it was just a quick little jab
nothing to worry about
an inner flesh wound
that's slightly more inner than my flesh
and mostly more bitter
because it's so fresh
but just leave me be
i can handle myself
you go ahead
but grab my tele from the shelf

i have a call to make
to my past self

"Write a poem"
those three words are all it takes
and before I know it
everything i've ever known
all that i've ever experienced
is wretched from inside of me
and taped (clumsily)
aligned (crookedly)
and stapled (loosely)
to this signpost we call hellopoetry
maybe someone will notice
most will pass it by
but little do they know that it's not my words that are dripping with angst on the pole
it's me
because my words are me
they filter through my brain, my gut
my love, my hate, my biases, prejudices, hurts, scars, fears,
ideas, thoughts, hopes, dreams and most definitely
most importantly
my heart

so remember as you read these words
and their words
you're not just reading poems
you're not just glancing at some scribbles on a page
slopped together to mean nothing
and consumed,
like a 50 cent burger at a diner.
you're reading expression
true, raw, human, expression
and you need to pay attention
because that expression
can sometimes
but more often then not
mean everything.

What do I really want?
I'll need some time to think
but in the meantime
let me inform you
that your sunglasses turn me off.
they haunt me with images of Lady Gaga
and if you're anything like her
I say nuh-uh.
You spend too much time painting your nails
checking your phone
and looking for sales.
Now, don't get me wrong,
I'm not saying looking nice is wrong
trust me
i notice
but i need someone with their priorities straight
not someone who regularly takes a picture of their plate.
and I don't want to just sit there and stare into your eyes
saying they're a teardrop from the moon
trying to get you to swoon.
your eyes could be the most beautiful things i've ever seen
but that means **** to me when you're a material queen.
instead, while we gaze into each other's eyes
i'll probably pick your nose
stick it in your ear
or wipe it on your clothes

i need someone who understands
that life is really about where we've been
where we're going
and most definitely
about taking the scenic route
because if our eyes are the windows to our souls
that's where I'll be looking when we grow old
and i'll see all our memories
not the cancer
the spots
or crippling disease.
because age may wrinkle our skin,
and time pass us like wind
what's truly important
is what's within.
Just like wine
we'll only get better in time.
so lets make those memories
lets scrape our knees
really feel the breeze
and please please please
remember that we can stay young if we just act a little dumb.
remember these mountains we climb would take less time
if we hold each other's hands
and intertwine.
that way,
whether we make it to the top
or life pulls us down
we'll be together.
my love.
my crown.

the day i became a man
was not when i started growing hair on my face,
(though, you can never go wrong with a plentiful beard)
was not when i kissed a girl for the first time
(sad attempts at beards make for even more sad attempts at first kisses)
was not when i got a car
(never happened)
was not when i bought a house
(hasn't happened either)
nor the day i have a kid
(although it will significantly increase my manhood levels)
nor the day i start my career and begin making buttloads of money
(never going to happen)
it most definitely wasn't when i decided to bottle my feelings up,
because men don't show feeling
(this poor guy is cursed with emotions that make decisions for themselves)

no, the day i became a man
was when i realized that i had something to offer the world
it was when i realized that i'm not on this earth to take
and be selfish
or to get famous
or make lots of money
or be successful
no, my badge of manhood was earned when i came to the conclusion
that i don't need your ****** versions of what a man really is
to understand
who this man
really is

it was earned when i
stopped
trying
to earn it
and decided
to start learning
and caring
and loving
the responsibility of a mortgage is not on my shoulders
the responsibility of the world is
(and there's no other way i would rather have it)