Carpe diem,
seize the day,
the saying goes;
Don’t let it waste away.

The sun spreads life,
it gives its light,
lets it dance in day,
but not at night.

The day is warm,
energetic and bright;
people love the day,
but shun the night.

The night with its cool, gliding glory,
The night with its mysterious way.
The night holds just as much beauty,
but remains overshadowed by the day.

Embrace the dark,
acknowledge the night,
step away from comfort,
turn from the light.

Come out and face your fears,
see what lies in the inky black,
go out under the moonlit sky,
go so far you can’t come back.

Carpe noctem, I say.
Seize the night, not the day.

To be good,
to be caring,
to be kind,
to be loving -

I try.

To be gentle,
to be sympathetic,
to be humble,
to be energetic-

I try.

To be smart,
to be helpful,
to be present,
to be hopeful-

I try.

To be fun,
to respect,
to be happy,
to be perfect-

I try.


I try.


*I fail.

Seven bucks an hour,
Bills stacked on the counter,
Got a baby on the way, he'll have to feed.
His pride is gettin' torn down,
His confidence is worn out.
This ain't the way he dreamed that it would be.

She's got no time for makeup,
'Cause she's got three boys to wake up,
Never thought she'd have to raise them on her own.
And some days she feels like cryin',
But she's holdin' on, survivin',
On the love that makes their little house a home

She's been here before,
And she's only eight years old,
But she knows the name of every nurse she sees.
And though she don't like the chemo,
She waits it out, never losin' hope,
that someday soon she'll be cancer-free

You're a fighter,
Got that fire,
When they thought you'd fade away.

Hold a fist up,
As you get up,
Feeling stronger everyday.

If life is an experiment,
where are the variables?
Are they evident?

People come and people go,
places change, people age,
And you adapt as you grow.

Feelings vary through the years,
there’s love, there’s loss,
there’s joy, and tears.

The conditions change, from time to time,
Different settings, journeys new,
no set paradigm.

And the subjects shift,
in the focus of life,
some a curse, some a gift.

Some say happiness comes from within,
but I name it the dependent variable,
changing to reflect life’s every whim.

But there’s one thing I seem to miss:
If life’s an experiment,
where’s the constant in all of this?

Is the constant life, breathing, living?

Is the constant you, existing, here?
Is the constant love, growing, giving?

Is the constant intangible?
Is it time, or place?
What is the unchanging variable?

What does humanity all somehow share?
What connects us to each other,
and throughout our lives is always there?