She tosses her hair to the side, revealing a naked neck
A subtle invitation to play
As her eyes display a deep furious passion.

She balances her head on her cradled hands
A signal of her interest
While her eyes deep passion demands
That I don't stare at her *******.

Remaining calm I meet her gaze
Her pupils dilate in the shadowy evening
I've been thinking about her for days
Her beauty and poise is sincerely striking.

I bridge the gap our bodies leave
And gently touch her hand
She draws breath in, her chest it heaves
I proceed without a plan.

My mind is free from carnal thoughts
But filled with opportunity
To know this woman and her thoughts
As her eyes see straight through me.

She responds well to my touch
Her eyes now have a mischievous sparkle
I want to hold her now so much
My movements smooth, I don't want to startle.

As she goes to leave she whispers in my ear
Her breath creating a sensual tingle
She tells me what I want to hear
Words a man wants to hear when he's single.

As a Teen
My path programed as a watchword
Lonely Monitored to be guided
Less worrisome
Maybe, because
I got experienced guardian

As a teenager
My path shared not to whole
Briefly monitored and barely guided
Bit worrisome to strive
Maybe, because
I seize to prove independent

As a youth
My path interweave with my career
Total responsibility to guide
Though worrisome when unplanned
Maybe, because
I penned my progress on it

As an Adult
My path for a companion
An illusion not to be guided by pretense
A worrisome challenge
Maybe, because
Love fades away as life progresses

My philosophy as I drive down the road
I don't feel bad if I don't feel it under my tires
That means I step on spiders
Swat mosquitoes
Take antibiotics
Life is not created equal
When we live atop an ever shifting puzzle
Where the value of life
Is dependent on the ability to take life
A virus's sole purpose is to attack host cells and reproduce
So is our's
I guess we'll see who kills who first

Trees get larger trunks
Animals get larger teeth
Humans get larger guns
And as those guns hold our hopes
Humanity holds the hopes for all organisms
To one day transcend competition
But in the meantime
I'm worried about the cracks in the road
Because I can feel them shifting under my tires
But there is cement on my wheels
And on the vehicles around me
We pave this road we travel on
Until the cement runs dry
And our vessel dies
For newer improved cars to continue
On the freeway to transcendence

Come over, I'll show you my world.
My world's designed to grasp self-worth
And to embed its purpose in my aging soul.
It's made to rotate and shift from light to dark,
another chance to redeem and to leave a mark.
A thousand heavens flock into one star
And the star smiles subtly at the dying heart.
Obsidian chains coil around the beating heart
and my world is choked but the star
keeps smiling and my world keeps going.
I give and sustain, it lives and maintains.
I will not die in vain because I am
ready for obsidian chains.

I haven’t weighed myself in weeks. I have this incessant itch inside of me longing to know what numbers I ring up to be. But everyday I hear another gnawing voice say,
“You are not a number, you are a person. A number does not define you. What defines you is your kindness, your efforts, the way you live your life.”

But what happens when the way I’ve been living my life for the past year and a half has been nothing BUT numbers and scales and nutrition labels and dysmorphia. What happens when my efforts have only been reduced to reducing myself? What happens when kindness overflows towards others, but I cannot even look in the mirror and say “I love you.” What happens when you are completely consumed by something that refuses to let you consume?
-Does the tunnel end soon?

When a bone breaks, it is widely believed to be the site of weakness. Too much stress: not enough strength. But after the break, something magnificent happens. The bone begins to search for itself and goes about pulling what's left together and over time becomes whole again, stronger than it was previously. We're a lot like bones you and I: once broken and now slightly stronger.

Take one step forward
just one step
one step is progress
she tells me
but how do you take a step forward
when you don't know
which direction you are facing
It takes some time
to gain control
To rid myself from the concrete
But I take my first step
and the cement begins to break
it's left scars on my feet
they feel painful
but free
I'm wounded
but still standing
and which direction I'm headed
I don't yet know
but standing
is enough for now

I have learned:

1. your past does not define you. yesterday’s mistakes are not today’s. we can always be better.

2. be humble. do not boast in how you look or how you dress. do not brag in your talents or your skills. you can be proud, but do not become prideful. always stay kind.

3. do not let someone else define your worth, talent or value because of what they do or do not give you.

4. be patient. all good things come in time and never stop working hard in what you’re striving to achieve.

5. words and music connect us. don’t ever stop telling stories, always keep writing, always keep sharing.

6. love your friends and family hard. appreciate them everyday and never give up on them.

7. you are cherished even if you feel like you’re not seen. when you don’t think your parts matter, widen your perspective and look at the bigger picture. they can’t make it happen without you.

8. you are more than just a body or face. your heart and soul is more beautiful than any outward appearance could ever be. don’t let first impresses be limited to only physical.

9. it’s okay to show affection to those that you love. let them know how you feel, and don’t be afraid to love big.

10. hard work and determination always pay off, even if it takes a while. you will get to where you’re going if you’re diligent and passionate. don’t wait to follow your dreams.

11. laugh loud. don’t worry about what others may think of you, happiness isn’t to be confined, you’re meant to express it.

12. let yourself be loved by others. you can’t give until you’ve been filled, always let others pour into you with adorations and affections so you can do the same.

13. don’t let people look down on you because you are young, don’t let them limit your potential because of your age. your young age does mean you’re any less talented, wise or valued than those older than you.

14. be confident in who you are. there is no one else on Earth like you, be proud of the progress you’ve made.

15. being quiet is okay, being reserved does not mean you’re lacking anything. there is beauty in the silence.

16. always express yourself. express your feelings and your love. don’t repress them.

17. don’t let a set back keep you down forever. rest, recover and jump right back where you left off. work hard, practice hard.

18. love yourself and love your friends more. never stop learning and always keep growing.

It's fine to look back to see how
far you have come. Don't
dwell, the past should
stay behind you.