See me for me,
not who you want me to be.
See my cracks,
don’t consider them as lack.
See me.
See the dreams of how I want to be.
Build with me.
Help me to achieve.
Look at me.
See my flaws.
Accept them as more than loss.
See me for me.
Appreciate me as me.
See my imperfections as a part of me,
and not a mistake in me.
See me for me.
Help me rearrange the ick in me.
Realize the pain in me is not a crutch to me.
Trust in me.
Don’t judge me for things ****** upon me.
Just please-
love me-
as I am-
for me-
not an image of me.

Reason One-
He spoke, and light was born,
dividing Heaven from the void.
He parted seas so Israel could run,
forgives our sins-
the Blessed One.

Reason Two-
She saw me for me.
A lighthouse standing tall,
she pulled me from the sea.
I was the storm,
she was the calm.

Reason Three-
My strength, walking free.
Made me a father, reshaped my sight,
tore down walls I built too high.
A treasure unchained-
she is my why.

Reason Four-
She is my heart to the core,
the center of my world.
She opened doors
to a purpose far beyond my own.

Reason Five-
He is the fire that fuels my drive.
His innocence fills my soul,
his joy pushes me for miles.

As life tick-tocks around the wheel of time,
these five reasons lift me up,
push me forward,
call me higher-

every single time.

Call Doc Brown-
my past runs into the future.
Am I Marty McFly?
Time slips through my fingers,
and I watch you fly-

Myself, but slightly different.
You wear my hard edges,
but sanded, close to perfection-
a reflection, reversed.

All the good inside me,
put first.

You are handsome, full of strength.
Calm and gentle when things are tense.
Full of intelligence and a Godly sense.

You are my son.
My pride, my peace.
A reflection upon this earth-
not just of me,
but of the man I prayed to be.

An inner light,
brighter than sunlight.
Her smile is bright,
a beacon in the night.

A treasure she is,
a diamond if you please-
strong in spirit,
even stronger in faith.

A voice like an angel,
elegance covered in grace.
She is beauty.
She is peace.

And I, her beast,
stand in awe.
My daughter is her name.

Weight on my chest,
each breath a struggle.
My head pounds,
distracting me
from the ache in my heart.

How did I get here?
This isn’t real. This isn’t fair.

Sharp right, sharp left-
East? West?
A slow curve in the road-
which path is best?

Is peace found at the end of the struggle,
or through the struggle itself?
Should I fight loud,
or be still,
let God prowl?

There’s confidence in dominance,
but strength in surrender.
Is the high road the way,
or must I wade through the ditches,

Decisions.

Why did we quit after MLK had a dream?
X said a new world order was in the making.
Why did we stop fighting for our rightful place in it?

57 years ago, we won the Rights
That allowed me to marry my wife-
Why are we still seeing immoral incivility
Through the lens of thousand-dollar cell phone cameras?

57 years ago, we couldn’t have captured injustice-
No lens, no proof, no hope of justice.
But 57 years ago, we fought for civility and won.

But we quit.
We thought we were done.
We became complacent in our victory.
It was just a battle.
The war is yet to be won.

I sit and watch my children laugh and smile,
Blessed with much more than I ever dreamed to have.
Then I look at the news-
And I cry inside.

I look at my wife,
The love of my life,
And I want to ask her-

Why are you so different from them?
Why can you see the good in me?
And not just the color of my skin?

She would say,
“Did God see color, or did He see His children calling to Him?”

God did not quit when His children cried.
Then why did we-after one battle, one prize?

I gave you truth-
You sent me silence.
I gave you peace-
You returned it with violence.

I shot my heart to you.
You-Neo, Matrix-
Bent over backwards
Just so you wouldn’t claim it.

I gave you secrets,
You were the pages in my diary,
Like keys played by all -
You gave everyone my diary.

I’m war-torn, scarred.
No peace where I lay my head.
My heart-Boomerang-
Like Eddie Murphy said.

A tragedy in these words,
My love shut behind a closed door.
Echoes of smiles, of laughter-
My heart, a chalk line on the floor.

“It is what it is,” they say.
“Leave. Let love go.”
But my foundation is cracked,
And love still seeps through the wounds.

It will not go.