How much more must we repeat this,
The giving out and giving in.
The constant battle that rages on -
The struggle between women and men.

It's been here from the beginning.
It'll be here 'til the end.
Both sides in this bitter fight,
'Til it is that one side wins.

Taught that they are different
Since childhood's early hour.
When the boy is given a ball
And the girl is donned with a flower.

But the flowers, they have thorns.
And the ***** all bounce away.
With neither, they're long satisfied
With the gifts that were gave.

Instead, they channel their desires
To finding each other, and finding love.
'Til Death Do We Part,
Or until we've had enough.

To all poets writing hourly poem
I offer my unqualified admiration
Place them with honor in my hall of fame
For truly glorifying our poetic nation.*

They keep the windows open never shut the mind’s door
Can’t suppress them schedules of work hectic daily chore
For who knows when the sky passes by stops dead the falling rain
Uncared a feeling rolls by goes unaddressed angst of pain!

Isn’t a rainbow painted out there on doorstep waiting the season
A bird is chirping the song of hope giving life a compelling reason
Isn’t a face waiting to be seen love pining to be released from a heart
Who knows when dies a river midstream each moment’s scenes depart!

The farther these poets go they dream for a farther reach
To hunt out the dark demons blind alley’s fearsome witch
Who knows when the light goes out burns out the fiery sun
This body turns to trails in dust with so much little yet done!

I will never touch you.
I know that.
You will never even know I want to.
I called you beautiful today
In the trappings of a joke
And I saw it hit you
And have an effect I never expected to cause
And it thrilled through my bones
And I know
I will never touch you,
But
I know, too, that when you look away
My eyes follow you with
A sigh never spoken
And in my head
I see it all
I
Could drag my lips along those sculpted shoulders
That your shirt falls from so carelessly,
I could run my fingertips down your spine
And I could breathe into the hollows of your throat
And how is it
That you look like someone carved you from marble?
Every inch.
I dared to look at you in the mirror today
When your back was turned
And the breath was pulled from me
By how much longing could well up in my heart in an instant
For someone so distant.
And what if I just told you?
Sat there and told you
That I am afraid to try and draw you because
I won't do you justice.
That you undo me
And I don't know why.
That I could show you more passion
Just by meeting your eyes instead of glancing down
Than every man who has ever traveled the valleys of your body
And created the rivers in your soul.
I will never tell you.
I will never touch you.
I will only smile when you look at me
And long for you when you don't.

Sometimes we measure the value of a gift based solely on its value
"Wow those aren't cheap"
"That must have cost him a pretty penny"
"Thats quite the gift"

All of these things are said as if to impart something special about the gift, as if its increased value increases its value.

And yet the exact same thing can be a bad thing
"Oh its too much, really it is"
"But we hardly know each other"
"I wish you hadn't, it's too soon"

But the irony of all this...

Is that the greatest gift costs nothing

The greatest gift is free

And of all the gifts you ever give to someone, this is the one that you hope above all hope that they return. No receipt necessary.

You can't buy it because its not for sale

You can't create it because it has no parts.

No assembly required (or batteries)

You can't wrap it up in nice paper with a big bow on it because it has no substance.

It doesn't come in a small velvet box

It will always match your eyes, your shoes, your purse and whatever outfit you wear.

It will always fit you perfectly

And it will never make your **** look big

It doesn't wear out, break down, go out of style, look old and jaded or ever get faded.

It grows.

Without sun

Without water

Without effort

This is the gift that I have to give, and all you need to do is know it.