my thoughts quiet
the stars still shine
the birds still sing
chocolate’s still sweet
and I am still

a tilting planet
sun sets and sways
but i am rooted to the ground.

Awareness-
it's been five hours since I started internet surfing.
Look away from the screen.
Breathe in, out.

Body check:
Am I stiff?
Then:
         Consciously relax my shoulders, my arms, my face.
         Adjust my position.
How am I feeling:
cold?
anxious?
scattered?

Am I tense because of:
hunger?
thirst?
a full bladder or number two?

Pause, then rise up and do it.
A washroom or stretch break.
A sweater, a snack.
Short exercise.
Hugs.

Then resume, or stop for the day.

your happiness is my joy
your grief, my burden

I laugh when you laugh
I cry beside you

When you are angry, I lash out
I panic when you are anxious

but is it you or me?
and does it matter?

I am only built for my own emotions...

The sound of snowflakes
is peace. Many snowflakes: both
beauty and bother.

my thoughts are buzzing
my trains of thought colliding
what was I saying?

that feeling of making music with you
of singing
and harmonizing

is why I love a choir

sometimes it doesn't matter
that you're not as capable
as smart
as organized
as sociable

you are willing
willing to learn
willing to grow

that willingness you have?
that is enough
you are enough-
more than enough.

they will not live
they do not live
as I stare at the tank,
willing, hoping, praying for motion
nothing

they say the third time's the charm
we reassure each other
as we pour the remains away

so many regrets on choosing brine shrimp
my initial joy in the lab goes down the drain
with the dead
brine shrimp

an immortal of ice
his brother barely human, only human
human enough to love

She brought in a jar of glowing mushrooms
with an insincere smile, put them down
from them spread a mold, that spread rapidly on the walls
and the house fell...

Do memories make a man?
If who I am is grounded in my experiences,
as I age, do I lose myself?
And if I lose myself,

where do I go?