Tell me when the night befalls,
Till then, let me shine through this light.

There are short moments,
When the whole world gets caught inside a bubble,
Made of the brightest gold.

Launching fireworks instead of missiles,
Taking shots with cameras not guns,
Giving gifts not bombs.

For a few days we forget how to hate,
Relearn love,
Live without fear for at least a while.

Dancing and cheering,
Laughing and singing,
Decorating and Playing.

Replace the dodging and screaming,
The crying and pleading,
The hiding and running.

Inside that bubble,
All is good,
For as long as we can celebrate,
We can be kind.

So....
You're 25.....
You've survived!
25 years and
more than 25 tears shed
over 100 times
25 beers
Not counting 25 lies
And 25 broken ties
Or the 25 and more blows to your sunken in eyes
Here's to the 25 + shovel strokes
To get you out of that deep dark hole
The hole you were birthed into
25 years prior
With no voice, no choice
No written down plans to escape from fire.
But you've jumped from that window of the 25th floor building;
Each story built
from each year
that you're holding.
Not knowing if you'd collapse
from your fall
Or relapse
or perhaps
even survive at all.
But you chose to anyway
Better lie dead smashed on the pavement
than go out burning away.
Took a long time to hit rock bottom.
Never dreaming you'd reach the ground,
never thinking of your feet
or that you'd land on them.
But you made it!
You've crash landed!
Took 25 years until you couldn't stand it.
And now you're standing up
for the very first time.
From the crash
and the ash
and you're feeling alive!
Took a dive to realize
This whole time inside
That you've got it in you.
The strength to survive!

Rejoice and cheer!
We are here!
In golden sun,
We are number one.

Be grateful for what we’ve got,
Even though it’s not a lot.
Forget that stress,
You’re NOT in such a mess
As you think you are,
In fact you’re a star.

Think Positive I say,
Knowing it’s a cliché.
Yes, every dog has his day.

With special thanks to thee,
Readers of HP.
Thanks for all those Views and comments,
I love it when they come in torrents.
Like it when you like my stuff;
Without such feedback, life is tough.

Let’s celebrate all that we call ‘Good’.
Let Joy immerse us, in a flood.

Paul Butters

When I feel weak,
when all I want is
your voice on the line,
I pick myself up.
Refusing to be meak,
I roar in my mind's eye,
I know what I hold inside.
As I roll my hips and
rah tah tah,
I am whole, and full..
of love, of brilliance.
Like you told me once,
and I shall never forget,
I am not weak,
I just have moments of weakness.
I am strong,
with untold amounts of gold glitter,
shimmering in my veins.
I am resilient,
Thrive is my middle name.