The only illness that remains in you is self doubt.

I don't know if you realize it,
But you're climbing out of the pit.

It is best to do it right the first time,
Even if done slowly;
Than to do it improperly a dozen times out of haste.

I'm afraid.
Afraid to be happy.
Afraid to be at peace.
Afraid to be calm.

But when I see you, I see a life without that fear.
I walk towards it, my whole being shaking.
Knowing that the future I've always dreamt of is here.
But it's that same future that I've always feared.

To know what I want, yet to be afraid to take it,
Is the cruelest form of suffering there is.
It is like having a hungry, empty stomach,
and a throat as wide as a tooth pick.

Yet, I march on, trepidatious as I might be.
For I see a beautiful life, just you and me.

When will we learn that fire burns?
That words hurt.
That they give the sparks of anger form
And turn them into a storm.
That moves through the world uncontrolled,
And even the best agents sent on patrol,
Are left scorched in their wake,
Leaving nothing but pain and ache.

That lies fly from ear to ear,
Diluting the truth until nothing is clear.
They make trust rust faster than light,
And make it hard to win the fight.
To cooperate.
To move past our flaws and navigate,
This difficult world we're in.
Landing more and more fools in the pen.

But in the same way that words do harm,
They work like a charm.
They can be used to tie us together like crochet.
To unite a generation, like MLK.
Words can heat a room,
Or burn the house down in one giant plume.
How we use them is up to us,
To answer the one simple question: Who Do You Trust?

Kicking my dreams down the road.
I watch them bounce haphazardly on the black concrete.
With each step I take, I strike them again,
Further and further down the street.

"maybe later"
"I could save up more money first"
"it's not the right time"

But when will that be?
It's hard to say.
But for now,
I'll keep the dream alive.
Kicking it down the road,
Where it sits,
Perfectly safe,
Unmanifested,
In my mind.

My friends were there.
My family was there.
How long will it be until yours is there too?
Caught in the crossfire of an angry man unchained.
Lying on the pavement, with life having left their body.

But we'll say prayers,
And hope it won't happen to us.
We'll send out a Tweet,
And forget it ever happened in a week.

Prayers are not enough,
We need change, and we need it fast.
Otherwise,
This mass shooting won't be the last.