Ya Know...
I’m Now Grateful For...
A Number of Things...

Because Life Can Be Raw...
And Provide Bad Stings...

But What I Now See...
Is That Adversities...
In This Life Can Breed...

An... Ability...
To Stand Strong And Be...
A Soul That Can Deal With Reality...

So I’m Grateful For The Sickness...
That Took My Mother’s Fitness...

NOT Because It Made Her Sick... !!!
But Simply... Because of THIS...

Because Multiple Sclerosis...
ISN’T Something Bogus...
Like All of These New P.O.T.U.S... !!!
And Did Help Me To Focus...
On Loving Her Much More...
Than Any Car Made By Lotus... !!!

I’m Grateful For That...
As I Am For Attacks...
That I’ve Had Cos’ I’m Black...
That Have Thickened My Skin...
So That I Do Not Sink...
Into Fighting With Fists...
When It Comes To Racists... !!!

I’m Grateful That I THINK...
And Can Lyrically Hit...
These Fools Like A Brick...
With My Use of Logic...
That Makes Them Think Twice...
Before Choosing To Fight... !!!

And That Also Is Why...
I’m Grateful That I...
Am A VERY TALL Guy... !!!

Because Weak Minds Subside...
When They Look In The Sky...
And Recognise That...
A Big Virge Attack...
May Well Lay Them Flat... !!!

So I’m Grateful To Dad...
And To Mum For The Fact...
That They Worked To Feed Me...
So That I’d Always Eat...
And Not See Plates EMPTY...

So Could Grow Physically...
To Become A Strong Breed... !!!

And I’m Grateful For More...
Than My Words Can Explore...
About Parental Chores...
That My Parents Absorbed...
Even When They Did War... !!!

I’m Grateful To Girls...
Who Felt That Big Virge...
Should Be Part of Their World...

So Then DID Take Their Turn...
To Love And Touch Nerves...
That Made Us Undress...
And Indulge In Some ***... !!!

As I Am To Those Chicks...
Who Chose To Resist...
A Kiss of My Lips...

Because They Chose To Think...
That I Wasn’t Good Looking...
Or Worthy of Booking...
A Night With My ****...

Because Many of Them...
That I Wanted To Bed...
Have Proven To Be...
Stupid Girls With Problems... !!!

Who Were Basically Tricks...
Who’ve Messed Up Their Kids...
Who Have Now Aged In Ways...
That Have Proven That They...
May Have Been A Good Lay...
But Mostly Had No Brain... !!!

I’m So Grateful Yes GRATEFUL...
That Those Who Placed Labels …
And Told Themselves Fables...
Whose Minds Were Unstable...

Were Never Those Willing...
To... Eat At My Table... !!!

Or Treat Me Like Guys...
Who Eventually Told...
These Girlies Goodbye...
In Ways That Were Cold... !!!

Cos’ It Just Goes To Show...
That Young ***** That Glitters...
Seem To Be Those of **’s...
Who Sell Holes And Get Bitter...
When They Become Old... !!

So I’m Grateful To Those...
Who Chose To Say... NO... !!!

Because Wisdom Has Shown...
That Many DON’T KNOW... !?!
What It Is To Find Love...
Or To Recognise That...
Their Beauty Will Crack...
And They’ll Likely Get Shunned...

Because... As We Age...
We Need Something MORE...
Than... Good Looks To Make...
Relationships Walk...
Their Way Past Divorce... !!!

I’m Grateful That I...
Have United With Guys...
Whose Creative Vibes...
Have Moulded With Rhymes...
That I Took Time To Write...

Because Some Sound Nice...
And Have Been Heard Worldwide
By People Who’ve Liked...
What We Chose To Provide...

So I’m Grateful To Those...
Who’ve Listened To Flows...
And Musical Tones...
As Well As Bass Lines...
Now Put To My Rhymes...
That They’ve Said That They Liked... !!!

And Am Grateful To Minds...
Who Chose To... Criticise...

Because It’s NOT Wise...
To Let Arrogance Ride...
Due To Talents You Have...

So I AM GRATEFUL That... !!!

I Do Have One Or Two...
That I Have Learned To Use...
Through Verse That Shares Views...
About Things I’ve Been Through...
And How This World Now Moves...

The Future’s Looking Bleak...
Big Tech And Disease...
And CONTROLS Running Free...

And Humans Now Fuelled...
By Protesting And Crews...
Divided By Feuds...
As Well As Fake News...

Now That Things Are Askew...
And A Word I WON’T Use...

My Life Has Now Proved...
That I’ve Been Lucky To...

Have Parents Who Were COOL... !!!
Who... DID NOT ABUSE...
Their Boy Who Has Now...
Become A GROWN MAN... !!!

Who Through This Life Has Found...
That It’s Good To Give Thanks...

So This Set of Words...
Are A Few That Confirm...

That No Matter What Life...
Makes Us Have To Go Though...

Whether Negative Or Positive...

APPRECIATE It’s GIFTS...
And Be Thankful And Give...

What We Call......

.... “ GRATITUDE “....

I'm grateful for most everything
One is the fact that I don't cuss
I'm grateful for this shiny dime
To ride this city bus
That takes me to where you are
Because I'm grateful for the both of us
I guess if you have to ask
I'm grateful most for love

But I'm also grateful for the sunshine
And grateful for the rain
That washes away the dirt and grime
To make things new again
That's sometimes what tear drops do
Guess they both act one and the same
Imagine the power if you combined
Teardrops in the rain

I'm grateful that I thought of this
So I could write it down
As I travel on this city bus
To your side of town
Where I started being grateful
Because to you is where I'm bound
Guess I'll just name this poem of mine
Grateful all around

It's like a blind man leading a poor man
He sees the cliff coming but he doesn't mind
Grateful to have company on the way down
Thinks the cloud they'll fall through will be silver lined

It's like the teenager who just gave birth to a still born accident
It hurts real bad inside
But she's grateful that if she returns all the diapers everybody bought her
She might have enough money to buy a prom dress
Thinks the pain she feels will be silver lined

It's like the boyfriend of the young girl who just gave birth to the still born child
Grabs his cleats out the closet
Grateful he still has time to get a college scholarship
Dumped her over the phone
Said he didn't like the way her ***** *** whined
Thinks adding another drop to the bucket of pain he will never feel is silver lined

It's like a young man who works at a gas station
With dreams so big he'd have to run the world to accomplish them
Grows up, gets marrieds, gets settled, and settles
Knows the only way he'll make the TV is by beating his wife
Grateful that strangers know who he is
Thinks the jail time he's serving is silver lined

It's like the grown man who has everything the boy at the gas station ever wanted
Doesn't want it, wishes he could give it back, but can't
So he buys houses, clothes, and Cadillacs
Grateful to have enough
Thinks the silver lining on his silver Cadi is silver lined

It's like the overwhelmed twenty something year old who puts a lock on her own knife drawer
Too proud to get help
Grateful that she has a boyfriend willing to take the brunt
Of all the problems she can't see past
Thinks the inconvenience of the knife drawer is silver lined

It's like the boyfriend of the overwhelmed twenty something year old
Who takes the brunt of all the problems she can't see past
Grateful he has a key to the knife drawer
Thinks the blood on the floor will be enough
To show her there's more to the world than the problems she can't see past
Thinks his mama's heartache will be silver lined

It's like the staunch republican who got laid off last year
Now he's so broke he's on unemployment, food stamps, and TANF
Grateful the democrats were in control during the great depression
Still voted for John McCain
Thinks the bumper sticker on the back of his car is silver lined

It's like the young family started by a couple kids
Who insisted on having a couple of their own
Now they're too poor to afford but too rich for assistance
Begging their government to bail them out of something that nursery rhymes got them into
Grateful their truck didn't break down again this month
Thinking raising hungry babies is silver lined

It's like a poor man leading a blind man
Who knows the cliff is coming
Knows they're going over and doesn't really mind
Grateful to finally be in the company of someone just as blind as he is
Thinking the cloud they'll fall through is silver lined.

To the Master, glory!
To the Buckler, glory!
To the Sovereign, glory!
Oh, how grateful to be alive!

The hell shelling like atomic bomb  
But lose not sight of the rainbow
Off the curve of hell is the heaven
Oh, how grateful to be alive!

The night’ll not endure
No matter the hell fiend
Heaven‘ll outpace its space
Oh, how grateful to be alive!

To the Almighty God, glory
To the Miracle Connoisseur, glory
To the Alpha and Omega, glory
Oh, how grateful to be alive!

The sun coming to delete the night
Conquer the brute dark by faith
And see the stars in blooming petals
Oh, how grateful to be alive!

The moon is coming this ogre night
This ambushing danger‘ll break
To the sunrise of glory
Oh, how grateful to be alive!

Turn not your back
On the forward march to glory
Shoot hope infinite to the dim horizon
Oh, how grateful to be alive!

To the King, glory!
To the Love, glory!
To the Glory, glory!
Oh, how grateful to be alive!

i open my eyes and the light hits my face
i toss and turn in my bedsheets, stretching my arms
i inhale breaths of life
and exhale
i am grateful

i am grateful for a roof over my head
a warm bed to sleep on
clean water to drink
and food i can eat

i am grateful for blue skies and sunshine
staring up into the horizons
feeling the warmth consume my body
from the inside out

i am grateful for friends who care about me
saying i was lonely, feeling hurt, and down
giving me a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on

i am grateful for tough days
for without them, how could we be grateful?
learning to appreciate what we have
despite feeling empty and broken

i am grateful for silent moments and days where i sing at the top of my lungs
learning to embrace the still and quiet
taking the time to reflect
that even silent moments have something to teach us
and expressing my joy
dancing like nobody is watching

but most of all, i am grateful for my Savior, Jesus
who bore everything for me on that cross
pursuing me despite my messiness, failures, and sins
fully knowing me and loving me
i am eternally grateful
forever grateful
of each breath He gives me
teaching me to live this life for Him
and not myself
to give glory, honor, and praise to the One who paid my debt