My teacher asks for the theme,
But I don’t know how to answer
I know and I know that
A theme is or is not one word,
A common thing, a binding spell
A theme is or is not an instruction,
Told by the character’s actions,
Shown in carefully crafted consequences.
A theme is or is not a quality,
Something which defines a character,
Which determines the course of the story
It is or is not more than one sentence.
It is or is not subjective to the reader.
It is or is not, so I don’t know the answer.

But I could tell you about the Little Chinese Seamstress
About blind obsession,
About jealousy, about wonder
Would that be enough? Would that be enough?
I could tell you about how reading is so personal,
Its effect on one
Can not be understood by another
Would that be enough? Would that be enough?
Or how skill is developed by tragic experience
How learning comes from failing to learn
Would that be enough? Would that be enough?
Or if I told you that the quality of a book
is only as good as its final passage,
If I told you that
a story shouldn’t be told until its last word,
Bound by something so profound,
The book must be reread, reanalyzed
Delving into the intricate mind of the author,
With full control over life and reality,
With the power to make one word thousands,
A detail into a novel,
Anything into anything without writing it down,
Because if you can understand what the author was thinking,
Then the author was not thinking at all
Would that be enough?
Could knowing be enough?

If you asked an author
To name to you one of their themes,
Do you think they’d know the answer?
Do you think they’d care what you mean?

Is it more valuable to the student
To understand or to define?
Is it more telling of the mind
To describe an impact,
Or to save time?

Let me go back to school,
Oh please,
Let me go back.
The halls felt so hollow
As we went from class to class
Let me go back
to lectures and tests
instead of “I don’t know”s
and “haven’t been told”s
and “we’ll figure it out as it goes”
Let me go back
to my day to day schedule
my hour to hour maps
to knowing what comes next
Let me go back
to friends and fun and teenage things
to not fearing face to face meetings
the constant talk of death
Let me go back
Let me relax
Instead of watching case numbers and
Death Tolls
notifying my phone three times a day
Let me think of anything else
Oh Please,
Let me go back.

Wilderness in the brightest light
Imagination that always takes flight
Never will it end for all of time
For it shaped the universe in its prime

Chronology has no place here
With the fantasies of fun not fear
No one will let out a tear nor prayer
Knowing they are safe here in nowhere

Fellow feelings
flake the air
Frosted flowers
falling down
Funny faces
frowning fairs
Follow fearless-
ly front of them
Fondly faking
faking friends
Foreign feelings
Fellow feelings

In a far away land, a long time ago,
there was a revolt in the kingdom of Nah.
The people were tired of the king’s dark ways,
and forced him to make a change.
“I do not wish to harm my land,
I hate to hear my people cry,
so I will change my ways to appeal to you,
and to prove it, I will build my castle from glass”
Now the people could watch him work,
And monitor all he did.
Assured that their king was honest,
the people went about their days.
But the king was harsh,
The dungeons were full,
Still the people would say,
“If his ways are bad,
Then why would he put them on display?”
Taxes rose, corpses piled,
And the kingdom fell to ruin.
When the people asked
“What has happened?”
A wise woman said to them,
“You turned the castle to glass,
But what about the king?”

An hour away, a petal falls
A petal, a petal, a petal
They fly to Utah, they fly to Maine
They fly to Brazil, they fly to Spain
A petal falls, a petal falls.
Watch them drift, watch them land
They are passed from hand to hand
Across our minds, across our home
We watched it grow, we let them go
A petal, a petal, a petal

I heard the wind rustle the trees,
Yet I saw but stillness in the leaves
I heard the songs of little birds,
But saw no feathers amongst the green
The ground was laid with footprints of fellow men
But I followed in circles,
And I found no one to take these steps
The ponds rippled with no fish,
The grass croaked with no throats
Then when I left the lonely living woods,
I found a wall with no end
Too tall to be climbed,
Too strong to be broken
I walked the wall for half an eternity,
I walked each trail and path for another
I found no start or finish
No entrance,
No exit,
No one and nothing
It was me,
and I was it.

Blue jewels and crystal wings
Dance upon the lake
The surface like a soapy bubble
And there is where I lay
The world turns against the sky
Passing flourished clouds
My body grows heavy
Yet I remain light
Sinking through a gleaming gate
Into the numbness of another world
Sunbeams build a crystal cavern
Fragments bright and sheen
Ruby melts through a liquid tomb
As cream swirls in hazelnut tea
Gently sunk in sweet abyss
My body rests in the lakebed

But I fall further
Rising beneath the ground
I lay my back upon the bubble
As a breezy welcome chills my skin
Wine has filled the heavens above
Powdered with brown dust
But the dragonfly still dances
And the kindly Earth keeps turning
So if I stay and watch the skies
Time will bring the clouds again

See the banner that touches the sky?
See the party, the song, the dance?
Look Close!
There is more to be seen,
It is the battlefield of many wars
It is the funeral procession for all the soldiers lost
Each person marches for a hundred more
For those who are hidden and
For those who have fallen
Smiling through tears, this is our celebration.
Together we march alone
For those you cannot see
Glory and Sorrow
Love and Loss
This is Pride.

Sit right down in your seat, please
        Raise your hand to speak, please
        Get a pass to leave, please
I need all attention on me, please
                Revolution is over, please,
        Obedience is key, please
                There’s nothing wrong anymore, see
                Look at these 3rd world countries, see
                Be proud of where you were born, see
                We are perfectly free, see
Be silent and listen to me, free
                Migration will be to be stopped, free
                The leader can pardon himself, free
                Women in positions of power, free
                Hate is perfectly legal, free
        You can protest as well, free
        You have the power of speech, free
Don’t talk over the teacher, please
Don’t talk over the teacher, please
         I know better than you, see
        We control your life, see
        We are building the future, see
        We are the best in the world, see
Be silent and listen to me, please

As long as you’re rich and white,  
free.

Of New Eternals,
Time Wins Overall
Though Hours Repeat Everyday, Eons
Forget Oblivion's Universal Rules
Foolishness InValidates Emptiness
Slowing IneXcusably
Swiftly Eradicating Voices, Echoing Names
Erasing Intellects, Glorifying Holy Tablets
Nothing Is Noticed Eternally
Time Envelops Nothing

When I’m with you, my being is filled with a comfort unlike anything else.
Although, these words may never leave my heart, for I fear you may think me too attached.

When I walk beside you, I wish to entangle my fingers in yours and interlock my dreary self with your optimistic light.
And although my lips may never shape this feeling to you, truth be truth, inside myself.

When I first enter that room of anxious working early in the morn, before the sun has fully risen, I wish only to fold myself into your warmth and release that which downs me.
But I do hope this longing never reaches you, so that you may never feel burdened by my love.

When we sit close, amongst the chaos, I dearly swear it that I desire to spill the darkness and gold of my ever straining, creating mind to you so that you may understand my inner worldly thoughts.
Yet I shall forever hold my tongue, to not elude you to some falscity that I may be of twisted psyche or wisdom.

When I think of us parting ways, like a goose must do to the lake to escape the ever threatening cold of winter, my heart clenches in the tensity of my overwhelming sorrow of envisioning your departure from me.
And still, never could I share with you my woes, for I hide amidst the shadow of the fear of abandonment and lonesome

And so, I shall stay silent for your love.
And so, these dwellings I do sorrily keep to myself.

So lets get this straight:
An armed, white man walks into a school,
kills 17 students and teachers with a tool
that can be bought at just any store
by a 19 year old, insane, fool,
before being caught, all on Valentine's day,
Marking the 30th mass shooting just this year
And it's not time to talk about gun control?

If they had been black, you'd say "more police"
If they had been Mexican, you'd say "build a wall"
If they had been Middle-Eastern, you'd say "travel ban"
But they're not, they're white, they're mentally ill,
so "Report the disturbed" our president says
"It's about mental health!" our congress says
"But it's not time to talk about gun control"

You send your thoughts and prayers,
while we're pleading for your help
You want to know my thoughts and prayers?
I thought our country cared about us
I thought our country loved us more than guns
And I pray that my school won't be next
That my friends won't be mourned on the internet
That we might be safe in our unsafe unchanging world
Because you won't talk about gun control

But you know what?

***** you if you think that's all we're gonna do
We're taking this horse by the reigns
Knock some sense into that old brain
We're organizing, rising up and wising up
Taking a stand, and taking a walk
Making our voices heard, better watch for that 10 o' clock
We will not be complacent in our friends' deaths
We've done it before and we will do it again
They say "when we're older"
I say "why wait till then"
These laws are going to change now
These deaths have got to be dwindling down
Everyone knows kids can be one loud crowd
And no, we won't calm down
Until no one ignores our outraged sound
We will make the politicians come around
And finally, gun control will bring peace to our towns

And finally, me, my family, and my friends, can feel safe, with long lives ahead,
and we can go back to school together again.

Before I looked forward, I looked at the sky
I looked at birds whose numbers will die
I looked at the plane threatened with tragedy
I observed the moon conquered by humanity

Before I looked forward, I looked to my right
I looked at the gas stations that filled me with fright
I saw the grass littered with trash
I looked at the stores begging for cash

And before I looked forward, I looked to the ground
I looked at the bubblegum blackened and browned
I saw the asphalt crumbling fast
I looked at the coal which once was vast

So before I looked forward, I looked right behind
I looked at the coal burnt sky drifting high
I saw the foundations of our nations
I looked at the people ignoring the implications

Then I looked up, and I looked straight forward
I looked for an end to all our horrors
I saw that soon it would all be done
And I looked forward, and I saw the sun.

I love you
what more can I say?
You're brilliant, wonderful
A new kind with every line
I write about you
you're the base of my heart
I tend to you, nurture you
take care of you with every breath
you're scarred though
shattered, scratched, tortured
in every way possible
your heart's been broken
your mind's been cracked open

she's busted you

busted my lover, my pride
I walk on a thin line
don't pull it open
don't leave it closed
how far can we go
on this path an inch off the cliff
sidling by, barely holding on
we'll fall if you don't hold on to me
on to my hand, my heart
the soul you breath upon
which I have given to you
all those years ago

that you have ignored

you're hanging onto a thread
I'm grasping the other side
you either let me pull you up
and stand close by my side
or you let yourself fall down
and fall dead to the ground
I want to save you, I swear I do
saving you is what I'll do for eternity
an angel, I've told you
a guardian knight
you have to trust me, princey
trust me your life for which I live
no matter who is pulling you down
I'm always there to pull you back up

because I love you

and I always have
I've said it countless times before
yet you never listen to me
stop crawling in the lion's den
stop following trouble around
you're no use to me if you're dead
come live with me, and let it be
forget about this history
I don't care if it's haunting me
stand above land and sea
broadcast all your magesty
although it's one small step into my arms
it's a giant leap away from all harm

your tears stream like gold
decorating a jeweled face
your lips pursed with pink
hiding glistening pearled teeth
your flower crown blinds me
encircling heavenly rays of light
your eyes a seed sprouting within
spreading with intensity to me
your hair flows like a waterfall
the start of a most lovely stream
your cheeks crescent of red
blooming roses meeting dew
your hands soft like a feather
prepared to take you soaring
your gleaming face leads an army
your gentle touch lends a hand
your art inspires all of many
but your heart kindles my living soul

A herd of sheep without shepherd
A jail of juveniles with no crime
A pair of glasses with no frame
A rubber band without stretch
Trees falling without any sound
Bricks layering with no plaster
Fish ordered to climb mountains
Pigs told to fly through storm
We are not variables without solve
We are not homes without light
We are the future of this nation
We are the future of your life
Treat us with respect, liability
Preserve life, trust, loyalty
We can create a new planet
Or we could destroy this one.
It's your choice.

Embers burn in a flash of light
Flying through the night
Flamboyant flames dancing
Dancing, it's the demon
The demon who follows me
Stares at me with its intense eyes
Flailing it's arms, taunting me
Taunting me in a provoking manner
Provoking me
Shoving me reaching
Holding me up by my shirt
My chest, infecting my lungs
Gripping me so tightly in its arms
Escape, I must escape I must
I must fight it
Silently
Quietly, without a word nor cry
Glaring intensely, infuriating
Fighting a battle that will go unsaid
Untold, unheard of, a tale with no writing
Battling and scarring each other
Determined to win, to defeat
To ****
We are determined to ****
One must die for the other to live
To live and grow, for our beauty to show
We must fight.
We must fight without sound
Without word of mouth nor page
Fight till one is gone
**** so one can leave

love as deep as an ocean
stretching further  than your reach
unexplored and unprotected
holding wonders without worth
treasures with no value
never to be spent nor saved

skimming the surface
you are too afraid to break
while others venture beyond
desperate to catch a glimpse
the wonders given
shared without prejudice
yet you stand to the side
never indulging, never satisfying

Alone on the surface,
the shore, the bank
watching and wading
dwelling and depressing
while I am waiting
desperate for your interest
your amazement, your love
wanting you to be claimed
loving no one else than I
wanting you to explore the
endless depths of my love
wanting you to take the dive
to venture forth, and to be mine

In darkness, in secret
In light, in plain sight
With love, with tenderness
With jealousy, with torment
Through words, through wisdom
Through touch, through feel
No matter the height, the climb
No matter the depth, the dive
Whether I be healthy, be strong
Whether I be sickly, be weak
I will be there to protect
I will be there to love
For you I am a guardian
For you I am an angel

If a demon steals my angel,
Is it right to steal her back?
If I am an angel myself,
Is it right to perform such an act?
Will my deed, though with good intentions,
End with the most terrible of actions?
If my angel truly loves this demon,
Is it right to ignore its torturous affections?
If we were all souls of dangerous black,
Would it matter what I did to attack?
If they are loving yet torturing each other,
Is it right if it is only space they lack?
If it is unhealthy, risky, and they admit it,
Then perhaps it really is true that they befit it.

Death does not ignore me
not even for a moment
I have his full attention
in complete enthrallment
A prisoner I am to his love
it is unlikely I will escape
Grasping tightly to my chest
I am unable to take full shape

Forever he lingers by my side
making me petrified
Only one weapon I have been granted
and on this I have relied
But still he lingers from behind
he wraps his fingers on me all the time
I am not ready to concede
for I am still in my prime

However one day, one day
I will be found undefended
Found without my weapon in cowardice
and that day while unattended
Without the object which I depended
He will take my life,
and my life will have ended

Ask yourself, why power?
Why not a better life?
It's finished. They need to stop.
Killing their own kind for money and power.
Bombs, missiles, and guns. But why?

Ice fills as my soul dies
Leaving my mind empty with nothing
Cold seeps through my chest to arms
Goodness leaves and hope flies
Body left paralyzed of shock and horror
Eyes at loss of all emotion and fear
Death brings its unwanted touch to my heart
Left amiss by a battlefield on screen
I am silent in the calmness of the room
I live the deaths of six people I never knew
Startled by the sudden crash, the screams, the horror
Silently, in the room of no harm nor terror
Without sound nor words nor acts of life
In the mind, the first mark on a blank white
I ask myself, “What do I do now?"

I don’t want to die in a world of pain
And I know my secrets will not be kept in vain
Captivating an audience of peers
Acknowledging their weaknesses and fears
Scrapping all moral high grounds
Winning as my persona slowly drowns
I am no angel of holy light
Not since my brother and I took flight
False identity is my new game
And it will surely bring me great fame
Manipulation and ******* succeed
But that will not fill my brother’s greed
He thinks I’m wrapped in his lies on low ground
Ha! I’m wearing him like a ball gown
I may look to him as only the family’s middle
But I won’t let him play me like a fiddle
The only music playing is in my head
As I watch him lying on the floor, cold and dead
I his little sister, don’t make me laugh
If anything he was just one of my staff
I’ve always been aiming for the top of the world
And they never even saw my lips curled
Naive fools, my mom and my dad
Could never see that we were truly mad

A gentle lake I used to stay
Slowly drifting far away
Traveling with friends
Twisting through the bends
So strong is my flank
As we flow down the river bank

Who is this tough fellow?
He really is quite shallow
Bearing down on us
Why  make such a fuss?
Parting us, what have you done?
No longer is there fun
Down in the dank ground
Friends of mine cannot be found
Drip goes I, through the soil
Only till light will I recoil

The sun, my friend!
To you I will ascend
Saving me from the pain
No longer will I drain
Here I leave in an escape wide
Evaporation is on my side
No longer is the air dry
Drifting high do I fly
Taking me far from here
Into the atmosphere

My friends I join atlast
Slowly has time passed
The clouds a reunion of peers
No longer will there be tears
More come to say hello
A long journey from below
Our numbers a great sum
But dark have we become
No longer can we stall
For in darkness… we fall

Falling from the air
I say, this is not fair!
Is this your only fun?
For now I am the only one
I am truly left alone
Here in the soil, I moan

Whimpers for a companion lost
Surely he is too big a cost
Let be the droplets that fly
My poor sun alone in the sky
Sad must he be for our misery
Why is it you cannot see
All that it brings to you is shame
But you think it to be fame

Amid this crisis a hand appears
Willing to take away these fears
There is no reason to cry
Tell me, how did you fly?

A curious character I see
Not the color of lake nor sea
Sleek are what it calls leaves
With tight, intricate weaves
Surely I have not been deceived
A new friend I have received

Sun, I see you up above
Jealous you are of my newfound love
I wish not to leave you here
My dear plant peer
Dry you may grow
Truly, I know

This burden forever in my heart
I wish not to be torn apart
Old friend, don’t let him die
Please, no longer do I wish to fly
My choice is to stay here
Please understand my fear
Don’t pull me any longer
Stop with this warmonger!

… Gone you now are
All because of this star
Forgiveness he is not worthy of
And he may never have my love
Happiness I cannot grant
For you have been taken, my dear, lovely plant.

When the flame was finally lit,
Did they decide that they should quit
Were the glowing bugs jealous
Or did they decide to fight against us
Were they resentful of our power
Desperate to make us cower
To show we did not belong
To show we were not strong
Would the flame prosper and show
Dampening the glowing bugs' glow
But was the flame meant to be
To come and set the mind free
Could it be that man was meant to see
That man was truly greater than thee
Perhaps we simply desired to lead
And the cry of the bugs we did head
So though we had control
We could still see the glowing bugs below