I never believed in love at first sight;
But I do believe in love at first touch,
At first handshake.
I believe in love at first word,
Both uttered and sang.
I believe in love at first laugh
Shared over an awful cup of coffee.
I never believed in love at first sight
Because my dear how could I have known,
With just a simple glimpse,
The way your touch would stir my heart,
The way your words would woo my mind,
And your song, send shivers down my spine.
The way your laugh could sweeten my burnt coffee.
I never believed in love at first sight,
But, my dear, I believe I love you.

Butterflies
Don’t float around
Saying “Look at me!”
Or hope to be found.
They don’t ask for attention
Or to be admired
They won’t seek recognition
Or beg for your desire.

Their patterns stand out
Their colors shine bright
And without even trying
Their wings catch our eyes.
But it doesn’t matter
If we’re here or gone
Or if their beauty is noticed,
They’ll fly on.

I won’t ask
Won’t beg, won’t seek
Anyone to
Admire me.
My colors will shine
Even if they’re not awed
So despite recognition
I’ll fly on.

I’ve got cracks on the inside
From heartbreak
That shook me like an earthquake.
Every freckle you’ve kissed
Burns in the sunlight.
Sometimes storm clouds
Roll into the horizons of my eyes
And pour.
You planted flowers in my skull
And they used to bloom
When I thought of you,
But they must have been annuals
Because they died this fall.
And despite my best efforts,
They won’t come back.

I am an independent person,
I am not an add-on to your life.
I am an independent person,
I cannot have my freedom taken from me.
I am an independent person,
I will be who I want to be.
I am an independent person,
You cannot tell me,
What I can and cannot be.

There is beauty here
You can see it,
Through the cracks of the universe.
You can see it all.

The clear night sky
In a polluted city
Where all stars come alive
And sit ablaze among the black

The mirrored echo of the sky
On a frozen lake
In the crisp and harsh winter
As above, so below, in beauty

The vibrant gold
In autumn months
Where all is tired and dying
But colour is awake and bold

There is beauty here
In the cracks of the universe
You can see it,
If you look.

you are too familiar with yourself
with your face
your body
your beauty

your reflection is an image skewed from being seen by
your same eyes too often
your confidence is a locked box you keep in the back of
your closet
your smile is more uncomfortable than it is curling and
you've grown to hate the large of your laugh

you are blind to almost all that you are

but just imagine,
for a second
what you look like
to someone who is a stranger

you could be their textbook definition of ideal
their exact description of beautiful and
you wouldn't even know it

imagine for a moment
how your greatness might resonate
with someone who has never been close to that much at once

there have been people in your life who
have attempted to break you into smaller pieces
crush you from whole so you would be easier to swallow

there will always be some who will be unable to see your worth
others who wont be able to handle you
maybe they'll see too much and try to shrink you into less
with the hopes of becoming more themselves

you build yourself quieter each time that you do
you know how to shy away from the prescence of light and
you've settled comfortably in the shadow of day

but there is someone out there waiting to hear your loud
a blank canvas ready to be filled with all of your paint
you will be the exact shade they have spent their entire life trying to find

and when they do
you'll remember that there was a time
before you were taught to see dark
when you could see all of your colors clear
without trying