We are vehicles
Constantly passing each other on the streets
Each containing its own world
Each with a different destination in mind
Sometimes we collide
Causing sparks to glint off of our metallic outer shells
Before propelling us in a different direction
Throwing us off course
We carry things and people with us
And when we cross paths with others our loads become either heavier or lighter
Sometimes we breakdown from lack of proper care
And need someone to put us back together
And get us running again
Why must we pass by each other so quickly?
When will we stop?

Sitting on hold
Letting the silence grow
But I don't hang up
Because this is one of four phone calls we'll share this month
I feel like I owe it to you to stay on the line
But twenty minutes have passed now
And I've got things to do
I've waited on you my whole life
And I'm finally learning how to hang up
How to feel more sorry for myself than I do for you
Work has always been more important to you than your family
I've known that since I was young
Since I would chase your car down the driveway after you returned home from the office
So excited to see you
Because it seemed like you were never there
And I still feel that excitement when you come in town
But it's been dulled by the waiting
Waiting for you to hang up with a coworker
Waiting for you to keep to your promises
Waiting for you to stick around
Waiting for you to admit your mistakes
I'm still on hold
And you still believe work is more important than your daughter
So I hang up
Because I'm tired of waiting

The horizon glows purple beneath the muted kaleidoscope of a fading rainbow
Salt hangs in the air, thick as the sand trodden on by so many
Daylight heaves a last sigh and closes her eyes, tucking herself into a comforter of oranges, purples, and blues, resting for the day to come
Foamy crests chase each other towards the feet of the travelers, and shyly retreat back on themselves, stumbling clumsily
The birds dip into the chilly water and bob over the rolling waves before suddenly taking to the darkening sky
Here, landscape, human and animal intermingle, amid the tranquility that only the sea can bring
The days stretch on, full of lazy possibilities
And each morning is a fresh start, full of new wonders

The pain
Is okay
Because
Someone
You love
Is causing it

I'm sorry I could not save you
You who were so young and full of life
You brought only joy to others
And in your wake now sadness glides
You passed through my life so quickly
Your ripples still remain
I let you go with hopes that you would swim back to me again

Why do people look at the stars
But not at each other
They yearn to see something millions of miles away
But don't care to view what's in front of them
Don't want to fix the problems at hand
Don't need to understand humanity
Because humanity does not understand itself
No it is much easier to look to the stars
Who have always been there
And always will be
Although we don't know how they got there
But then again, the same can be said for us

In a world full of more complex emojis
The simple smiley face stands alone
The one that adorned shirts and other paraphernalia long before the iPhone
It conveys a simple message too
Happiness
Something we all want, and need
But in the digital age, it's hard to tell by this colon and apostrophe
When someone is truly happy
After all
It's not our chosen punctuation that conveys how we feel inside
It's our actions
And you can't understand those through the phone