Reality...
Oh what a calamity!
But thankfully
I have friends and family
who personally
understand
my unique brand
of insanity.

I’m locked up and it’s hard to bust out
Confined to this prison plagued by doubt
Living each day full of memory and regret
My crime? Giving myself too willingly yet
The bail holds no price it is not so simply paid
No this shackle is one that seems never to fade
Years may go by but the feeling I will retain
Waiting to resurface in my gut, heart and brain
Alas my soul is tainted as a scar stains the skin
The memory of the pain remains always within
Don’t worry, all will be well
For though I forever will hold proof of my pain
And carry that scar I yet still stand to gain
By letting it serve as a reminder to self
Of what I’ve withstood, the internal hell
Caused by opening arms and welcoming all
Never turning away, answering to each call
And expecting from others the same respect
Believing myself more than an object to neglect
So you see this prison I find myself in is my mind
Good friends being the key it can be hard to find
But find them I will by trial, error and test
Those remaining at my side being the best

We are naturally wary of different
Our anticipatory
Participation in fear
Blinds us from the signs
That classification
Of the population
Fuels separation
In our great nation
And the degradation
Of our education
Through miscommunication
Due to deprivation
Of alleviation
As far as the segregation
Taking its formation
In our imagination?
These bounds we set
To set us apart
Take hold in heart
Because we impart
The notion of racism
Through our pride
Proud to be black
Proud to be white
Proud to be
Whatever it is that is me.
I’m sure it is right
Though I did not choose
No I wasn’t trusted with choice
I wasn’t given an option
No opinion to voice
I came as I am
I came as man
With no color in mind
Nor hate in heart
A patch of untrodden
Still smoothed soft snowflakes
Unscathed by the treads
Of worn down soles.
No limits exist
To whom
They were never shown
Never taught
Through words or by deed
Never separated
Through race or creed
Disparity through diversification
Norms forming cult cultures
Secluded islands of identifiers
Imprisoned in our tradition
Caught up in the familial familiarity
Of being a drop in a raincloud
Growing heavier each summer day
Until the burden bursts
Out in thunderous roar.
And yet the race will remain
Runners at their mark
Pushing to get ahead of the pack
Forgetting there is no finish-line
Since it was never a race at all.

Love is a powerful force
And comes in many shades and hues
It is a beast gnawing away at our heart
A beggar seeking shelter in our soul
A stitch in our side nagging us
Taking attention away
From the tasks at hand
Love brings woe as well as wealth
It is a fire sparked within the heart
Not started by flint or match
But by the embers of our soul
Catching with the wind and spreading to another
Though the flames provide us with warmth
And give us the sensation that makes life go on,
The flame uncontrolled can burn
It sears not the flesh with its heat
But that sense of self found only within man
Passion is poison
Love is lethal
Most importantly
Love drives a person to live
Yet will accompany us to the grave
Serving as the undertaker

Each of us is on a journey
For each the journey is different
Filled with unimaginable suffering
Pain the likes of which you will never experience
For the burdens upon the traveler
Wear them down mind, body and soul
Although do not despair
For the fate of man is not
So simply painful
Along this journey
You will find treasures
The likes of which
Are beyond the mere imagination of men
I speak not of precious stones
Nor of fantastical wealth
Made of currency or jewel
But of precious memories
And fantastical dreams
Made reality by your will
The hero of this journey
Is endowed with a great gift
That of being given the opportunity
To prove just how possible
Impossible can be
This epic,
However,
Must be undertaken alone
Each monumental action,
Each life-changing idea,
Each imperative decision
Must be decided by you
You alone
Are burdened by bearing responsibility
For the fate of the journey
Though you will travel with others
We all have our own path
They may cross or even join for a time
But ultimately every path is its own
No two the same
And although each journey
May differ
They all have the same outcome--
They end.

For you,
I would pour a glass of morning dew
And if you grew cold,
I’d make a shawl of liquid gold
Each stitch a ray of sunshine
Oh, the things I’d do to make you mine.

Life is a duality
For Death will always accompany
Don’t try to run from the inevitable
Running from death is running from life
People who spend their lives fleeing the end
Reach that feared destination and look back
Finding that a life spent running prevents
People from slowing down and enjoying the view
We are working our way there slowly
Smoking, drinking, tripping, tweaking
Laughing, crying, joking, lying
Dancing, singing, taking, giving
*******, screaming, fighting, leaving
All just brings us closer to the end
Don’t watch the clock
For time keeps ticking away
Second by second, tick by tock
And although in your mind it has been an eternity
That clock will betray your perception
And show you the passage and slipping of time
That brings you back to the reality of others
Don’t surround yourself with people
Who don’t fan your flame
Rather choose your company
As carefully as you choose your clothes
Something that complements you
Something that fits
Something that keeps you warm
Something to make you feel beautiful
Live each day as if it is your last
For each and every day
Is the last chance you’ll ever get
To live such a day
And so each day IS your last
As far as you know
Don’t gather possessions
Gather your thoughts
Put pen to paper, paint to canvas
Turn thoughts from mind to matter
Weave each and every dream
With stitching of the fabric of reality
Most importantly remember
That no matter what you do
No matter how far you go
No matter what you provide
It will never…never be enough
Yet take from the knowledge of such
The illogical, incomprehensible, unexplainable fact
That no matter what you do
No matter how far you go
No matter what you provide
It will always… always be enough
As you try to run and you try to hide
Take look at all that you made and all that you wrote
For we’re all committing slow suicide
And what’s left in wake of your life serves as the note