The years, they have come and gone so
fast, nothing seemed to last, like the loves
that have come and gone and when
we are young and wish the time didn't
pass so slow, as we get older, we wish
things didn't move so fast, and that the
nice things would last just a little longer.

In  65  I was seventeen, somewhere
between mean and lean and I didn't
know much, but most don't when they
are only a teen and my first love, dear
Anne  was so young
and sweet,and she never missed
a beat, so soft and tender, a real
credit to her gender, and one day
she just disappeared and I can't
remember if I even got to say goodbye.

In 69, I was twenty-one and made my
living with a gun, in a no - win situation
called Vietnam and life was no fun.

Surviving 13 months of daily combat
I give thanks that I was trained by the
best -  the ( Marine Corp ) but the battles
in my head would never  let me rest when
I returned home.

The decorations they came, but I would
never be the same. coming home to a very
mean and angry Country that was fighting
an unpopular War and didn't seem to care
any more about their returning warriors
and just closed the door.

In  77   I was twenty - nine, aging like a
fine wine but waking up in a Hospital room
in Joplin one day from an automobile
accident not knowing what to say,except
"what happened to me ? ","where am I, and
"who am I ?"

"You can't walk" the nurse said and the
pain so great, I felt that I would be better
off dead and I was discarded as a crippled
by my wife and I was forced to begin a
new life which would be filled with strife.

Learning everything again that I already
knew like walking, talking and being a
human being was no fun at 29 but it had
to be done, because I had no where to run.

In 1980 I was recovered and strong
after rebuilding my body and I was
on my way to embark on a new way
of  life and I had something to prove to
myself and not to anybody else.

In 1990, moving to another State,
with the idea that it was not too late
for a new start, and this time I would
have a new part to play.

I learned what the War had done to me,
and that our  freedom never comes free,
and that I needed help in my head,
or I would end up up dead.

In 2010 I am  sixty - one  and wonder
what I have done with my life. Where
did the years go, gone like a vapor
in the air and all you can do is simply
stare in the mirror asking yourself
"is that really me ?"

Then this Angel came out of nowhere,
this beautiful lady who needed me I
thought as much as I needed her.

It took 61 years to find her and we
were together for two years in a union
that I thought would last forever, but
for her the truth was never.

She lied to me for two years about her
past and her intentions so she could use
me and keep herself amused.

I couldn't see what she was doing
because my love for her was so strong
and she just wasn't equipped to handle
so much love and it didn't take her long
to find someone else that could keep
her amused.

When I found her,I thought that real
love was unstoppable and that it would
always find you and that you could not hide.

Instead I got taken for one big ride by this
Kansas Queen who also turned out to be
very mean and who thought that she could
get away with it clean.

Together I thought that we faced the World
with our hearts in each others hands and I
thought that we knew that the others love
was true.

But upon discovering her lies she only
made me blue because her lies were so cool
and so very cruel it made me think I should
go back to school.

With her lies she professed her love for me
and I smiled because she made me happy
and she let me know if I made her mad or
made her sad.

But she appeared much to my surprise
to be glad when I opened the door for her
to leave and I was even more surprised
at how fast that she hit the door running.

Was it to another man who was waiting and
knew she was coming but that's all right
because it really doesn't matter because I was
glad and fortunate to see her scatter.

So we must be prepared for changes that
come at us so fast often leaving you to wonder,
"how long can I last?" and leaving you
wondering "how did I last this long," when
so many times you thought you were gone.

She told me everyday for two years
that she loved me and that that she
would never leave me saying to me that
I was the "one" that had been sent to her
by Jesus, and in the end I was just numb
and must have looked pretty dumb
because I believed all of her lies which
resulted in so many cries.

Life will blindside you when you least
expect it so we have to learn to expect the
unexpected and learn to love and not hate.

In the beginning she showed me that I
could love, taking away my hate but in
the end she took away that love
and brought back so much hate.

Because of her lies I will never be the
same because it was all just her game
that I lost but I will never play that
way again and I will never lose like
that again.

I will survive and live to see another day
and another love will come my way. 

Just do what you have to do to survive
while you are on this crazy ride................                  
Jon York        wrote 2010,    edited 2012

Love is a story
that never gets old because
time doesn't exist with love
only clocks exist and once
you change the way
you look at things
the things you are looking at
change.

I am an old man
and have seen  
known and felt many troubles
but most of them didn't really
need to happen so know
that life is not always fair
but that it is still
good.

Life isn't about finding yourself
life is about creating yourself
so understand those changes
taking place in your mind and body
and above all be kind and know
that in every living thing
there is the desire
for love.

Be yourself because everyone else
is already taken and speak the truth
even if your voice starts shaking
knowing that risks must be taken
because one of the greatest
hazards in life is to
risk nothing.

As I mark my words in prmanent ink
I can see that I am so much more
than people think and as I wander
through this lifetime
with the years flying by
I can't help but wonder why
I am still here and if I knew
no telling what I might
possibly do.

Because life is full of misery
loneliness and suffering
and it is all over much too soon
I feel so deeply I can't describe it
and sometimes I am so overwhelmed
that it becomes hard to breathe
so I changed the way I look at things
and I find that those things
I am looking at have changed and
it sets me free.                              Jon York          2013

Be brave
    enough to
           start a
conversation
that matters.
   Wisdom
      begins
           in
     wonder.
All that we are
  is the result of
   what we have
      thought.
And no matter
         what
    people tell
           you,
     words and
          ideas
        change
          the
         world.
  Poetry is vital
             to
  society and our
       human
     experience.                                                               Jon York   2019

Count your age by friends, not
years and count your life by smiles,
not tears and know that time you
enjoy wasting is not really wasted
and the rest of your life could be the
best of your life because you never
get too old to be young and life may
not be the party you hoped for but
while you are here, you should dance.

In youth we learn, in age we understand,
no matter how hard life is, and don't
lose hope, just fill your heart with what's
important and be done with it, and love
those random memories that make you
smile, no matter what's going on in your
life right now, and work in silence, letting
your message be your noise.

Love the life you live and live the life
you love knowing life is to be enjoyed,
not just endured, and do things that
move you because life is too short to
wait, so be happy knowing that every
day is a new beginning and take a
deep breath and start again, and don't
chase people, be yourself, and do your
own thing, working hard, because if
you do, the  right people, the ones who
really belong in your life, will come
to you and stay.

The idea is to die young as late as
possible, so forgive yourself, again and
again and again, as many times as it
takes to find peace, and people will
love you, people will hate you, and
none of it will have anything to do
with you so no matter how hard it is,
don't lose hope, realizing that character
like a photograph, develops in the dark
and know that something that can't be
done is just something that hasn't been
done before.
                                                      Jon York     2016

Dance   like

no  one  is  watching.

Because  they're   not.                      

                                                                 They're checking their phones.

                                                                                        Jon York   2019

Have  eyes  that  see
                           the best,
                a heart that forgives
                        the worst,
                 a  mind  that  forgets
                           the bad,
                 and a soul that never
                        loses faith.

                   Life  is  a  matter
            of  perspective.  There  are
                  many  people  who
                    may know you,
                           but there
                  are  very  few  who
                         understand
                       who  you  are.

                            Some of
                    the best moments
                           are never
                  captured by cameras
                           and are not
                 posted  in  any  social
                    media platform.
            They  are  kept  in  private
                      and cherished
                            together
                   with the best people.
                                                                                        Jon York   2019

No one asks you to accept life.
That is not a choice.  
You  must  accept  it. The  only  
choice  is  how.
Heaven on earth  is  not a place  
you  must  find,
but  a  choice  you  must  make.

Two primary choices exist in life;
to except conditions
as they exist,
or accept the responsibility for
changing them.

You may believe that you are
responsible for what you do, but
not for what you think, but the
truth is that you are responsible for
what you think, because it is
only at this level can you exercise
choice.What you do comes from
what you think

Every morning when we get up,
the first thing we should decide is:
What do i want? Misery? or bliss?
If we choose blissfulness it is because
it is your choice, it is your life.

There are no mistakes in life, only
lessons.  Love yourself,  trust  your
choices, and  everything is possible.

We choose only once. We choose to
be warriors or to be ordinary...A second
choice does not exist. Not on this earth.
                                                          ­                                   Jon York   2020

Excellence is never an
accident, it represents
the wise choice of many
alternatives; sincere effort,
intelligent execution and
a choice not to waste time,
for time is what life is made
of and in your journey
choose to have purpose
on earth and strength in
direction and strength in
messages that you give
yourself because those
are the most important
messages that you will
hear.

It may be that by choosing
labor and painful effort and
by choosing grim energy
and absolute courage that
you are able to be here and
are able to move on to better
things and it might be that
somebody chose to believe
in you, so you need to choose
not to let them down and if
you have the opportunity to
make things better and you
choose not to, then you are
wasting your time on this
planet, and if you choose to
spend your life waiting for
the storm, you will never
enjoy the sunshine, so live
in a good place, keep your
mind deep, and treat others
well, stand by your word,
make fair rules, and do the
right thing and work when
it is time, as you determine
your destiny by choices
that you make.               Jon York 2017

Choose people who
choose you.
                                                                                       Jon York   2019

Love has come and gone as the years just keep
on flying by, but this last one hurt so bad that
I just wanted to die, at least until I found out
that it was all just a series of thoughtless lies.

I've been through so many loves that I guess this
one was just a bad penny. So full of promises
and hope and I believed her like some stupid
dope and in the end it became nothing but
a bad joke.

How foolish of me to ever think something
of substance was behind that beautiful wink
and those pretty words and that delicate
touch that flooded my mind with false bliss.

She lives day to day in an endless search
for her own personal gratifications, only
living to gain and only gaining for herself.

I wrote so many pretty words to catch her eye,
but she doesn't read me and never even tried,
leaving me to wonder why.

I have spoken my truths and lived her lies and
spoke of loves power to overcome pain but the
fact of the matter is only pain still remains.

Love is a game, perhaps the hardest game
around because there are no rules, but I will
win the next game and you can bet that I
won't play the same way that I did this last
one that was filled with shame.   
                                               Jon York   2011

Whether  love  blooms  gradually,
or hits like a tidal wave, it changes
everything.

Being  one  of  the  most  powerful
energies in the world; love drives us
forward; gives us purpose; and adds
meaning where it sometimes seemed
none existed.

In its extremes it is either a fountain
of the most soaring euphoria and ecstasy:
or, where it is lost, blocked, or turned
away, a bottomless well of despair, pain
and profound despondency.

In between the extremes are the smaller
moments,  laughter  shared,  tears  shed
and wiped away, fears soothed.

It is no wonder that painters and writers
such  as  myself and those  through time
have looked to this all-pervading emotion
for the motivation and object of our art.

The refusal by faithful lovers to allow distance,
disapproval, or even death to affect their feelings
can sometimes seem like fanaticism or obsession,
but in the very stubbornness of the declarations
of undying love there is consolation, satisfaction,
and immense beauty.
                                                         ­                                     Jon York  2021

Affairs
           don't
         start in
      bedrooms.
(They start with
   conversations).
                                                                                       Jon York   2019

the most painful tears are not
the ones that fall from our eyes
and cover  your  face.
It's   the  ones that  fall  from
your heart and cover your soul.
                                                                                           Jon York   2019

Daily doses of inspiration & wisdom
are highly recommended for our health and well being
and when you find that you can tell your stories
without bringing up any pain then you know
you are healed or starting on the road to healing
and you will know when you start
to get that feeling.
]
In my words and poems I tell stories
of changes, stories of love found and love lost
and maybe a little about the cost of love,
and yes in the beginning there was a lot
of hurt and pain but as the words came
it started slowly to go.

At first it was very slow but as
more words and poems came I found that I no longer
had to feel such misery and pain and I actually
began to feel like I had something to gain
and something to give to others
with the same.

So many poems it took to wash away the pain
and I hope my words will let others see
that words and poems can set you free
and as I breathe and release that which
no longer serves me knowing that change
is a process, not an event, I finally realized
that the love you take is equal
to the love you make.

The power of the universe will come
to your assistance if your heart and mind
are in unity so in the end be kind
because EVERYONE is fighting their own battles
and trying to find their own
peace of mind.             Jon York       2013

I have blisters
on my
feet
from dancing
with your
soul.
                                                                                            Jon York   2019

I just felt like                                Those that **** for
I needed to write                      pleasure are sadists.
something  about
my months in                              Those that **** for
Vietnam  as  a                            money are professionals.
  US Marine.        
Stay low                                        Those that **** for both
Go fast                                                         are
**** first                                             U.S.   MARINES
Die last
One shot
One ****
No luck
All skill
                                                                                             Jon York   2019

Some days remembered
are so dark
that I never want to
remember them and some days
are happy as a lark
making me wish that
they would last forever
and forget them
I could never.

Try to  realize that
every moment of your life
is the most important moment
so know that no future time
is better than now to let down
your guard and love.

Pride says "it's risky"
as reason says "it's pointless"
but the heart whispers "give it a try"
and sometimes you will have to cry
upon recalling those
days remembered.

Some days remembered are amazing
and some days are happy
and some are sad and some
are amazing happy and sad
all at the same time
so just be glad that you
are human.

Having had some fun
and blessed beyond belief
to have made it this far
I guess what I am still
looking for is a little relief
instead of feeling
like a thief because
my poetry speaks volumes
about some very ugly
parts of my life that
were filled with much strife
and emotions so thick you
could cut them
with a knife.

I 've had some fun
matching wits
with lost love dimwits
and playing their love games
that just left me lame
but with lots of
days remembered and
a knowing that
what sometimes breaks us
makes us stronger
and gives us the power
to go on for just a little longer
as we recall those days
remembered.       Jon  York         2013

Stop expecting so
   much from people.

                                        Jon York   2019

Dear music,
Thanks for always
clearing my head,
healing my heart,
and  lifting  my
spirits.
                                                                                              Jon York   2019

Inside you

is where I want to

be,

thrusting

within the folds

of your mind

penetrating

the sweet softness

of your soul,

throbbing

as I release my love

deep within you.
                                     Jon York   2019.

Some people make you
feel safe in this world,
not only because
they understand you
deeply, but because they
love you despite everything.
                                                                                               Jon York   2019

Did you know that I know you?
better than you know yourself,
and without doubt, more than
any single other body has ever
known any single other body
in the history of this world or
any other. I know  before  you
know when your heart reaches
out  and  I  know  without  you
requiring  the  assistance  of   a
glance  or  gaze  when  you  are
scared  or  lonely,  or  tired   or  
hungry, or angry or worried, or  
blinded by absolute excitement.

Did you know I am  yours?  Did
you  know  that  I will always be
yours?  Did  you know  I waited
my  entire  life  to  have  you  be
mine again?  Did  you?

I would do any, whatever and all
things  as   long  as  doing  them
meant  doing  them   with   you.

I  love  us  for  the  way  our  eyes
make  love  to  each  others   souls.
                                                          ­                           Jon York    2019

Not everyday
   is  a  good  day, live anyway.
             Not all the people
   you love will love you back,
               love anyway.
             Not everyone
     you thought you knew
               will tell you
                   the truth,
          be honest anyway.
               Not all deals
     are fair, play fair anyway.
               Not all your love
   relationships will be truthful
                  and  faithful
                     to you, be
             truthful and faithful
             with   them  anyway.
                Not all "friends"
        will  be  there  for  you  when
             you need them to be,
        be  there  for  them  anyway.
                  Never apologize
       for having a heart as big as the
                 ocean to the people
        who would rather stay puddles
and  accept  the fact that  some  people
              didn't intend to let
        you down, but did. Too many
people are looking for the right person
               instead of trying to be
   the right person. Let it all go and
                    see what stays.
               Die  with  memories,
                       not dreams.
                                                         ­                             Jon York   2019

Writing a poem is like discovering your soul because
sometimes the hardest thing in life to face is yourself
but the words that come out of my head reflect my past
and some of the times that I wish would have lasted
just  little bit longer.                                                          ­        

Some of my loves were like a fire that sparked quickly
and then  burned with intense heat but some burned
out quickly and my soul seemed lost in the flame
leaving me never the same.

The soul tries to bring harmony and order out of chaos
and it attempts to introduce meaning and affect where
there was none and it  gives highs and lows to a landscape
that was previously flat.

The words I write define my soul and who I am and what
roadblocks I have had and finding the strength and courage to
overcome and the ability to forge new roads through the
disappointments that I have had to face.

And as I look at the words that come to paper I realize
that I am not my pain and I am not my past but I have
discovered my soul and these words have filled a great
big hole knowing that love comes to those even though
they have been disappointed and to those who still
believe even though they have been betrayed and to
those who can still love.

Only a powerful soul can offer love and be humble and
my words have helped me to discover this and let me
realize that any time not spent on love is wasted.
                                                         ­                             Jon York   2017

Distance yourself from
     the people who:
     1. Lie to you
     2. Disrespect  you
    3. Use you
    4. Put you down
                                                                    Jon York   2019

Different           Be vulnerable yet invincible
Individuals       and at the same time
Valuing             be strong yet weak and
Each other         be drunk but sober,
Regardless of    staying high but grounded
Skin                    and stable but chaotic.
Intellect        
Talents or           Love yourself first and
Years                   everything else falls
                            into line and know that
                            you cannot be comfortable
                            without your own approval.
      
                             It is not about taking that
                             first step but in making sure
                             that a first step can
                             be found.

                              Know that the pen that
                              writes your life's story
                              must be held in your
                              own hands.                               Jon York              2013

Dream.

Plan.

Do.
                                                                                  Jon York   2019

We have our own
language,
you and me.
One that doesn't
have a word for
goodbye.
                                                                           Jon York   2019

Today is the beginning of a new day so start it
by knowing that you have been given this day
to use as you will and know that what you do today
is important because you are exchanging
a day of your life for it.

Life is not about expecting, hoping and wishing,
it is about doing, being and becoming
and the choices you have made not yesterday but today
so talk happiness, talk love, peace of mind
and talk health.

Forget the mistakes of the past and press on
to greater achievements of the future
believing in yourself and having faith in
your abilities because when tomorrow comes
this day will be gone forever and what we
have left behind, be it love or poetry
all we can do is hope that others
learned from us.

Come out from behind the clouds and shine
and decide that you will not live an unlived life
and promise yourself to be so strong
that nothing can disturb your peace of mind
while you think only the best
and expect only the best.

Be aware of the treasure that you are
and don't lose sight of the beauty
that surrounds you while in your quest
for some rare and perfect tomorrow.

Don't wish me happiness, just wish me
courage, strength and a sense of humor
knowing that I need them all
to go on living.

The real test of courage is not to die
but to go on living knowing that courage
comes first and that reality follows courage,
truthfulness follows courage, so be courageous
and everything will fall into place
and don't overestimate the competition
or underestimate yourself because
you are better than you think.           Jon York      2013

Let's ..........makeout,
have     ***,   cuddle
and have a deep talk.
Then    let's    have
       ***   again,
    go  out   to   eat,
then come back home,
    watch a movie,
and   have  ***  again.
                                                                 Jon York   2019

Some people are unreasonable,
illogical, miserable, self centered,
egotistical, liars, and vain
and some are insane
and don't even know it,
love them anyway.

If you do good people
will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives,
and will not acknowledge you
or thank you
for what you did for them,
do good anyway.

If you are successful
you will make false friends
and true enemies and jealously
will surround them,
succeed anyway.

The good you do today
will be forgotten tomorrow
and that will cause you much sorrow,
do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness
make you vulnerable and will cause
you to lose many 'friends',
be honest and frank
anyway.

What you spend years building
and working to achieve
may be destroyed
and be gone in the blink of an eye
and don't worry
you won't die if
all they could do is
cheat on you and lie,
build anyway.

Sometimes people will
really need your help but
will attack you if you
try to give them that help,
help people anyway.

Give the World
the best you have
and you will
get kicked in the teeth but
it's all right ,
give the World the best
that you have
anyway.                                                         ­  Jon York                        2012

FEEL the FEAR
                and do it
                 anyway.
                                                                                        Jon York   2019

It only takes one person
to change your life
. . . . . . .you.

Do what makes you happy
even if others
think it might be ******
so be with those who
make you smile
and  for you
will go that extra
mile.

Laugh as much
as you breathe while
loving as much  
as you live and
always have some
love to give.

Never lose heart
and never give up hope
while never losing faith
as you never give up
on things that
you need to do
for you and
the love you will recieve
will change your
life and there will be
much less strife.                       Jon York       2013

Stop waiting for the right time.
Time isn't waiting for you.

NOTE TO SELF: You got this.
Know your limits and crush
them. Rid your mind  of can't.

When you see something beautiful
in someone, tell them. It may only
take a second to say, but for them it
could last a lifetime.

They will love you or hate you, Either
way, you're gonna shine!

You decide who you want to become.
Don't listen to other peoples opinions.
It's just noise. Learn not to give a ****,
You'll be happier.

One day you'll wake up and there
won't be anymore time to do the
things you always wanted.

Do it now.
                                                                                             Jon York   2024

If the plan
    doesn't
     work,
   change
  the plan
  but never
  the goal
     and
     don't
     stop
     until
    you're
    proud.

      Feel
      the
   fear and
     do it
   anyway.

        If
  you can't
     beat
     fear
    do it
   scared.
                                                                                        Jon York   2019

It just occurred
                           to me
                     that many
                 people are afraid
                          to heal
                    because their
                           entire
              identity is centered
                         around
                  the  trauma  they
                    experienced.

                      They  have
                          no  idea
                             who
                  they are outside
                              of
                             that
                      trauma and
                              that
                         unknown
                            can be
                         terrifying.

                            If you
                        can't  bare
                              fear,
                        do it scared.
                                                                                           Jon York   2019

Let your love be warm and generous
because whosoever loves much performs
much and can accomplish much and know
what is done in love is done well and to
me there is nothing more truly artistic
than to love people.

I have nature and art and poetry, and if
that is not enough, what is enough and
a great fire burns within me, but no one
stops to warm themselves at it and passers
by only see a wisp of smoke but to judge
another is to become blind and delay
your own passage.

Normality is a paved road: it is comfortable
to walk, but no flowers grow on it and I try
more and more to be myself, caring relatively
little whether people approve or disapprove.

If you truly love nature, you will find beauty
everywhere and to suffer without complaint
is the only lesson we have to learn in this life
and it is such a pity that as one gradually gains
experience, one loses one's youth.

Do not try relentlessly to understand because
time itself will decide and do not be sad, your
joy will come when it is time, and remember
to not love easily but well.
                                                                   Jon York   2016

It does
  not matter
how slowly
  you go as
long as you
do not stop.
                                                                                                 Jon York   2019

Don't depend too much
     on anyone in this world.

     Even your shadow leaves
     you when you're in darkness.
                                                                    Jon York   2019

I don't want
             ***  with  you,
                         I
         want all the things
                       that
               lead up to it.
           the slow kissing,
                  then the
          passionate kissing,
                  then the
              pulling closer,
           the  neck  kisses,
              the grabbing,
                    biting,
             heavy breathing,
                  grinding,
         the  pauses  while  you
             catch your breath,
                     feeling
                one   another.  

                    Oh my.

                 Then  ***.
I'll make you scream out my name...
     till it drives me insane,
         and then we both
      lay spent on the bed.
                     and
                Don't you
       even  think  that  I'm
                 done
                with you yet.                                                   Jon York   2019

It's amazing out there so
take one day at a time
and enjoy every minute
and love, laugh and enjoy
today because today is all
you have as the clock goes
ticktock and takes all
you've got.

Don't even try to
understand but be sure
to find a place to make
your stand and hold on
to what is dear in the
short time you are here.

As you hide from all of
the madness realize that  
the beauty of it is that as
we live we die and life is
what it is and we are what
we are and it will be made
into what we make it.

The art of being wise is
the art of knowing what
to overlook and the
journey is as enlightening
as the destination and
know that it is unwise to
be too sure of one's own
wisdom because if you
think your wise your
probably not but know
that wisdom is founded
upon knowledge and
shaped by uncertainty.
                                 Jon York         2015

You have my heart,
don't forget to feed it love
so it will keep beating.
                                                                       Jon York   2019

Sometimes you will find that you have
to fight through some bad days to earn
the best days of your life and learn that
life is for the living and our scars have
the power to remind us that the past
was real.

Sometimes good things fall apart so better
things can fall together and it always seems
that about the time we decide to make the
most of life, most of it is gone and we find
that the closing years of life are like a
masquerade party when the masks
are dropped.

Sometimes you find yourself in the middle
of nowhere and sometimes in the middle
of nowhere you find yourself and I find
that as I have aged I become kinder to
myself and less critical of myself and that
I have had to become my own friend after
discovering that the greatest challenge in
life is discovering who I am and the second
greatest is being happy with what I found.

Life is too deep for words so don't try to
describe it but just live it and don't wait
for the perfect moment but take the
moment ant make it perfect because in life
you are either a passenger or a pilot and it
is your choice and don't forget to enjoy
your journey.
                                                               Jon York     2016

Don't expect
people to
change and
know that
common sense
is a flower that
doesn't grow
in everyone's
garden and
know that a
persons actions
will tell you
everything
you need to
know.

Some people
are like clouds;
when they
disappear, it's
a beautiful day
and my only
regret is that I
didn't tell
enough people
to *******.
        Jon York     2016

Don't look so hard at my past because
I don't live there anymore because I
just walked out that door and besides
nothing really ever lasts and I have
discovered that only I can ever be the
author of my life and that there is
really no need for any strife about
what has happened to me.

I can't erase my mistakes but I can
laugh at them and do whatever it
takes to get past them and live to
see another day with something
more to say and I now know that
trust is like a mirror and once it is
broken you can never look at it in
the same way but the worse thing
about being lied to is knowing that
you weren't worth the truth.

I have learned from mistakes that
I have made and from all of the
times that I let others take advantage
of me and I will NEVER accept less
than I deserve and I have learned
from bad choices and now know that
there are some things that I just
can't get back and I realize that
somethings I don't ever want back.

Know that there are some people
who are not and never will be sorry
about what they did to you so just
learn to let them go so they can go
somewhere else and put on their
show and next time don't settle for
anything less than you deserve
and know which bridge to cross
and which to burn.

Anger is only one letter short of
danger so know that if someone
betrays you once it's their fault
and if they betray you twice it's
your fault and realize that the
tongue weighs almost nothing
but few can hold it so don't look
so hard and at the same time don't
get caught off guard by others lies.

Just be happy that you have
survived those lies and with them
you broke off all the ties that had
you all bound up and that you
were able to get away much to
their surprise. so don't look so hard
because you won't see the same me.   
                                                       Jon York    2012

Master change
rather than allowing
it to master you
and don't mind
what happens
as you may encounter
many defeats.

We will not
be defeated
when we realize
that when we forgive
we don't change the past,
we change the future.

We can't go back
and start
a new beginning
but we can start today
and make a
new ending.                Jon  York     2013

If you want to fly with the eagles,
don't swim with the ducks.
                                                                                      Jon York    2019

Long live all the magic we made.
Hiding in small spaces making out, feeling each others bodies, tasting each other.

Both of us sneaking into a bathroom at stores in broad daylight, locking the door and going to work on each other. Making out on the couch in your home while your father was in the room just around the corner watching TV on his recliner.

I loved those 60's days', we were so young and so much in love.

We tried to run from our love but our souls craved this magic.

Joy is not the absence of chaos and suffering. Joy is proof that chaos and suffering don't have to be the only things that exist.

Increase your connection with everything that lifts your spirit, expands your reality, nourishes your soul, supports your integrity, honors your reverence, deepens your self expressiveness and helps you keep in touch and harmonize with who and what you love.

Denying yourself joy doesn't improve the world - it only depletes you. Do what makes your soul shine.
                                                          ­                                     Jon York  2025

HATE   has   4   letters,
so does LOVE.  ENEMIES
has  7  letters,  so   does
FRIENDS.   LYING  has  5
letters,  so  does  TRUTH.

NEGATIVE  has  8  letters,
so  does  POSITIVE.

UNDER  has  5  letters, so
does  ABOVE.  CRY  has
3  letters,  so  does   JOY.
ANGER  has  5  letters, so
does  HAPPY.  

Do you think that this is just a coincidence?

RIGHT  has  5  letters, so
does  WRONG.   HURT
has 4 letters, so does HEAL.

Not all storms come to
disrupt your life, some
come to clear your path.

Life is a double edged
sword, exceed your expectations,
dance the night away,
be your best self.
Don't look back.

Some people feel the rain,
others  just  get  wet, so
just do what makes your
soul shine.                                                                          Jon York   2019

I wondered what you were seeking
when you told me once I was always
the lingering tune draped among
your memories.

Maybe  your  love was tired  from all
of your  toys and  had  come to  rest
on  smoother  ground but  it seems  I
was  not  your soft  landing,  but  just
another  hook to hang your  hat, just
a past memory.

But I'm not too sure I was remembered
at all because of all the stories told
by you, as if you were talking about
you and I, were stories of which I had
no memory of at all, so it had to be
someone else and never really me,
as you claim it was.

I brace myself in place waiting for you
to remember how long you've wanted
me.

Every breeze carries to my mind the
truth and I am captive in your eyes
even as they wander.
                                                                                          Jon York  2020