Oh, that?
That little trinket- I nearly forgot- really.
Little trinkets, tinkering tangible objects,
can be quite fun, believe me.
I’ve had my fair share of fond memories.

You know the saying, “Reduce, reuse, recycle.”
Sometimes I do that with my words.
Reduce, let loose, reuse, abuse, recycle-
the cool thing with words is that they are multifaceted,

But, gosh dangit, sometimes there aren’t rhyming words with “recycle”.... So you do just that: recycle- again (and again, and sometimes again, but, this time, paraphrased)

Anyways. Unfortunately, my tired brain forgets,
So unless I jot it down well,
those goals with their multi-facets,
I underestimate them until they reveal themselves.

By this time, it may be too late,
but I forget how I’m young.
However, If I were to be blatantly
honest, hearing this, at first, stung.

Growing up, you hear about lists
and how people want to accomplish
certain things- you get the jist.
The standard I set for myself flourished

In the environment I was given,
but only after I was old enough to drive,
know how finances operated for livin’,
so that I may be successful. To thrive.

I’m sorry to bore you with my words:
my tales of unforeseen potential.
Growing up is fun, but I’ve learned
how the use of those trinkets are circumstantial:

You gotta know when to take advantage of them.

I spent my whole life on a ledge,
Safe.
Watching people of all different shapes, sizes, colors, and places,
Fall for this thing called "love".
No matter how many times I watched,
It didn't make any kind of sense to me.

It's simple logic,
Statistics,
Physics,
And math.
That if you fall,
Gravity will pull you down,
And you will get hurt.

I was content on that ledge,
With no desire whatsoever,
To follow the masses in the plunge,
Happy,
Until I met you.

You found me there.
Knowing that I was an innocent,
A skeptic,
A challenge,
And you changed my world.

At first we just talked,
Argued,
Laughed,
And talked.
And no matter how hard I tried to get rid of you,
You stayed.

You listened to my hopes, dreams, thoughts, and fears,
You told me yours.
And then one day,
Without any kind of warning,
You jumped,
Right in front of me.

Scared out of my mind,
I ran to the edge and looked down,
But you were fine,
Floating,
Soaring,
Day after day, after day, after day.
And no matter how hard I tried to get you to come back,
You wouldn't.

You teased me,
You coaxed me,
And eventually,
You wore me down.
Because the longer I stayed up there,
The further I was from the only person I wanted to be with,
You.

So I forgot everything I knew,
And I jumped.
At first,
We fell together.
And it was exhilarating,
Powerful,
Magical,
The biggest rush I have ever felt.

But then,
I looked next to me,
And you weren't there anymore.
You stopped.
Without telling me,
Or even teaching me how.

And the rest?
Was pain.
Me watching the ground I was about to crash into move closer,
And closer.
Me looking up,
Searching for you,
Screaming,
Begging for your help,
Reassuring myself that you would save me.
Because after all,
You're the one who told me to jump in the first place.
But I was wrong.

You watched me fall in panic for weeks,
Until I finally smacked into the ground,
And shattered,
Into a million, uneven pieces.
Without any attempt whatsoever to catch me,
Or break my fall.

So here I lay,
Alone and scattered,
In fragments so jagged,
They hurt to touch,
Riddled with the seemingly impossible task of getting myself together,
And back up to where it all began,
The ledge.

there are so many of you
that i would love to sit down with;
maybe over a milkshake and a plate of fries;
and just talk.
i want to ask you about the boy that hurt you,
about the anger you feel deep inside
over a father who said he’d come back...
and then didn’t.
i want to run with you through pages of words and say
“oh that’s right, what a lovely metaphor.”
i want to see all your smiling faces and
thank each and every one of you for showing me kindness,
for saving my life.
i want to collaborate on novels of poetry
and laugh with you through the tears of our pasts.
so until we sip those milkshakes and eat those fries...
thank you, to
some of the most beautiful people i have never met.

It hurts more to succumb to the darkness
Than to resist its emotional drag,
To give into the negativity
And accept the longevity
Of that damp, moldy, abrasive rag,
Than to accept and see the Likeness.

Accept the overwhelming Embrace,
Rather than the darkness of that place.
Overcome. Claim what’s overdue:
The Love, the Peace, and the Grace.

Will you dance with me under the stars
With the crickets playing our tune
While the wind finds it's way through the trees
In the darkness of the new moon

Will you dance with me in a meadow
With the sunlight kissing your cheek
While we dream up the impossible
Adventures we continue to seek

Will you dance with me through the storm
With the cold rain soaking to the core
While we work through our disparity
May we opt to never close the door

Will you dance with me to the edges
With your hand in mine we will go
While exploring all of the boundaries
Comfortable, easy and slow