“Be yourself,”
But then they tell me to change.
“Be unique,”
But then they frown down on all my differences.
“Don’t conform,”
But then they force me to follow their standards.
“Always love yourself,”
But then they call me narcissist and arrogant.
“Be kind,”
But then they tell me to stop being fake.
“Just relax,”
But then they call me lazy.
“Work harder,”
But then they call me too uptight.
“Money can’t buy happiness,”
But then they laugh at me for not being rich.
“Weight doesn’t matter,”
But then they tell me I’m not skinny enough.
“Enjoy being young while you can,”
But then they tell me to grow up.
“It’s okay to be sad,”
But then they tell me other people have it worse.
“Do what you love,”
But then they tell me I’ll never be successful.
“You’ll be okay,”
But then they leave me for someone else.
“It will get better,”
But then they tell me that I’m being overdramatic.
“Be yourself,”
But I no longer know who that is.

We think our ego can handle
everything on its own just by
“thinking”

But just by quieting our minds,
we’ll be able to listen to our soul...

“speak volumes”
more than anything.

If someone throws fire at you, “be water”.
Be clear, smooth, calm, gentle...

Fire will only burst into more flames,
but water...

will find its way through.

The fire’s gone out
in the last wooden hut
Fresh snow has been falling,
cold hunger abuts

The Red Coats emboldened
in far Germantown
The wind carries stillness,
with death all around

A General stands watch
on the farthest of hills
His heart never waivers,
his anger instills

The firewood gone
but the embers still burn
O’er forests and rivers,
to Paris in turn

The Schuylkill runs quiet,
Lenape scouts have returned
“Our enemy grows fat, Sir,
in taverns that burn”

The outcome awaiting,
its body count high
Where cabins though frozen
—the stars and stripes fly

(Valley Forge: November, 2020)