Why do I keep remembering?
Why can I not let go?
Why can't I erase myself?
Why can't I erase the people I used to know?

The dangerous thing for me is that I would die and excruciating death a thousand times just to make them smile once
And then I'll apologize if my screams from getting burned alive disrupted their sleep

You breathe,
and the world shifts.

Not in earthquakes or avalanches,
but in the soft tremors
of someone watching you smile
and deciding to stay
one more day.

You pass a stranger,
and they carry your laughter
into a room
that was too quiet
until you echoed there.

We don’t notice
how much we bleed into each other.
in glances,
in silences,
in words we don’t remember saying
but someone else never forgets.

A comment tossed off
in boredom
becomes a bruise
on someone else’s skin.
A simple “you okay?”
becomes the thread
someone clings to
when they’re unraveling.

We are not islands.
We are oceans.
waves crashing into waves,
pulling and pushing,
changing tides
without even knowing.

So be kind.
Or at least,
be aware.

Because whether you mean to or not,
you leave something
in everyone you touch.

And they leave something in you.

We’re not just living our lives.
we’re shaping them
together.

I slump into an armchair
Feet drooping down
And sprawl onto the carpet
Watch the dust float around
I have no place to go
Nothing to do
No faces to see
Nothing is new
Boredom is as human does
Sun wearily crosses the sky above
I'm stuck with a fly and a ticking clock
Too leaden to move, much less to walk
And even the aforementioned dust
Has more to do than I.

The day was long, your feet are sore,
You gave your best and even more.
But now the sun begins to sink
It’s time to rest, to breathe, to think.

Let go the weight the hours brought,
The tangled tasks, the racing thought.
And lay your head where peace begins,
Let the calm move deep within.

You are not just what work demands,
You’re beauty shaped by loving hands.
A gentle soul, a fire inside
Both grace and strength in you abide.

If I could, I’d calm the skies,
And hush the noise that fills your eyes.
I’d draw a bath of stars and light,
To wash you in pure rest this night.

So rest your eyes, the world can wait,
Let dreams come soft and healing your date.
I’ll hold you close in heart and prayer,
Your comfort, peace, and love are there.

You’ve done enough, now be at ease,
Like whispered winds through nighttime trees.
For in my heart, you’ll be always best
So take this night, my love, and rest.

Of all the souls that walk this earth,
You shine with kindness, joy, and worth.
Even in weariness, you glow
A light the shadows always know.

Let burdens fall like rain to ground,
And let my love wrap all around.
No need to carry pain alone,
My heart is yours, my arms your home.

Tomorrow waits with gifts anew,
But this night belongs to peace and you.
So drift on dreams both soft and true
And know I’m always proud of you...

They say
a butterfly ***** its wings
in a quiet corner of the world.
and halfway across it,
a storm begins.

But no one tells you
how often
you are the butterfly.

The smile you gave
a stranger
on a day they thought of leaving.
The message you didn’t send.
The one you did.
The fight you started.
The hug you almost didn’t give.

How many lives have you altered
without ever knowing?
How many moments have you shaped
by simply existing,
in the right or wrong place,
at the quietest time?

We chase purpose
like it’s some grand, loud thing,
a legacy,
a title,
a monument with our name on it.

But maybe
you already changed the world
when you held the door open
for someone
who swore no one saw them.
When you stayed.
Or when you left.

What a strange kind of power
to ruin or redeem
with things we barely remember doing.

So move gently,
and with meaning.
Not out of fear,
but reverence.
You never know
who’s standing in the storm
your wings created.

the clock ticks forward
you think it's too fast
you want to slow it down
somehow make it last

Your voice wants to be heard
To be more than just air to no avail
Because it speaks truth
It is beautiful

sometimes you swallow your words
you forget to be loud
but your optimism shines through
even the darkest cloud

It makes people realize
That maybe
They're not the only ones

Make them look to the left and see you
Struggling too
Living
And laughing and crying

Those words are more than air
Because air can't possibly feel this much like a hug
Like the feeling when you finally find a tree
And you just embrace it

You're that tree Elena
Like the one from your poem
It was swaying in the wind
Letting life move it beautifully

You reach up like the tree too
And you dare to say that there is a way
Always

And are trees just gray?
No
They are so beautiful
And their colors are so vibrant and beautiful and poetry

you are a burst of color
amidst clouds of gray
your words bring joy
to people every day

You are not just gray, Elena, like you said
I think they're right there, always
Even if they're hard to spot
They appear at every smile you make possible
And every beautiful word you write

you give your advice
to people you don't know
you brighten their days
but forget to go slow

But it isn't your responsibility, dear
You don't always have to be the tree for everyone
Eventually it gets claustrophobic when there are so many things
That you don't get sunlight for yourself

you are an amazing soul
with a wondrous light
when life kicks you down
you put up a fight

dearest girl,
You deserve it
You deserve all of it
The sun
And rich soil
The love
The warmth of the hug
And a break from it

You deserve it all

blowing bubbles on my porch
tiny fingers
with chipped purple polish
reach out to grab them
chubby face
surrounded by a halo of knotty curls
laughs in delight
tiny feet
shoved into little pink crocs
dance around in joy
big brown eyes
full of curiosity
admire the bubbles with a pure childlike happiness
that I can only dream of possessing again

I never understood life.

Well, who cares –

Life never understood me either.