What does it tell you?

Does it tell you what lies in your heart?

It tells you what lies on the outside,

That’s for certain.

It tells you how other people perceive you.

How they label you.

You have feel the weight of those labels.

As I walk through these crowds day after day,

I see people’s silhouettes;

The stuff they’re made of deep inside,

The good or bad they try to hide,

And their joy or sorrow with every breath.

It’s not about what you told me,

but what I chose to believe.

Nothing feels worse than living

an imaginary dream.

And they occur so often and freely

whenever Satan creeps in.

By the time I breathe, and count to ten

The peace the nations had promised

Some days that were gold

Now all fade into stardust

Disappearing with the old

Stare into these eyes of flame

Warm embrace of blazing love

Wild animal you cannot tame

Feral beauty of gentle dove

Gaze into these eyes of fire

Scorching heat of kindled lust

Burning secret of past desire

I have problems

and I’ll swap mine with you like trading cards.

Long lovely disorders go over the lips like chocolate

but honey, we’ve been writing about these pits of darkness

long before shrinks slapped name tags on them.

A hero is different,

A hero is kind,

A hero can live,

By the thoughts in his mind,

A hero makes changes,

In the world for the best,

And seeks good in others,

That’s hidden from the rest,

I always feel like I’m doing my best

but being put to the test.

People come and go;

No one ever seems to know.

They come in and

Leave so fast,

There’s so many

I can’t remember who was last.

My Dad’s taken on many roles,

mother

father

martial artist

experimenter

business owner

gardener

I learn from him

he teaches me the real values of life

he’s prepared me to live.

Used and abused

Still standing strong

You are the one I lean on

Who knows how to turn it around

With me through thick and thin

No matter what, where, or when

The pain of being without you

Excruciating

There for me, my dad

“No matter what,” he promised

By my side

Refusing to ever give up on me - no matter what I did

If everyone else gave up

My Dad would stand by me

Telling me he believes in me

Knows I am strong

just

when

she

thought

no one

was

listening,

she hid

her face

behind

a mask

that she

hoped

would last.

Once

there

was a

time

Okay,

I’m going to tell them.

It’s been weighing on me for awhile.

Most of my friends know,

And they should know too.

But I’m scared.

So

So

Scared.

I scream

But no one hears.

The danger

Looming, perpetual nears...

The footsteps echo

In my ears

Closer,

Closer

Danger leers.

A dark silhouette

And merciless eyes

Somehow you have found, where I was in the ground. I am there, I am also here. You have something new to fear. I’m not alive, but not quite dead . Though this is not what you have read. While light can be quite fun, I must avoid the world with sun. To walk the night is not quite what you think.

This darkness inside my heart

Residing in my pitiless mind

A fuel to a fire of ever-burning odium

That cutting sarcasm of such cruelty

The cold cynical aura that never abates

What is it that filled me with such hate?

Who dreams?

Who dares to enter such a realm?

Visions, fleeting,

Escaping with the waking flutter,

Living on bated breath

And translucent promises of

A world all your own;

A world anew.

When you dream of becoming a writer,

You get stories embedded in your soul

Ideas of near and far-off lands,

And journeys down rabbit holes.

The gem did spawn of evil’s fire

The gem shall be his portal

He comes to claim; our time is dire

The end of all things mortal

His reign of evil, he did conspire

The gem shall be his portal.

My ma says

She pushed my stroller

around the bumpy streets of

Queens, Jamaica, Long Island,

even Manhattan,

Through rain and snow, all

alone.

Finding no help from the

passengers, all ignoring her

silent plea

It’s a long way home,

miles of pavement and sky.

As we drive,

the sun chases us,

and the clock turns.

Radio changes,

melodies blur together,

making one endless song,

duets and duets of notes.

The Ponderosa Pines hunched ponderously,

Their convoluted gestures frozen

With dry, rasping limbs in stages of vexation

And narrow forearms lifted high

In savored moments of exalted epiphany.

My brother and I climbed the questions

So many people crowded into one wave pool.

All together in one container,

Yet in separate groups, hardly mingling with others.

The designers did their best to replicate nature,

But only to an extent.

Waves for five minutes, rest for five minutes,

Winter seems like an endless calm.

When the cold surrounds us,

and the darkness makes the streets disappear,

the world’s turning seems to slow down.

You can see footprints start and footprints

stop,

leading somewhere,

going nowhere.

I sit there, in my own little world.

The fountain flows like a babbling brook as I inhale deeply.

 I’m alone with my thoughts, and nothing else.

Just me, I sit on a smooth rock in the middle of the lake.

The soft murmur of kids

At the sparkling lake,

from the early morning sunrise.

With boats at high speed ,

with skiers behind them.

From the bright early mornings,

to the beautiful horizon of the evening.

The lake is an emotion

that sparks smiles all around.

The appeal of the beach is different

For everyone who visits.

Some venture deep into the water,

Their heads bobbing above and below the surface

Of the bittersweet saltwater.

Perhaps they crave adventure,

Letting the waves envelope their bodies,

I am a minor

I have the same rights of

A Black man 200 years ago

A Woman 100 years ago

They say we are not smart enough

They say we are not good enough

They say we are not old enough

I say I am

When will I have rights?

Walking step by step to a place unknown,

people look past me like I’m a monster,

part of the disowned.

My heart is lost and I’m brought to a shadow of blue,

cheeks stained with tears,

a feeling that is far from new.

By the time the night is over,

I’m from chalky hair,

Here, pretty hair and curls,

I’m from leotards and spandex,

Here, pretty tops and jean shorts,

Where I’m from, new skills

Here, 9 x 24

I’m from, rug burns and big bruises,

Here, paper cuts