I used to think the pinnacle of elation
Derived from you so wittingly
Conjuring my laugh,
But I must attest,
The sincerest bliss occurs
After I induce the same--
Witnessing your face illuminate
Is a gift unwrapped

© JL Smith

How could a smile
So radiant
Write from a place
Of such pain?

This question
You asked me
As you walked
The surface
Without digging
The terrain

For my roots
Have traveled deeply
Around rock--
Through dirt and clay,
But my limbs
Bear fruit of beauty
After the rain
Has washed away

© JL Smith

Where are you?

I read about you in books
And watched you on the silver screen
Society places considerable emphasis
On you sweeping me off my feet

Who are you?

Someone labeled, "Super"
Dressed in boots and a cape?
Or a dubious author
Shredding manuscripts you create?

No matter--

The fairy tale's a myth
No perfect prince charming or princess
Just a worn heart-on-her-sleeve lover
Searching for The One who will accept her mess

© JL Smith

Ninety-nine percent of the time
The truth is brutal
It'll knock you on your back
You'll lie there positioned fetal
Praying it cuts you slack

As for me,
I continue to bear my soul
While most fear truth
I disclose the untold

My ninety-nine percent
Consists of a night owl
And a midnight snack
Laughing until my gut wrenches
And researching odd facts

My truth
Subsists of stubborness
I blame my dad for that
Tears form when I get angry,
But I forgive, rather than fight back

My reality
Reveals clearly
I'm a dreamer wandering an offbeat path
I've been told my goal's improbable,
But I believe in magic after solving the math

And honestly,
My heart falls swiftly
For the one I can't have
And to the ones who wanted me,
I can't force feelings that I lack

Ninety-nine percent of the time
The truth is brutal
It'll knock you on your back
I've shared my proportion,
And it's worth enduring to reach
My one percent of liberation after that

© JL Smith

At times my memory fails
Yet, your words remain clear
It's ironic how you doubted my writing
Never gave it much thought or adhered

You attempted to break my spirit,
But instead, fueled this fire
You planned to bury me in your dust,
And here I am, sprouting higher

All it took--a little confidence
Commitment to my words
A belief in these syllables
Faith in a few strong verbs

I conjure feelings
I share stories
I bleed truth
I give glory

My poetry reveals this heart
You disrespected both,
But some day you will see
How I now touch the lives of strangers I call friends
And through these words,
They believe more than you did--
They've accepted me

© JL Smith

Please don't wander my way
For I know you're not willing to stay
Your clouded skies once cast shadows,
But now my blue paints over your gray

© JL Smith

How soothing
The sound of rain
As it trickles across
My rooftop
Reminds me of
The summer day
We danced along
My sidewalk

© JL Smith

You asked if I get lonely
And admitted that you do
Living alone requires bravery
Something I've grown accustomed to

I breathe in the scent of memories
And exhale a new-found freedom
This time alone strengthens my character
God knows it's what I needed

But you asked if I get lonely
And truthfully, I do
Whether together or independent
We all feel it at times, but push through

For Love resides around the corner
Followed by Laughter and its comrade, Joy
You see, loneliness may try to isolate,
But Faith always defeats its ploy

© JL Smith