so, I decided to challenge myself and write a poem that included the titles of 20 of my favorite songs. and I did it. this might be one of my favorites. see if you can find all the titles. check it out

I thought I’d have to go to another world
to find somewhere I belong.
I felt powerless. Alone. A broken man in a carnival of rust.
My friends always tried to make me feel wanted
by saying “someone’s gonna light you up.”
But I always felt like the only thing people saw
were my imperfections.
They wouldn’t have tried so hard to break me
if they saw how good of a person I tried to be, right?
Or is it the opposite? They didn’t want one more light
in a world that was already so dark?
Well, they almost won. I almost tried to see heaven.
But I’m still standing.
I don’t know if it’s because I’m a simple man
or because I decided to stand in the light,
but I was given a second chance. Now, I don’t worry about a thing.
Because what I’ve got is all I’ve ever wanted.
Every time I look in her angel eyes, little by little,
the black of my iris gets lighter.
And now that I can see how beautiful life can be,
I’m not afraid to follow you wherever you will go.
I’m forever yours…faithfully.

by the sea
i saw her there,
lost on another voyage;
i hope she finds her way
home
floating on the notes
between the bars of the road
bopping along a scale
frozen in time
until the asphalt weakens
under the sun and rain and snow;
washout roads
lead to washed out souls
but
conditions have never been better.

i was saved by a martyr self
bundled in boxes and shipped off to
my sister — my keeper;
rescued by captain fantastic,
sleeping with myself,
saved in time tonight and every night
and winding it down
like the brown dirt cowboy you always knew i could be.

those songs came over the waves
sailing through my musical bones,
electrified;
neurotransmitters like piano keys
jazzing up a well-strummed soul,
fingers plucking heart strings without resistance,
and i am at the mercy of music you’ve made -
that mesmerizing melody
in the inflection of your voice
and
the movement of your body
against mine;
rhythm.

don’t **** this song and dance
when the curtains just opened

let this harmony take us home

and resonate.