Men push yet
We rise
Men push and press yet
We rise
Men push, press, choke yet
We rise
Men push, press, choke, hold down yet
We rise
Men push, press, choke, hold down, tear yet
We rise
Men push, press, choke, hold down, tear, scrape yet
We rise
Men push, press, choke, hold down, tear, scrape, drag yet
We rise
Their hard clay armour will crack
Around our lush roots and
We will rise

My affect mirrors the sky;
My mood the sunlight-

With rays of warmth
Dancing  between dust particles
How can I help but feel happy?
With the sun actively
Tracing its way down my skin,
There is no way I can feel alone

“As we connect to the present, we recognize that whatever has us afraid is only a potentiality, like a bad dream. In this moment, our feet are planted, heart beating, breath flowing.. here and now we are safe.”

For me
Courage was first a mental act
Then a physical act;
Then came the physical reward
And after, the mental reward

Don’t forget
To tell stories-
You’ll live through the joy
Twice;
Once in the moment
And again when you share them;
Tell them just as they happened
So you can experience the raw happiness once again

Don’t forget to tell stories-
You’ll process the pain
Every time you work through
What you thought
you could never face again;
Tell them in whatever way
Feels most gentle to you,
And rest easy
knowing that you are now in control.

Tell the ones you keep floating on the surface
Always ready to be grabbed and told
And tell the ones you’ve been clasping
Deeply in your fists for years.

Tell them for yourself
Or for others to know
That they are not alone-
But whatever you do
Don’t forget to tell stories.

I’m confronted with the edge
Once again
For the umpteenth time
Since we last saw one another.  
The edge is so close;
The waves below
Offer to swallow me and my sadness.

Do I accept their offer,
And be granted immediate relief?
Or do I take a few steps back,
Carrying my load
Of iron and lead filled pain;
The same pain that will help me sink to the bottom of your depths.

My mind is telling me
That stepping over the edge
Will not end my pain
But will only make it worse,
But every fiber of my addiction to you
Beckons me forward

For a moment,
Instead of looking down
At you as my only option,
I look up to the sky I’d forgotten was above me
It’s vastness reminds me
That even though the idea of you was like the ocean,
The sky is even greater,
As it contains both you and me alike
And I let the tides beat ceaselessly along
Behind me

We took different paths and
I’m exhausted from trying to find
Some trace of you
In my thoughts
And in my dreams
But at least
I’m not running from myself
Anymore