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1
To my mom and
sister.
2
 Thank you for putting up

with my weirdness.

To You.

To all those
Who ever cried,
To all the ones
3
 Who’ve ever tried
To pick up the pieces
And start afresh,

To the ones
Who still can’t manage
To get up off the floor,

To all the hearts

Covered in
Scars, Band-aids,
Stitches, Burn marks,
And just barely beating,
4
 To all the souls
Who crave
At EVERY stage of their lives
To be better than they were
yesterday,

To the powerful ones

Who know they’re powerful,
To the powerful ones
Who don’t,

And to all those

Who have the strength

5
 To find love and beauty in the
world
And in their hearts,

Even enough
To SHARE THIS BOOK
And all it says
To create
A sisterhood
A brotherhood
A friendship
An alliance
A romance

6
 A bro-mance
A bond of all kinds…

...A nation,
Written through shared thoughts
and feelings
Written in this book
By me
AND
By you

To bond us all
And remind us

7
 We’re not alone…
This is written
SPE
CI
FI
CAL
LY
For you.
To You.

8
 You Are Loved.

~~~
And to the old me,
You were a bully,
But you were bullied yourself,
So I know it’s not your fault.

9
 You only told me,
What you thought
Would fight against
What others told you.

You were one part

Of a hard life
That gave this soft heart character.

I’m over it.

I forgive you.
Rest in peace.
I love you.
10
 Thank you.

Before you begin, Write to yourself of someone you love (it’s okay if you’re the
one you love.) If to yourself, bare your soul at the door, don’t be afraid.

If to someone you love, bare your soul at the door, and make them brave.

11
This is me…..
…making peace with life.

12
13
 Follow me into my head…

Part one;

Mental Health.

14
Life can be
Tough…

“People who repeatedly attack your

confidence and self-esteem are quite aware
of your potential, even if you’re not.”

15
 ~Wayne Gerard Trotman

Scars
I remember growing up
And falling down
Scraping my elbow on the ground
The sound of my elbow hitting the
pavement
Still bothers me to this day.
The way I screamed.
16
Oh God, how I screamed.
The pain was unbearable.

And then…

Eventually…

I healed.

People asked, “How did you get that

scar?”
That moment seemed so far away,
But needless to say, I had a story to tell
17
 About well off I am
How much better a person I am
After I picked myself up off the ground
I’m still around to tell the tale
Of how I got my scars.

I remember when I was small

And
went through something
that topped all things
That
most adults
would NEVER
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dream to go through;
I was born with a broken heart.

Set apart from other people

Laying in a hospital bed asleep will
Ease the pain
As they cleaned my wounds
Again, and again and again…
How I screamed.
Oh God, how I screamed.
The pain was unbearable.

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 And then…

Eventually…

I healed.

People asked, “How’d you get that

scar?”
That moment now seems so far away
But surgery gave me a story to tell
About how well off I am
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 How much healthier I am
After that ordeal
I healed enough to tell the tale
Of how I got my scars.

I can’t tell you how many times things

got hard
And challenged me
Angered me
Frustrated me
Made me cry.

21
 I’ve gotten into fights in the past
In the last few years, I’ve been hurt by
Friends,
And cousins,
And teachers,
And siblings,
And parents,
And bosses,
And lovers,
And all sorts of people
Who don’t even know me at all.

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 But I’m not bothered at all.

‘Cause when people ask, “how’d you get

that scar?”
Those moments will seem so far away
By the time I’m ready to talk about
How much better off I am

How much better a person I am

How much stronger
And smarter
And durable
And braver
23
 And humbler
Yes, and even more loving I am.
I’m not afraid
To be any of these things
Now that I’ve healed enough
To tell you about my scars.

Abuse
Ever crumple up a piece of paper?
Ever toss it in the trash
At the end of the day?
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 Next time this is done,
Just for fun,
Really beat on it:
Spit on it
Stomp on it
Cover it in ink
Rip the hell of it, go ahead.
Now,
Take that abused paper,
Smooth it out
And tell the paper
You’re sorry…
So,
25
 Did what you did to it go away?

~~~
When I look into a mirror,
Or a puddle,
Or shiny glass,
I don’t just see
A whole world staring back at me,

26
 I see truth.
How do I feel about that?
I don’t know, the glass is dirty.

~~~
Every time I think
There’s a light at the end of the tunnel,
I come to find out
It’s another lost person with a flashlight
Looking for holes
At the end of this cave.

27
I’m Sick of Fear Getting the
Better of Me

I wish I wasn’t
So trapped in my own mind.

Maybe then
I’ll stop acting

28
 Like the dumb blonde
In a horror film
And just walk out
The wide open front door.

Square Peg
When will I fit in?
When will I begin to feel
Like I’m in accordance
With the rest of the world?
Always seemingly one step behind,
Never to find my own rhythm

29
 Oh God, where do I begin?

The constant feeling

That the universe
Is keeping me in the dark

Always the fare, but no vehicle

Always the vehicle, but no fare

Never knowing where I’ll end up next

Never resting in a spot that fits.

Me.
30
 So frustrated.
So tired.
Feeling like I’m wired to fail.

Oh, where do I begin?

Where do I begin?
Where do I begin to make this end?

31
 The Cave

There’s nothing I want more

Than to be free
Of this constant wondering
Wandering
Fumbling in the dark
Not knowing when my time will come..

I’m looking around

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 At the beautiful stones
Alone.
All alone
With so many beautiful boulders
Vibrating at my shoulder.

The sounds
Of the rumbling street above
The wind on the trees
To my left

The water rushing behind me

The birds chirping
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 in front

The joyous laughing

to my right

And the tumultuous music

Throbbing beneath my feet.

All out of sight

But still in my mind
I wonder what it’s like outside?
34
Describe Madness:

35
 There are days when I feel
Like I want to stop breathing.

There are days when I feel

Like I want to smile
To hide how numb I am.

There are times when I feel

Like playing the guitar,
There are times when I feel
Like smashing it.

There are times when I want to talk,

36
But I know no one wants to hear.

There are times

When I don’t talk
And people wonder why.

Moments
I want to scream.
Moments
I want to cry.
Moments
I sit still
And wonder why
37
 I’m still alive on this earth.

All the while

Constantly…
CONSTANTLY
Heating this little voice
Whispering to me…

Don’t give up.

And knowing I have to listen.

38
 Masochism
Why do I always want the things
That are just beyond my reach
But not the things
That would help me
Reach them?
39
 That would help me
Climb out of this hole?

Why won’t I reach out

To the people reaching for me
When I know I’m sick of being alone?

The ticks of the clock

Are sucking the blood out of me.

I’m sinking.
No Leg to stand on…
But I just won’t climb the rope.
40
 The Love of Gravity

I’m so glad
Water doesn’t flow uphill .
Things would never wash away.
The rains would never come
And replenish the earth.
And I would never feel better.
41
I’d never escape from my tears.

It Feels Inevitable.

I’m so tired
Of sitting in this same spot;
Seven different paths
Going seven different directions
And none of them tell me
Where I’ll go.

I’m lost.

42
 I’m confused.
I’m mentally exhausted.

The edges of my world

Are breaking away
And falling into nothing.

The strings above

That have been suspending my world
In midair
Are old and worn
And tearing away
Fiber by fiber.

43
 I know
That any one of these paths
Can lead me over a bridge
To freedom,
But there’s an eighth one
That collapsed under my feet.

And the cruelest thing

About all this
Is that I’ve been told
My whole life
That I can fly…

44
 A large echoing ticking
Above me…

And I can’t even use my wings.

45
 ~~~
Kiss me or kill me,
One of the two,
‘Cause I’m lost
I’m bored
I’m waiting for you
To wake me up from this
Jar me from my sleep
Droning
And left in this sleepy stupor

46
 Alone
While the people play.

The most fun I’ve ever had

Was all in my mind
Put away in a box
A small heart
carved into the side.

Feeling nothing

Saying nothing
Seeing nothing
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Doing
Absolutely
And
Positively
N
O
T
H
I
N
G
For such a
Very
48
 Very
VERY
Long time.
I want to feel
Alive.
I want it all
To end.

So kiss me
Or Kill me…

Be a friend.

49
 You Promised Me Sleep

I’m lost in the Idea

That in this universe
I’m the only one
Who gets what it’s like
To be outcast.

I was beaten up
And bloodied,
Ridiculed,
And called all kinds of names.

50
 No one looked up.
They just pulled out their phones.

But that’s okay,

Facebook helped me remember how I
got these bruises.
I was ignored
Put down
Put on the spot.

But I got used to it.

51
 No one ever looks up.
They just pull out their phones.

At least I have proof on Twitter

That I was Fired for being unpopular.

I’ve had this armour on

For a really long time.
It’s dented and sweaty
And filthy as hell,
But it made from all the best
And most harsh
Situations in my life.
52
 It’s hard to sleep in,
But it’s kept my life together.
It’s kept me company.

And now, you’re telling me

There’s no reason to wear it?
That I can get
A better night’s sleep?

Not only that,

There are people stronger than me?
And they can stop the abuse
And all for me?
53
There’s someone who could actually
love me?
Where are they?
And how the hell
Am I supposed to sleep now!?

Why do I Cry?

Because there are no words

54
 To properly express
How much you anger me
Frustrate me
Tease me
Make me feel trapped
Alone
Lost
Sometimes even weak,
Which is not like me.

There are no words

To get it through your thick ass skull
That you’ve
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 Currently
Drained every other
Source of fight
Left in me

This is only temporary.

I just need
To recharge.
So I cry.

56
What if it’s worse?
*FALSE BRAVERY*

You see a light

At the end of a tunnel

57
 I see the end
Of a world I was used to.

Robots in People
Skin

“I’m only human…”

58
 Right?
Is that what people normally say
When they make a mistake?
The same mistake
That was so abhorrent
When they were the victim?

I believe some of those people are lying.

Humans can dish it out

And they can take it.
Humans understand
What other humans look like,
59
 And would therefore be more
understanding.
Now, “I’m only human” is a robotic
answer.
Don’t be a robot, say you’re sorry.

60
 Dear Life;
I always wondered:
If I had never tried
To harm myself
To kill myself
To leave this earth

If I had ever tried

61
 To stand up
for myself,
To love myself
To see my worth

If I had never wanted

To do more
Be more
Say more
See more
Save more time
For what really mattered
For what made me matter
62
 To myself
For myself
And smiled a little bit more

If I had never been so sore

From all the times
You’d dragged me
through the mud
And rocks
Hot coals
And broken glass
Cutting me
Right down to my soul
63
 If I had never seen
The absolute bottom
And been so broken

If I had not been able

To stand up
After all that—
After ALL of that…

Had I had
Never
Ever
64
 Ever

Been brought so low…

To feel as underappreciated
As unappreciated
And mistreated as you, life…
65
 Now that I’m standing again…

Would I love and appreciate you this

much?

Dear Me,
66
 Shove a tampon
Up your bleeding heart, because
I can’t take the crying anymore!!

Love, Me.

Your turn!
Write yourself a pep talk.

67
 (Take a whack at poetry.)

Cherry Pits

68
 So underappreciated.
The pits alone
Have the power to feed thousands
If given the care
Love
And Patience
Needed for maturity.

But all we have patience for

Is feeding ourselves.

Why?

69
Because we are still pits ourselves.

Creator

70
 I feel forgotten.
Not desperate to be seen,
Not desperate to be loved,
I know someone loves me.

I feel left behind.

Not ignored,
Not uninvited,
Though, I’m not allowed many places
anymore.

I feel out of the loop.

I’m never completely ostracized.
71
 I’m never completely abandoned.
They just don’t see me here.

I look around, and all I see

Are wonderful, sweet, kind, courteous,
generous
People
Who’ve been
Hurt, beaten, tortured, betrayed,
And now only see the world in black
and white.

72
 I’m all these things too,
And yet I still see colour.
They all wander away in the dark,
bumping into each other,
Not understanding
The light is where I’m standing.

It’s not demanding,

I want to share.

They left me here.

They’re over there.
They don’t understand
73
 What’s mine is theirs.
Out of the loop.
Left behind.
Forgotten.

It’s Not Worth It

The fear
The horrid feeling
Of uncertainty.

Of Powerlessness.

74
 The Panic

Knowing your

Life

Is over.

75
 Remembering

All the people who love you…

Who wanted to help.

76
 Knowing

That one thing

77
That you still could’ve done

To get past

78
This momentary sadness

And be a testimony.

79
For a faint moment,

80
Thinking that

You

made

81
 a

mistake.

The fall will kill you.

82
Hitting the ground will kill your body.
It’s not worth it.

Part two;

83
Love.

84
 …But you
are loved…

The chance to LOVE and BE LOVED exists NO

MATTER WHERE YOU ARE.

~~ Oprah Winfrey

85
 You are BRAVER than you believe,
STRONGER than you seem, SMARTER
than you think,
And LOVED more than you’ll ever
know.
~A.A. Milne, Winnie the pooh

You are enough.

…Let me repeat that so it goes through..
YOU. ARE. ENOUGH.
~anonymous

86
You are helpful, and
you are loved, and you
are forgiven, and you
are NOT alone.
~John Green

TALK TO YOURSELF
Like you would talk to someone you love.
~Karolina Kurkova
I am

87
Amazing
I am

Important
I am

Special
I am

Unique
I am

Kind
88
 I am

Precious
I am

Loved.

89
 Hey you,
Yeah you.
You, with the messy hair, the seemingly tired
eyes, the crooked smile and the one who
thinks they’re unimportant…

You’re beautiful, and I love you.

I want you. All of you. Your flaws.
Your mistakes.
Your imperfections. I want you, and
only you.

90
 A heart is not judged by how much you
love, but by how much you are loved by
others.
~L. Frank Baum, Wizard of Oz.

A list of reasons why I love you:

[Link] are you.

91
I can’t promise to FIX
your problems,

92
 But
I CAN promise you
won’t have to face them
alone.

93
 You are loved. You are
Enough.
You are worthy.
You are Beautiful.

YOU ARE IRREPLACEABLE

94
 Waking up to a new day is a gift.
Appreciate it and do remember you are
loved.

Good morning and

Have a splendid day.

95
Okay? Now, back to the poetry…

~~~
96
 If you’re going to kiss me
Tell me why.
If it’s to express
What words don’t exist
In any language,
Then feel free to kiss me again.
If it’s to share a soul with me
Even for a moment,
I’d be so flattered,
I won’t lie.
If the moment before the kiss
Was so wonderful
You want it to last for three more
97
Then, I’ll make it last for twelve.

But if you kiss me

Because “hey, you hot”
Then be prepared to die!

Orbit
98
 I am the moon.
You are the sun.
Without you, I would never shine.

Soul to Soul

I made a new friend

99
 And we hugged.
You hugged me
And I hugged you.
I had not been touched like that in a
long time.
The hug was nice, too.

I Have Nothing Left to Live For.

You’ve taken everything

I’ve expected out of life.
100
 Now all I have left
To look forward to
Is you.

I’ve never been this happy.

Soul Windows

I want to look people in the eye.

Look for one second

101
 We’re strangers.

Two seconds
Were acquaintances

Three seconds
We’re friends

Four seconds
We’re close.

Five seconds
We’re Lovers.
102
 Most people are afraid
To be more than strangers.
To them, It’s offensive
To be more than acquaintances.
They live in a world
Where there are no friends,
Just people who know
How to get close just enough to,
For a little while,
Pretend to be lovers,
Conning others
Out of yet another piece of their heart.
103
 They keep themselves on a shelf
Because they’re afraid to show that they
can cry.
Again.

I respect that.
I also know that I’m not one of those
Horrible people.

I want people to know that.

That, and that I’m not the only one.
Not the only one
104
 To live
To love
Not the only one
To get hurt
To get back up.
And I will
Never
Ever
Never
Ever
Never ever EVER
Turn around
And dish the evil
105
 That was given to me.

My heart is stronger than that.

And if there’s one like me, there’s more.

I want people to know that.

And the best way to do that

Is through the courteous Love
Of looking another in the eye.

106
The Sweetest Music
I am a trained opera singer.
I have dedicated my life
To the art of music.
I have been trained
By the best
Of the best
Of the best
Of the best
To know

107
 To understand
And desire
Only the most perfect pitch
Sung in every single word.
I am a snob
When it comes to tune…

But your off-key singing in the shower

Is the most beautiful music I’ve ever
heard.

108
 The Complex of Sex

To you, sex is a fish hook.

With bait.
To help you find the Loch Ness Monster.

To me, sex is water.

With sunshine.
To feed a flower I grew myself.

109
 ~~~
All I can think about
Is art, writing and sleeping.

When I write,
I tell your stories.

I always paint
with your favourite colours.

And when I sleep…

…Well…

110
I don’t want to leave you. I don’t want
to wake up.

~~~
111
 How can I write about love
When I’m always alone?

My soul already knows you’re there.

My heart’s already seen you,
Even if my eyes have not.

I just use this to call out for you.

112
You’d Think I’d Be an Expert
By Now
The feel of your touch that I’ve never
felt
I’ve felt a million times
In a thousand lives
Followed by a billion kisses
And millions of strokes of your hair.

I’ve told you “I love you”

A billion different times
In a thousand different languages
113
In a thousand different lives.

I’ve held our children

I’ve shed so many tears
Applauded your achievements
Held your hand as you died
Thousands of times.
Oh, so many times.

I’ve felt the pain

Of a piece of my soul
Parting from me
To follow you
114
 Until we were together again
And again
And again
And again
So many
So many
So many thousands of times….

And now I sit here

Yet another day
Unable to resist you
Wondering why I can’t just talk to you.

115
 Stupid.

Bes Ties

116
 For Ever

I sometimes think
Of what it’d be like
If I’d never met you.
If I never had a friend like you…
And then I end up wondering
How I survived life
Hopping on one leg.
Sexters…

117
 I can’t stand
When people say
They love each other
When they’ve never even really
Seen each other’s face.

Facebook, Instagram
Twitter, and Tumblr
Should not be safe words.
When you’ve learned
To love your phone less,
Then come talk to me.

118
 Write a poem:
What would you need from another to feel loved? What would you need from
yourself to be loved? Answer both in your poem.

119
120
To Be Loved

With a

Passion
121
 Is it too much
Ask for passion…
When things happen
In your life?
Or mine?

Isn’t it only right

To feel
When something goes wrong?
When there’s no one home?

When did love

122
 And emotion
Lovers, Friends,
Family
Get lost in
translation?
When did life
Get lost
In lust?

Passion is not meant

Is not reserved
For filling ourselves
It’s meant to help fill what is
123
 Lost
Drained
Hollowed
Into a black hole
To help
heal
Seal
Reveal the good in one another.

Because when we’re Loved

With a Passion

We realize what to fight for.

124
 Reflections:
We attract the people
We choose to be.

125
 Sweet and Sour
I’m not going
To pretend like I know
Why people don’t talk to each other.

I like to think
That there’s a time and place
For doors to open
And the universe
Is saving that moment
For when the world

126
 Really

Really

REALLY
Needs a reminder
That they are loved and loveable
That they are kiss and huggable

Actually, I do know why people don’t

talk…
Sweet people are afraid to turn sour.
127
And Then I Realized What Love Is:

128
 Love is not a fanfare,
It’s an Echo.

A ridiculously strong magnet

Dragging two people
From two opposite sides of the world
To each other
At the right place
At the right time.

To share the same sandwich.

Write about the best things you have to offer in a friendship/relationship on this
page…
Then have someone else write about the best things you offer on the next one.

129
 You might be surprised.

Go ahead, friend, make them smile.

130
Part three:

131
Inner Strength.

132
…Just be
brave
enough
to see it.
133
“Things will get easier, people’s minds will change, and you
should be alive to see it.”

~Ellen DeGeneres

134
Life really is beautiful…

135
 Brutal, but Never Cruel

Life has a hell of a way

Of smacking you across the face,
Doesn’t it?
Everyone knows about that.
What people don’t know
Is that life
Isn’t trying
Wasn’t trying
Will not EVER try
To hurt you.

136
 It’s just that with you these days,
Shaking you wasn’t enough,
Tapping you wasn’t enough,
Calling out your name wasn’t enough
To wake you up out of your sleep,
So life just had to slap you.

I know you don’t like it,

But you were sleeping on the tracks,
And there’s an oncoming train.

137
 For the Love of God, Let Him Go.

His eyes could only stare at you

For so long.

It’s not that you were perfect.

It’s that he wasn’t.
At least not for you.

You swear there’s only one island

In this vast ocean
And you have nowhere to go.

138
When you’re actually standing in a box
Drawn on the ground.

If you’d ever look up from that box,

You’ll see a yacht
Ready to take you ashore
To the whole continent just behind it.

It’s not a mirage.

It’s really there,
I promise.

I know
139
 Your feet
Are buried in the sand,
But
It won’t take long
To dig yourself out.

There,
There are so many places
You can go.

But first,
For the love of God,
Let him go.
140
 ~~~
There’s nothing more
Terrifying
141
Than discovering
The horrible world you lived in
Was all a lie.

There’s nothing more

Exhilarating
Than discovering
The horrible world you lived in
Was all a lie.
Where you Least Expect It

I throw my hand in the air

142
Saying, “Show me something”.

Nothing…

Nothing…

Nothing…
And then suddenly…

Nothing…

Nothing from above.

143
 My arms are tired.

But I don’t know where these beams of

light around me are coming from…

Dreaming is for Dreamers

I don’t want to be awake for long.

I just came back to tell you
144
 The universe is beautiful,
And there’s so little that humans know.
I’m going back to learn more.
Goodnight.

Everything has a
Reason

There’s no up Without down

There’s no in Without out
There’s no day Without night
145
There’s no left Without right
There’s no good Without bad
There’s no happy Without sad.
But everyone here
Thinks I’ve gone mad
When I say that bad is good.
I don’t get it.

146
 Microwave
Trees

For those of you

Who are wondering why you’re
unhappy,
147
 Just know;
The world is your oyster,
It loves you so much,
But EVERYTHING worth having
ONLY BECOMES REAL
BY WORKING IT INTO REALITY.
A single seed
Can become a forest
If you’ll only
LOVE IT enough
GIVE IT TIME enough
SHOW it FAITH,
And PATIENCE,
148
 AND STREGNTH enough
To believe-
No-

Know enough
To take what the world-
That loves you so much-
Has given you
And create this new reality.

Because-

149
Take it from one who’s done everything
wrong,
Dreams are already alive.

You’ll kill them if you put them in a

microwave.

150
 Parallel

When we get hurt

When we are cut
Arm, Leg, wherever,
The injury could get infected
And make we sick,
Even die,
Unless we face the problem
And-
-it may hurt-
Clean our injuries.
151
 When we are hurt
When we are cut
And our hearts just ache for relief
The injury can get infected
And make you mean,
Make you fearful,
Make you insecure, jealous,
Depressed
Angry,
Even suicidal,
Unless you face the problem
And-
152
 I know it hurts-
Clean your injuries.

~~~
What would happen

153
 If you acted as if?
If you believed without proof
That something as real,
Would you feel it coming to you
Like an echo in reverse?
Would you see your universe-
Your tiny, significant,
Speck of the universe-
Finally respond the way you want it to?
Would you finally see
That your world REFLECTS you
Like a room full of mirrors?
See the world smile
154
 When you smile?
See the world have a tantrum
When you have a tantrum?
Know that when you ask,
“Why, God?”
Finally hear
When It’s giving you an answer?

If you acted as if,

As a being with power,
Would you see that it lives to
Love you?
Help you?
155
 But know that first,
It has to give you what you need,
Before it can
Give you what you’ve always wanted?

Or am I just wasting my time?

Essence of Human
I have three eyes.

156
 So do you.
We see the world with one.
We’re blind with the other two.

How to Grow a Mirror

Love is not as complicated as we think.

157
 We sink into despair
When we pair our lives
With the lives of experienced (tainted,
tarnished) lovers.
The others will only have
What was invested
Given back to them,
And the lack of trust
Makes us believe
That lust is all there is.
What gives and gives
And never returns
Is not love, but it is life.
158
 It’s not right to feel this way,
And I say
That all of that can be changed.
Rearrange your heart and be brave.
Go against the grain.
Be brave enough to love
Without love in return.

Trust me, people will notice.

Eventually, They always do.

We’re all built the same underneath,

159
 We reflect each other
And sometimes
You have to train a reflection
To understand what you’re saying.

What is Beautiful?

We should know by now

That we can only squeeze
Into our own kind of beautiful,
But we don’t.

160
 My handwriting is not like yours,
My thumbprint is not like yours,
So my beautiful can’t be like yours,
Because then it wouldn’t be mine.
It wouldn’t be me.

I would be something
That is
Slapped together
Pulled apart
Crimped,
Curled,
161
 Pushed
And pressed
Shoved
And compressed
Into something --
Not someone --
Something --
That isn’t,
Wasn’t,
And will NEVER BE real.

I’d rather not cry bitter tears

From the ducts of something
162
 I thought I knew in the mirror
But don’t;

Something that,
In an attempt to be better,
Is bound up so tight
That even its pores have been closed up
And can’t even breathe.

And why?
For the desperate hope
That no one will see
How flawed
163
 We think we are...

When beauty is written

NOWHERE
On the outside.

And to be honest,
It’s NOT beauty
That we really want,
It’s APPROVAL for said beauty.

For the beauty

Praised and appraised
164
 Approved upon us,
We want to become bandits.
Maybe even leeches.

Our lonely lips lustful

And wet with vanity,
We crave the things
That in ten years
NO ONE will ever care about.
I will say this once
And hear me well:

No matter how good or bad

165
 You think you look,

PEOPLE
WILL ONLY SEE
WHAT YOU SEE IN YOURSELF.

Relatively good looks

Can get one’s ATTENTION,
But once you have their attention,
YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN.

You become a beautiful person

By not what you wear,
166
 But by what you say.

By not the colour of your eyes,

But what you choose to see.

By not your shape or size,

But by the size of your heart.

You are a beautiful you.

Own it.
And people will flock your way.

167
Define a Woman:
A woman
Who is truly a woman
Are creatures who amplify
And good you give her
And make it better:
A man gives her a sperm,
She gives him a child.
Give her a house,
She makes a home.
Give her ingredients,

168
 She gives him a meal.
Give her love,
She gives you her heart.

Just as when humankind

Trusts God, Creator,
The Universe, The Source
To take what man has
And through guidance
Create something more,
Humans,
Both men and women,
Don’t know what they have
169
When there’s a woman with a strong
heart
On her side…
A woman is what God looks like.

~~~
Being alive
170
 Is a beautiful thing
But pain is a diseased cloud
That turns the weak into bullies
And blocks out the sun.

But the good part?

There’s no up without down

There’s no in without out
There’s no left without right
There’s no dark without light

Without one,
171
 We wouldn’t appreciate the other.

Everything exists
To bless you
Or teach you

And ALL THINGS are temporary.

So when the cloud fades (and it will)

You’ll know to appreciate

That
172
 Being alive
Is a beautiful thing.

It’s Just Something New

What is unfamiliar
173
 Is not
Crazy
Stupid
Weird
Unnatural
Dangerous
Or evil.
It is simply
A sign
Of the spirit
Of the world
Learning
How to grow up:
174
 You can relax.
~You’re welcome.

I Need Water

It’s not that I don’t love you.

It’s not that I don’t forgive you.
It’s not that I don’t care.
175
 But when everywhere I go
There’s scattered hopes and dreams
From someone who
“means well”,
When a hell of a lot of love is given
And drains the giver,
And the receiver never hears
The tears and pleas
Of the one who loves them so much,
And no matter what she says
Or does
Or gives
To him
176
 To her
Instead of running over,
The cup stays empty,
It’s time to go.
… I can’t survive in this desert.
I’m dehydrated.
I’m starving.
And things just won’t grow in this dirt.

177
 ~~~
Admire someone
Not just for
How strong they are
For themselves,
But also for
How strong they are
For you.

178
 Not just for
What they’ve gone through
But also for
How they guide you
through
In spite of.
Not for
Hearing their story
And their anguished tone
But for
Hearing their story
And their
grateful tone.
179
 Because
The more encouraged they are
For being an example
Will share that overcoming energy
With others.

The anguished are not to be ignored.

They’re just halfway polished.
Help them shine.

180
 Cut the Cord.

It’s hard to tell sometimes

Which relationships are toxic,
Especially when your lifeblood
Has been draining for so long
You can’t even tell the difference.

Here’s a clue:
When you mention something positive,
Wait for them to smile.
181
 A healthy human being
Will reflect the energy of others.

If they’re not automatically

Happy for you,
Not even a little,

If they’re frowning,
Or have
Something negative to say,

Then cut the umbilical cord,

182
Before the poison
Gets to you!

183
Here’s a Thought:

When you set your goals,

And you dream your dreams,
Do you know who you want
To make of yourself
Once you achieve them,

184
 Or do you hope that
They’ll make you
Someone?

You Don’t Know What Fear Is.

Starting over is bad enough,

But when you’re standing in a puddle
When you know by now
You should be standing in the ocean,
When you expect diamonds
And you still have wood

185
 (Take that as you will),
When someone
You thought
Was just a little piece of heaven
Turns around when you least expect it
And forces you to see your world
For the hell it really is
And you have no choice
But to face the moment
Where you just
HAVE to shed your skin…
That naked, freefalling feeling
Is enough to make anyone
186
 Vomit into midair.

But you had to be kicked out of that

nest sometime.

187
 ~~~
Reality is not all the same,
But we all still play this game
Of trying to understand;

Which one truth

Is the only truth?

Of all the things

That others try to teach us
About life,

188
 Which version of normal
Is actually normal?

Here’s what I’ve learned:

Reality’s created in the mind
Out of information
From the world around them.

And each little reality

Is unique for each person
And changes with the bravery
To gather more information
189
 And make dreams
Into something real.

So if someone says to you

When you begin to dream
That you’re “unrealistic”
Just know that your reality
May have more information than theirs.
At the moment.
And it scares them.
Hold that in your mind
And show them there’s nothing to fear.
And that they can also dream harder.
190
~~~

191
Who says I can’t do what I want?
The best things in life are
Earned!
So many laughed
One their way out the door
To the restaurant
To the game
To the club
Saying I’m missing out
And I have no one to blame
But myself.
But they don’t see!
That’s exactly why I can’t come!
192
 If I miss out on the life I want,
I have no one to blame but myself.
I CAN do what I want,
And I CHOOSE to do this.

In the long run,

There’s no better thing
I can do for me
Than to build myself
From the ground up
From the seed up
From the soul up
From just a dream
193
 Into something
That truly is
And truly is appreciated
And makes people
Say,
“Wow, you really did it!
“You finally found your calling.
“You’ve really inspired me.”
And actually BE cool,
Instead of slapping a façade
Just to LOOK cool.
So go to the game…
Have fun.
194
 In a few years
I’ll wave at you…
From the box seats.

Watch Yourself…

Just because
I don’t scream and yell
And howl at the moon
195
 Doesn’t mean that I’m timid.
Or weak.

It doesn’t mean
I have forgotten
All the times you hurt me
And made me feel
Like I was nothing.

It doesn’t mean
I haven’t realized
How strong, and smart, and beautiful,
and loveable, and cunning, and needed,
196
and wanted, and versatile, and useful,
and resilient, andstriking, and
extraordinary
And,
Now,
Pissed
I really am.

Pissed when I realized

That you lied to me.

Now, you laugh

In the middle of that meadow,
197
 Because after all that
Torture
And
Ridicule
You still don’t see a roaring lion…

And all this time

You still haven’t looked behind you.

I’m not a roaring lion.

I’m a pouncing lioness.

And I suggest you run.

198
 Hold on, It’ll get Better

The worst thing I’ve ever heard

Is life is the same for everyone.

The worst thing I’ve ever heard

Is that there’s no way to control it.

199
The worst thing I’ve ever heard
Is that life is crap

And that everyone hates them.

And that all people are cruel.

Not because they’re lies,

But because people believe them.

The most BEAUTIFUL thing

I ever heard?

200
 “That could be true…
If I let it…
But I don’t.”

The most BEAUTIFUL thing

I ever heard?

“I’m stronger than

ANYTHING
That happens to me.”

The most BEAUTIFUL thing

I ever heard?
201
 “without bad,
I wouldn’t know what good is,
So I appreciate it all.

The most BEAUTIFUL thing

I ever heard?

“No one can lie to me anymore.

Not even me.”

202
The Wait is Over

There’s nothing more

DANGEROUS
Than trying to contain
A gasoline fire
Inside a glass box.

Get ready,
I’m about to blow up.

203
KISSED.

204
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