Friendship

You always seem to know my heart

And sometimes even my thoughts

Even when we are apart

I feel my presence is sought

You laugh at all my stupid jokes

And tell me when I’m wrong

When I’m winning you are stoked

If I’m losing you remind me I’m strong

With you I can always be me

Silly, sad, serious, and mad

No matter what, you always see

The good outweighs the bad

So with this poem I express, my loyalty to the end

Because I know how blessed I am to be able to call you friend

#WTFHappened

That which purports to connect

Has managed to further separate

We don’t realize the neglect

Because we “check in” every day

We’ve built up walls of wifi

The ether is caught in a net!

Yet we feel more informed to judge a guy

We’ve never even met

Thumbing 140 characters uncurbed

Wearing ear buds that block out greetings

Ensuring you won’t be disturbed

By the same guy you’re tweeting

We console each other with emojis

And abbreviated sentiment

But parenthetical hugs and smileys

Won’t quiet my lament

"Face time" is no longer in person

"Qwerty" is now a word

If you thought it couldn’t worsen

"Text" is now a verb

To this fact we’re clueless:

We’re wireless yet tethered

Shackled to the very progress

That promised to make us unfettered

U-n-I-verse

Thousands of sunrises have come and gone

And she has missed most of them

The ones she saw she felt came at key moments in her life

Yet she can’t remember any of them now

Sunsets got more of her attention

Their beauty was more considerate of her sleep habits

But their moments are also lost in her memory

Moons too have played their part

New moon, full moon, crescent, waxing waning

She leaned on the moon to give her direction

Because possibilities mocked her like an insolent bully

But she didn’t understand the moon’s language

The universe continued moving through its phases

Not noticing it was leaving her behind

As she stood on the edges of cliffs shouting her wishes to the stars

It was lost to her, in those moments that those stars were long gone

Had the universe decided to take revenge for her lack of reverence?

Or was she merely lost in the black hole of her desires?

But the universe goes on

And she noticed she was still in it

Making amends seems her best option

Will the universe take a check?

The Retreat of the Rose

He showed me the light inside his heart

But I know it belongs to another

I’ve learned to love him from afar

As my friend and my brother

I don’t know who she is that is worthy

To bask in his beautiful rays

Or why he merely glances at me

Yet it is she who holds his gaze

I wonder if he sees the splendor

Hidden within this bloom

Or the love I willingly surrender

When the sun from his heart looms

But if it is she he longs to embrace

Then I must concede I suppose

So I with tears and delicate grace

Will close myself like a rose

Only Jah Love

He gave me love in abundance

My cup is surely overflowing

He gave me love as a promise

A love that is ever growing

His is the only love that is true

Because His love is always there

And no matter what I do

His love is always fair

His love is not based on beauty

Nor what I am able to give

He is not bound by duty

To enhance the way I live

And still without delay, He pours

His love forever drenches

Like waves upon the shores

His love always quenches

So when the days seem dark

Or burdens too heavy to bear

I know just like an ark

Jah love is always there

Break Free

The messages you receive are lies

Propaganda and cynicism that give rise

To fears and insecurities that cause you to despise

Yourself and those with open eyes

You can decorate the tree but the root is the same

No matter how many times you change the rules of the game

Fussing and fighting and assigning blame

It is only yourself that you defame

Hypnotized by a false reality

You submit to a shortsighted mentality

In the process losing your morality

Now you’re headed for spiritual fatality

We were not born wicked nor in sin

We were born in love…don’t let them spin

Their lies from the outside in

The truth goes deeper than your skin

Break free from the shackles of lies

Dust off prejudices and rise

To heights that the wicked despise

See the world with open eyes

Heal Thyself

Sometimes life is like a contusion

Marks left behind by disillusion

And in the wake of this confusion

The heart shuns every intrusion

In the moments when we’re deluded

Good times seem to have concluded

Happiness has again eluded

We wonder why we’ve been excluded

Our place here remains undefined

Unaware are the hearts we’ve pined

To a solitary existence we’re confined

Is it they or I who is blind

Still there’s a light that shines eternal

A hope that is forever vernal

Navigating the tumult of the external

Requires mastering the internal

Forgive the wrongs that may be right

Let go of pain without a fight

Love and live with all your might

Open your heart to see the light

Blossoming

 

Layers of expectation bound tightly

Like a coiled spring

And only spring can release it

To reveal its full beauty

Once open, each delicate petal

Tells a story of its magnificence

And the allure of its fragrance

Is evidence of its enchantment

Though there are others that are similar

Its singularity is obvious to the discriminating eye

And wise is the reaper who notes

The thorns are merely nature’s guardian

Come Together

Disengaged lovers separated by a dime

Can’t connect to each other, too many mountains to climb

Bills to be paid money to be made

Through a minutia of nonsense and bullshit they wade

Passion and compassion thrown to the side

The brass rings they chase can’t bridge the divide

Their vision is tunneled by the “things” they chase

But silver and gold is not the prize for this race

Love is left dangling for another time

When the clock runs out it becomes a crime

Withheld affection is like manslaughter

Then the empire you’re building begins to totter

Twisted priorities are our biggest disgrace

And will become the ruin of the human race

Holding love for ransom robs humanity

All love “games” are pure insanity

Yet in times of need we expect love to be there

Giving us comfort, relief and care

But love is a fire that needs to be stoked

Neglected, the flame will eventually be choked

So reunite, lovers, I beg of you

Give love a chance to blossom anew

It will be your only savior in the end

Because only love will help you ascend

Silently

Crying a little on the inside
Trying not to let it be known
That I realize my mind lied
And my eyes believed what was shown
My heart fell in line dutifully
As though it had a choice
Painting my future beautifully
Amplifying that voice
Then they told me it isn’t so
And everything turned grey
It seems that the fates said no
Not this one, not today

Why do I love you?

You ask me why I love you,
How can I forgive your distraction
From ordinary human interaction
When the simplest kindness will do
You want to know how I still care
When you’re rude, perhaps with intention
Selfish and arrogant… not to mention
Your disregard for what is fair

You’re curious why I still bother
Though you treat me with disdain
Callously attempt to inflict pain
And use my trials as fodder
You’re wondering if I’m a masochist
Or maybe just an idiot
For still showing love but
Let me give you the gist

Love is in my every cell
It is resilient and multiplies
Showing me more than my eyes
And since we are connected…well
I know it’s in YOU too.

Higher

I’ve reached the summit
And as I stand here on the top of the world
Watching the tip of the Sun kiss the edge of the sky
The thin air disorients me
Shallow breaths, shallow breaths
Drown my brain till I am giddy
And convulsions of laughter roll through my body
Just before I wet my cheeks with tears of uncertainty
I wonder why you’ve brought me here
To these heights of enlightenment and bliss
With no instructions on how to reach the sun
Maybe this is as far as I go?
At some point giddiness will turn sickening

Why must the air be so thin up here?
Why can the sun touch me, but I can’t touch him?
It’s a tease being stuck in the clouds that surround him
Not knowing how to get closer
Is there a magic phrase?
Will “abracadabra” lift me up to him?
I stand here, dizzy, shouting my supplications
But I don’t think I’m close enough for the sun to hear
Was it foolish of me to climb?
Having seen the grandeur just beyond my grasp
I certainly can’t retreat now.
I suppose there’s only one thing I can do…
Learn to fly.

Simply Love

My dream is of love
My hopes are for love
My work is for love
I’m sending you my love
All I have for you is love
All I need from you is love
Please share all of your love
The world needs your love
You were made from love
You were made to love
You have changed me with your love
I will change you with my love
Your gift is your love
My gift to you is love
My wish is for your love
My wish for you is love

The Secrets and Lies of Reality

Set perfectly here in this warm place
Comforted, soothed, accepted, loved
Here, in this place, time stood still
Your heart was changed and relaxed
And I could hear the hum of your thoughts
In my ear like a lullaby
Aligned in perfect symmetry, a whole
New dimension opened up to reveal the truth
Of the matter from which we are made
We are one, we are the same, I am you, you are me
I dreaded the coolness of the wind
Between us upon the release of your embrace
Because the lies of this world would then return
Separateness, distance, longing, division
This world tells lies and keeps secrets

Love is a Constant

Love even when love is hiding
When it is unsure or subsiding
Love is the candle in the window
Guiding the beloved with its glow
Signifying a welcoming heart
And every day is a brand new start

Love needs no invitation
And there is no expiration
It lives inside of all of us
All we need to do is trust
When we gather together it is there
Through any heartache or despair

Whether you’re silent in love or shout it out
You know it when you see it without a doubt
Love is gentle forgiving and kind
It would never complicate the mind
Love is the anchor that keeps us steady
And it will be here when you’re ready