In the dark of the night,
Be the light from the moon.

People won't always be there
to tell you what you want to hear.
What you need to hear.
So let me take the opportunity to be clear.
Even if no one tells you,
it's okay to be proud of yourself.

You don't see the world I see.
You can't know who I'm meant to be.
So how can I trust you
when you say you know what's best for me?

i don't understand
I know i'll never understand
I just wish you would have reached out for my hand.
I would have raised you up
got you back on your feet
and help you realize life doesn't have to be a one way street.
but there's nothing i can say.
no there's nothing i can do
to bring you back so i'll just remember you
and hope you're in a better place
where the sunshine kisses on your face.
I hope the beer tastes better
and it's always perfect hunting and fishing weather.
I hope you remember us
and know that we'll remember you.
it'll be hard to push through
but we'll find a way to cope.
but until we meet again, the best I can do is hope.
ever since the day you left,
my heart feels like it's been a victim of theft.
and every time i see your face in a photograph,
I can't help but sit back and laugh.
then your voice pops in my head
and I remember all the things left unsaid.
I wasn't ready to let you go
but I need you to know
I forgive you
and hope you're in a better place
where the sunshine kisses on your face.
I hope the beer tastes better
and it's always perfect hunting and fishing weather.
I hope you remember us
and know that we'll remember you.
it'll be hard to push through
but we'll find a way to cope.
but until we meet again, the best I can do is hope.
you inspired me to be a better man
and showed me how to be a better friend
and these are lessons i'll take with me to the end
but there's nothing I can say
no, there's nothing i can do
to bring you back so I'll just remember you
and hope.

I want to live.
I want to love.
I want to feel the strength that can only come from above.
I want to take your hand.
Stand by your side.
And never get off of this ******* crazy ride.
I want to dance.
I want to fight.
I just want to give you all of me tonight.
I don't just want to say.
I want to do.
I want to understand,
And baby, I think I'm starting to.
So if you'll let me, I want to feel your soul.
I want to bathe in your light.
I want to take your pain and make things right.
I want to play the game with you on my team
and we can show the world things are better than they seem.
I hope you'll make my dream come true, I hope you'll be my wife,
and be the best part of my life.
be the best part of my life.
I want to feel the fire burn.
I want to feel the waves rush over me.
I want to see the world from sea to shining sea.
I want to make mistakes.
Not be afraid to fall.
As long as you're with me, I want to do it all.
So, if you'll let me, I want to feel your soul.
I want to bathe in your light.
I want to take your pain and make things right.
I want to play the game with you on my team
and we can show the world things are better than they seem.
I hope you'll make my dream come true.
I hope you'll be my wife
and be the best part of my life.
Be the best part of my life.
The night we met, it was me, myself and I.
don't know where I'd be without you by my side.
Want to play the game with you on my team.
We can show the world things are better than they seem.
I hope you'll make my dream come true.
I hope you'll be my wife.
And be the best part of my life.
Will you be the best part of my life.

First thing you see on the evening news
Mama cries in a sea of camera crews
She pleas for justice but we just stop and stare.
We could do so much better if we tried to care.
Mama's back to work after a week to grieve.
She can't help but wear her broken heart on her sleeve.
She breaks down and says "I need more time."
Boss says "sorry. There's the unemployment line."
We don't need to change the world.
We just need to change our minds.
We'll see things in a different light
when we pull back the curtains and blinds.
If we remember how to listen to what people say,
Maybe we can find our way back to better days

I didn't hear you say what you said in my dreams.
But I guess that's the way things go sometimes.
I'm okay with it though, because when I got down on one knee, you agreed to be my partner in crime.

For years, you've asked questions
you can never seem to find the answer to.
"How do I make someone love me?"
"How do I know if my feelings are true?"
So tonight, I have a secret I'd like to share with you.
It's something not a lot of people know or know how to do.
The secret? Be you.
I know vulnerability is scary.
But true love gets its strength from the heart.
And if you can find the courage to be proud of who you are, you may not find love immediately, but it's a **** good place to start.

When someone asks you
"what did you do today?",
I hope you know it's okay
if your biggest accomplishment
is being able to say "I breathed."

Nobody sees everything;
Some are blinded by the darkness
While others are blinded by the light.

I get undressed and pat my bed
Until I find the pillow that rests beneath my head.
As I slide beneath the sheets,
I can't help but get excited
As I hear the pitter patter of your feet.
Then the bed creaks,
And as you get closer,
My face gets hotter. I'm sure it's as red as a beet.
Now, I feel something close to my face.
It's not my pillow, but a warm embrace.
As my head lays to rest, I can't help but wonder
if it's cradled in your hands or your *******.
As I lay there, tears stream down my cheek
And then, I feel blessed as I hear you, my angel, speak.
"What's wrong, my love?" you say as you wipe away my tears.
"I just wish I could see you.
To be able to look you in the eyes and "thank you."
You have no idea how much it means to have you here."
You just smile, kiss my head,  and stroke my hair until we fall asleep here in my bed.

I've never been able to see tomorrow
before it comes.
And yet, somehow, every time I look at you,
it almost seems like I can see forever.
Forever scares me though,
for I know it's not real.
In the end, I choose to embrace it.
Because everyone has blindspots.

Living on dimes
at the corner store,
always trying to find a way to make a few more.
Not worried about the mansion
or a new corvette.
Just wanna make sure
my baby's set. Cause we've always been on borrowed time. Never had to do more than just survive. But now that somebody's gonna count on me, I'm going to make them proud. Don't believe me? Just wait and see.

The air should be light.
Filled with joy, not fright,
On this cold winter night.
And for most, it is.
the difference between
them and me, you see,
Is that they are not prisoners
Of their minds. They are free.
I was sentenced to this life alone
Without a home to call my own,
After I served my country.
Oh, what a world I was shown.
Don't misunderstand. I had a good life.
I lived the American dream,
Complete with a house, a dog, a beautiful wife.
But once I signed up for another tour,
Her heart couldn't take it anymore.
She walked out the door.
When I came back, I was too embarrassed to ask for help.
So that's how I got here,
Feeling like I only have
myself to blame.
But even as I join my fellow outcasts,
Forgotten, and unloved,
I smile with pride
Knowing I was brave enough to play the game.

Give me your pain so I can understand
Give me your love
so I can be a better man.
Give me your hope
When I've had a bad day.
Give me words
when I can't find ones to say.
Whatever you can give, I'll take it all.
And in return,
I'll break down my walls.

One day, you're one step forward,
Two steps back.
You wonder if you'll ever be on the right track.
The next day, you're three steps ahead
Of everyone else
And you start to feel proud of yourself.
Every day is different.
But that's what makes it so exciting.
Roll with the punches,
And you'll come out bright as lightning

I'm someone.
You're someone too.
Even if you're broken.
Because if a broken crayon can still color,
and a broken clock can still be right,
a broken person is still a person.
You just have to find your way
out of the darkness and into the light

You broke my wings
That helped me fly.
You broke my heart
With your broken promises and lies.
You broke my bones
And taught me to fear.
But you know what?
***** you.
Because I may be broken,
But I'm still here.

When I left home,
I was broken and bruised.
Daddy took it out on me
When he fell victim to the *****.
I thought when I graduated,
I'd finally get to choose.
Find a world where the bars
played rock instead of the blues.
The day everything changed,
There was a fork in the road.
There was a wise old man,
And this is what I was told.
"If you go to the left, you'll stay in hell.
But you'll get your revenge
when he dies in a cell.
But if you don't want revenge,
go to the right.
You'll travel the world,
you'll make a difference.
But it will be hard to sleep at night."
I didn't even think. I ran to the right.
He told me it would never be the same
If I ever had to come back.
But I was okay with that.
I had everything I needed in my sack.
Five years later,
I woke up alone in bed.
A purple heart hung above my head.
Even though I am where I am today,
I don't regret it.
Because when I go to my grave,
When someone is asked to describe me,
They'll say "he was brave."

I don't know if I can change anything.
But I have to try. I've seen too many people
let their dreams fall by the wayside.
And for what? A chance to survive
long enough to see their children thrive?
No. We deserve better. For ourselves.
For our loved ones. For everyone.
Like I said.
I don't know if I can change anything.  
But I have to try. I've seen too many people
let their dreams fall by the wayside.

It's funny.
If there was one thing
people could agree on,
It's that we didn't have enough time.
But now that we have all the time
In the world, we're slowly
losing our minds

Candles light the way to your destiny.
Will you lose yourself in the vision or the flame? The candles light the way to your destiny.
But you decide whether or not
you want to continue the game

Every day, I wake up
and im reminded of the mistakes I've made.
Every day, I wake up
lying in the mess I've made.
Every day, I wake up, and I pray for some relief. But at the end of the day,
the only thing I'm gifted with is more grief.
I want to get better,
but I need to get out of my head.
Even if it's just one night,
can I sleep in your bed?

Everyone has their limits.
It's okay if you've reached yours. You can close any doors
you've opened.
No matter what people say,
you've got nothing to prove.
Just take life day by day, and someday, you'll find your groove. I'm not saying it will be easy.
In fact, you'll probably
have some scars.
But if you're going to make it, it'll be because you believe in yourself and trust that you ARE enough

Can you live without hope?
Can you live without friends?
Can you live without love?
Can you live alone
until the bitter end?
And if you can,
can you say you were happy?
That your life felt whole?
When it's all said and done,
Do you really believe
You were better off alone?
I'm not judging.
I'm just trying to understand.
How can you be truly happy
Without wanting to embrace someone
Or at least hold their hand?

Chances are I'm not the man I think I am. Chances are I'm not the man
I make myself out to be.
Chances are I'm somewhere in between.
Chances are it's the same for you too.
Now, whether that's a good thing or bad thing, that's up to you.
But whatever the answer, Chances are,
you're amazing just the way you are

It's hard to live
But easy to die.
It's hard to love
But still we try.
It's hard to believe
That things can get better.
But life can change
As quick as the weather.

when can I go home
when can I see you
again
cherry blossoms bloom
when I think about
you, friend
I left you behind
when I was afraid
To love

I walk up to the counter ready to place an order to go.
With coffee and cookie in tow,
i head to my favorite spot and get ready for the show.
3..2..1 let's go!
What's the show you ask?
I don't know! It's different every day
and plays whether the sky is blue or gray.
It could be a traffic jam,
a man trying to wash people's cars,
someone getting arrested,
or even a guy in a costume saying he's an alien from mars. Whatever plays that day, it never gets old.
I get to learn about the people of my city
while staying out of the cold

As the morning dew turns to frost,
Once again, we are blessed by beauty.
But at a cost.
For humans, the cold isn't much fun.
But ask a husky, they'll say they love it.
Because it gives them
the energy to play and run.
Eventually, we love it too.
It brings the promise of family, food, and something new.

Blue,  red, yellow, green.
So many colors and shades in which the world can be seen

People are complicated.
Relationships are complicated.
Life is complicated.
They're complicated because you
Can't define them; they mean different things to different people.
But that's also what makes them so special

congratulations. you made it through today.
that's something not everyone got a chance to say.
tomorrow, I hope you stop staying silent
just because the words keep getting lost along the way.
but for now, congratulations. you made it through another day.

Just as yesterday became today,
today will become tomorrow.
And although these days
are connected by time, what happens isn't. Even though tomorrow's a mystery,
today, you can learn from yesterday.
Today, you can go your own way

I'm not going to ask you
to try to believe in something,
because I don't know what I believe myself.
I won't ask you to stop doing something because I don't know
what you're going through.
But what I will ask is for you to consider
that there are no right or wrong answers
to questions you have.
Because every life is different.
We may share similar experiences,
but we learn different lessons
from those experiences.
So, next time your views are challenged, instead of frustration, consider empathy

I can't stand being alone.
So, to cope, I remind myself
That sometimes,
there are some things you have to do alone.

sitting in the dark but not feeling alone.
just trying to hide from the crazy the world has shown.

You build me up,
Then break me down
Just to see if I'll stick around.
I might stay for a little while.
But if you try again,
I'll feed you to the crocodiles.

Dear stranger: it's no secret
that times have been hard for everyone.
But you're not everyone, are you?
Maybe you lost someone.
Maybe you lost yourself.
Maybe you've been asked to do more
than you signed up for. Whatever's going on,
I know it may seem like you're losing control. Like you don't have a choice.
However this poem finds you,
I hope you come to find that you DO
have a chance to have a choice.
A chance to raise your voice.
I hope that someday, you accept
that you are worthy of love.
That you stop feeling guilty you survived.
But most of all, I hope that someday,
you wake up and find yourself grateful and happy to be alive

I'm not afraid of who I am.
I'm not afraid of who I was or where I've been.
I'm not afraid of who I'll be.
I'm not afraid of what people think of me.
The thing that's always stopped me was...
"I'm worried that I'll let their words affect me."
So, I've decided that "It's OK if they affect me."
Because I'd rather be hurt today
Than risk letting it stop me tomorrow.”

It's almost alarming to think about
how easy it is to stain your skin.
All it takes is some sun, a drop of blood,
or even the slip of a pen.
Luckily, it's easy to clean
because it rarely gets deeper than your skin. But what about the times it does?
How can you clean,
how can you heal what you can't see?
It takes time, trust, and the right people.

Did you know someone's proud of you?
That someone finds you beautiful inside and out?
Did you know someone loves you for who you are?
That you don't have to feel ashamed of your scars?
Did you know that you're enough? That you're strong?
Even through the computer, I can see you crying, saying "you're wrong."
But I'm telling you these things because they're true. Even if they're not true now, they will be.
Now say it with me.
"Someone's proud of me."
"Someone finds me beautiful, inside and out."
"Someone loves me for who I am."
"I don't have to be ashamed of my scars."
"I'm enough. I'm strong."
One more thing. "It's okay to tell my story."

If I told you everything you've always wanted to hear, if I could take away all your fears, would it make a difference? Would you believe me? If the answer is no, then, does anything we say matter?

Stop! PLEASE stop saying "don't."
"Don't give up."
"Don't be afraid to ask for help."
"Don't be sad."
"Don't keep it bottled up inside."
I could go on and on.
"Don't be scared."
God, I hate that one the most.
Like, why the hell shouldn't I be scared?
Look at everything that's happening.
Look, I know you mean well,
But when you say that word,
It feels like you're trying to control me.
And I already feel
                                  So
                           ­        Out
                                      Of
                    ­                     Control.
I know you want to help.
And it means a lot to know you'll be there if I need help.
But I need to do this on my own.

Every day, you feel like you're dying inside
trying to ignore the pain gifted by a world that can be so unkind. You look in the mirror and try to like what you see.
But the ones who broke your heart
won't let you see how beautiful you are.
If you feel alone and scared to trust the ones that love you
because you feel like they won't understand,
it's easy to push love away
when you feel like you're the only one who knows your heart
and you're the only one who can.
But please, don't give up on love.
Don't give up on your heart.
Forget about the ones who couldn't see your beautiful soul right from the start.
Don't give up on your dreams
and someday you'll find
this crazy life can be so much better than it seems.
So don't give up on love.

Work to live
But don't live to work
Unless you're working on yourself

Didn't see the signs
Or read between the lines.
Was blind because you were mine.
Didn't take the time
To make sure you were the one for me.
Just didn't want to be lonely.
And now you're going to leave me anyway.
But when you do,
Don't say "sorry, it's the way it has to be."
Don't say
"sorry. Maybe we're not meant to be."
If you want to leave,
I won't make you stay.
But if you want to leave,
I promise I'll be okay.

Today, I found you crying on the stairs.
I asked if you were okay.
You asked me why I cared.
So I sat down beside you.
I said "I know you didn't ask for one, but you look like you could use a friend."
I asked again "what's wrong? Are you okay?"
You said "I'm fine. Just go away!"
I looked in your eyes and only saw pain and fear. So I said "we don't have to talk. But I'm not going anywhere."
You groaned and put your head in your knees.
Finally, you looked up and said "want to know what happened? Fine!
I found out my boyfriend cheated on me. When I confronted him, he said he never loved me and I needed to leave. Is that what you want to hear?!"
"No. I'm sorry that happened. Do you have any friends or family near?"
"No. And I don't have any money either."
"Alright. Before you say it,
I know you have no reason to trust me. But if you want, you can stay with me."
"Why are you being so nice to me? Why do you care?"
"Years ago, I had a friend who had gone through
a traumatic experience
and I wanted to help her.
I thought she could heal
if she talked to me about it.
I pushed her too hard
And she yelled at me.
So I yelled back.
I was angry so I left
and ignored her pleas
to come back.
Found out later she
Killed herself.
I don't know if anything would have changed if I stayed.
But I wish I didn't get angry
And walk away."

You wore your heart on your sleeve
Until you couldn't take the pain anymore.
Then one day, it shattered on the floor.
You could pick it up
And put it back together.
But you can't help but wonder...
"What for?"
Your frustration eventually brings
Tears to your eyes as you realize
That all you want is to feel okay again.
But you're worried if you do,
You could let your guard down
And your heart could break again.
Here's the thing: it doesn't matter
How high or thick your walls are.
You will get hurt one way or another.
So why not let yourself be happy
For awhile.
Go ahead. Have some fun.
Because as far as we know,
You only get one.

I don't need another friend.
I just need for this dread to end.
Because you can only feel
Impending doom for so long
Before doom comes for you.