So what's it worth to you?
How much?
Put a price tag on it, if you feel the need

Lately, ochito has turned a new leaf when to comes to this whole business
An invisible juggernaut now is his reinforcement
Not knowing why or where this help has come
from, he braves his sanctified environment with a new spirit

This new ally is available to all viable members of the planet, I think
Then again it is quite possible that 'ol och has lost all
his marbles, but if you ask me(and I wouldn't  lie to ya)
its better to have more free space upstairs anyway.

"Marble"-less
Its more aerodynamic

But anyway, let's return to the initial question
What is it worth you?
What is waking up in the morning?

As far as ochito is concerned, it's a gift

A divine present

The present that has no value.

You know...

Sometimes you just have to be alone
There's just no other way

Sometimes there are certain lessons that can only
be fully absorbed in the sterile environment of solitude

Sometimes...
Only sometimes...

Sometimes you have to be just a little bit stronger
than usual because sometimes the **** will get worse way before it gets better
Guaranteed
Sometimes life will be painful, bitter, and fowl-tasting
And it will hit you so hard, with such force that
you can almost feel your soul leaking from that invisible wound in your heart

Sometimes...
Just sometimes...

Someone once told Ocho that romantic relationships
are a mirror of the amount of love we have for ourselves

Sometimes...
Some times
feel like an eternity

I stopped counting long ago
I did it,
not for them, so much...
but rather for my own sanity and peace of mind

“They” arrive randomly, most times, out of the clear blue sky
Ahhhhh.....
“What incredible creatures these are!”, my senses whisper to me
Each more wonderful than the next!
I inhale slowly as I feel excitement setting in

Sweet smelling, they all come bearing enchanting gifts
Together, we laugh. We share secrets.
We spend time together
We bond. We taste and savor each others spirit, fully.
Entirely.
As I imagine trees do with the soil.

And then, just as soon as they arrive, they go
All of them
Some stick around for a small amount
of time, yet they all eventually go
Where? I don't know
I do know, however, they just keep coming
Endlessly
“They”

They are crashing upon me, I am the eroding reef.
Wave upon wave, they just keep coming
I suppose the real question is, how long can I last?
Hmmm? How long?

I am the cliff that crumbles inevitably.

There’s a quote that I read not to long ago, that really made me reconsider a lot
As a matter of fact, it made me reconsider everything
And I mean; EVERYTHING

That quote was,
”the purpose of existence is to have no fear.”

Hmmm...So...
Let me see if I got this right...
The whole point to ALL THIS...is to dive right in?
Without fear?

What the **** am I waiting for then?!
What the **** are YOU waiting for?!

”the purpose of existence is to have no fear.”
Get moving!
Go!
RUN!

Only you know what you need to be doing right now
Right at this moment
Do it! Do it today! Do it with all your heart!
GO!

”the purpose of existence is to have no fear.”
Do you know how short a life we get on this planet?
If the whole point of us being here is to, transcend the emotion of fear...
then that would make everything that makes us afraid and fear itself; *******

Wouldn't it?

Nothing more that smoke and mirrors

”the purpose of existence is to have no fear.”
If this is the true meaning of it all, the way everything was designed....
Then...
Go get em
Go
Hit the ground running
Let there be no shame in your game.
What ever you need to do, do it today

If life could come with rules or guidelines, I would
respectfully request that we all came with that rule engrained in our minds.

”the purpose of existence is to have no fear.”

There is a certain bridge that has been
out of service for quite some time now

Its been this way as long as Ochito could remember
Even before he was “Ocho”

It would appear that this structure has a
temperament of its own and it, sadly, wants to be stay broken, out of service

This choice bewilders Ocho almost to the point of tears
Why, he asks as he slams his enraged fist on the disintegrating table that is his patience

Why?
Why?
Of all the relationships, why did it have to be this one?

Perhaps it was written
Perhaps

There is an image of an elegant, ancient face,
permanently etched on Ocho’s chest

This is not a metaphor, I assure you, seeing in that the
image was made in ink, carved in blood and weathered in the sands of time

It’s quite real

This image resembles, when gazed upon in the right
light, of course, a picture of a woman’s face right next to ochito's heart muscle
It’s quite difficult to decipher why it ended up there
in the first place, nevertheless, there it remains

Motionless
Silently staring out,
into the world

Waiting perhaps?
For what? I couldn’t tell you

I've often considered the possibility that it waits for the original author to return; to
come back and claim both it and what’s patiently beating inside his chest

Not even the sun or moon itself dare comment on such matters

Mystified, Ocho stares at the images blank expression
A melancholy grin shines through as he realizes
That “they” cannot be separated by things
like lifetimes and solar systems, so he waits

Together...

They wait, and wait and wait.
Not in anguish; no
In faith

I relish in the open, welcoming arms that greet me
upon my returns from inside the void

It feels good to be missed, in other words.

The knowing that getting what you give, replenishes Ochito's blistered spirit

Troublesome are the times, when have they not been?
However, this safety net is Ocho’s comfort
To know that the welcoming arms that brandish
the tenderest fruit available: Love, will be there for you at
the end of the day, no matter what

There’s no comparing.
Its no contest.  
The greatest treasure in all of the
land, is truly, friends and family

How many do you have?

Hmmmm?

Surely you have some idea
Is it a lot? I bet it is.

I would wager they are the grains of sand on a volcanic beach somewhere
They are the luminescent suns that guide our night skies

Eternal, unending, countless, unexpected, like spring showers.
Forever, on and on they are, like a sea of solar systems in the vast ocean that is our galaxy

Count them
the blessings in your life
Go ahead
Do it now

Use your fingers and toes if you have to
What else is there to do with all of eternity?

The minutes
They keep flying, breezing past you
Leaving only a gentle rocking of leaves.

Whoooosh!

Do you even notice?
I’m not saying to keep count.
No.
I’m saying, Be aware.
They aren’t coming back.
They vanish as spring flowers do.
Way too many have raced past Ochito, way too many

But not anymore

He puts them in his pocket now and savors them like the tasty snack they are
The mighty ambrosia cannot compare and his palette is that much sweeter these days

.....She came for me, at the last possible moment

Seconds before I was to be swallowed into the dark place which
none have returned from...

She held her hand out to me, smiling as she pulled me out...

Her timing, impeccable.
My gratitude, immeasurable.

I dust myself off, gently grasp her hand, and together we continue onward towards the light

What ever it is you want in life
Be clear about what it is, then go get it

Go

Go now

Everyday you wait, ponder, stall, postpone
Is a gargantuan insult to those who were not fortunate to receive
the gift of today, like you did

You still have time

Go

If you truly want it bad enough,

you will find a way

If you don't,

then you'll make an excuse

I've survived heartbreak
in all of its many, many forms

I've survived being stranded out in the middle of nowhere
with no way of getting back to civilization whilst visiting a distant country
I've survived seeing the true colors of my so called "close friends"
when I needed them the most
I've survived growing up in an alcoholic family
I've survived religion
I've survived low points in my life
where suicide looked to be the only answer
I've survived countless pregnancy scares,
venereal disease scares,
and psychotic girlfriends
of all shapes & sizes

AND HERE I AM
STILL STANDING
STILL SWINGING

My tombstone will read as follows...
CAME: SCARED SHITLESS
LEFT: GIGGLING UNCONTROLLABLY

Good day sir/madam...

We haven't been properly introduced

My name really isn't that important
What is important is my mission
My reason for being here
with you and everyone else on this beautifully blessed planet

That mission
is to be a ♩♪♫♬ world-class musician ♩♪♫♬

Nothing else matters
as far as I'm concerned

not money nor personal possessions...
not women
not meaningless accolades...
or very much else, for that matter

It's all I  think about
night & day
day & night

I'm not leaving here
until I become
that bona fide, certified, world-class musician that I am destined to be

It may take my entire ******* life
and to tell you the truth
there's no better way I'd rather spend my time here

It's been a pleasure making your acquaintance...