if I were to get famous
for some talent that
I haven't discovered yet,

and stand in front
of an audience with
hundreds of people,

I don't think I could do it.

but that's not because
of my stage fright.

I don't need to imagine the
audience in their underwear,
or whatever trick performers use.

I don't think I could do it
because my eyes would never
stop scanning the crowd.

even in a sea of
people who love me,

I could not stop
searching for you.

and it's so much easier
to imagine that the audience
is wearing something dumb

than it is to imagine
you being a part of that audience.

I couldn't trick myself into
believing that you are there.
you're not.

my imagination can't change that.

fall in love with yourself
the way that you want
to be loved.

stop letting strangers take
refuge in your body.

you are not a
momentary place.

you were not built to be
someone’s hideaway
or vacation house.

you were not designed
to handle people
walking in and out
of your life.

your body is tired
of hurting.

tell these short-term
visitors to leave.

the scratches and
scuff marks left by
their careless actions
do not define you.

you expect abandonment.
permanence feels foreign.
someone staying feels
unnatural to you.

but please remember that
you deserve to be
so much more than a
resting spot for someone
to briefly stop at, and
continue on their way.

despite what you may
believe about yourself,
you are not temporary.

please, be kind to yourself.

as you travel through life,
remember that it doesn’t matter
whether you believe it or not.
you are worth it.
and not believing that doesn’t
make it any less true.

please, stop searching
for another guest.

find someone who
feels less like a tourist,
and more like a home.

A man, stood on the deck
proudly admiring a joyous crowd
gathered at the bay,
I did it!
I sailed seas, discovered lands
and conquered formidable oceans.
I did it!

The Ship, cried out loud.
hey it was me!
I am the one, who did it.
I sailed wild tides,
felt the depths of earth in my belly
flagged & wrenched in the mighty winds.
while you my friend,
never left safety of the deck.
It's me who did it.

You! you are just a ship
I created you, I made you.

My goodman, you believe that
'God created you
and everything else on the earth'
so either you can be a believer
or a creator.
not both, you decide!

Try to see that we're all on repeat
Improving techniques
Familiarity comes with a fee
Feel free to pull up a seat
but take this receipt
Déjà vu is approved

Repetition helps us relate too
A translation of trauma
Through authentic remnants
When fragments come loose
from sourced attributes

Filter your core beliefs
The further we seek
Higher levels of attainment
require persistent maintenance
No rehearsed alliteration
or forced informal acquaintances
Be true to you

All felt the fable
Dwindle & swell
The swindle whispered
Into every eyeball
The tramelled multifarious
Steady steady
Soft sell
Who'd fall for that
We say
As it settles down to dwell
In our depths & recesses
Tales of decline & progress
Denied

Harmonic vibes from past tribes
Come together to realign
Our voice as one is magnified
Raise your level from inside
Trust in part with what can't be seen
Feel supreme in alternating tones
Eyes often closed to open minds
Reap beliefs to form your own
No words are needed to succeed
Moving true free and deeply
Yet synchronised numbers rhyme in kind

I saw lies
Behind your smile
And truth
Behind your eyes
The ones that sparkled
Now lost their light
And a wry heart
Withered under the weight.