a free bird
a free bird
flies through the storm
through the sun
into the wind
high above
watching what’s below
a free bird
flies no matter what it faces
a song bird
sings her heart out
she sings of pain
and heartache
she sings of love
and reaches many
a song bird
sings because it feels good
we must take cue from the birds
we must fly to be free
and sing to find peace
her mind has taken the place of leaves
her mind has taken the place of leaves
each spring as the sun melts the remnants of winter’s last storm
a budding thought trickles in
sprouting greener than any other
in the summer that thought flourishes
soaking up the sun
and providing a cool place
for others to lay
but as the heat grows
those leaves dry and become brittle
she doesn’t mind
because she loves the reds, oranges, and yellows
in fact
she can’t think of anything she loves mind
when finally short days are followed by cool nights
and the wind knocks loose the leaves
her mind rests peacefully
knowing this is the process she must endure
we build ourselves up *(might make this into spoken word)
we build ourselves up
only to be torn down
by the words of those
who feel like hurting us will make them better
or that being better than us means bringing us down
we have become experts
at picking up the pieces
and putting them back
as best we can
but in our own eyes
we become a puzzle with missing pieces
incomplete
unwanted
something to be discarded
we too easily conform to the so called “norm”
eager to fit in
we forget our dreams
we forget everything that made us us
happiness becomes just another far away place
first class seats only
we wonder if it’s possible
to remember who we are
and who we want to be
will there ever be another day
where we aren’t bound by the rusty chains of our privileged
society
you are
you are
honest
truthful
gentle
brave
one of the greatest men I’ve ever known
and there
you are there
when tides of darkness
come crashing into me
when I feel like no one cares
and that my life will become dark
you are the light that brings me back
your smile lighting the world
more than even the sun and the stars can
you make me feel
safe
strong
warm
complete
when no one else can
when I don’t want to
and when I feel like I no room to grow
you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me
and also the worst
because you are more to me
than I am
to
you
when you ignited my soul
when you ignited my soul
you taught me how to feel
I know you didn’t mean to
but you did
your blue eyes piercing mine
like none had ever done before
I want you to feel my warmth
but you don’t
her mind has become a leaf
her mind has become a leaf
each spring
as the sun melts the remnants
of winter’s last storm
a budding though trickles in
sprouting greener than any other
in the summer
that thought flourishes
soaking up the sun and
provides a cool place
for others to lay
but as the heat strengthens
those leaves dry and become brittle
but she doesn’t mind
because she loves the reds and oranges
that surround her
in fact
she can’t think of anything she loves more
when finally
short days are followed by cool nights
and the wind knocks loose the leaves
her mind rests peacefully
knowing this cycle is vital to her survival
consumed
consumed
by a time warp
I sit still
and steady
my heart beating with the hands
that slowly go about the clock
it’s tick tock
tick tock
drowned by the reverb
harmoniously coming from my chest
stoplights
stoplights
tell us when to go
when to hold up
and when to turn
dictating our lives
like only our souls can
cautioning our foot on that pedal
in the same way we build walls around our hearts
stoplights
fail
tires screech
as metal clashes on metal
hearts are broken
as lives are lost
or put in harm’s way
what is a driver without a stoplight?
if we cannot rely on even this guidance
what hope do we have in the rest of the world?
it’s cold
it’s cold
that’s all I remember
the words whispered in my ear
by the icy breeze
that brought with it a raging winter storm
I had never been so cold before
my feet frozen to the ground
like a wintery snowman
who cannot move until the sun warms him
the coldness trickled up my body
until my heart becomes solid ice
its beating slowed to a calming rhythm
and even the most feather like of touches
could have broken it into shards
the most impossible of outcomes
had befallen me
with neither sun nor the warmth of another soul
I sat that way
it was as if time had stood still
I longed to see the sun fill up the blue skies
smell the flowers as they began to bloom
and feel the warmth of the sun
as the days became longer
but the sun did not come
and the skies remained grey
I remained an icy box
just another part of winter
a creature in its own
unbeknownst to me
unbeknownst to me
the world stopped turning
for a day and a day only
we were free to live our lives
to our hearts desire
until the sun fell below the tree line
to the east
and darkness consumed
our wildest of dreams
