A crooked path, not straight,
life's journey unfolds,
twists and turns, a testing fate,
a story to be told.

Obstacles rise, a daunting sight,
pushing limits, testing might,
unimaginable trials appear,
a challenge to hold dear.

But in the shadows, a guiding light,
love and respect, shining bright,
trust and support, a steady hand,
a refuge in shifting sand.

Through every storm, we find our way,
together we weather the fray,
large or small, the tempest blows,
but steadfast love surely grows.

When the dust settles, calm descends,
the sun's warm embrace extends,
a new dawn breaks, clear and true,
a future built anew.

For in the end, it's love that stays,
the bond that lights our darkest days,
those who lift us, hand in hand,
this is the truth, forever to stand.

The sea, vast and mighty,
A love so deep and true,
With crystal blue waters,
And vibrant reefs that bloom,
Life abundant and colorful,
A swarm of the sea, dancing in tune.

I am drawn to the swarm of the sea,
The diversity of creatures that call it home,
From the tiny fish to the majestic whale,
Each one with a purpose, each one free to roam.

But even amid this watery delight,
I find myself captivated by a woman in sight,
With ebony hair that falls like silken strands,
And amber eyes that seem to understand.

She carries a dragon upon her back,
A symbol of strength, of courage and tact,
Yet in her presence, I feel only grace,
A sense of serenity, a gentle embrace.

Her movements are elegant, her touch so soft,
A warmth in her gaze that whispers aloft,
She exudes sensuality with every step,
Leaving me breathless, feeling inept.

Her presence is sensual, intoxicating,
I am mesmerized by her every move,
She is the calm in my tempest, the light in my darkness,
In her arms, I find solace, I find my groove.

Love knows no depth, it is unfathomable,
A mystery that we can never truly grasp,
It can be a tempest, unpredictable and wild,
Or it can be serene, a gentle clasp.
 
Find the one who brings you joy,
Who warms your heart with their gaze,
Who makes you feel safe and secure,
And brings balance to your days.

For love is a force,
A power beyond measure,
It can lift you up high,
Or bring you to your knees in despair.

But when you find the one,
The one that brings you joy,
Whose love matches your own,
You'll know true happiness.

In a world where love is shown,
Search for the one who warms your heart,
Who makes you feel safe, secure in their arms,
Who brings balance, extinguishing all alarms.

In the end, love is all that matters,
In all its forms and shapes,
For love is what makes us human,
It is what gives our lives their purpose, their stakes.

For love is a gift, a treasure to behold,
A bond that is precious, more valuable than gold,
So I seek the love that I have for thee,
In the depths of the sea, in the woman I see.

You are,
The wind in my breath,
The sun on my face,
The love in my heart,
The scent in my nose,
The whisper in my ear,
The sweet caress on my lips,
The embrace in my arms,
The ground beneath me,
The hand in my hand.
You are all of these, and more,
My dragon, my tiger, my protector, my love, my friend, my partner, my Yin to my Yang.
Two parts that make a whole,
Inseparable and yet contradictory.
Self-perpetuating.
Being apart from you is one of the most difficult parts.
Yet I will endure.

Take the scissors,  
And cut around the edges of my heart.  
Don't worry about how it looks.  
Fold whatever part of me  
That you need to make the first cut.  
I'd be surprised if you find any part  
Of me that's folded neat.  
The kaleidoscope of construction  
Paper that is me.  
  
I consider myself a collection  
Of scars and different colors—  
Of the things that I like and dislike.  
Even the wrinkled pieces of myself  
I've forgotten about.  
You've brought light to those pieces  
With each snip of your scissors.  
I've noticed how quiet and content  
You've become.  
  
You cut, and I bleed in color—  
Purple, blue, and yellow.  
Of all the shapes you've cut,  
None of them are painful.  
Watching you mix up the different color pieces of my soul,  
Your love, the stick glue that  
Gives these pieces more functionality.  
  
I breathe easier, knowing that you're here.
No longer restricted  
By stagnant stillness.  
You can even fold them into an  
Airplane and sail across the room.  
I haven’t had this much fun  
In a long time.
Don't forget the scrap pieces

i don't want you to feel successful, i want you to feel like a success
so that if anything goes wrong you don't think of yourself any less

when the nights are longer and darker and the prizes become few
i don't need you to win first place, i just want what's best for you

so if one day you come home and tell me that everything is just too much
that the assignments are unending,
that the trauma just exacerbates such

a feeling of discontentment
a validation that goes awry
if you look at yourself in the mirror and can't help but start to cry

i'll shatter every reflection and then redraw them so you can see
this is what you look like, you're everything to me

first place, the winner, the poet, the CEO
you are who i refer to when i think of where i want my life to go

i don't need a million dollars
i need you to be okay, to keep speaking and writing
i wanna hear everything you have to say

so if one night you come back to me and say nothing went right
i would put your face in mine and say
you're still the prettiest sight

if the theatres were all empty, and the books were never sold
if the restaurants went bankrupt, if all the meals sat there cold

if nobody saw the vision, just judged the draft to be
if everyone hated your work
you'd still have one fan - me

i don't want you to be successful
i want you to be happy with who you are and then realize
you're a million times better than the version you thought was too far

so that when lake starts to mirror and the sun can't help but kiss your shine
i'll tell you the definition of perfection
and then show how you're the picture that i use for mine

and underneath it says 'successful. a brilliant person to know. we can't wait to see all the places they will go. and all the careers they will pursue that they believe the were never good enough for.'

i don't want you to be successful
because that implies you weren't successful before

you're gonna be outstanding, but if 'out' stood in front of you
it would take a seat
because it knows that there's no comparison to

if beautiful fell apart, it would be full of you
i'm repeating it over and over until you memorize it too
that you're gonna be successful

but if success never came, i would draw you to represent it
i would still draw you all the same

The words from your letter drip like honey to my evening delight,
You brighten my soul through the beauty of your creativity
And bring colour to my world as the sun runs out of sight,
Pluck your daring heart from the tree of uncertainty,
And scribble with a smile your heat's intent.

It's been a while since I've wrote a poem, or an entry
It feels like I haven't been honest in almost a century
Feelings are deeper that what we actually feel.  
The emotions quickly turn into something more real.
Maybe anxiety or depression,
But let me tell you, it's all the same, a lesson.  
I was once in a deep dark place,
Confronting the mirror, I couldn't look myself in the face.  
Shadows clouded my every thought and emotion.
Making me feel as if I would never escape the commotion  
All around me was help, yet I couldn’t seem to cry out.  
I couldn’t move, and started to fill myself with doubt.
"Will they ever notice I need to be saved?"
"My voice seems to have completely caved"
All of a sudden, it felt as if an angel had come to my assistance
I gave them my hand with no resistance.  
Slowly I was pulled towards life once again.
I saw things as if my life had just began.
Everything now glows with a new spark and fascination
Everyday I find more and more to give me inspiration
Once I allowed help to take its course on my destined path
I’ve learned to accept the truth in the aftermath.  
Live your life with purpose,
There is much more meaning than what's just on the surface