Writers   just  write   the  words.

Readers  decide what  the words
mean and how they are  affected
by those words  and if the poem
is about them or directed to them
personally.

Events  and  or  interactions  with
various people are the basis for my
writing.

I am just trying to leave something
behind.
                                                                                              Jon York   2022

It's  a  hard time  to  be  human.
We know too much and too little.

Exaggerate  your flaws until  they
turn  into  virtues.

I wouldn't be surprised if poetry
-- poetry  in  the  broadest  sense,
in the sense  of a world filled with
metaphor, rhyme,  and recurring
patterns,  shapes, and designs -- is
how the world works,. The world
isn't  logical,  it's  a  song.

I  go  where  my  words  take  me.
I  write  for  my  own  amusement
but my ink comes from  the  heart
and sometimes a dark mind.

I wouldn't say I'm an inexperienced
poet, but  staying  in  the  lines  has
never been one of my strong points.
                                                                                              Jon York  2022

Sometimes at night I can taste her
on my lips. Passion; strong coffee
and warm, soft kisses.

It fades quickly, like the lingering
of a delicate perfume in an  empty
room and I  miss it  when  it  goes,
but  I'm  just too tired  to  chase  it.

So elusive she is, so lovely, but the
quiet  madness of it  all leaves  me
breathless.

Enter  each  day expecting  that the
happenings of the day may contain
a clandestine message addressed to
you personally.
                                                                                          Jon York   2022

Pretend to be crazy so you can get away  
with  doing  what's  right.

Remove yourself from situations where
you have trouble being and feeling your
true self.

Decrease your connection with anything
that tends to demean  your spirit, shrink
your lust  for life , limit  your  freedom,
ignore  your  soul,  compromise  your
integrity,  inhibit your self-expressiveness.

Love  your enemies in case  your  friends
turn out to be jerks.

Whoever  you're  longing  for has  been
changed by your pursuit of them. They are
different from what they were when  you
felt the first pangs of desire.

To make them yours, then, you'll have to
modify  your  ideas  about  them.

Be careful what you wish for because if your
wish does materialize, it will require you to
change in ways you didn't foresee.

Give yourself another chance, pretend your
wounds are exotic tatoos.                                              Jon York   2022

Life is short but full of flavors,
so explore everything and taste
all of the flavors with love and
kindness in your heart.

Stay  humble, work  hard,  be
kind.

The magic's inside. Unlock a
world of wonder every time
you open your eyes.

It's  not about  having  views
everywhere  you  look,   it's
about  selecting  and  framing
the views.

Stay relevant, resilient and
positive admidst life's curve
*****.

Be a dreamer, believe and achieve
and you will become an achiever.
It's all up to you for the magic is
hidden inside.

Don't tell people your dreams,
show them. You can,end of story,                                   Jon York  2022

I  write songs without a  tune,
I'm a story teller, stories based
on my life's strange and weird
happenings and events that I
can't forget. I write of odd and
out of place interactions with
seemingly unreal people.

I write about the news, sometimes
about my feelings, my various
loves and lovers,and sometimes I
just write, not knowing where
my  words are coming from,
almost as if someone was using
me as a tool, writing through me.

Be  a  fighter, get  up and  dust
yourself off for life isn't a fairy tale,
there is no knight in shining armor
who will ride in and save the day.

Be  your own  hero, learn  to walk
alone because all the so-called knights
are busy polishing their own armor.                             Jon York  2022

The Sun will rise every day
and the moon will follow its course.

Let your shadow move where it will,
its magnitude decided by the Sun.

May you never be the reason why
someone who loved to sing, doesn't anymore.
Or someone who dressed so uniquely, now
wears plain clothing. Or why someone
who always spoke so excitedly about their dreams,
is now silent about them.

May you never be the reason someone gave up
on a part of themselves because you were
demotivating, non-appreciative, hypercritical,
or even worse - sarcastic about it.

Do not relentlessly try to understand.
Time itself will decide.
I will not be sad. It has been written for me.
My joy will come when it is time.
                                                                                             Jon York  2021