Have you ever heard of a phantom limb?
It's when someone loses an arm or leg,
but they still experience sensations
as if it's not gone.
It's kind of like when you lose someone.
You still remember their touch on your skin,
and how their hand fit perfectly in yours.
You remember how they smiled
and how it lit up the whole room.
You remember their voice and how the words
that came out of their mouth were perfect and so them.
You feel like they're still there.
But when you realize they aren't,
you experience the same agonizing pain and loss all over again.

The game is not simple
But it's one we all play
Continuously
All day, everyday
Some of us know the rules
We conform to them
Let them mold us
Others make the rules
They break them
And instead, shape them
They change the game
Completely
They're the ones who set the pace
And when the pace becomes harder
Some players get left behind
Unable to keep up
They become stuck at a crossroads
A place between levels of sorts
They're unable to continue
Incapable of finding the key piece to the puzzle
But on the other hand,
A hand that holds a different controller
There are those who excel at the game
These new rules empower them
Enable them to become the best of the best
But then there are also players who try to cheat the game
when they can't keep up
They don't believe in themselves or their potential
They use cheat codes and abuse glitches
While this allows some to go to the next level
For others it means game over
Because when they are caught cheating
There's no going back
What's done is done
So you much choose your actions wisely
Because the game is hard and forever changing
All you can do is hope you find some hints and power ups
And maybe some other players to help you along the way

A poem is flowing liquid
Ready to take on the form of any mold you give it
It fills up the corners and curves
Of any thoughts you wish to preserve

A poem is water,
ready to put out the fires
Of burning tears
And hidden fears

But it is also true
When I say a poem is gasoline
Because it ignites your mind
And all the thoughts it may hold
It burns a hole
through weary souls
And it lets the love and hate
Flow out of golden, sometimes broken gates

I wish I was
Pretty enough
Smart enough
Slim enough
Confident enough
Funny enough
Interesting enough
Nice enough
Good enough
For Me.

How can I ever vie for your
attention
When the girl that sits in front of
you is a conventional beauty
Her legs are toned
No makeup in sight
She's a star athlete
And in the top of her class
It's easy to hate her especially when
she has everything I don't
She doesn't even do anything
And I feel like she has taken
everything away from me

Distance seem unconquerable when a plane ticket and gas cost so much
Thousands of miles in between two souls destined to be friends
Oceans and mountains, languages and cultures, separating them
~
Telephones and computers, online communities and video games, bringing them together
Thousands of miles in between, the Internet making those miles meaningless
Distance is overcome by unlikely friends, reaching out to each other
~
Some friendships blossom into long conversations and love-filled smiles, and some wilt into painful silences and teary goodbyes
Two souls that are brought together will drift apart to meet new ones
Memories will fade while new ones are created

In a time when the world
Is looking for change
And everyone's had enough of the hate
And people are sick of political games
And people are seeking another way
To deal with all the corruption and I can feel a new symphony
And I can see people questioning
Everything going on in the background
And there starting to break out
No more silence
Because that's not the way
Yeah you've got to have your say

Can you feel the pressure uprising
Can you feel the earth tremble beneath your feet
And your eyes are wide open
Seeing information they've never seen
All the production behind the dream
Open up the curtain it's a manipulated scene

In a time we are looking for change
We all start to see
There is a better way
And voices shout out loud
Telling authority
We can't be, pushed around
In a time we are looking for change
We all start to feel
There is another way.

And all this time
How could we be so blind
When there selling weapons
to our enemies and sending out our soldiers to the front lines
What makes them think they can put a price on a life
So that they can gain control of resources that aren't ours
Guess its true money makes the world go round
And all this is spinning out of control

Can you feel the pressure uprising
Can you feel the earth tremble beneath your feet
And your eyes are wide open
Seeing information they've never seen
All the production behind the dream
Open up the curtain it's a manipulated scene

In a time we are looking for change
We all start to see
There is a better way
And voices shout out loud
Telling authority
We can't be, pushed around
In a time we are looking for change
We all start to feel
There is another way.

How can you trust the media when all they feed is lies
a lot of the time
And keyboard warriors out there put their mouths into stories
where they just don't belong
There hating on someone
Who doesn't always deserve it
Because they don't see all the facts
All the media care about is a good story
Even if that means false reporting
It's all about the money they make
Or the power it brings to people who own the company
Taking advantage of everyone who believes
What they see on the TV

Can you feel the pressure uprising
Can you feel the earth tremble beneath your feet
And your eyes are wide open
Seeing information they've never seen
All the production behind the dream
Open up the curtain it's a manipulated scene

In a time we are looking for change
We all start to see
There is a better way
And voices shout out loud
Telling authority
We can't be, pushed around
In a time we are looking for change
We all start to feel
There is another way.

©2017 Written By Benji James