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.