Cross the border of familiarity
I've become a stranger to myself
Treading unspoken territory
Inevitably forgetting the past
We are runaway children
The sun beats on
We beat on
Where do we lay our heads
If every night I lie awakened
Slip into unconsciousness
The lines between alive
And living are blurred
Sitting
Waiting
Sleeping
And in every sunrise and
Sunset we look for something
If God plays hide and seek
Then we must be what
We've been searching for

Teach a man the word no
Instead of telling the women that she have used her nails to create daggers along the
Lines of his back, use her feet as the rocket that must launch him off of her and onto the pavement away from her
Teach the man no
It is not a question but a demand
Instead of teaching women self preservation skills to use in a dark alley where no one could see another one top of her, pushing and shoving her,
Her back, marked up not only by the marks that will stay on her even when they’ve faded, but by the pavement which she will hate forever because it didn’t have the power to swallow her whole
Teach a women the word no
Instead of telling him that he could have knocked her off,
No problem. It is a women, he is a man, it wouldn’t be that hard.
Men are stronger than women, it should have been easy
Teach them no
They are telling you stop
Screaming, crying, kicking, but pinned under them but they can’t hear a thing besides the fantasies of their consent
Instead of teaching them to use the muscles in their arms, in their legs, in their mouth to push her off,
She is just a women.
Teach someone the word no,
Please stop
When they are holding a gun at a man’s head, pointing, ready to shoot
Ready to rip flesh apart, while ripping a home apart that they haven’t even touched
Teach someone no,
Hear them out, listen to their calls that only seem to be noises in the wind, drowned out by sirens
Because they are really pleas, banging on someone’s window, hoping someone could just hear their calls
Teach someone to say no
They are wrong
When they have make a false accusation, judged someone’s personality by skin
By religion, by sexualtiy, but not by their traits
Not for the way they crouch down by their side when they are too weak to whisper in gratitude, not by the way they scream with them when they are promoted, not when their corny jokes make their dimples show and their mouth lift up at the sides giving their stone face a crack
Teach someone the word no
Because we even though it is a two letter word
It still seems to trip people up

)Together unbuilt, the gathering dust breaks the air, to only and subtly release the tensions motivated uproar from the shine of a specktor to the graveyard reasons why we play so close to fire. His curtail overthrows me, and like a wave begins the ocean  I am unturned and ruthless. Scattered and bare my heart like wreckage. canvas of love and sour paint

Once I saw a monkey man,
driving down my street in his monkey van,
kids tried to run away,
but monkey ran,
he brought the children to his monkey land.
If they got out of line,
with monkey man,
they'd get a slap,
from the back of his hand.
The favorite nut of monkey man,
was the pecan,
he loved pecans,
the monkey man,
he eats as manys as he cans.
Unlimited lifespan,
has the monkey man,
currently lives in Iran.
Likes to read comics,
batman,
superman,
while getting,
a monkey tan.
Been around,
since the caveman,
had the monkey man.
Used to be a doorman,
had monkey man.
Wanted to be an anchorman,
but there was a monkey ban.
Not a woman.
Not a man.
M o n k e y    M a n .

I been thinking about the unbreakable bond, the student teacher relationship we had; reminiscing

Do you remember I use to call you school momma?
That's what you were to me, you were someone i got affection i desperately needed from my mom
You were someone i felt cared about me
Someone so encouraging and supportive

Do you remember when you looked me in the eye and told me "you have been a blessing in my life"
I'll never forget that day, any day i spent with you
I never, not even by my parents, received an "i love you"
So it felt amazing having someone to tell you they love you, to show you they care about you
I knew it was devastatingly going to end
But i didn't know you were going to leave sooner than expected

Do you remember how worried you where when some guy accidentally hit me in the nose with his backpack?
You barged in the classroom saying "hows my baby?"
It's incredible how you loved me like one of your kids
Till this day your motherly love has been irreplaceable
And i miss it
I miss having someone to go hug at anytime of the day
I miss feeling cared about

When i said to you "i love you" "i need a hug" "i miss you"
I wasn't coming on to you, i was being open, i was yearning affection
My soul is and was at such a tender age?
And you took advantage of that
You said "you're 18 now, go do your life"
I, not only, cried about you leaving without saying Goodbye but, you stopped talking to me for the dumbest misunderstanding
You thought i was in love with you

Every time I breath I can't catch a breath,
I need to find a way to get this pain off my chest,
I just want to be happy and be set free,
I need to find the light at the end of the tunnel and focus on me,
life goes on as the pain diminishes,
I'll always have me when everything finishes,
I just want to be happy is that much to ask,
of course it is because of my horrible past,
You find the light and try to hold on,
two seconds later it's ******* gone,
I'm screaming inside everyday and night,
putting this fake face on to seem alright,
Yes it's true I am broken,
but I will never again let my words go unspoken

Smashing glass pretty faces evening sunsets wild failures and important questions, wild abandon adventures and swimming pool braveries, desperate lover knocks on the door with wild abandon jumps into the wet air, car crash of memories and experience, party at Paula’s house parents away and many escapes, meeting friends that are met with glowing excitement romances fit the evening with a candlelight kiss.

© Matthew Goff

The blade is dull
but not dull enough
so I scratch in just enough to see red
I can feel my mind & body calm
focused
at ease
no stinging
numb
did I subconsciously pick this spot
as a reminder?
not enough red
it's a test
why?
the music isn't loud enough
flip the switchblade
relapsed.