i'm tired of hearing the phrase
"i should have said [...]"
because no one is taking away
your right to speak your mind.
except you.
you're afraid of rejection or
some negative outcome but
you spend the hours following
wishing you had said something.
something more.
what was really on your mind.
stop waiting.
you'll regret it.
if you are a woman and you
find a man with whom you wish to
spend your life with,
get down on one knee;
stop waiting and regretting.
stand up for what you believe in;
stop waiting and regretting.
throw your ideas out there and if
by chance they happen to
get stomped upon and lost
in the shuffle...
be proud you didn't wait.
you won't regret it.

i stared at these blank lines
night after night with a
trembling hand
trying to form sentences for
a poem i had promised.
crossed out stanzas and
dried-out pens
made up my failed attempts to
write about you in any way i could.
by my last attempt, i realized that
no organization of words
could do your utmost magnificence
justice.
you're more special than you think.

i tried to drown you out with
my tears
but i ended up choking and your
memory flooded my mind
and now between a welt-covered wrist and
a new infatuation
my love for you lingers in limbo
which is what i've been trying to
achieve
these past six months because
letting you in was a death sentence
and i knew it
and i tried to escape it
but each time i ran i fell
deeper in love with you
and i'll forever look for you
in every man i speak to
and in this time i am separated
from you
i've found someone new
to make me giggle like you
used to
and perhaps i'm falling for him
but i know as soon as
i hear your voice come
over the phone
i'll be right back at the beginning
in love
and
choking on your memory.

Mama, don't cry
The house is still standing.
The wind might be blowing hard,
But the windows are still holding on.
Everything's shaking
Nothing's secure
But
Mama, don't cry.
The house is still here.

Mama, don't cry
We still got time.
Dry those pretty eyes of yours
And crack that smile that I love.
Things might be moving fast,
But that doesn't mean nothing won't last.
I know it's hard
Cause the clock keeps ticking away.
But
Mama, don't cry.
We still got time.

Mama, don't cry
I swear we're never gonna leave.
We've been through too much
Seen too much
To have to say goodbye.
You've always been our life jacket
Our first aid kit
Our glue
To hold us up.
But the tide is changing,
And it's our turn to be
Your parachute
When you feel like jumping out of this life
We're living.
So
Mama, don't cry.

There's so much to look forward to.
Time might be erasing
What you've worked hard for so long
To keep.
But that doesn't mean that we can't rebuild on
What's been lost.