Generosity is not in giving what you have aplenty
But in sharing what you lack
Altruism is in balancing the scales of suffering
Even if you have only half a sandwich
Then two people
Are only half hungry

Cassie Lane Gray, ever so slight of frame
Hit harder than a train, playing her martial games
Cassie ran eight miles a day, and she never strayed
Her routine was tough as iron, her boxing gloves were frayed

Her momma put her in ballet, but later on, she disobeyed
Strapping wraps to wrists, uppercut finisher each day
And when she said she wanted to box, her momma turned away
But she was gonna fight, with no one in her way

Cassie Lane Gray grew up poor in San Jose
Never had much to say, just wanted in the fray
Her ballet, in a way, made her opponents pay
As she moved with dancer's sway, they later would convey

Cassie's family prayed that she would portray
The sweet and simpering visage of a classy dame
But it wasn't in the cards, for Cassie Lane Gray
The "Bantam Weight Ballerina"
A strong young fighting woman
Was in the ring to stay

We do not make art,
Art makes us

Every word, every note, every brush-stroke

And every joy,
Every wonder,
Every tear,
And every pain,

Is part of us

She plunged it in, alright
A tight twist to a tiny hand,
With no solemn apology...
Such harsh and hard steel-
Such hard and harsh cuts-
To such soft flesh,
Now marred by red ruts

She never whimpered,
She never groaned,
She never smiled,
She never moaned.
She stood in one place,
As she let the blade slide,
And felt not a thing
As the knife slid inside

She remained like a statue-
So still like the steel,
Examining the accurate
Lines she had made.
And in one brief moment
She stole a glance from her place
To check the oxygen mask
Secured to my face

Your strength
Is indissoluble
And absolute
Like the weather

It may change
And fade away
But it will
Always return

Its shape
Is indeterminable
Its weight
Is unmeasurable
Its power
Is invaluable
Its presence
Is indissoluble

Cassius Bartholomew, a dapper gentleman
Oh, two-toned fuzzy suit, and smile so genuine
Regarding his tough muscles, a good workout regimen
Gracious with affection, his love is never tentative
I greatly love that Cash, so I write these sentences

Cassius is a cuddle monster who snuggles day or night
Oh, that Cashboy is such a manly man despite his tiny height
Ruggedly running through rolling hills, superlative delight
Gusto! Cash's cry of joy when his name you cite
I hope you understand by now, Cash's character's airtight

Cassius is a Corgi, a big-eared loaf of bread from end to end
Cashboy is the best of dogs
He's truly man's best friend

Trouillot once said,
"We all serve as actors and narrators
That compose the truth of history"

Your 'now' is tomorrow's history,
Your decisions will echo and ripple,
Will you act a courageous scene?
And speak truth,
To cut through pools of lies?

Never let anyone silence you,
And that includes yourself

rea chfor m eand ** pei mho me
i havenev erwa ntedy oum ore
y ou rreflec tioninm y mirr or
s o surreal ire member you rt ouch

Stop
hiding behind
rationalizations
and excuses
for your
cruel behavior,
savage taunts,
wicked ways,
life failures,
evil thoughts,
feeble resilience,
weak fortitude,
that have left
a trail
of those who
loved you
and face yourself,
by yourself.

With hard hammers and soft glibness
They approached the forest,
It's encroaching majesty looming,
threatening to overwhelm

Sharp tools were used to trim,
To tear and rend through supple vine,
Felling great trees
As flames engulfed the underbrush

Each man and woman smiled,
exchanging thoughtful pleasantry,
Hi-fives and good-hearted jokes;
Completion of a hard days task

They returned the next day,
Trucks full of building materials,
Tools in rough calloused hands
Only to find the forest renewed

The forest had returned
With a mighty vengeance,
Unapologetic at it's thicker growth,
Looming over the workers

Greater tools of destruction were wielded
Attacking the forest,
Until barely a stem or stump stood
And cries of shared victory echoes

Yet the following day
The forest stood again, in quiet majesty,
Man and woman will never learn;
No matter the tinkering
We are not the masters of nature
But mastered by it

Muddy boots and snow thawing
Next to central fireplace
A heat that bakes the ***** floor
A floor to which we all walk
Day in and day out
As leaves fall from trees
Until the day
We lay face-up
With hands folded
As we return back to
This dark baked clay

oh naught is a child taught.  patriot.  hating it.  standing for the silver bells.  scream upon the idiot box until the blind deaf dumb - unfounded in your belief.  whosoever holds the sword is sworn to the hoard and sits above board as you swing for your lord.
deafening is the caw of crows
a grave upon to plant rose
in rows of swaying circles
as the world comes back around

and you sit silently and cough as they turn off the camera.  finally alone

A griffon fights leviathan upon my left forearm
As phoenix rises underneath, regal rebirth from the war

Clouds adorn my bicep
Created as a place to play
For curious birds drawn out of bones;
Symbols of life's pain

A charm is etched into my chest
To ward away the wickedness,
That surrounds me on my path

And cheaply done tribal
on my right shoulder,
A remnant to teenage aftermath

A mural of light and dark is juxtaposed
From left to right upon my back
Serves me as a guiding light
And reminds me of my proper track

Art is created of many forms
And each of their beauties is akin
I am living cautionary tale
And a gorgeous canvas made of skin

i shoulda
woulda coulda
stayed and fought
your screams
grew too angry
your temper grew too hot
you brandished
cruel mistakes made
like serrated knives
i fled and hid
knees buckling
at this domestic strife
i swore
i'd grow the strength
to come back inside
but never did
my backbone grow
my resolve just up and died
i wish
i was more powerful
and clung to you so tight
but i just
got into my truck
and drove away that night

In nature, beauty and strength coalesce
In nature, only the strong survive
In nature, strength determines life's longevity
Be strong I think, as I open my front door

Tiny sliver of wood
placed in accident
beneath fingernail
or under skin
stings greater
in the moment
than gunshot or knife.
For a splinter
always pokes
at our carelessness
and pierces straight
our most useless
*****: pride

Her tears soak my shoulder
As her grip grows ever tight
Her daddy got a new job
No longer working longest nights
I utter just a sniffle
As my hand glides along her back
So much more than a friend
Is leaving on those steel train tracks
That moment drags on forever
As she reminds me what we've been through
And abruptly she grabs her things and leaves
And I'll never get the chance to say
"I love you"

Goodbye Jody

If you dream you are a bird, you cannot wake to flight
If you dream you are a shark, teeth and gills shall not come
You may dream of wrongs being righted
And of fair and deserving treatment for all
But your dreams will ring hollow
For dreams are beautiful errands for fools
That come freely without consequence
And change happens in waking hours
Which is paid for in blood, sweat, and tears

She tied a black ribbon around my wrist
Like a dark lake reflecting moonlight
And in my enchantment, I missed
The ribbon was tied far too tight

She tied a black ribbon around my neck
So cold on my skin like ice
And in my fervor, I failed to see
The ribbon was knotted up thrice

She tied a black ribbon around my heart
Winding its way through my veins
She gave a tug, and I gave a start
As her ribbon turned out to be chains

You held all the putty knives
Twisted-time arrows made of 40 oz dreams
Silken ropes used for belts
Just to hang me where I stand

I saw your popsicle stick ****** rifle
A ****** scout wearing a sandstorm veil
I can hear you whisper in the wind
As you crept into my heart

I hope your pink-haired clown mask fit
Never reveal your true identity
Never let them see your true intention
As you cut out my heart for feasts

Just because you bring flowers
Doesn't mean they can't turn
Into blood-covered razor blades
As you made all your decisions

Where on person can spin gold from straw,
Another squeeze silver into clutter
A positive attitude will always determine;
Who makes precious metal,
And who swims in seas of *******

The weight of love is tremendous;
heavy like gold,
worn like manacles,
bourne by those
with or without it
The tragedy of love is catastrophic;
deeply rooted,
never gentle,
comes and goes
as it pleases
The world of love is pure savagery;
battles raging,
without survivors,
everyone is
love's refugee
The weight of love is tremendous;
Yet still a burden I wish to bear

-in honor of Matthew Hennigan, Vinson Adkinson and everyone else who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their brothers and sisters in arms, you are missed every day

Oh, sweet empty mountain
in your quiet majesty,
Overwatching flowing rivers
meandering through a hushed valley,
And the sparsely growing forest
littered with ruins of times forgot,
In this silent, flowing landscape
for which many nations have fought

Oh, the things you've seen oh mountain,
from triumph to betrayal
To lovers' first awkward kiss,
and children battling so playful
And in waves, you saw it change,
one year peace, the next year tense
You have witnessed arc of all mankind,
each and every sad offense

You witnessed the day when they sat
upon your steep marble mountainside,
Wrapped in ratty tan blankets,
whose purpose was to let them hide
And fingers lay on naked triggers,
muzzles pointed to the road
Cloaked men carried bandoliers,
so their gunners needn't reload

And in the early dawn of light,
the first 'crack' echoed off your side
As a battlefield erupted,
the roaring of a violent fight
Oh, you ancient hunk of rock,
overseeing all as many died
In the distance could you hear,
the faint sound as we all cried?

Rest in peace you glorious *******
I love you Matty and Vinny
I'll see you again one day

He proffered his gloved hand filled with guarantee
His blue eyes flickered greedily like the swirling of the sea
His hair was dark and soft, as if of silken twine
His crocodile smile beckoned, "your soul it will be mine"

His arms and legs bent to and fro, waving impossibly
I could smell his want burning my nose ever so pungently
His deal, he swore, "Was better than any I'd ever know"
He towered over, leaning forth, his wickedness did grow

A red bowtie, two-button suit, his clothes immaculate
I stared at him, wondering, too much time to contemplate
And in the end, I shook his hand, my resistance was futile
Each of us has fallen for a dark reptilian smile

Yep,
I did it
I finally filled the halls
300 soldiers of word, standing by
300 birds, let out of the cramped cage
300 thoughts, marching down the street
A soft fire flickering
With 300 feet of smoke

I poured everything
Of myself, of my fears
All my hopes and love
Everything I've dreamt
And all the beats,
Of my sometimes mechanical heart
Into these poems

300 poems like a small kingdom
Each one, catharsis
Each one, a frustration
Each one, a gift
Like the old sweaters;
Grandma gives each Christmas

And on this day,
I ***** a pinnacle
To each moment of anger,
Each feeling of love,
Each pain that echoes,
Each sign of creativity,
And look over the pain of life

I want to read your poems
I want to know I'm not alone
Take everything of yourself;
And melt it into a colorful pen
Write until your fingers bleed
And share of yourself
Never be afraid
We are your peers,
We are your lovers,
We are your friends,

And just as your have been,
for me
We will always be here,
For you.

I eat, sleep, breath a self rendition
A puppet acting what should be,
The greatest work of art;
Life

Yet, arms and legs
Are bound in fallow strings;
Like earth-binding vines,
meant to drag the angels down

Never hold tight;
Gripping all our mistakes,
Like a life-raft,
In a churning sea, we have yet to understand

All footsteps,
Disturb the gravel ground,
As we lead them,
Or they lead us,
Towards whatever goal we choose

I watch kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall
I've seen you live a thousand lives
And witnessed every awkward kiss in two-door hatchbacks
I've seen every fist thrown in anger
And every expression of love through art
I've seen every tyrant rise to power
And every act of a strong people pull them down in chains
Then they rise to an ultimate greatness
And although the pattern always repeats
I rather enjoy the last one

Define yourself in your own terms
Let triumph wash over you
Bask in the glow of your own definitions
Walk free surrounded in your own truth
One man walked on the moon
As one man learned to walk again
One woman sacrificed for a nation
As one woman became a citizen of her new home
A family of famous daredevils
And a family that got their son clean
Don't let others define your triumph
Be great
Act great
Revel in your accomplishments
And love your limits while breaking them