resort because of the “stigma” and reputation. After seriously considering my options and researching different programs I realized the “stigma” was overstated, inaccurate, and exaggerated. After just 3 months of strong consideration I pulled the trigger and applied. I never had any doubt I was/am a good candidate for medical school despite my low MCAT scores and I wasn’t surprised when the invitations to interview rolled in my email inbox.
I’m overjoyed to announce that I received an offer to attend Saba University College of Medicine. I couldn’t have made it this far without the support of my community or without the inspiration from my creator who motivates me to live and love Him and others with all that I am.
126 · Mar 2018
The Solution.
JRL Mar 2018
Out of favor,
No more grace.
In agony I cry out,
The voice in the storm answers.
Look up amidst the chaos,
See the purpose - and know:
I was made for such a time as this.
Nothing is impossible because I can do all things.
The storm is the reminder that I can't,
Because the perfect creator can,
An I can do all things through Him - nothing is impossible through Him.
There is a way,
Never stop crying out.
His arms reach down,
Endless grace, favor, and love; with the Helper by my side through it all.
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