Looking at his
face
I see the
man
I used to
love.

Tomorrow
I'm going to do
something
I've never done
before.
I'm really
nervous,
what if I'm left
alone,
and call out for
help?
I understand to
grow
one must work
hard,
that's just a
fact.

Today
everything was
fine
because my
friends
prayed for
me.
It's never too
late
to ask for
help
from folks who
care.
God loves me
much,
so I'm not
afraid
to wait and
breathe.

Nothing can compare
to the joy I felt
stepping off that train
and seeing my mother's face again.
I was gone only a week,
but it might as well have been forever.
I traveled six hours on the railroad
back to good old Georgia.
What more could I ask for
than to be home sweet home  
where I
belong.

You realize how much
you miss home
when you can't go
back.
Stuck in a place
that is not your own
and there is no way
out.
No matter
how bad it was
there is no place like
home.

Hope is quite,
It comes late at night,
When the screaming stops,
all you can hear is silence.

Hope is quick,
It lasts for a moment,
After you've finally given up,
And need a second chance.

Hope is bright,
It's a shooting star,
As you walk through the dark,
Illuminating the path before you.

Hope is everything,
Becuase it's all,
We truly need.

Saying, "Life is complicated."
doesn't begin to describe
how painful it is
to be an imperfect person
in an imperfect world.
Oh, how many words could I write
about the suffering of humanity?

I couldn't
perceive  
he was
joking
with me,
but
now I
understand
he's kidding
around
because we're
friends;

humor is
endearing.

Have you ever
hurt so bad
you've said to
yourself, "I couldn't
feel this much
pain, could I?"
I've had beatings
a few times.
The sensation of
immense physical harm
reduces a man
to nothingness in
the sight of
God. Whatever remains
will make him
stronger or obsolete.
Either way, the
sensation of pain
will remain with
him forever and
to the grave.

I once knew a boy
with bright red hair.
He was my best friend.
We spent hours together
talking, laughing, and
walking around town.
Until one day
he confessed
to being in love
with my sister.
We didn't hang out
after that,
I'm sad to say.
Now I wonder
why I grew so cold
to someone, I cared about
very much.

For the first
time
he said to
me
"I love you
Aaron."
and I replied
saying,
"I love you
too."

I wanted to
start
an argument with
her,
but I instead
bit
down on my
tongue  
quarreling isn’t worth
it.

Sometimes you look
at me with a twinkle in
your eye, and I blush.

He just came along
in
my hour of need
to
be an angel investor
in
the stock titled my
life;

saving me with financial
assistance.

I've been
placing
too much
pressure
on my
shoulders,
and I
can't
carry it
anymore.

I walked down the
street
and bought you some
medicine
to help ease your
toothache,
because I can't stand
idly
by while you're in
pain.

I'm holding my cat
during our car ride so to
stop him from whining.

Talking to
her
is all
the
therapy I
need.

The hard thing
about failing as
an adult is
you can't blame
anyone else for
your own mistakes.
When you're a
child, you can

blame your friends,
siblings, and parents,
but the second
you take a
step outside that
door, and go
out on your
own, that's it.

Your life is
your responsibility and
not anyone else's.
That's a hard
pill to swallow,
but we all
must do it.
Own your life.

I dreamed I was a
woman,
I had long shiny brown
hair,
and wore a white wedding
dress.
I don't know what this
means,
but in my dream I
felt
as beautiful as a summer
day.

I became a poet
only because
I've given up
being anything else,
I'm fat, broke, and
lonely.
What else can I do, but
jot down a few words
now and again.
Praying to see brighter days
sooner rather than later.

Hang the illustration I
drew
for you upon a
wall
in your house, and
remember
that when you were
ill
I cared enough to
draw
something to cheer you
on!

Sophie told
me
to text
her
if I
feel
lonely ever
again
and she
promised
to answer
back.

I don't need a
priest
to hear my
confession,
because I already
forgave me
everything
that I've done
wrong.

You've been
away
for so
long
that I forgot
what it feels
like to
live
with someone who
loves me.

Please don’t let me
go
back to this apartment,
because
its no longer the
place
that I call my
home.

Felt it today,
that’s all I can say,  
Resisting daily,
And it feels like I’m lying,
But I always take the risk,
Along with the harm,
I hate this desire,
Like wild fire,
I was once in control,
But now on a roll,
The sum of all my fears,
Takes it’s toll.

On the car
ride
to work this
morning
my Mom promised
she’d
do better by
me,
and I believe
her.

During our phone
call
I failed to
help
you feel any
better
because I was
still
focused entirely on
myself;

furthermore, I'll be
more
attentive to your
needs.

Angie could've loved me
if I gave her the chance, but
now I'll never know.

This new
year
I resolve
to
poise myself
by
learning the
ancient
rituals of
shamans
to help
balance
my state
of
mind and
heart.

Keeping myself busy
all-day long
by completing
my to-do list,
kept me preoccupied
for the most part

but once
night fell,
a realization came
that I had no
human interaction
the whole time

which left me
feeling a longing;

no one can ever
escape
the need for
other people.

I've cared
way
too much
about
other people's
opinions
of me
rather
than my
own.

I saw him
fall
in love with
her
before my eyes,
and
I knew that
he
would never be
mine.

I haven't seen
you
in over a
year,
and I think
it's
best for us
both
if you stayed
away.

I can't
fall
in love
with
someone unless
they're
my friend
first;
I'm a
demisexual.

I've got
such
a short
fuse
getting off
work
that I
act
grumpy around
others.

We may not
speak
to each other
every
day of our
lives,
but when we
do
I make sure
to
say, "I love
you."

Let me
wash
your feet
with
my tear-
drops
just as
Magdalene
did to
Jesus.

Someone ran
over
a feral
cat
in the
road
leaving it
dead,

and I
was
the one
who
had to
dispose
of it's
body.

I can't
sit
in a
room
filled with
people
talking over
one-another
without remaining
quiet
and observing
them;

I'm a
wallflower.

I can't afford to
pay
the rent for this
month
because I wasted my
money
buying things I didn't
need.

I waved at
Angie
across the parking
lot
but she just
kept
walking the opposite
direction;
I'm dead to
her.

Why can't
they
see past
my
belt size
to
the person
underneath?

I'm fat
but,
that doesn't
define
who I
am.

The kind waitress
who
works at the
restaurant
up the road
always
brings me a
glass
of freshly squeezed
lemonade
because I'm whats
known
as her regular
customer.

I miss the old days
back when it was just
Mom, Maryann, and I,
we were three against the world.
Together nothing could separate us,
not hunger, fear, or divorce.
We embarked on an adventure,
and most said we'd never last.
But we made a home
in a trailer in the middle of nowhere,
and we thought it quite shabby,
looking back it was paradise,
I'd give anything for another day,
with just three of us again.
Ain't that the way it goes,
you don't see the good old days,
until they're already gone,
and you can't get them back.
The memories keep me warm at night,
as I embark on a new adventure,
but this time I must go alone,
will I make it back home?

It means so
much
that you took
time
out of your
day
to check-in on
me
because in most
times
I'm merely an
afterthought
in other people's
minds.

I may sound harsh
but
I don't say anything
about
other people that I
wouldn't
speak directly to their
faces;

I'm not behind anyone's
back.

I'm not perfect,
at least I can say that out loud.
Hopefully, I try my best
in everything that I do.
I pray that my character
holds up to the test,
that when others see me
they see a nice person.
It's impossible to know for sure,
but I strive for perfection.
I am Aaron Brown,
a man who tries.

Just because I've
absorbed
all of your
tears
doesn't mean you
can
hang me out
to
dry like a
wet
towel on the
rack.

I paid my first bill today,
and I'm proud to say,
"I'm on my way."
As a child, I lived
on my parent's terms,
but not anymore.
I got a place and
a steady job,
all on my own.

I used to dream
of being free
from where I
grew-up, but
now that I'm gone
my dream is real.
I won't stop being
my own man 'cause
"I'm on my way."