You mention that you're tired.
They tell you that you're weak.
You say you had five hours of sleep,
They say that's what they had all week.

It's not that your day didn't ****,
It's just that theirs was worse.
Your uncle's in the hospital?
Well, theirs is in a hearse.

You share a funny story, then,
Some memory you miss,
Only to have them respond with,
"Wait 'till you hear this-"

It's not that you're not funny,
You may be humorous.
It's just that they happen to be
A little more hilarious.

At some point, conversation,
On your end, goes bone dry.
You're left feeling dejected
And don't seem to know why.

The motive of the One-Upper
Is still an open question.
Just make sure you aren't one-
Is my one suggestion.

There is no brother worse than you,
Or any brother better.
I guess you’re turning out alright,
Sometimes your jokes are clever.

You wake up when I come from work,
Pretend you’re doing homeschool.
Your sneakers were two hundred bucks,
They barely even look cool.

If you’re not in the car in five,
Oh well, too bad, you’re walking.
Sometimes you tell me to shut up
When I’m not even talking.

Your taste in music is the worst,
But not worse than your omelettes.
Last time I checked under your bed,
I found your stash of chocolates.

You never know how to react
When someone compliments you.
“Timmy, thanks for making brownies”
“Shut up, before I slap you.”

You read like three survival books
And fixed up an old longboard.
Sometimes I hate driving with you
Because you steal the aux chord.

Overall, you’re pretty decent.
Your hygiene could use some work.
Just slap yourself once in a while
So you don’t become a ****.

solitude is a peculiar thing, for it is both freeing and bounding.
how can one be imprisoned by their own solitude?

My family is not too small
Just one short of a dozen.
Ten of us under one roof
And not one of them’s a cousin.

We drive in a 12-seater van
Sometimes even long distance.
But we’re not going anywhere
Until mom takes attendance.

My siblings greet me after work
With “Can I have a dollar?”
Oh look, my missing leather belt
Is now the cat’s new collar.

Our chickens provide our breakfast
Collected straight from the coop.
I hate to admit this but, last year
One of them cooked in our soup.

Our cat is great at catching mice,
He’ll even eat a few.
Unfortunately that is why
We’re down a parrot too.

We’re out of milk, there’s no clean socks,
Did someone feed the chickens?
Please don’t tell me it’s my turn
AGAIN to clean the kitchen.

Every day is an adventure
Some days more than one.
But let me tell you one thing:
We’re always having fun.

Hate, Doubt
Uncertainty, Fear
Has crept in the hearts
Of many this year

Spirits have weakened
Love has grown cold
As we watch, with defeat
Revelations unfold

'One nation under God'
Now torn and divided
The 'States of America'
But no longer 'United'

Let us not place our faith
In the 'red' or the 'blue'
But instead on God's promise
Which we know to be true

Let us speak, unafraid
To be shunned or oppressed
For it's time that our faith
Be put to the test

Let God be our hope
And our refuge in fear
Let our hearts be made ready
For His coming is near!

Moving on is like growing up.
You never really remember going through the process.
It just comes as a realization.

My family's gone, there's no one home;
It's only me - who's home alone.
I should not hear a single squeak,
There shouldn't even be a creak,

So what's that thumping that I hear?
It must mean one thing: death is near.
"You're an adult, you'll be just fine",
I tell myself as I dial "nine"..

Was that a knock upon the door?
My heart beats faster than before.
I know it's closed, I've checked the lock,
At least my killer knows to knock.

I cannot sleep, though I'm in bed,
I've made amends with God instead.
If He decides that it's my time,
Then this will be my very last rhyme.

I hear a bang, and then a break,
My head shoots up; there's no mistake!
I turn my music volume high
So I won't hear the way I die.

I run upstairs, desk lamp in hand
Over my head, ready to land..
And right before it did just that,
I remembered: I have a cat.

rejoice, oh rejoice,
who are weary and lost!
turn your eyes to the blood
that was shed on the cross

Jesus paid the full price
for your wickedest deed,
there is nothing to do but rejoice-
you are freed!

He was beaten and mocked;
unjustly accused,
and He died on the cross, marked
"the King of the Jews"

rejoice, oh rejoice,
for His blood has been shed!
accept it and live,
"it is finished!" He said

If you’re reading this, you’re probably asking
Me to share some things about myself.
But before I answer, you should know this:
I hate this question more than life itself.

Now, how do I begin; where do I start?
I think I have forgotten who I am.
You see, I live an uneventful life,
So I’ll just exaggerate the best I can.

I have a desk job at a doctor’s office.
A foot clinic - to be exact.
Come in to see us if you’ve got a bone spur,
Or toenail fungus, or if your heels have
cracked.

Sometimes I can be funny, when I try.
But if you have to try, then you’re not funny..
How is it that I work 5 days a week
And still feel like I don’t have enough money?

I enjoy running, reading, writing poetry,
And going out for breakfast on days off.
I used to get embarrassed pretty easily,
But now I’ve learned to simply laugh things off.

That’s all I can come up with as of now.
By now, you’re probably sorry that you asked.
I wrote this poem to make myself feel interesting
And I thank you for helping with this task.

Let’s wrap ourselves in blankets
And watch the sun come up.
I’ll brew a *** of coffee
And pour us both a cup.

Let’s rewatch our favorite shows,
And munch on ginger snaps.
You’ll brush my hair back from my face
As I sleep in your lap.

Let’s walk down the moonlit shore,
Our fingers intertwined.
I’ll tell you about my family,
You’ll share what’s on your mind.

Let’s go driving in the night,
With no destination.
We’ll sing along to songs we know,
Forgetting our location.

You’ll take me to your secret spot
And I’ll take you to mine.
We’ll slow dance to the crickets’ song
And lose all track of time.

So hurry up and cross my path,
I’d love to share it with you.
Let’s fall helplessly in love
And make this poem true.

the keeper's yellow canary dwelt in her cage,
          her smooth, silky feathers untouched,
    tucked gently to her sides,
as she listened to the soothing quivers of her own beating heart.
and when came morning,
her joyful song echoed all around,
illuminating even the darkest shadows
of her beloved keeper's heart.

but alas, the day had come:
      the keeper left the gate unhinged.
it beckoned freedom,
   whispered chances,
and with a ruffle of those dainty wings,
the keeper's yellow canary
fled home.

days, weeks, a month had passed,
the keeper waited for her return
       searching for a glimpse of yellow,
              the only color he had truly known,
hopeful,
    but afraid
his heart has found another home.

and then, come nightfall,
he saw the bird under his window
  the perfect feathers he once knew
        were torn and mangled,
stained deep red.

he lifted her
and cradled her broken wings in his palms
until they were whole again.
and then he placed her gently in her cage,
sealing the gate forever.
vowing never again
     to let her taste her freedom.

when you perceive God's grace,
you simultaneously uncover
it's reward: flawless,
untainted Love
and the moment you begin
to understand the substance of it,
you can't help but
cease resisting the current
and allowing grace
to pull you to the surface
where you can float
in perfect peace

in the vast, blue sea
a ripple is born.

it churns,
rises,
pulls,
ascends,
intensifies,

breaks
onto the shore.

it's not
the fear
that stunts
your growth,
it's the
choice

my branch bends
with the weight of
ripe fruit
and my basket is empty.

Today I looked fear in the face,
Today I made a choice.
Not even the earthquake in my chest
Could shake my steady voice.

I spoke of what he said to me,
The fear that he imposed,
Of all the things he tried to do
Behind the door he closed.

Today I’ve laid my burden down,
Today I’ve been set free.
For when I spoke his name out loud
I broke his grip on me.

My dearest Prince Charming, am I being stood up?
It's starting to look like you'll never show up.

There's thoughts in my head that are hard to ignore;
Like you showing up to another front door.

Maybe you're hurt, bleeding out on the ground,
Or worse - you've decided to just turn around.

Your horse will not ride, it's dying of hunger,
Or maybe you've met someone else that is younger.

I wish you would send me your current location,
I'd order a faster mode of transportation.

And if you're asleep in the shades of a tree,
I hope that you're dreaming a sweet dream of me.

Keep moving, dear prince, clear the path with your sword,
At the end of this journey will be a reward.

It will be you and me, together at last,
And it can happen soon, if you ride very fast.

But no matter how long your painful endeavor
I pray that you get here, better late than never.

Today I watched you fall again.
I felt your weary heart.
The burden you've been carrying
Was tearing you apart.

I longed to take your pain away,
I longed to make you whole.
If you would just look up at Me,
I'd surely mend your soul.

But you continued steadily,
Relying on yourself.
Pushing every thought of Me
Onto the farthest shelf.

You thought you had everyone fooled,
You put up a facade.
But you can’t hide even one tear
From the Almighty God.

My child, why are you ashamed?
Why do you hide, unspoken?
My job is not to heal the whole,
I’ve come to mend the broken.

the sun is a warm
blanket draped across
your shoulders

you pedal faster
letting the salty wind
break on your face

the boardwalk
stretches for miles
and you catch sight
of him, pedaling ahead,
a red blur against
endless blue

he stops and looks
back over his shoulder,
waiting for you
to close the distance

and as you pull up beside
him, your hair
tangled, your heart racing,
you smile
because you're
home

how can I sit still when the world
just outside my window is
bending, twisting,
changing,
shedding its skin in a beautiful array of colors;
becoming more alive
with each passing moment...?
i long to be a part of its every sunrise and sunset,
to explore the depth of each mountain, to fill my lungs with its crisp, fresh air,
and to dance on its
soft green carpet
with my head turned up
to meet the rain.