I steal glances from you

Mostly
F
  l
  e
   e
    t
     i
      n
       g

But some
L  i  n  g  e  r  i  n  g

Minute after minute
With grossly familiar eyes

Until glances turn to leers

And hoard them in my soul
Racing against the coming winter

Hey,
If I can just have a minute,
You need to hear this.

This is me
You
It's hard to explain
But just listen.

This is something you need to hear.

I know you're filled with questions
With worry right now
But when the time comes
The answers will appear -
All of them -
Whether from within
Or from others

Either way
You'll wonder why you were so anxious in the first place
Things will sort themselves out.
Life's kinda funny that way.

Do you remember when you were fighting that guy -
Well, it hasn't happened yet
But you will be in mismatched fights
Both literally and figuratively
Where you feel outmatched and outgunned
But you will outlast -
It'll be like that.
You'll be in disbelief at what happened
But relieved that you made it through.
Just hold on.
Don't tap out,
Don't throw in the towel.
When things are at their darkest
And you wanna just quit,
Don't.
That's when your breakthrough
Is at hand.

****'s going to happen.
I cannot say what exactly,
But it - they - will happen.
And it's alright.
You may not think so,
But it will all be fine.

You're stronger and braver and kinder
Than you think you are.
Times will come when
Your world seems to be ending
But it won't.

You've survived countless storms before,
And you will weather many more.
And that's alright.
You can't lose,
Not with such profound love that you have in you.

You will hurt like never before,
Cry and lash out,
Question everything you have ever known.
And there is nothing wrong with that
There is nothing wrong with you.

You will fall,
Only to rise,
Again and again.
Each time will be better
And harder
Than the last.
Each incarnation is stronger than the one before
A level-up, if you will.

You will feel alone,
Forgotten, abandoned,
But you're not alone.
You were never forgotten at all.

You will be besieged
By rage and hate,
But you will not allow bitterness
To settle into your spirit.
Bile will not seep into your bones.
It's just gonna go right through you.

You need to - and will - understand
That the enemy is in you -
And so is the answer.
It's all been inside you
All this time.

All your struggles and questions and fears
Seem meaningless at this point
But they were necessary steps
They show you who you are
What you're made of.
Now you know better
Now you know
That fear is an illusion,
Anxiety is nothing
But the needless twiddling of thumbs.

Fear gives a small thing
A big shadow.
That's all they were and are:
Shadows.

I want to tell you
That everything is gonna be alright.
Just hang in there.
Don't sweat the small stuff,
Don't shy away from challenges,
And you will make it.

Just remember that life is not a contest with others.
It's a battle of attrition,
With you as your toughest opponent,
But you will win.
Dig deep inside you
And unearth the strength sleeping within.

It's gonna be worth the struggle, my friend
I promise you that.

I can't sing you a love song just yet
Or write you a sonnet.

I can't swim the English Channel for you
Cover the Amazon rainforest on foot
Or march into your office
With a bouquet of flowers.
I can't.

Not when we still have a long way to go
Interest has yet to bud into infatuation
And bloom into love
We have yet to taste
The elating highs
The crushing lows

We still have a ways to go
My dear
And I can't wait to see
Where this takes us
I really hope this works out
Because we're perfect for each other.
And you were my first love.

Life has much loveliness in store for us
Many poems await us
We shall write and sing of
Locked hands and lips
As we confront trials head on
And soldier on past the storms headed our way
We have yet to dance
Through obstacles
Or bullrush past the *******
And rest in the fevered aftermath
The torrent tapering to a patter
As we conclude our *******

So until love awakens
And passion descends
Let's take all the stops
Along our path
Let us linger and ruminate
On each other's lips

I do feel, however,
More than just
A twinge of delight
A titter of anticipation
When your message arrives
And I drop my beer
Scrambling for the phone
There is something
Promising me more
Than mere possibilities
I hope you feel that something too.
If so
Then let us see
Just what that something is.

Little surfer girl
Framed by the sun and waves and sand
Sun-kissed skin
Slender muscles
On display for her captive audience
Pulse in sync
With the steady music
Of the shore's breathing
Attracting the spray and roar
Of almighty Poseidon
Lithe body
Gliding on the water
Like how she has
Implacably skipped and splashed
Over the breaking hearts
Of so many who have pined after her

I need but a glance
To invite me
To paddle out and see
If I can conquer her waves.