Man's greed is His noose
It entangles His heart
And when He keeps pulling
It pulls Him apart

I wish love destroyed you,
But it doesn't do you that courtesy,
It wounds and maimes you,
And it leaves you alive,
It doesn't do you the justice of a mercy killing,
We bleed again and again,
The scars come and never leave,
Forever altered by all of the moments,
Love isn't poetic,
Love is the cache 22 that reminds us that even if you're in heaven right now,
The devil used to also be god's favorite angel,
And hell isn't so far away after all.

It's ok
To love me
Because
I'm very far away
and you will
Never meet me.

He had a name
Nobody cared to ask for
Smiles filled with disgust
Pity stained their eyes
Business men passing by
No hand reached out
Just another guy who had it all
Lost it when the needle pierced his veins
Gorgeous women avoiding
Afraid they'll become ugly by association
His name was John
He had a wife and three kids
Left him when he started his addiction
He wasn't proud of the times he spent
Beating her in front of the kids
Throwing plates and fights over nothing
Cheating became a way of life
An affair turned into a divorce
A box by the garbage next to the 99 cent store
Saw him one day
Mom told me not to talk to strangers
But he had a face that said hello
I asked his name
He only said I should go away
I gave him the dollar
The very one I got from the tooth fairy
Just that morning
He mustered a tear and said he couldn't take it
I insisted he use it for a can of beans
He bought ramen
I didn't blame him
Not everybody likes beans
I met him the next day
Asked his name again
He just shooed me away
So I asked if I could buy his name
Another dollar pulled from my pocket
He said his name was John
And then I realized why I liked him
He was just like my dad
Scraggly beard and an appetite for money
I asked him why he was there
He asked if I had a ten
I couldn't pay the man so he didnt tell me
The next day I was eating a pb&j;
He asked for a bite
So I brought him a loaf of bread
The peanut butter and jelly
I told him I didn't know how to make one
And I dont like sharing my food
He only laughed
A laugh so priceless
I knew he was a really nice guy
A cop came just moments later
Asked where my parents were
I told them exactly where
John said he didnt want any problems
And then I told the cop
Something that shocked both of them
He's my friend John
He's homeless and likes ramen
I might not know everything about him
But he's kind and makes really good pb&j;'s
Officer I dont want to go home just yet
The officer shook Johns hand
Gave him a twenty and said have a good day
John gave me a hug and said thanks kid
He told me his story
Told me everything about him
He was born 06/17/1961
Unfortunately he passed away today
01/04/2016 at 5:15am
That very same officer found him
Died of a heart attack
No one knows John
The only thing he never told me
Was his last name
He probably thought no one cared
John taught me that any moment could be your last
Don't ever get cocky
Makes your head too big and makes you stumble
He taught me that even the less fortunate
Are humans just as well
They hold stories nobody knows
They contain wisdom beyond comprehension
I loved John
He is and will always be a dear friend to me
He was a great friend
Even though the world saw a failure
I saw a man that was put through the ringer
Went 12 rounds with life
I saw a warrior
Even if his name wasn't John
He was my friend
Here's a pb&j; for you man

Seeing you angry with someone
   Hurts me very badly
I wonder if you really as loving
   as I thought.

If you are suspicious
   that is hurtful, no matter who
It is directed
   Towards.

Do you really want to be liked
   Because of who you are?
Not because you look so
   Desirable and Beautiful

Decades of women trying to
   Make it that way.
Is all undone when you are so mean
   On the inside

If you are questioned about being
   Suspicious
But you really respond by saying
   "With good reason"

Sorry, but.
   There is not good reason for someone
To harbor a feeling of
    Suspicion.

Suspicion means - you don't forgive
   Suspicion means you harbor a grudge
Suspicion leaves no room for growth
   That means you are incapable of growth, too.

There is no good reason for suspicion.

Monsters don't sleep
Under your bed
They live inside
Inside of your head

Between my head and my heart
Thoughts fight to escape from my mind
I find a disconnect to my hands.

Dan Gray

Stepped into darkness
Walked off the pier
Fell into the abyss
Slid into the mere.
Was I lost or just being found
As I slid from the miry ground
Was all going to end
Or beginning once again?
Who knows I thought
As I flew into the mist.
When life hits me broadside
When a nose-dive I take
It might not be a choice
And not a mistake
Falling could be a handle
To access the well of life
When I get real thirsty
While I get super tired.
The answers are way up high
and way down below
When I cry in the night
And fly through the air
To places that are unknown
To where I don’t dare.
I might get some answers
and Maybe I’ll grow
It’s all of my journey
One day I will know.
Lift up from the slip
It’s just another step.
—
Slips