Summer, 1879:

I look up

And see twinkling lights

Lighting up the night

So many I could not even begin to count

Stars everywhere

Way up there in the night sky

I am drunk on the essence of its vast beauty

Surrounded by all these stars, I feel so small

But it is not in vain

On the contrary, it fills me with a lovely notion

The possibilities:

Endless

There is no more inspiring sight

Than New York on a summer’s Night



Summer, 2014:

I look up

And see twinkling lights

Lighting up the night

So many I could not even begin to count

Stars everywhere

It is the Big Apple after all

I am drunk.

Surrounded by all these stars I feel so small

But it is not in vain

On the contrary, it fills me with a lovely notion

The possibilities:

Endless

There is no more inspiring sight

Than New York on a summer’s night

Like something venomous

Sunrise penetrates my window

Seeping through the flesh blanket

That protects my eyes from reality



Unable to ignore the sun’s rays

The light escapes me

A light that was so radiant just moments ago

And now is but a foggy memory

Of a thought that will never be

I hear you seek a perfect sight.

Hop on board we’ll take a flight

To picture perfect paradise

I hope you can put up a fight,

The trip is quick but not so nice,

You’ll see the weather’s not quite right,

To the ads you saw, it’s not as bright.

Now where’s your friends, your job, your life?



“I change my mind, let’s leave this rock.”

Alright, let’s go—on board you hop,

You must be quick we’re taking off

But just as soon, your savior drops,

It spirals down, the engine stopped.

You’re stuck here now, you can’t get off.

There is something so superficial

About an art gallery

Strange pieces strewed about

For passers-by to see



Some people stare

With their nose in the air

And say:

“This piece is exquisite, what a lovely display!”

They’ll insist that it’s priceless but would not pay a cent

And others will question if it even makes sense

“How is this art? A stick glued to the wall,

I could do this myself, it means nothing at all!”



But though you think it’s insane

Your eyes still maintain



You’re respectful and quiet and do not make a peep.

Although you still think it’s a bit superficial,

You pretend to yourself that you get it to feel deep

And somehow it creates a vibe that’s… sort of beautiful



Some odd stokes of eloquence,

Mixed with trash on a shelf

But the piece with most elegance

Is the gallery itself

To say the universe is a big place

Would be a true understatement

If you stood at the end of the universe,

Of what importance would the Milky Way seem?

Of what would Earth?

Of what, would a single human being?



If we are so small; insignificant

How could any act of ours still be important?

It could make a person wonder why

There’d be a point to even try



But why would you not?

We live just one time, if you forgot

So what, if you’re just one tiny dot?

Well here’s my thought:



Consider a rain drop.

Its universe, a lake.

As a rain drop, it gets one shot,

That split second as it hits the wake

That is the only time it has to be a drop within its universe

That lake may be there for hundreds of years

But the raindrop,

Just that tiniest decimal of a second.



Raindrop,

You have one chance to make your mark

And send it rippling throughout your universe

And long after you are no longer a raindrop

And have become but particles among other particles

Of deceased raindrops floating about,

The universe will feel your mark, your wave, rippling on and outward.

Do you really think your universe could ever be the same without out you?

No matter how small, your mark will hit that lake like an atomic bomb

Tomorrow I will do my best

I’ll study for that test.

Tomorrow I will clean my room

But today I have to rest



Tomorrow I’ll climb mountains

And I will make amends

And it will be an awesome day

It’s just around the bend



Tomorrow I will find my fate

Accomplish something great

Tomorrow I will change the world

And not procrastinate

…Tomorrow

The students stood at Tiananmen Square

That’s where they went to fight for public gain

The government said they must get out of there

The people stood their ground and so were slain



In utter shock the public stood defeated

They were in disbelief of what occurred

They thought the stand would have to be retreated

The protest of the mass would go unheard



But one man stood alone and he said No.

And blocked the tanks; observers thought he’d die

They tried to pass, he’d still not let them go

For all those silenced voices he would cry



Because of him they did not go in vain

Around the world, one man had made a change