I remember--
I must've been a little younger than five
The first time I learned of letting go
Peeking around my mom's recliner
Staring tearfully at the screen
Dorothy said goodbye to the Scarecrow

We formed a friendship, an unlikely pair
Me poking fun at your lack of brains
You encouraging me as I followed a dream
Down my winding, yellow-brick lane

You were there for me first
Seeing me through every storm
Communicating in the darkest of nights
As I hid fearfully from a tornado that formed

A journey full of memories
A bond strengthened through time
I've always found you most intelligent
And whether I stay or go--
I'll remember there's no place like home
When your love is mine

© JL Smith

I used to think the pinnacle of elation
Derived from you so wittingly
Conjuring my laugh,
But I must attest,
The sincerest bliss occurs
After I induce the same--
Witnessing your face illuminate
Is a gift unwrapped

© JL Smith

How could a smile
So radiant
Write from a place
Of such pain?

This question
You asked me
As you walked
The surface
Without digging
The terrain

For my roots
Have traveled deeply
Around rock--
Through dirt and clay,
But my limbs
Bear fruit of beauty
After the rain
Has washed away

© JL Smith

Where are you?

I read about you in books
And watched you on the silver screen
Society places considerable emphasis
On you sweeping me off my feet

Who are you?

Someone labeled, "Super"
Dressed in boots and a cape?
Or a dubious author
Shredding manuscripts you create?

No matter--

The fairy tale's a myth
No perfect prince charming or princess
Just a worn heart-on-her-sleeve lover
Searching for The One who will accept her mess

© JL Smith

Ninety-nine percent of the time
The truth is brutal
It'll knock you on your back
You'll lie there positioned fetal
Praying it cuts you slack

As for me,
I continue to bear my soul
While most fear truth
I disclose the untold

My ninety-nine percent
Consists of a night owl
And a midnight snack
Laughing until my gut wrenches
And researching odd facts

My truth
Subsists of stubborness
I blame my dad for that
Tears form when I get angry,
But I forgive, rather than fight back

My reality
Reveals clearly
I'm a dreamer wandering an offbeat path
I've been told my goal's improbable,
But I believe in magic after solving the math

And honestly,
My heart falls swiftly
For the one I can't have
And to the ones who wanted me,
I can't force feelings that I lack

Ninety-nine percent of the time
The truth is brutal
It'll knock you on your back
I've shared my proportion,
And it's worth enduring to reach
My one percent of liberation after that

© JL Smith

At times my memory fails
Yet, your words remain clear
It's ironic how you doubted my writing
Never gave it much thought or adhered

You attempted to break my spirit,
But instead, fueled this fire
You planned to bury me in your dust,
And here I am, sprouting higher

All it took--a little confidence
Commitment to my words
A belief in these syllables
Faith in a few strong verbs

I conjure feelings
I share stories
I bleed truth
I give glory

My poetry reveals this heart
You disrespected both,
But some day you will see
How I now touch the lives of strangers I call friends
And through these words,
They believe more than you did--
They've accepted me

© JL Smith

Please don't wander my way
For I know you're not willing to stay
Your clouded skies once cast shadows,
But now my blue paints over your gray

© JL Smith