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James E Parra Mar 2016
If you're going to bail, bail early
This applies to relationships, college classes and plans to hang out,
It only makes sense right?
You see, I'm not here to tell you how to walk, talk and act
No, that was never my job but it was your parents job and no, I'm not here to criticize the mediocre job they did
But you can't cover up that maybe, just maybe they did mess up,
Emotionally they were absent, maybe they were never there or they chose a new lover over their love product,

You,
You hold in your hands two options, on one hand is the choice of holding onto your pain and letting it ear at you till you are no longer you,
Only a hallow cavity that once held a promising life
The second, well this is the one nobody seems to choose right away, this one is choosing to let go of all your pain and forgiving your old self
All of this is a choice no one is forcing you to do anything, the power completely lies in your hands

If I can offer you any piece of advice it has to be this, if you're going to bail, bail early
But before you go sit down and talk with your parents, give the the chance to share their scars, laughs and abandoned ambitions cause one day sooner than you think they'll be just a distant memory in your stories to your own kids
Call your siblings, I know you might hate them right now but they're the only link to your past, they remember the things that are way too fuzzy in your mind,
Keep them, hold them near they have something not many others are lucky enough to have, a shared experience that comes in crashing like a tidal wave

Check up on your friends,
The ones that stuck around,
The ones that wandered off
And the ones that left a bitter taste on the roof of your mouth,
Yeah I know this sounds weird but trust me, these people all hold a piece of who you were when you couldn't put together who you wanted to be
Your friends, just like your siblings hold a key that many others have, they have access to the different variations of you
Each of them holds a piece of your heart, the beauty, the dirt and the hurt, your friends give you limited access to the days when you once thought you were invincible,
Guess our capes of invincibility got lost when we were all too busy flying around in the night sky reaching for the stars and the galaxies far far away

You haven't reach your peak yet,
Your life isn't as messy as it may seem right now, your 20's were meant for such mistakes, your life should be messy, nobody likes someone who has it "all together"
Do not dwell on your mistakes for far too long or you'll miss what's right in front of you,
You'll miss the shot of living life cause you focused too much of the bullet hole wounds left from your past
My God, this life, this life is too beautiful to wast, I don't know much about anything but if I can offer you one piece of advice let it be this:

If you're going to bail, bail early, this applies to relationships, college classes and plans to hang out
James E Parra Apr 2015
I was told that today would be my last day, which was weird being that I had no job
No, you see today was my last day standing in the in-between,
It’s funny you know, my life could go in two directions and the outcome of it all comes down to this split decision, the one I make right now
But it’s not that funny, I’m not ready to make this decision, I’m not set on where to go,
So the in-between is exactly where I want to be
Everyone keeps telling me what I should do but in reality none of that makes sense to me,
In all honesty, I’m caving, the pressure is a bit too much
I used to find peace in the in-between but now the once solid foundation is beginning to crumble,
It’s sad, to see a place you once loved begin to fall apart and everyone around you cannot see that you’re standing on thin ice
It started off fine, I was able to juggle it all
But then things were thrown off balance, I froze and I could no longer juggle any of this, my act began to suffer,
There once was a saying that the straw broke the camel’s back,
Well, look at me now, the last straw has been added and it looks like I became the camel
I hope this was all worth it, your words have seeped in and the in-between is no longer my home,
This is no longer a place I wish to return,
This place has been burned to the ground so I hope it was worth it
I hope this makes you happy,
Don’t ever let them tell you that the in-between is a waste of time,
It’s already too late for me but there’s still a chance for you
Don’t let them crush your spirit,
Hey, mom and dad, I hope I've made you proud.
James E Parra Apr 2015
I was woven together in my mothers womb,
I was carefully pieced together, like a work of art I went from being a cell to a fully formed being with a beating heart
A slow process of nine months, I was being perfected every detail lightly sketched,
I am a work of art
My mother, such a beautiful face, but in a moments notice that same face became struck with grief
Like a drunk driver speeding on the highway all of these emotions hit her and from those wounds she could not recover,
No, you do not understand she didn't know I was coming, you see that news would come later on
But my mother, my beautiful mother, well, she was ***** and this is where I fit into this story
The visit to the doctor was no easy task,
No, she was torn
Torn between wanting to keep me and also wanting to erase me

MOM!! I GET IT!!
This decision doesn't come lightly, it saddens me to know how much pain this has brought you, how much pain I have brought you
Every single day a new detail is painted, the paintbrush swinging so elegantly, almost like a leaf that flies in the wind
I am a work of art
But you see, my mom, she too is a work of art,
So elegantly put together, the way her hair flows and her eyes tell the story of a warrior,
A person who never stops fighting,
Her eyes so brown like a coffee bean that you smell and instantly smile
That's not even the best part, the best part is the way her lips quiver when she smiles, the sound of her laughter can brighten up any room
She brings people together with just the sound of her voice,

Yeah, you know what? My mom is my hero,
I'm still not here but shes the only world I need to know
She too, is a work of art
Don't you see it?
We are both pieces of art, put together so beautifully that it really is "love at first sight"
I am not here yet, and my mom still hasn't made up her mind,
But I'll tell you this, whether she keeps me or she doesn't that doesn't matter to you
This isn't your story to tell and quite frankly this doesn't concern you,
This song is not your song to sing, so please let my mom take the stage and tell her story through this song

This is the song of a fighter,
The trumpets are roaring,
Her choices are her choices, this isn't your decision to make,
She is both the canvas and the artist,
I am a work of art but my mother, man she's the real masterpiece.
James E Parra Apr 2015
I am a person with a past,
Yeah there are moments I'm not proud of, but they're my mess ups
I could give you excuse after excuse as to why I can't move on but that's all they'll ever be, excuses
It doesn't make any sense to sit here and write this but every moment until now has shaped me,
These moments have defined me
No, they aren't finalizing the person I am to become but I'm a shade darker because of them

I am a person with a past,
With each shade I get closer to being the person I'm meant to be,
I am both the canvas and the artist, this is my story
I was told I'd amount to nothing, and I believed them
With every fiber of my being I refuse to believe this
My failures aren't my future,
Yesterday is a mere memory, and tomorrow hasn't been painted, the only thing that matters is right now,
This moment is all I've got

My past is in the past,
I am no longer the person I used to be
I've grown, believe it or not,
The artist in me wants more, the stars have been aligned and the universe has called out my name

I refuse to let these mistakes follow me,
I chose the path less traveled, the narrow and gold
My past is in the past

Yes we all have a past and there things that we've done that we wish we could take back,
But that doesn't mean we stop living
NO! We keep going, moving forward and fighting,
We fight for what's ours, we fight for a better tomorrow
Your canvas is barley covered and your life has just begun,

So you see, I am a person with a past, present and future,
This story isn't over it's only just begun
I've got this one life to live and I'll live it to the fullest

— The End —