You searched high and low, far and wide,
But never did you realise,
That what you needed was in front of your very own eyes.

It was a dark and stormy night
when an angel of death took flight.
She took to the skies and followed the thunder
to the one who would begin their eternal slumber.
The man who would soon receive such a fate
denied the love of someone great.
He told her she was ugly and didn't have time
to give his love to someone who wasn't divine.
Then what happened next
devastated her parents when they read her text.
He had no remorse when he was given the news.
So the angel of death made him pay his dues.
People take things for granted.
That's to be expected.
But professing love is not an act that deserves being disrespected.
If we took the time to think about all of the outcomes
of our choices, the world might not lose so many beautiful voices.

Placed on pristine pedestal.
Its posture proud,
Its presence phantasmic.
Its position?

Precarious.

Are the workings of the mind not unusual?
Does it not make you wonder,
How from one second to the next,
Your thoughts can go from clear and composed,
To muddled and you lose all hope,
Spiralling down a windy road

Of darkness and delusion
Leaving you wondering
What does it really mean
What is the purpose
Of all the pain and anguish you absorb
Cold nights you endure
Pain is all you know;
and nothing else
Is new to you,
Except the uncertainty,
Of what lies beyond those doors you are so afraid to open

It is not at all easy
To see the things you have seen,
witnessed,
Brave the things you have braved,
withstood,
Pain and suffering none can imagine,
None can feel
What you feel inside

Yet you stay strong
Battling every demon
Your mind is strong
Be strong
Let a single moment not define you,
Let a single event not characterise your person,
Let your mistakes be nothing but lessons,
For without them you are a fool
Selfish
To think that you know it all
When in reality you know nothing at all

Read, learn, explore
Challenge yourself
Push your limits
For you truly know you are capable
Of achieving all that it is you set out to do
Fight for what is right
Fight in the name of justice
For those who are deserving

There are always those who wish they were in your shoes
Be not complacent
For you have it all
All that is needed
To chase your dreams,
fight your demons

You are strong,
You need to know.

You are brilliant,
make it show.

You are never alone.
Really, though?

Confusion,

Makes time
go
slow

Confusion,

Makes the mind
feel
alone

You can call me names and make me fall.
But you don't know what I can do when my back's against the wall.
You can mock me and tell me I look like a freak.
But it's okay because these things don't make me weak.
We're all different. So why are we so afraid of how people walk, talk or think?
We're all different. So let's embrace it and have a drink.

Don't know what you want me to say.
But I won't lie
We're not okay.
I can't believe I feel this way
But my skies have turned
From blue to gray.
Lying in this bed we made
I think about this game we played.
We used to be partners in crime
But I guess it's true
All things change with time.
You used to be the one for me.
You used to be my star.
I remember the way we used to kiss
When you climbed into my car.
Now our story's ending,
There's only one thing left to say.
I'm sorry baby,
I'm sorry baby
But I think I might be gay.

Caveat Spender
by Michael R. Burch

It’s better not to speculate
"continually" on who is great.
Though relentless awe’s
a Célèbre Cause,
please reserve some time for the contemplation
of the perils of EXAGGERATION.

Stephen Spender in his best-known poem wrote: "I think continually of those who were truly great." This near-limerick suggests that Spender may have exaggerated the time he devoted to hero worship. Keywords/Tags: caveat, spender, truly, great, think, continually, hero, worship, exaggeration, contemplation, awe, fawn, fawning



Caveat
by Michael R. Burch

If only we were not so eloquent,
we might sing, and only sing, not to impress,
but only to enjoy, to be enjoyed.

We might inundate the earth with thankfulness
for light, although it dies, and make a song
of night descending on the earth like bliss,

with other lights beyond—not to be known—
but only to be welcomed and enjoyed,
before all worlds and stars are overthrown ...

as a lover’s hands embrace a sleeping face
and find it beautiful for emptiness
of all but joy. There is no thought to love

but love itself. How senseless to redress,
in darkness, such becoming nakedness . . .

Originally published by Clementine Unbound

Keywords/Tags: caveat, eloquent, eloquence, sing, enjoy, enjoyment, inundate, earth, thankfulness, praise, song, light, welcomed, enjoyed, enjoyment, bliss, joy, love

Who do you see when you look in the mirror?
Turn away. Now look back.
Is the reflection any clearer?
Does it look the same?
Is it what you thought it'd be?
If it's not, don't worry.
You can change it because you control your destiny.
But just because you can change things doesn't necessarily mean you should.
Before you make any decisions,
Ask "is this a change for the good?"