This body
That you see
Is not me

It is merely the veil
Which I put on in the morning

Look into my eyes.
Do you see
My soul?

I imagine it was about a year ago
When another group of enthused college students
from a prestigious university
gathered all their resources to buy necessities from the dollar store
cheap as they come,
to give to the droves of men, women, and many children,
living in the rolling hills of trash and rotting refuse
down in Nogales

you know, the ones the government ignores
and that,
when you ask about them, the police deny exist
and turn you back down the dirt road from where
the poor teem and forage for survival,
camouflaged in their make-shift bedrooms and kitchens
of discarded plastic, wood, and tin.

Tonight,
I am just remembering that moment when we reached the
bottom of our bags
and had to turn a family down
because we didn't bring enough toothbrushes.

I saw a brown boy in Mexico
couldn't have been more than eight years old
he was wearing jean overalls, face covered in ash
using an axe to chop up the wood of his burned down home
helping his father make room to build anew

we said we're giving away clothes
can you take us to the center
of this shantytown
he said sorry no, I have to work

so his smiling little sister waved to her mom
and said cheerfully, I can give you directions
as she sat next to Sister Jodi in the van and led the brigade
I looked out the back window and saw that little man
still focused,
chopping.

And if we are slaves to our passions
Then isn't the greatest freedom self-control?
Just know,
Some people would rather watch you get convicted
Than let you follow your own convictions.

Lost in
     communication.
       Let  your  aim be
>>>==steady === for==once you ===>
          loose your lips,
    the interpretation
       is out of your
     hands.

three euro pizza
baking in the oven with tomato sauce, cheese, pepperoni, oregano
the timer is ticking
it rings like someone at the door
who's company you've been expectantly waiting
you ****** open the way
and it hits you, caresses your face
the wafting hot scent of pizza
like the embrace of an old friend

my heart is so full
it's bursting at the seams
I dont know how it happened
and i dont know what it means
but i think
we were all put here
for such a time as this
there's meaning to our living
there's a reason we exist
and I think that you
yes you
were meant to meet with me
that we were meant to cross our paths
and be changed gradually
you've made me into the person
who i am today
you've left your maze, your soul's fingerprints
on this person, on this clay
because we were there before we were born
and we never really die
because you can blow out a flame
but you can't shut out the light
and i will fight to show you
that you matter
that your smiles change the world
same as your tears
your wonderings
your pains turned into pearls
and I just wish i could say it all
in a single word
that I love you
that you're beautiful
like a shot heard 'round the world
people may forget
but once in a lifetime comets
still come around again
and you deserve to know that
you are precious
and that
you are my friend