There’s a whole world out there,
Full of lipstick stains and fairgrounds and cities you’ll love.
It has people who share their love as freely as a child,
And people who keep it hidden inside the barbed cage of their heart.
Once you are loved, you’ll feel it in every fibre of your being,
The depth of your soul,
And it’ll put a rose tint on life.
Dare to be present, my darling, and the world itself will gift itself,
It will weave the wonders of the world, and the beauty of life,
With the delicate ribbon being the subtle kindnesses shared.
Forget those who have left you, for their love was false,
As it did not thaw the sadnesses that are concealed
Between happinesses,
There is no life without losses, and no life without love.
I may not be a genius,
But I’m smart enough to figure that out.

n.b.

We're just lonely vessels
floating around each other like planets and moons and
we don't ever get to know each other
we send out explorers and land on the surface for a while
take first steps and last steps and leave footprints in the dirt or sand or snow or whatever our planets are made of
but the heaving cacophony of sound and color and blinding light that resides inside
all of that remains hidden
because if an explorer got close enough, if they dived deep enough into our oceans
if they rappelled down our steep canyons
it would destroy them, they would destroy us

to take off
to dip low
to feel the chill breeze
behind my old feathered wings
to close eyes
to glide high
to smell pine and wood
and other things of this world
to soar
to explore
to rely and to trust
on wings to do what they must
to taste the flavor of fall
to sing and to call
to be the creature
who's existence is most envied of all

Oh, to be a poet
one must be so emotional.
Well, no. Not necessarily.
We're only really capable
of understanding feeling,
investigating our emotions.
It doesn't mean we cry all day,
or pass nights in dark rooms moping.

We have lives; come home from work
or get in on a night bus back;
it's from all this experience
that we can draw out fact.
From mundane to extraordinary
we will become inspired.
Our strength is versatility
and life ignights our fires.

So, we do not all have to be
constricted to intensity
-to ponder oh-so seriously
on what it simply means 'to be'.
We can be strong, flirty, or mean
or to the brim with confidence.
For, what does 'to be a poet' mean,
if you cannot explore yourself?

let's travel
visit little french cafes
find old bookshops
wander through countryside
explore beautiful towns
you and me

Open  the  door,
Kiss  the  sadness  goodbye,
Find  a  new  window,
Let  your  soul  fly.

Get  out  of  your  box,
Fun’s  never  been  fame,
Stretch  out  to  the  world,
Create  your  own  name.

Opportunities  out  there,
So  let  yourself  soar,
There’s  a  whole  world  just  out  there,
Exit now, and  explore.

Come with me to the boardwalk and wander down to the turbulent blue sea.
Come with me to the fire and let the shadows of the flames dance across your face.

Take me back to the sandy white shore with the cool waves lapping at my feet.
Take me back to the yellow sun high in the sky, warming my face.

Follow me down the rough path and feel the cool stones on your feet.
Follow me up the steep hill and stare at the moon’s inviting face.

Get in the car and leave the lonely world in the rear view mirror.
Get to the top of the mountain and watch your fear hide its face.

Bring your best and your worst and we will explore it all together.
Bring me to the first place you felt truly alive and we will basque in its face.

Let us get lost in the inky night sky, and never find home.
Let us get lost in the abyss of each others eyes, forever staying face to face.

I left my heart back in Kiev,
found my soul in South Korea.
I dreamed of the northern lights,
and saw a shooting star in Paris.

I lost my virginity in Ibiza,
drank too much up in Dublin.
I ran in the streets of Ljubljana,
and drove with windows down in Sydney.