My feelings swing in circles.

Given no reason,
at first meeting,
I hate everyone.

Given a reason,
and the right person,
I overcome the hate.

Given more reasons,
maybe, just maybe
I begin to love.

Then there's just one reason,
and it tears it all down.
I'm hurt.

Then another reason,
the blade is twisted.
I'm scarred.

Then a final reason,
I stop fighting.
I'm destroyed.

And I end where I began.

You are a whole ocean inside my mind.
Your name pulses through my bloodstream in waves.
I hope it’s the same for you.
And our heartbeats pump out of rhythm for now,
but if we ever meet again,
I hope our individual stories will finally fall on the same page.

It's not always sunny all the time
but even the storm is better with you by my side.

I had the intention
of just calling it quits
giving up on this life of mine
that's shredded to bits
but oh my, I stopped in
here at this HP site
and met a few folks
who helped set things right
--they listened and gave
a few kind words to me
and suddenly I realized
I could set myself free,
that I could stop wallowing
in the dread and the fear
of what my ex had so long
forced me to hear--

Now--

I've blocked out his cruel words
he threw out at me
and instead replaced them
with words from Hello Poetry!
Since coming here
and finding this place,
I'm slowly learning
that this smile on my face
belongs there now
and it matches the one in my heart!

So

thank you, dear friends here
for helping me start
to appreciate the opportunities
I can now explore
and thank you so much
for opening that new door
of hope and possibilities
that are surely waiting for me--
I'll do my best to stay unbound,
to stay forever free!

If I touch a burning candle I can feel no pain
In the ice or in the sun it's all the same
Yet I feel my heart is aching
Though it doesn't beat it's breaking
And the pain here that I feel
Try and tell me it's not real
I know that I am dead
Yet it seems that I still have some tears to shed
-The Corpse Bride

We The People
Sailed the same course
Some willingly
Some by force
We The People
A document to inform
A more perfect Union
No matter the storm
No more kings
No more oppression
No more taxation
Without representation
Checks and balances
And the rule of law
Mitigating injustices
Safe harbor for all
The secular trinty
President, Congress, Court
Not one above the other
Veto, fiat, tort
Our common interest
Our common defense
Our common liberty
Our common justice
The domestic tranquility
And the general welfare
The pursuit of happiness
And the resources we share
Civil rights
And our protection
From a despotic government
Or an insurrection
Free to worship my God
Or your God
Freedom to find God
Or deny any God
Open discourse
Speaking your mind
You have an opinion
However unkind
Collective grievances
Peaceably petitioned
We walk together
But never threatened
To bear arms
For our security
Or being forced
To quarter unwillfully
To remain secure
In our sanctuary
Unless presented
With writ of entry
Neither held
Absent habeas corpus
Or loss of property
Unless agreed by us
Never forced to testify
To contradict our denials
Or brought forward
In duplicitous trials
To face our accuser
In much haste
Represented by counsel
Our peers decide our fate
Not one but twelve
Examining the facts
We are brought forward
But only this court acts
Reasonable recompense
For fine or bail
Cruel or unusual retribution
Shall not avail
The enumeration
Provides illumination
But within the penumbra
Shadows suggest freedom
What is self-evident
Requires no list or count
Nothing to encumber
Or restriction to surmount
A union has formed
But sacred remains the individual
The tyranny of the majority
Is never permissible
A living breathing document?
Or construction unbending?
But as we amend
Change is never ending
Open to interpretation
If you see a right
Others may disagree
Who can see the light?
The spirit of intent
For all to see
Freedom to choose
Secured by liberty
We The People
A sacred quest
We The People
No more no less