i remember weeks
of nights i couldn't sleep
on air mattresses and
pull out couches

clutching a brand new
little black mp3 player
earbuds wrapped
around my neck

years and
years later

i'm still lying in bed
but it's broken now
and the music doesn't
play right anymore

(the tracks all
split and break
apart between the
cords and my ears)

and i remember the
night before my
graduation it just
wouldn't play in one ear

and the sounds weren't
coming through right and
i heard a brand new side of a
song i'd known my whole life

(a more raw and real
background track of
harmonization and
something sadder)

and it made me feel
better to know that
there are still unheard
layers to the familiar

that can only be
accessed through
time and the
broken parts.

If you want to keep yourself alive

Keep your dreams alive

I promise to cherish you,
To treat you right,
To cherish your presence like it was your last gift to me,
To consider your feelings in everything I do,
To make you believe that you chose the right person to confide in.

Dear future love,
I will always try my best to be there when you need me the most,
I will be the light that brightens your days,
I will be that shoulder to cry on, on your rainy days,
I'll be that rare exotic black rose in your bouquet of pink roses;
I'll love you.

                                                        
                                                                ­                    Jonesy 2016 ©

Growing up,
My father warned me
About many things.

But he never warned me
To stay away from brown eyes
That glistened when she smiled
Or freckles that only appeared along her
Cheeks in the sun.

He never warned me that I could become
Hooked
On a person so easily.

That I could,
And I would
Do anything for her happiness
Even if that meant
Destroying
Myself.

He never warned me that falling in love
Could be painful,
One-sided
Cruel.

He never warned me for the rejection,
The thoughts
Of never being enough.
The nights
Of drinking
Until passing out
On the bathroom floor.

He never warned me that a person could love
You one day and
Change  
Their mind
The next.

But in defense of my father  

I don't think anyone
Could have warned me
About the dangers
Of falling in love with
Her.