Never did I want to be a boxer,
But I’ve spent quite a lot of time in the ring.
All I’ve wanted was to daydream,
To play, write and sing.

But there’s always been a block:
Distraction,
A thief that’s robbed me true,
From harnessing my introspection.

Pushed up against the wall,
Beaten blue and black,
Suffering in this moment,
Focusing more on what I lack.

But I’m ready now,
To change: I MUST CHANGE,
Or I’ll lose much, much more,
Than I’ve already exchanged.

I forgot to die, and I forgot to ****
The parts I have inside that stop my being still
I forgot to hope and forgot to believe
That I have what it takes to be alive and live
I forgot - like - charcoal forgets embers
When it rains on it but always remembers
When a spark of life brings back the red it needed
To live out it's purpose, this cycle is repeated

Because it’s human nature to grow through what is painful
And it’s human nature to become forgetful
Be it man or charcoal, in order to remember
Who we're meant to be, first we must surrender
To undiscovered depths and tidal waves of letting go
Of what we're certain of so we can become more,

Most of the time,
Slowly.

All of the time,
Surely.

Internally, she crumbles.

She doesn't know where she's
been the past few months.
Living in a bad nightmare.

Depersonalization.
Derealization.

As the robot mask of herself
pulls her along.
Drags her through it.

As her personality fades,
Sense of self depletes.

Others question why,
or why she couldn't have prevented this.

"You should have known better" -
A phrase that feels like a dagger
piercing her heart.

Blame
Shame
Fault.

She's a bird with a broken wing.

Mere months ago, this wasn't the case.
She was a bird soaring high.
Felt helpful, useful, proud.
Ecstatic to be using her knowledge
for good and supporting and
advocating for those she cared about most.
Using her intelligence and learning.

How dare you shame her
blame her.
She has more guts and strength
than you'll ever know.
She conquered darkness,
a feat few can say.

She built a life worth living,
and now that's slipping away.

So call her flakey
Call her stupid

Judge her all you want.

But she knows she is powerful
courageous
brave
insightful
reflective

A force to be reckoned with
A phoenix rising from the ashes.

She'll shut other voices out
Listen to herself
Come to terms with her self doubt
and forge forward reclaiming her Self

If THEY cannot rebuild this country with love, empathy, and compassion—

If THEY only destroy communities, tear apart families, sow distrust, mislead, interrogate, gaslight, condemn, and grow fat off OUR fellow humans—

If WE cannot trust OUR representatives, those in power, OUR system of law, OUR doctors, OUR teachers, and the people who hold OUR lives and those of OUR loved ones in THEIR hands—

Then what kind of world do THEY seek to create?

THOSE MEN, draped in their wolfskin suits, armored in dollar bills, wearing false masks of humanity, do not deserve the power they wield.

If this is the system THEY choose to uphold, one that thrives on exploitation, suffering, and deceit, then let it crumble. Let it burn.

And from the ashes of this failed system and flawed government, WE will rise. WE will rebuild—not with greed or oppression, but with unity, justice, and the courage to do what is right.

This is OUR country, OUR problems, OUR responsibility to make it right.

WE will not bow. WE will not be broken. WE will not stand idly by as THEY feast on the labors and suffering of OUR people. The time for change is now, and it belongs to all of US.

Life’s like an old rose garden,
once blooming,
now withering.

Petals falling,
replaced by dry leaves,
wrapped in silence,
once so rare,
now so heavy.

I return home,
laughter ringing in ears.

But as the door shuts,
loneliness greets me,
like a cold, hazy mist,
or dark clouds that the stars resist.

We live a thousand little lives
In the turns we didn't take
On hazy late night drives

Through quiet conversations
Words hidden under the covers
Never to be seen by daylight

Reinventing ourselves over and over
Through broken habits
And the books we read

The songs stuck in our heads change
Seasons shift without warning
Everything fades

Everyday we change
I guess that's growth

Asphalt night
by red dawn’s light
descends into deepest fog.

A glimmer of bright
on the edge of sight
shimmers blue: I begin to walk.

The day is cold and calm,
kissing at my cheeks and ears,
staining me pink
and offering quiet advice–
I listen to it,
pay attention
to the tiny cardinal steps
in the tall snow
as the sun sets
and the faraway trees become orange mountains,
as the straight-up branches of a naked pear tree
point to God,
and I know that I am changing again.

My hair is a tuft of clouds
Who knows
Maybe I could find an angel
Hidden there
Having fallen from the skies