I'm trying so hard to
keep my head above water.
Everything is closing in
and the darkness is settling.
The very process of drowning
makes it harder and harder
not to drown.
He wrapped his hand
around my ankle
and told me that he would
never go down alone.

Gloomy,
Cold,
Grey,
Clouds nearly kissing the lake,
Rain falls gently on the tin roof,
John Mayer singing in the background,
I put another log on the fire,
Grabbed my favorite book,
Curled up under my blanket,
And began to read.
My cup of tea steaming on the table,
And the cat lying at my feet.
I stare out the window as a family of ducks floats by,
The only ones out on this,
Gloomy,
Cold,
Grey,
Rainy day

First, I was dying to grow up and finish school,
Then, I was dying to finish college and get a job,
Then, I was dying to get married and have kids,
Then, I was dying for my kids to finish school,
Then, I was dying to retire,
Now, I am dying,
And I realize,
I forgot to live.

I thought walking was hard,
But then I tried running.
I thought cleaning up my toys was hard,
But then I had to clean my house.
I thought addition was hard,
But then I learned pre-calc.
I thought school was hard,
But then I went to college.
I thought losing my dog hurt,
But then I lost my grandma.
I thought I wanted to grow up so fast,
But sometimes I just wish I was a kid again.
Looking back, these hurdles I thought were so big were just tiny stepping stones creating the path for today.
Looking back, I look forward to the new hurdles,
The new challenges I will conquer.

We seek attention,

Facebook,
Twitter,
Instagram,
Tinder,
Kik,
Snapchat,
It's all about the most
Likes,
Comments,
Retweets,
Favorites,
Snaps,
Followers,
Where have our real friendships gone?
When something goes wrong we post a selfie,
write a status,
send a snapchat,
or tweet about it.
For what?
For the hopes to hide our feelings on the internet.
For the hope that a stranger will like it,
That a stranger will leave a comment saying everything will be okay?
We have become numb.
Forgetting the real relationships in our lives.
When there's a problem, we escape to the internet for that next like instead of talking to someone who actually cares.
When we don't get the attention we're looking for, we post a #selfie to find what we're looking for.
Social media has become the new drug of our age,
And it's changing the way we live our day to day lives.

It was a hand me down,
An old Chevy that grandpa didn't need,
It was just a little truck,
But it would do,
Blue and silver, with rust sprouting up here and there,
A creaky tailgate,
No ac, but a sunroof,
Comfy seats that held you like a race car,
The smell of dust wafting from the vents
It had a little engine that needed work,
It had old tires that needed to be replaced,
A layer of dust that needed to be washed off.
But I didn't care,
It was my first truck!

New engine,
New tires,
A deluxe wash at the co-op,
And a black ice air freshener,
This truck was born again.

Spinning tires and dust flying,
Rolling down the streets and tearing up the gravel roads,
This truck purred like a kitten.
I didn't care if people had bigger trucks,
Newer trucks,
Fancier trucks,
This was my first truck
And I loved it!

Today I pondered the thought of "what is poetry," I became frustrated when i didn't know and couldn't answer it.  I looked it up but I still wasn't satisfied.  Here is what I think poetry is.

Poetry is personal,
It is a song without a melody,
It is the inner feelings that can only be expressed through writing,
It's peaceful,
It's angering,
It's frustrating,
It's satisfying,
It's a memory,
It's a dream,
It's a wish,
Poetry is a release,
A way of relaxing,
Sometimes it's easy
Sometimes it's hard.
Sometimes the words come flowing faster than you can write,
the next time you sit searching for the right words to say.