Take off that silly mask that
You wear every day and night
Stop hiding who you really are
From your friends
From your family
From the world
From yourself
Stop pretending to be the person
You want to be around other people
Stop hiding your flaws
Your mistakes
Your problems
Your past
Stop hiding yourself
Behind that silly mask that
You wear every day and night
You are not the same person
Behind that mask
You are a fake
And everyone can see that
You are fooling no one
When you wear that ugly mask
Stop fooling yourself into thinking
That this is the real you
Take off your silly mask
And show the world
Show your friends
Your family
Your peers
Show yourself the real you
Show you true colors
Let them shine through
That hideous mask that you hide behind
Have no shame in the person that you are
In the flaws that you have
In the problems that you have
Have no shame in the past
That you want to be known as the past
Take off your mask
And be proud of who you are
Be who you really are
Not the character you pretend to be
In this play call your life
Take off that mask
And be free with who you are
The truthful, real you

With my two eyes
This world is very different
From every angle and from every side
With these two eyes
I see a world of chaos
Wars are “won”
Wars are “lost”
But both sides lose
Because lives will never be the same
Homes are destroyed
Lives are lost
Families destroyed
Nobody wins during the war
There are no two sides
There’s only one:
We’re all losers
People are suffering from pain
People are walking down roads
Roads without names
But feelings and emotions
Guys walk down the road call heartbreak
Girls walk down the road call confusion
They meet at the same road:
Self doubt and lack of confidence
They drink the same drink every night:
Tears from the past experiences
Experiences that cut the deepest in their hearts
Children are without food
Children are without shelter
Children are without parents
They cry on the side of roads
Because they have no one to take of them
Hurricanes ruin towns
Earthquakes destroy nations
Ashes rain from the sky
Like tears from Satan
Through my two eyes
The world is a disaster
But when I put on my glasses
The world looks peaceful
When I look around with my four eyes
Everyone holding hands
And spreading the love
Everyone lives by three cardinal principals:
Peace
Love
Happiness
Through these four eyes
Everyone and everything are at peace
There are no wars
There are no tears
And there is no destruction
There is nothing but Peace
Love is always in the air
People are spreading the love
People hug each other
People are holding hands
There is no hatred
But only Love
Little children are running around
Playing sports with other children
Everyone is laughing
Everyone is smiling
Everyone is happy
There are no guns
There is no displeasure
Through my four eyes
Peace
Love
And Happiness
Are in the air
And that’s the world that I see
And what I always want to see
I want to see this world through my four eyes
And I will pass my glasses around to everyone
So we can all see what I see
The world I see through my eyes

What comes
To mind when
I say the word
Beauty?
A model?
An athlete?
A movie star?
What comes
To mind when
You hear the word
Beauty?
The laugh?
The voice?
What comes
To mind when
You see the word
Beauty?
The smile.
The walk.
The eyes.
What comes to mind
When I hear the word
Beauty?
Sweetness.
Intelligence.
Cuteness.
Niceness.
Beauty,­ to me, is neither
Outer nor inner;
It’s both.
My beauty is a book
With chapters titled
Intelligence,
Cuteness,
Niceness,
Sweetness,
Outgoing,
With the final chapter
Of my beauty titled
Warm heartedness.
That’s my beauty…
What’s yours?

The night sky is clear
With no clouds is sight
With no stars that shine.
When I need someone
To brighten up my life
To make me feel happy,
I look up to the empty
Night sky and I pray.
I pray for a shooting star
So I can make a wish.
I want to wish for some
Happiness and love.
I pray for a shooting star
So I can wish for some
Comfort and open ears
So I can talk about anything
And I will be sure that
Whatever we share will
Be our little secrets.
When I look up to
The night sky,
I pray for a shooting star
To show me some light
Among the black
To break through the
Sadness and sickness.
I look up to the night sky
For a shooting star
And I have found it…
In you.

We all have done something
That we feel bad about
That we feel sorry about
That we regret the most.
We all have done something
That we don’t wanna do again
That we don’t wanna see happen again
That we regret the most.
We all have looked back
On our actions
And we have decided
That what we have done
Have harmed our images
In the eyes of our friends and our peers.
Don’t live in the past.
Don’t yearn to live in the future.
Don’t look back on your past events.
Don’t look back on your past experiences.
Don’t plan for the future.
Don’t prepare for what ifs.
Don’t prepare for maybes.
Live with no regrets.
Don’t get mad at what you have done.
Don’t get mad at what you could’ve done.
Don’t get mad at what you would’ve done.
Don’t get sad at what you messed up on.
Don’t get sad at what you didn’t get to do.
Don’t get sad at what you have caused.
Live with no regrets.
Use these bad experiences
Use these bad events
As fuel for what you want to do now.
Focus on what you will do this morning.
Focus on what you will do this afternoon.
Focus on what you will do this evening.
Don’t look back.
Don’t look forward.
Live in the present times.
Live your life with no regrets.

We live in an endless masquerade
Dancing to the same song in the
Same clothes but we change one thing.
We change our masks after every song
And we hide our true identity from the

Other guests at this masquerade.
We hide ourselves from our friends
And we hide ourselves from our family.
We hide ourselves from the most important
People at the masquerade: ourselves.

Every time we put a different mask on
We become someone we’re really not
Because we want to be that person or
Because everyone will like us if we’re
That person and not our true selves.

We change masks to hide the scars
Of our past and the pain we feel now
Sometimes people will like us if we
Only show the good and not the bad
Because the bad hurts not only us but them.

We were bullied when we were young
By our “friends” in school or at the park.
They called us names like “***” or “******”
Or push us down the stairs or into lockers
Or they call us fat because we are not skinny.

They call us names because they think they
Know us but they really don’t because we
Wear masks at this masquerade even when
We are bullied to hide our true emotions.
We wear masks because of these scars.

We change our masks because we don’t want
Everyone to know what we do or how we act
When we’re home with our family or friends.
In the masquerade we are friendly and nice but
At home we abuse our spouses or kids or friends.

We abuse them verbally or physically
Because we are drunk or we lost our jobs.
We scream at the top of our lungs because
That’s the only way we know how to relax.
That’s us when we’re not at the masquerade.

We lost our best friend from high school
Because he or she decided to commit suicide.
That was in the past but it felt like this morning so
We change masks to hide the pain we are feeling
With every passing second because we miss him or her.

Our world is an endless masquerade without an end
As we dance the dance of hiding our true identity from
Everyone we see with every change of the masks but
Our song is still the same. It’s the song of heartbreak
Because in this masquerade all we feel is pain and sadness.

We lose our true selves with each mask unless we,
With the help of someone, remove our masks and
Put an end to this never ending masquerade so we
Can live our lives the way we want to…as ourselves.
Until then, we dance the dance and change the mask.

Welcome to the Masquerade.

We live in a world
Where people have doubts
About what their governments are doing
About what they will be doing
About their health and well-being
We live in a world
Where trust isn’t a right
It is something we all want
But we can never have
We live in a world
Where we fight in endless wars
To see which nation is the strongest
And which nation is the weakest
We live in a world
Where people are crying from pain
People are suffering from hunger
Little children are without parents
We live in a world
Where little children have no food
Where they have no toys
Where they have no hope
Of living the lives of normal children
We live in a world
Where discrimination
Where racism
Where hatred rule our lives
We live in a world
Full of what ifs and maybes
Full of doubts of what the future holds
Full of fear of we have done
To cause all these problems
We live in a world
Where we hide ourselves from ourselves
We hide our true identities as nations
We hide our true identities as people
We hide our true identities from the world
We live in a world
Where we fear for our lives
Because bombs are bursting everywhere
Because we live our lives in our shadows
This is the world that we live in
And it’s time to break free
Break free from the chains
That is holding us down
Break free from the world that we live in

I wander aimlessly in my mind
Trying to get my life back on track.
I see my future, my goal, up ahead
But I’m pulled in a million directions.

Darkness creeps in every second,
And I’m drowned with words of
Discouragement
Like “can’t,” “won’t,” and “impossible.”

These words become my demons and
They push my friends and family away
As I sink deeper into the dark abyss
That I like to call my mind.

“You can’t do it!”
“You’re not good enough!”
That’s all I hear every day and night
As my demons take control of my life.

I can’t do it!
I’m not good enough!
That’s what I begin to tell myself
As my demons take control of my life.

I’m crashing and burning every second
As I listen to my demons more and more.
What’s in your past is in the past but my
Demons always bring my past to present.

“You always fail!”
“Why can’t you be more like …?”
My demons taunt and haunt me by bringing
The bad experiences of my past to present.

My mind begins to spin uncontrollably
As I become overwhelmed by my demons.
I believe their every word and every action
And I begin to disengage myself from reality.

I’m a failure!
I can never be like …!
I believe that my demons’ every word is true.
They’re controlling my life and I can’t escape!

Crashing and burning, I’ll always fail!
Escaping my demons, I cannot and never will!
I fall and I crash and I burn, at least in my mind.
This is my life, my demons’ life!

Imagine a world with peace.
Imagine a world with harmony.
There will be no wars or conflicts.
There will be no hatred.
Innocent people will not die.
Families will never be torn apart.

Imagine a world with happiness.
Imagine a world full of sunshine.
Everyone will get along.
Everyone will come together
As one big happy family
Like what we were meant to be.

Imagine a world of no crime.
Imagine a world of no destruction.
There will be order.
There will be trust.
There will be honor.
There will be no need for arms.

Imagine a world without racism.
Imagine a world without discrimination.
No one will be colorblind.
The world will not be seen in
Black and white or in grayscale.
The world will be a rainbow.

Imagine a world without stereotypes.
Imagine a world without a “mold” or a “model”.
We can all be who we want to be.
We can all wear our own shoes
And wear our own clothes.
We can be ourselves.

Imagine a world through our eyes.
Imagine a world through my eyes.
Imagine a world through your eyes.
If we can imagine the world we want,
We can live in that world.
All we have to do is close your eyes

…

And imagine.

Out in a distant land
Church bells are ringing
Families and friends are laughing
Most of them are crying
Not from sadness
But from happiness

Church bells are ringing
Out in a distant land
In celebration of a joyous
Occasion between two people
Between a man and a woman
Between two men or two women

Church bells are ringing
In a far, far away land
Signaling the togetherness
On two communities
And the creation of one
One happy community

Somewhere over the rainbow
Church bells are ringing
Marking the end of a struggle
A struggle for freedom
A struggle for unity
A struggle for happiness

Somewhere, anywhere, everywhere
Church bells are ringing
As two people force everyone
To take off the mask call hate and discrimination
And ignorance and become a family together

Church bells are ringing across the world
From China to Greenland
From the United States to Malaysia
The bells have different sounds
But the message is the same
And is felt in the hearts of everyone

Church bells ring for everyone
And someday church bells
Will ring for you and me

Life is a trilogy with birth and death sandwiching
Our life stories into books and chapters are written
Every second with every action and inaction
That we take takes each chapter on a wild ride
Through defeat and triumph and love and hate

Chapters like first kiss and first love and first car
And all of our firsts are only minor chapters when
Compared to chapters like self realization
And self acceptance and self recognition
And other chapters about our internal struggles

Internal struggles like depression or anxiety
Or coping with the death of a close friend or
Family member create cliffhangers and drama
In our books and they make our stories different
From all of the other stories that we read

When we make new friends or unite with old ones
And these struggles can tear pages out of our books
That we don’t want people to read because they are
Too hurtful or too personal or they cut us too deep
That we don’t want other people to find out

The truth of what happened or what we have done
And these torn pages will be a reminder of our past
And it reminds everyone that life isn’t perfect
And that we are all flawed with some more than others
But we are all the same because we have gone through hardship

Our books have twists and turns that make us smile
And they make us cry but no matter what they make
Us think about our own lives and how we can write
The next chapter or rewrite the past or change a few words
But no matter what we change our books will never be complete

Life is a book and we all need to read each other’s book
By looking into our eyes or how we are dressed or how we act
Or through our conversations because our books are constantly
Changing with every second and with everything that we do or don’t do
With every feeling or thoughts we have or how we choose to live

Look into my eyes and you can see that my book
Is no different from yours and my chapters are the same
There is a chapter for depression and for anger and for shame
There is a chapter for all of the happiness in my life thus far
And a chapter for all of the things that I want to accomplish

No matter how our books start the ending will be
The most powerful because that will define our past
How we die and how our books are written will determine
If they will be bestsellers or on the self collecting dust
But no matter what life’s a book and we should all read each other’s

You empty your pockets and remove anything metal.
Walk between the metal detectors and all
The lights and sounds go off. They pull you aside and
They frisk you for
Your cellphone, iPod, earings, rings, wallet, headphones, coins,
Privacy, and dignity.
They find nothing and let you walk to the terminal but
You remember that they forgot to take something. You spin
Around and give them the finger.

I stretched my arms to those
Of my family and friends, but
No matter how hard I try
My demons are too powerful.

“You are a failure!”
“Just give up!”
I crashed and I burned, and my
Demons accomplished their goal.

My mind becomes flooded with
The ashes, still smoldering with
The Evilness of my demons and
Their words of discouragement.

I open my eyes and I see a light;
It shines so bright I become blind.
A voice I hear from the light and
I could not believe that I hear.

“Rise my child, from the ashes
You’ll grow.
Stronger, better, and brighter
Than before are you.

Rise my child, and spread your
Wings.
Your family and friends will guide
You along your way.

Your journey was harsh and filled
With so much despair.
The ups and downs, your journey
Was no a roller coaster ride.

Close your eyes and listen to
My voice.
Let it fill your mind with
Warmth, Love, and Happiness.

Your demons thought that they
Have succeeded.
But it is you who have succeeded
Thanks to everyone around you.

You have succeeded by knowing
Your demons.
Now wage war against them, and
Your demons will fall.

Rise my child, become the
Phoenix.
You are better than your past,
Reborn into Greatness.”

The Phoenix I am gives me strength.
Anxious I am, but fearful I’m not.
I am excited for a new beginning
And nothing can hold me back.

I am a Phoenix, stronger than before.
I close my eyes, spread my wings,
Hold my breath, and I break through
The Darkness of my mind.

We’ve been through so much together
We’ve witnessed history together
We saw the first moon landing
We saw the Vietnam War on TV
We protested the war in Washington, DC

Our lives have been spent with each other
Our long walks on the beach
Our romantic candlelight dinner
Our cruise vacation together
Our romantic getaways to the Caribbean

I told you when I met you
That I love you will all m heart
I told you that I want to be with you
Forever and I want to grow old with you
I told you that you complete me

When I look into your eyes
I see a world of possibilities
And a world of happiness and love
When I hug you my worries go away
When I kiss you I share my love with you

I know what we’re not perfect
I know we had fights
I know we wanted to **** each other
But in the end we came back to each other
Because I love you and I know you do too

I want to grow old with you
As our children have children
And as the world changes for the better
I want to keep on looking in those eyes
And I want to love you long time

I want to love you long time

We are bigger than our surrounding
Or that is what we like to think
We tend to think that
Nothing can put us down
No matter how strong the wind may blow
We will not go down
We walk around everyday
With a gait that says, “Big man on campus”
Nothing can frazzle us
Nothing can confuse us
Nothing can get in our way
Or that’s what we like to think
That is our lives in our dreams
We are really elephants amongst mice
The little things rattle us
We freak out when the smallest thing
Gets in our way
And ruins our daily routines
We are elephants amongst mice
And we get shaken up
From the microscopic thing
We cannot continue living our lives
Because what if we see that mouse again?
We are elephants amongst mice
And these mice may look cute
They may look innocent
They may look like nothing
But up close they are life changing
And they are life threatening
We get so paranoid
When the littlest thing happen
To anyone around the world
We are elephants amongst mice
We want to live our lives
The way we want to live them
But thus far these mice are winning
And we sink deeper into paranoia
As we continue to be elephants amongst mice

Our hearts are bleeding
The hearts of people everywhere
All the wars
Are making our hearts bleed
Every death cuts deeper
With every home destroyed
With every life ruined
With every nation devastated
Our hearts bleed
We bleed the blood of everyone
With every name calling
Every act of discrimination
Every act of racism
Our hearts bleed the most
Because words hurt the most
Because words stay with us the longest
Our hearts bleed every single day
Because we go through so much
Pain and suffering and devastation
Our bleeding hearts
Bleed the same blood
As you and me
Because we are the same person
When we are attacked
By words
By weapons
By other people
Our hearts bleed
With the blood of comfort
Because we know everyone is united

The parents cry and scream at the news
and the nation creates a song of agony.
For the lives of thousands, two nations will become stronger –
but we forget why we are even there and for how long –
and as more people die, we come together
as one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,
but we have doubts of our actions.
Ten years ago, we lost thousands of lives and we follow the Code of Hammurabi,
but we have to remember, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world goes blind.”

Today’s society is full of hate and discrimination
As it redirects people away from their destinations.
Life goes on for those living in the dark,
But life stands still for those living under question marks.
How can people be so mean and be so cruel?
This isn’t the Medieval Times where we can all duel
To see who is right and who is wrong
And the only one left standing is the one that is strong.
They say that the grass is greener on the other side,
But why are people running to hide
From the bullies who take away our rights
And we do nothing but scream with our might?
Why can’t we come together
And be brothers and sisters?
We are all related,
We’re the children of God.
We may look different,
But deep down we’re not odd.
Brothers and sisters,
Come one, come all.
We must come together before the Universe falls.
Together we are threads of God’s little tapestry
That He likes to call Earth and Humanity.
All this Hatred and Animosity
Must stop because we are all friends, not enemies.
We all form our own little tapestries,
But together we form the greatest tapestry
That He likes to call Earth and Humanity.

“Do unto others as you
Would have them do unto you.”
The Golden Rule applies to everyone,
Every brother, sister, daughter, and son.
If treating people with respect
Is what everyone should live by,
Why don’t we say hello or hi?
What about your son, Lonnie?
Not feeding him is funny?
You watch him starve
And then you carve
Into his brain the image
Of Pain, Suffering, Damage.
You stand there, watching him suffer
Do you think you’re a good mother?
He cries from hunger and he cries from pain
And you tell him to shut up; he’s insane.
Poor, little Lonnie, your son, hasn’t taken a shower or a bath
For forty days and nights, but he’s staying quiet to avoid your wrath.
His clothes are torn and nonexistent
He’s not making a sound; he’s distant
From you and what you call being a mother
Because all that he needs is a big brother.
He looks in the mirror and all that he sees
Is a reflection of what ifs and maybes.
What if I was with a new family?
Maybe I can feel alive and feel free
To attend school and to get rid of these clothes
Then maybe I can turn these pages and close
This awful chapter in my young life
And avoid being stabbed with the knife
Of lack of respect and compassion
And this awful food called field ration
That you, my mom, told me was healthy
While you go out and get wealthy
And you spend that money on clothes and food
And whatever else that lifts up your mood.
What about me? I’m your own flesh and blood.
I feel like I’m being dragged through the mud
Of Pain and Suffering and no Respect.
Well you know mom, I’m done with the neglect.
I live by the Golden Rule and you will witness
My wrath unto you will be full of sweetness
Because mom, you know what they say around this town?
It is all Karma: What goes around, comes around.
I live by the Golden Rule, mom, what about you?
‘Cause in the end of the day, I’m no longer blue.

Everyday we go through
Heaven and Hell.
It's a constant battle:
Good versus Evil.

We go through so much
Pain and Heartbreak,
Joy and Excitement
But we're overwhelmed.

For every positive feeling,
There's a negative feeling.
For some of us, that
Negative becomes too powerful.

We become flooded by all
The could've, should've, would've,
The maybes and what ifs.
We forget the little things.

We lose our friends, but
Depression and Anxiety.
We feel dark and cold inside
And we isolate ourselves.

Don't get too close to us
Because we're contagious!
Every second we fade
Deeper into our minds.

We want the world to
Stop so we can relax
And clear our minds
But it just spins faster.

We become so overwhelmed
By negativity that we push
Those close to us further
Because we don't want to hurt them.

Our minds become a whirlpool,
A black hole, pulling us
Down faster and further
And there is no escape.

The only way to stop this,
In our heads, is to say
"The end"
Maybe then it will end.

But it doesn't have to end.
As writers of our lives,
We can end it
Or we can pause.

We can end it with
An "!", "?", or "."
But instead let's pause with
A semicolon.

A semicolon let us
Breathe and gather our thoughts.
It tells everyone that
It's not over yet; just paused.

As writers of our lives,
Pause and rethink our decision
Because our stories are not over yet;
There's so much more left.

Regret nothing from our past.
Rethink no decisions made
Or decisions that we didn't make.
Live in the now and for the future.

We owe it to our friends,
To our families, and
Most importantly to ourselves
To not end but pause.

We all crash and burn, and
That could be the end but
We can be the Phoenix and rise
From the ashes stronger and better.

There are times when I
Felt like giving up and saying
The end, but I remember
My friends and family and the good times.

I could've ended my story
Making it into a tragedy
But instead of ending every sentence,
I paused and carried on.

My story isn't over yet
Because there are no much
That I want to do in life:
Medical school, marriage, kids.

My story is not complete
And I don't want to
Leave a cliffhanger for
My friends, family, everyone.

Out stories are not over yet.
We have so much to live for.
We have so many goals:
Graduation, Job, Love.

Insp;re each other and
Everyone going through the same thing.
Be the warr;ors we are determined to be
And f;ght hard like your life depends on it.

Insp;re!
Be a warr;or!
F;ght on!
Our stories are not over yet.

Robert Frost said,
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood."
We have two choices.
Pick carefully; it'll make all the difference.

Pick left and end your story
With an "!", "?", or "."
Or pick right and pause
Your story with a semicolon.

**Insp;re!
Be a warr;or!
F;ght on!
Our stories are not over yet;

I feel the pillow’s coolness
As I fall asleep every night,
A smile forms from ear to
Ear as I begin to drift away.

I begin to levitate off my bed
With every breath I take and
The smile grows bigger and
A sigh slips through my lips.

My eyes begin to swell and
Tears fall down my cheeks
And I can’t believe what I’m
Seeing with own two eyes.

I feel warmth in my heart as
I see a Caterpillar of beautiful
Colors and she comes towards
Me ever so slowly inch by inch.

I stare into her beautiful eyes
And I feel the warmth spreads
To my entire body, and seeing
Her warms my body and soul.

With every beat of my heart,
The warmth drowns me and
I sweat beads of an emotion
That I’ve never felt before.

As I begin to walk towards her,
She disappears before I had the
Chance to talk to her and tell
Her that she’s the most prettiest

Caterpillar I’ve seen in my life,
That I can stare into her eyes
Forever, hear her laugh forever,
And get lost in her personality.

Floating higher in to the clouds,
I see a cocoon shimmering in the
Sun and I wish I could’ve talked
To her but I know that in the end,

She will emerge into a beautiful
Butterfly and I will wait for her,
No matter how long that’ll be,
Because she will more beautiful.

Days turn to weeks and weeks
Turn to months, and I float to
The Heavens and I cry buckets
Of tears as the cocoon opens

And I see the most prettiest and
Most graceful Butterfly I’ve ever
Seen in the world. My stomach
Begins to ache and my heart sinks

As I am left speechless at what
I see and what I’ve experienced.
Wings begin to form on my back
And I begin to fly towards her.

Her pretty eyes hypnotizes me
And her smile makes me smile.
Her laughter is contagious and
Being in her presence melts me.

I’ve grown during the wait and
I can say from the bottom of my
Heart that you’re the beautiful
Butterfly that I see in my dreams.

After so long I can say that I’m
Your Butterfly Dreamer and you
Are my Beautiful Butterfly Angel
And I’m happy to have met you

In Heaven.

You stand between us and them,
Building an impenetrable wall of defense,
Giving us a reason to live a life without fear
That our safety and independence are in jeopardy.
You are unforgotten.

You embody the words: life, liberty, and happiness
Perfectly and you never let those words disappear.
Your life is dedicated to defend what makes us…us.
You are doing this because you decided to do it
And you are happy doing it and therefore,
You are unforgotten.

You come home with wounds we can see,
But you suffer from one we cannot
That is affecting everyone around you,
Even your wife, husband, and child,
But you continue living life with a smile
And your head held high because you stood
For our freedom and happiness and for that
You are unforgotten.

You are a brother, a sister, a mother, a father.
You are a wife, a husband, an uncle, an aunt.
You are my friend and his friend her friend.
You are our Guardian Angel.
You give us the strength to live life and to enjoy it.
You are unforgotten.

You are unforgotten.
You will always be with us.
You will always be in our thoughts.
You will always be in our prayers.
You will always be unforgotten.

Tickety* … tock
Tickety … tock
Tickety … tock

All I hear is the ticking of tha stupid clock.
With each step I take
With heart beat of my heart
With each inhale and exhale
All I hear is that stupid clock.
That clock is someone you know.
It’s someone you care about.
It’s me.
All the words that you say
And all the actions that you don’t do
Is making the clock go

Tickety … tock
Tickety … tock
Tickety … tock

Molding me to fit your model
And dressing me up in my sister’s clothes
And putting her shoes on my feet
Make the clock go faster

Tickety tock
Tickety tock
Tickety tock

Let me live my own life
The way that I want to live it.
Let me be the person that I want to be.
Let me wear my own shoes
The same pair that I have been
Wearing my enire life.
Let me be me
So the clock will not go

Tickety tock
Tickety tock
Tickety tock
Tickety tock

…

BOOM

Open your ears and tell me what you hear.
A word of only three letters can hurt so many.
People trash talking on the basketball court
Saying that your moves ****
And that he’s all that.
Oh, by the way,
Your moves are just gay?

Walk down the halls of every school,
Middle school
High school
University,
And you will hear,
“Oh my God, he’s so gay.”
Or “…that’s so gay.”

Walk down Main Street of every town,
Your town
My town
His town
Her town,
And you will her kids of all ages saying,
“Don’t be so gay”
Or “You’re gay.”

That word is only three letters long
But it carries a big punch.
It carries the same weight of an atomic bomb.
When you let it go,
Everyone is hurt.
It offends everyone, especially those who are gay

It’s not cool or creative
So the next time you use “gay”
Remember:
“You offend one person,
And you offend everyone.”
Think before you speak.

I begin to spiral downward with no
Safety net in sight or parachute on
My back. I look up and I see familiar
Faces of people who support me.

My family and friends become my
Ears and eyes, and guide me through
All the ups and downs and roundabouts.
They are my safety net and parachute.

“You can do it!”
“You’re amazing!”
That’s what they tell me every day
As my demons begin to slowly fade.

My demons fight harder and harder;
It’s David versus Goliath, an epic battle.
Good versus Evil, Heaven versus Hell.
My life is chaos and only time will tell.

“Don’t listen to them!”
“We control your life!”
My demons try to control my life and
They push me further into the dark abyss.

I’m free-falling, not the Tom Petty type,
Being ****** in like a black hole in my mind.
Welcome to the Twilight Zone as the light
Begins to fade in and out of my mind.

“Your life is precious!”
“You have so much potential!”
My life and my mind are not my demons’.
They will not control me, not if I can help it.

I realize that everything starts in my head.
I need to stop making excuses and listening to
My demons; they do not determine who I am,
Nor determine the person I will become.

“You can do it!”
“We have faith in you!”
“We believe in you!”
My family and friends break the darkness.

I see a hand as I fall deeper into the darkness.
Outstretched and Heavenly, I reach out for it.
Failing every time, I doubt myself and I begin to
Make excuses telling myself that I can’t do it.

I close my eyes and I tell myself,
“Stop making excuses!”
“You can do it!”
*“Just do it!”

I stand on the edge of a cliff up high in
The Heavens, surrounded by thick, gray
Clouds, and I’m blinded by the dense fog.

I feel myself being levitated higher into the
Heavens and thrown by an Evil Force, and I
Tumble through the endless darkness and

I land on a boat braving the tides of indecisions
And fear of the past, present, and future, and
I am tossed violently by the hopes, dreams,

And expectations. I paddle deeper into the
Endless ocean with neither an oar nor a sail
And the tides pulls me under and I gasp for

Breathe as I struggle to keep my head above
The water. I become more overwhelmed with
Every crashing wave and my boat fades away

Into the horizon and the fog grows thicker
Until I’m entirely blinded by all the “what ifs”
And the “maybes”, and suffocated by all that

“Could’ve”, “should’ve”, and “would’ve”.
I wait for a light to break through the dense
Fog, calm the tides, and to carry me back to

Where it all began. I pray to whoever will
Listen so I can be saved from this endless
Storm. With every tick and tock of the clock,

I grow more anxious and I begin to sweat.
I wonder if this is reality or if I am dreaming so
I open my eyes and I’m free falling through

The endless funnel of ominous, gray clouds
And my eyes grow bigger as I realize that this
Is not a dream but rather a nightmare that

I cannot escape not matter how hard I try.
It’s a monstrous, endless nightmare that
Has taken control of my mind and my life

And the worst part is: it’s all in my mind.

We all judge everyone
Based on the cover
We never read the book
People always jump to the conclusion
That we are different on the outside
Don’t act like you never
Looked at the cover of a book
And never read the pages
And jumped to the conclusion
That the book is horrible
Or that the book is awesome
Don’t act like you were
Never in our situation
Don’t act like you
Never felt ashamed
Because you judged a book
Or a person by its appearance
Don’t act like you
Never felt hut or depressed
Because you were on
The receiving ends of those judgments
I don’t understand why
People live under a cloud
Of denial
Of misconception
Of misunderstanding
Read the first chapter of our books
And you will see that
We are sons and daughters
We are brothers and sisters
We are friends
Read the second chapter
And you will see that
We are students
We are of different ethnicity
We are of different religion
Read the rest of the book
And you will see that
We are no different
From everyone else
We are all humans
We are all God’s children
The covers of our books
May be different
But the chapters are the same
Conclusion: we ain’t that different

One of my closest friends
Is an alcoholic
He drinks and drinks
Until he passes out
Or until he cannot remember
Anything that had happened
Jack and Coke
Jagerbombs
And bottles of beer
There is an imprint on the couch
Of his big, fat ***
The same couch he sits
Every day and night
Drinking away his life
His friends
His family
Himself
He has his personal bar stool
At all of the bars in town
And the bartenders know his name
And they know his favorite drinks
And his horrible jokes
And he sits there by himself
And drinks himself
Into a coma
Or until he passes out
My closest friend is an alcoholic
But he is also suicidal
Instead of hoping to get killed
He drinks by himself
And get drunk again
Because drinking is better than
Not drinking at all

For as long as we can remember, man yearns to fall in love
With the woman of his dreams but all he can do is hate
Himself for doing what his heart tells him to do: just wait.
To him the word love is just black
And white.
For man, love is nothing; it’s just blind.

Here’s a story from a man who was colorblind
When he was in the South he had fallen in love
With a Southern belle of White
But all he could feel were the stares of hate.
Since she was White and he was Black
He decided to travel up North and wait

For the Southern belle to waltz into his life so he waited
And he waited to no avail. He though that love is so blind.
If you looked at him, you can tell he’s a man of Black,
But deep down he is no different because love
Does not discriminate; it does not hate
If you are Red, Yellow, Black, or White.

What’s wrong with Blacks dating Whites?
Patience is a virtue so just wait
And do not hate
Because even a man who is blind
Can see that when two people fall in love
Race shouldn’t matter because love is never in white or black.

Why not turn off the lights and make the room black
And we will see a bright light and a figure in white.
That is our conscious and it tells us to love who we love
And never to stand in line and wait
And to never close your eyes and be blind
Because our cultures always hate

That we are in love with a race or culture they disapprove
But we stand on a mountain and scream that love is not black
And white. The people can only turn and be blind
Because the man and woman are not Black or White
Or of the same race, but we tell them to wait.
Just wait and see what happens because after all, it is love.

Take off the masks that blind you and make you feel nothing but hate
Because we are all in love whether we are Black,
Red, Yellow, or White because this is love and we can only do one thing: wait.

Yield infinite possibilities

Ingredients
A pinch of “I don’t give a crap”
A dash of “respect”
A cup of “alone time”
2 sprigs of a “peace of mind”
A heaping tablespoon of “some good lovin’”
2 gallons of “go **** yourself”

Directions:
1. Pour half of “go **** yourself” into a saucepan and mix it with “I don’t give a crap.”
2. Place the sprigs of “a peace of mind” and stir constantly with “some good lovin’” and half of the “alone time.”
3. To finish it off, add “respect” and then place the saucepan over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it is very hot but not boiling.
4. Remove it from the heat. Add the remainder of “go **** yourself” and the other half of “alone time” if needed. No need to pour it into mugs. Keep back pocket and use all the time

Nutritional Information:
Amount per serving

Happiness and self worth: infinite
*******: absolutely none
Years gained in life: too many to count
Knowing that you don’t give a **** because you’re happy: PRICELESS

They cover my arms
And my legs.
They cover my head
And back.
They're all over
My face.
They tell the story of
Who I was,
Of who I am,
And who I will be.
My tattoos tell my
Life story.
With every movement of
The pen,
Comes pain as the needle
Goes deeper into me.
Slowly though, with time,
The pain subsides and
I'm left with reminders
Of every aspect of my life:
The good and bad,
The painful experiences,
The joy and happiness.
There are mistakes
Because my life is
Not perfect.
There are scars
Because I fell more
Than I've stood up.
There are new ones
Covering older ones
Because over time,
I've learned to
Live in the now and
Forget the past.
With every tattoo I get,
I'm reminded of
What I've done:
The mistakes,
The right decisions,
The failures,
And successes.
There are more mistakes
Than perfect tattoos
Because my life isn't
Perfect.
It's perfectly
Imperfect.
With every stroke of
The pen
Comes pain, happiness,
Some regret.
But I won't
Stop getting them
Because my tattoos tell
My life story.
I have so much more
To tell because
My life isn't over yet.

“Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities!
Without a humble but reasonable confidence in
your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.”
– Norman Vincent Peale, author
__________________­
Go to sleep every night and start to believe
You can accomplish anything so believe.

Little children are running around in the park on a sunny day
They have so much potential in the world if they just believe.

Children asking their parents how they can be rich and happy
And all their parents can do is smile and say, Just believe.

People always doubt others and say “never”
All we can do is believe, believe, believe.

We all need confidence in ourselves
So close our eyes, inhale, and believe.

Never break, never fall, never fade
Pause the world around you and believe.

Newly hatched birds chirping as they try to fly
They jump off the branch afraid, but they believe.

College student sitting in the lobby waiting for his job interview
Nervous like every college student, sweating, stuttering, but he believes.

David tells King Saul he is ready to face Goliath, and armed
With a sling and a stone, he’s victorious because he believes.

Each poem I write about my true feelings,
I slowly chip away at the mask that I wear
For you to see who I  genuinely am, and it
Takes a lot of time, but it will be worth it.

We have slowly chipped away
The masks that we wear every day
With each poem that I write
And with each poem that you read.

Through my poetry we see cracks
Of light that is our true person that
We want to world  to see but we are
Afraid of how to show it to the world.

I hide behind my poetry because I don’t
Know how to tell the you and the world
How I genuinely feel about anything
And through my poetry I can do so

Without being afraid of directly saying
To every single person my true feelings
But after sharing my world with you
I am no longer afraid to tell you how

I genuinely feel because I have confidence
In myself because with each poem I write
You see cracks in my mask and light breaking
Through the cracks and my true self coming out.

I am no longer shy when I am around you
And I am my genuine self when we talk.
Everything that I have told you through my
Poetry is genuinely true and now what I will tell

You in person is my genuine self because there
Is no point in hiding who wer are anymore.
We have opened up to each other and there
Is no point in closing our book or ripping out pages.

Our books will remain open with blank pages to be
Filled as our genuine identity breaks through the
Masks that we wear every day and every night.
After you read this poem, you will have chipped

The last chip off my mask and my genine self will
Be exposed to you and to everyone in the world.
I will no longer afraid or shy to talk to you about
Anything and everything from my past that shaped

Me into who I am today no matter how bad my past
May have been because with every second I spend
With you my shyness and my mask melt away
And the person I wanted you to meet will still be there.

After you read this poem, I will be a new person
Whom I’ve never ever been before in my life.
After you read this poem, I will be somone better.
With this poem, I will be the genuine person that I am.

I will be who I really am with this poem.

My life is full of
Ups and downs, and
No matter how hard I try
I get pulled back further

To the point where
I'm gonna crash and
Burn and bring everyone
And everything with me.

The pressure
The tension
The would've, should've, could've
And the ifs and maybes.

The mistakes
Of my past
And of the present.
What happen to no regrets?

Slowly my life is pulling
Me backwards and
Creating tension between
The past and present.

The further back I'm pulled,
The more I lose hold of reality.
I fight the tension; I'm gonna explode!
But I'm held in place.

I'm the Arrow
And my life's the Bow.
It pulls me back
And I'm ready to explode!

It pulls me back
Dragging me through the past
Exposing me to all
My weaknesses and strengths.

It aims me in the
Right direction.
I'm pulled back and
I'm gonna hit the intended target.

I'm the Arrow.
My life's the Bow.
It pulls me back
So I can hit my goal.

You looked me in the eye
And told me you loved me.
I saw nothing in yours,
But all the hatred I have for you.
We’ve danced our last dance
And it’s time for the clock
To strike midnight
So I can disappear from your life
And you from mine
Because I see nothing in your eyes.

The days are hectic
The nights are long
Sleep is nonexistent
And the pain is strong
Every night I drink
I drink away my sorrow
I drown it in anything I can find
From soda to water
To my favorite choice of all
I drown my sorrow
Because it is taking over my life
With the pain that I feel
With the things that get in the way
I drown my sorrow
With the happiness
And with the laughter
Of my family and friends

We are Actors and Actresses
In a play call Life
And we all wear masks to follow the scripts
That God has written for us.
Some of the Plays are Tragedies
And some are Comedies
But most are personal.
We wear masks in the scripts
To hide how we are feeling on the inside.
How we are feeling in our hearts
How we are feeling in our souls
And how we are feeling when with others.
The masks we wear are generic.
We put on a Happy mask when need be
We put on a Sad mask when need be
We put on an Angry mask when need be
And we put on a Confused mask when need be.
All of these masks cover up our true emotions
That we want to show them
But cannot because we are chained to the scripts
Known as Our Lives.
Our true emotions keep on knocking
From the inside but we were created to keep those within.
Showing our true emotions
Will set us free and open the world
To the true feelings of everyone.
The world will be a better place
If everyone shows their true colors
So that our problems will be solved
And our lives will be complete.
Actors and Actresses of God’s play,
Stand up and go to the front of the stage
And break the chains that hold us prisoners
To these masks that we wear.
Dig deep in our hearts,
Dig deep in our souls,
And dig deep in our minds
And find the treasures that are buried within
That we like to call the True Masks of Our Lives.
Break free from these chains
And exit
Stage Life.

It’s 3 in the morning. All I can hear is a loud buzzing
and everything around me is spinning. Some give me
an aspirin because my head is throbbing and about to explode.
I leave your house and the bottle still in my hand.

I stagger to my car and I turn the key. I looked over to the
house and drive away never thinking about the what ifs
and maybes. I drove down a dark and narrow road that leads to nowhere.
It feels like a snake because I kept on turning the wheel to stay straight.

I stomped on the brakes because I saw a deer walking in front of the car.
I stared at it and its big eyes returning the gaze. Still looking at it
I sped off as I have never seen a deer before. I entered a long and
dark tunnel that seemed to be endless. At the end of it I saw nothing

but an extremely blinding light. I remembered seeing my life flashing
before my eyes. I saw my birth and my first kiss and my high school prom.
I saw my high school graduation and my first day of college. I saw the first
and only girl I have fallen in love with. Then all I saw was the blinding light

in front of my eyes and I don’t know what to do. I swerve the car to the left
and then to the right but the light would not leave. I just closed my eyes as
tight as humanly possible and I screamed at the top of my lungs. I gripped
the wheel as tight as I can and I prayed the light would disappear. The next thing

I remembered I was at home getting ready to go to your house. I looked
in the mirror, stunned and sweating. I touched my face and looked around
to see if I was only dreaming. I looked in the mirror again and I told myself
I am never going to drink and drive because that was a crazy dream.

We all believe in God,
Regardless of the name we give Him.
We are all His children,
And we are forever loved.

He wants us to be happy,
And for us to be loved.
He wants us to love someone
Else besides Him and ourselves.

Happiness is a universal thing
That everyone shares and feels.
Love and being loved are felt by
Everyone no matter who you are.

Love and Happiness do not judge;
They do not discriminate based on
Your gender, race, or religion, and
They should not discriminate on

Your ****** orientation.
Whoever you love should not
Matter because Love truly is
Blind.

People will say that marriage is
Only between man and woman
Because their religions say so.
But what matters the most

Should be our happiness. If we
Are happy spending the rest of
Our lives with someone of the
Same ***, we should be able to.

Marriage between man and woman,
And marriage between two of the
Same *** share two common things:
Love and Happiness.

Love is Love and
Happiness is Happiness.
Love is blind, Happiness is universal.
Our hearts beat to the rhythm of

Love and it’s the same for all.
Our love for each other is strong, but
Happiness makes the love stronger.
Together our love becomes one.

We are all God’s children and He loves
Us for who we are. He wants us to be
Happy and if that means loving and
Marrying someone of the same ***,

Then we should respect that because
We all feel Love and Happiness and
With respect our Love will be one.

We are blocks of marble,
Waiting patiently for the
Sculptor to arrive with the
Mallet and Chisel to create
Beautiful Sculptures that we
Have never seen before.

We are blank canvases,
Waiting patiently for the
Painter to arrive with the
Brushes and Paints and
Visions of masterpieces
Full of beautiful colors,
Shapes, and design that
The world has never seen.

We are molten glasses,
Waiting patiently for the
Glassblower to arrive and
Shape us into beautiful
Works of art that makes
The world go "ooh" and
"Aah" as everyone sees
Us shimmering in the sun.

We are beautiful threads,
Waiting patiently for the
Weaver to arrive and to sit
And turn us into beautiful
Tapestries that everyone
Wants to hang on their wall
And to pass down from
Generation to generations.

We are the blocks of marble,
We are the blank canvases,
We are the molten glasses,
We are the beautiful threads.

We wait patiently for the Artists
To Create us into works of art
The world has never seen before.
We wait for the Artists without
Realizing their true identities.
All we have to do is look in the
Mirror because we are the Artists.

We are who we are and we are
Unique. As we grow, we slowly
Create works of art that the world
Has never seen before. It's a long
And painful journey with up's and

Down's and speedbumps along
The road but we shape ourselves
Into the types of people we want
Ourselves to become and who we
Want the world to remember us as.

We are the Artists.
We are the works of art.
We will be unique and the
Everyone will be in awe at
Who we will become.

My dad taught me how to throw a baseball
And how to throw a football.
“Thanks, Daddy!”
Every time we walked back inside,
“Thanks, Daddy!”
He tried to teach me how to ride a bike.
Even though I fell…I lost count…
I still said, “Thanks, Daddy!”
Coaching track to little kids last summer
Brought back good memories from my childhood.
I remember Johnnie,
Little Johnnie with brown hair
And blue eyes
And the biggest smile a kid can have.
I see myself in him,
Minus the brown hair and blue eyes.
He always wanted to learn more of track
And I always wanted to coach him more.
“Coach David? Can you teach me the 200 meters?”
“Sure, Johnnie!”
He would answer with a “Thanks, Coach!”
I always see his mom dropping him off
And picking him up.
Every time after practice he would say, “Thanks, Coach!”
And all I can do is give a pat on his head
And say, “Good job, kid!”
Last day of the program, I gave him a medal
And you know what he said to me?
“Thanks, Daddy!”
I stood there as he ran to his mom
And I thought, “Yeah…thanks, Daddy!

I wear wings on my back
Not the wings of birds
But the wings of angels
They offer me guidance
To wherever I want to go
To whatever I want to do
To whomever I want to be
These wings offer me
Support when I fall down
From all the pain
From all the suffering
From all the doubts
From my past that I want to forget
They catch me when I fall
And they lift me ever so higher
Until I can touch the sky
And until I can touch my goals and dreams
They carry me above all obstacles
They carry me higher
And I don’t ever want to come down
When they flap they break the big cloud
That blocks the sun from warming
The hearts and souls of everyone
These wings wipe the tears away
From crying mothers without support
From little children without food
From everyone who feels depressed
And like there is no worth in living anymore
These wings of angels bring bursts of fresh air
That cools down any anger that I feel
That cools me when I’m overwhelmed
The gust of wind from these wings
Pushes me past all of my enemies
And towards my safe haven
To where I can sit and relax
And gather my thoughts
These wings protect me
From the abuse that happens to me
From all the attacks that are directed at me
And directed at my friends
And directed at my family
These wings shield me
From whatever Mother Nature
Decides to throw at me
These wings are those of my Guardian Angels
And they’ll take wherever I wanna go

I lie here every night in my bed
Constantly hearing your words in my head
That I’m not good enough
That you can see that I’m a big bluff
And that with every mistake I pull the thread

Out a little more until my world falls apart
And as the time pass my heart
Cries a little and I can’t go on living
My life this way if you are unforgiving
Because everything you do plays its part

In tearing my life apart from the inside out
And all I can do is stand and pout
Because I am afraid of what you might do
If I stand up for myself and bid adieu
To the life that you want me to have and doubt

My own abilities that I thought I had
But whatever you say does nothing but make me sad
And I want to stand up and walk away
From this place within my head and say
That everything you do only makes me mad

Because I look up to you as my role model
And my head hurts like I was hit by a bottle
And I just ******* down to the floor
And people are chanting for more and more
But you just stand there and watch me toddle

Up and down an endless hall
Like a little kid lost at a mall
Looking for his mother who is out of reach
And in my head I hear nothing but your speech
About how I’m garbage…I’m nothing at all

Instead of catching me you watch fall
From the top of the tower of the Great Wall
So our ancestors can stare down and scorn
Me and ask you why was I even born
If I can’t do anything right except crawl

Back in back and try to fall asleep
Because I don’t want to make a sound not even a peep
If you hear what I have say to you
You will tell me that it’s not wise to
Make a sound if I don’t want to weep

So I just lie here every night in my bed
Living through the nightmare within my head
I wish I can toughen up and stand up
For what I believe in instead of shutting up
And tell the world that this nightmare is as good as dead

The world can be cold for many people
And they search for the support they need.
They search for a shoulder to cry on and
Two open ears to listen to their feelings.

They search for someone they call a friend
Because everyone needs that special person.
When we need someone to lean on,
We can count of our friends to be there.

Everyone searches for that special person
To carry them along their way like a brother.
Everyone searches for that special person
To love them like their own mother.

When you feel like you are lost in the world,
Lost in your own thoughts and emotions,
You search for that special someone
To help find you and guide you out of that forest.

When you feel like everyone around you
Is trying to take control of you and your life
And you feel confused about your role in the world,
You search for that person to put you on the right track.

When you cannot walk because of the weight
Of the world that is on your shoulders,
There will be someone there to lift you up,
Put you on his or her shoulder, and carry you home.

The special someone will be there to feed you,
To offer you a warm house and bed for you,
To offer you warm clothes to put on your back,
To make sure you are safe and sound.

That special someone will be there for you.
Will you be there for your special someone?

Will you be there?

I use to put on different masks
Every day and every night so
I can fit in with certain people.

I use to be shy around everyone
Because I do not know if they
Will judge me if I open my mouth
And say one word like hey.

For the first time in a very long time,
I am not longer shy whenever I am
In your presence because you have

Broken the different masks that I wear
And you have found the true person
That I really am and the person that I
Want everyone in the world to see.

For the first time in many years, I don’t
Have the need or urge to question myself
About my actions or inactions because

I know that you will never judge me like
I am afraid everyone in the world will do
If I open my mouth to them to say hello
Or even when I try and start a conversation.

For the first time in my entire life, I don’t
Have to hide my emotions and true feelings
Behind my poems because I was afraid of what

You and anyone who read them might think.
I used my poems as masks every day and night
Because I don’t know how to show my true
Feelings in words without writing them down.

For the first time in my twenty-one years, I can
Actually say that I am no longer depressed. When
I am around you, I am floating high on a cloud and

I do not want to fall back to Earth and back to reality.
This is a great feeling and I don’t want this to end
Because I am afraid of what my happen and of how
I might feel when this feeling leaves my body.

I am enjoying my life for the first time and
I am enjoying spending every moment with
The one and only person that makes me happy

Whenever I am with that one person. I am happy
That for the first time in my entire life I no longer
Have the need to wear any mask because my life
Is perfect now when I am with that one person.

For the first time in my existence, I have met that
One girl that makes me the happiest man on the f
Face of this beautiful blue and green Earth: you.

The world is too quiet.
There is no one here;
No animals or humans.
But I’m here!

I walk outside
And I see no one.
There is no sign of life.
But I’m here!

The world is like a ghost
Town minus the ghosts.
Why isn’t there anyone here?
But I’m here!

How can there be nobody
In the schools and stores?
How is this even possible?
But I’m here!

There is no point in searching
For anyone here at all.
It’s just a big waste of time.
But I’m here!

But I’m here!
Why can’t anyone see or hear me?
I scream at the top of my lungs
But there’s no point.

I’m just wasting my breath.
It’s just me and my thoughts
And they are blocking me from
The outside world that I love.

I’m all alone with my thoughts
And there is no one here.

*But I’m here!

Falling gracefully from the sky
Makes me sit and ponder why
Do you feel so cold and sad
And why do I feel like I’m going mad
Because I don’t want to say good bye

To my family and my friends
If I feel this road only bends
Neither left nor to the right
And this life just isn’t bright
But I look through my two lens

And realize it ain’t so depressing
As I do nothing all day but stressing
About all the what ifs and maybes
And I will not cry like a group of twenty babies
Because I know that this is a blessing

Since your tears are cold and wet
You’re telling me that it’s not over yet
Because I have so much potential
And opportunities that are existential
And I agree that this isn’t over yet.

Forget about what other people say
About you
About how you’re dressed
About how you act
About how you present yourself.
Forget about people say
When you walk by them
When you try to speak
When you try to fit in
When you look for that
Older brother or older sister.
You’re your own you.
Forget about what people say
That you should’ve
That you could’ve
That you would’ve
That you didn’t do.
Forget about when people say
That you should’ve been like
Your sister
Your brother
Your mother
Your father
Your cousins
Your entire family.
You’re your own you.
Forget about what people do
To make them stand out
To make them better
To make them perfect
To make them fake.
Forget about what you hear in the news
About the best jobs
About the best medicine
About the best towns
About the best states
About the best nations.
You’re your own you.
Look into the mirror
And tell me
And tell the world
And tell yourself
Who you see staring back at you.
It’s not the fake people
It’s not your family
It’s not your relatives
It’s not the news.
The person staring back at you
Is the most perfect
Is the most intelligent
Is the most unique
Is the best.
You’re your own you.

This feeling inside of me
Is burning stronger
And stronger
And stronger
I tried to tell you how I feel
But I keep on growing weaker
And weaker
And weaker
Whenever our eyes meet
My heart sinks deeper and deeper
I yearn to be with you
Forever
And ever
I tried to say, “I love you”
But my voice keeps on getting fainter
And fainter
And fainter
My hands sweat with anxiety
And my mind is nowhere to be found
I search for that special someone
Near and far
Above and below
And she is standing there right in front of me
I feel like I wanna cry
I feel like I wanna die
I feel like I wanna scream
Because all I feel is love
But love has taken my voice and my heart
So instead I will wear my heart
I will wear my soul
I will wear my love
In red

My life is a
Rainbow.
Together, our parts
Create something
Amazing and
Beautiful.
There are times
When I'm
Red with
Anger,
Green with
Disgust,
Blue with
Sadness,
Yellow with
Happiness,
And shades
Of different
Colors.
Alone, they're just
Colors
... Emotions.
Together,
They create something
Amazing and
Beautiful.
Our beginnings are
Dark
With clouds and
Rain
But we emerge
Out of the
Darkness
And bring
Peace and
Happiness
To those around
Us.
My life is a
Rainbow
With
Pots of Gold
Waiting at the
End.