I never asked to be ugly
dunno why it made me so hard to like
My own peers
they killed me
while our adult supervision got high.
I had no friends when I went away
to the place mom told me
I had to go stay,
"It's a happy place," I remember she said,
"Called Camp Crystal Lake."
Sounded nice
enough at the time.
Crystal Lake. A family fave.
Nowadays, when you hear the name
You don't think of a sunshiney place
full of laughter and happy children
You think of misfortune
you think of my face
and if you think of visiting,
You better not stay
For more than a day,
Or the children will play
on your grave.
This is my home
and I'd rather be alone,
With the dead animals
and my mother's bones.

Let's pull those knees close,
and think of childhood.
We were fragile beings of light.
Now we're heavy black glasshouses
throwing skipping rocks in the dark.
I wish I went to sleep-away camp,
like all the cool kids.
I could skip rocks,
and learn slip knots,
and maybe how to swim.
Sit by campfire
and tell scary stories,
and spill my first kiss
as the truth in a guts game.
"It was third grade.
She was a ******* girl-
and we wanted to practice
for our shared boy crush.
Baby tongues danced
and I just liked it more than I should have."
And then someone would
douse the flames
with a bucket of lake water,
to put an end to the horror.
Today she's having a baby,
and we haven't spoken
since grade school.
I wonder if she ever reads my poetry.
The kids would have teased me.
Or perhaps never believe me.
The holes keep getting bigger.
They let the light in from outside.
Let's let our knees go.

my retainer broke and i held it in my hand
my nails were ***** because we were at camp
it was red plastic despite tasting like metal
and you were there, we walked into a boat
abandoned in the dry sand piled high
i kept seeing flies and i felt my heart
it was enormous and i couldn't stand
you made a face to show that you felt the same
when i told you about my fear of them,
and i made a face when you said you'd
forgotten to let me know, that in seven weeks
it would be goodbye, and you were leaving
for the empty deserts of California

i thought about the days and how to tell you
that i loved you, that i loved you, here,
that goodbye was all i had and all i could give
because my mouth was full from all the camp food
and the darkness you had chased away

you told me to sit by you later
when we watched the symphony play

when i woke up i couldn't shake the feeling that you had
died

I've been to many of them in the past
I've hidden behind some of them
And all have gave me smiles
and sad moments of departure
I admit that some days were lessons
of how to move on and work hard
That's what camp does right?
No!
Not all camps do that!
There is a camp that taught me more
"Everytown, Everytown
Yellow Black White Red or Brown
It makes not difference when you come down"
I needed it and I got what I asked for
and much much more!
I called out to s hand stretched out
and I got it
A friendly face
and I got it
And a shoulder to cry on
And there was many to choose from
There were times when
Anger, Sadness, Stress, and anxiety
Showed up
but nothing stood in my way!
ALL I can say is that I left with
the power to change the world
And even if its interrupting
ONE hurtful remark
Ill do it!
But never again, will I let
Authority stand in my way to do what
I Know Is The Right Thing To Do
I recommended to teens, and adults.
There is nothing than the
EVERYTOWN SPIRIT!
I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks so!

Today tastes like
Satisfied saturday lie ins
and accompanied sleepy yawns
Tea in bed
toast crumbs

Today tastes like
Washing pegs I hold in my mouth
while ******* things
out on the line

Today tastes like
Saturday sweetie day
peanut m n m's
and other sugary
treats hooray!

Today tastes like a trip to the zoo
animal antics
fruit bats
meerkats
and tamarin tantrics

Today tastes like
My son's hearty hugs
he's been away all week
with the scouts
a hearty dinner
whilst he recounts
his trip's losers and winners

Today tastes like
brightly coloured family
television shows
of sofa time and
cheesey toes
(before i put the boys
in the bath)

Today tastes like
relaxation
tea and more tea
Maybe I'll allow
myself a
cheeky glass of wine
to further relax
and unwind!

Our arms around each other we sway to a song
We belt out all the lyrics and get half of them wrong
It’s time to part ways but we don’t want to let go
We’re dragging our feet to make the moments pass slow

As we stand in this circle I know this house has been blessed
Every moment I spent with you was better than the best
My wish is that we’d be together for 100 years
It would be fine by me if we would never leave here

Chorus:
I’ll remember every one of you fondly forever
‘Cause you changed my life and you changed it for the better.
We’re listening to music and we’re dancing like lunatics
Who said perfect circles do not exist

The same 3 games of cards somehow never got old
Though we played them in the heat and in the rain and the cold
This really feels like something that was meant to be
You’ll never fully understand what you meant to me

That place was our castle, forever mine and yours
Signed with memories of song sessions, parties, and rap wars
But the one thing that will stick with me until the end of time
Is my arms around your shoulders and your arms around mine

CHORUS

You hugged me and you smiled at me
You told me that you’d write to me
You said we’d be friends forever and I know you never lied to me
Didn’t want to go but we knew that we must
God I’d give anything to get back on that **Precious Cargo bus

You're my summer crush
Sweet romance
That never existed

I sit
Oh Lord in wonder
Within Your temple pine
And as I sit
In awe of it
I see Your great design

The slate grey clouds
Form arch and roof
The pillars
Rugged trees
The courtyard
Cobbled with grass
And leaves