Category: Poetry

You are Welcome

April 6th, 2025
Hello grief
Hello fear
Hello rejection
Hello loneliness
You are welcome here.

Hello pain
Hello shame
Hello blame
Hello regret
You are welcome here.

Hello pride
Hello uncertainty
Hello nervousness
Hello anger
You are welcome here.

Hello love
Hello worry
Hello melancholy
Hello butterflies and knots
You are welcome here.

Hello stubbornness
Hello control,
-with your tight fists
Hello exhaustion…
You too, are welcome here.

Hello happiness
Hello peace
Hello hope
Hello gratitude
Hello joy

Hello to all who live beyond the mask
You are all welcome here.
Share this with your friends!
Email
Post
Control

March 31st, 2025
You are a thief
You are a liar
You are a destroyer
You are the author of loneliness.

When you drive others
I feel trapped
I feel disrespected
I feel small
I feel the need to fight
I feel tired
I feel exhausted
And I want to pull away.

When you drive me
I might mean well, but
I disrespect others
I steal their agency
I attempt to manipulate them
I force my will on them
I push them away
And it all takes some much work

You have cost me so much
You have cost me relationships
that I still cherish
You have cost me friends
who I dearly miss
You have given me many sleepless nights
where I wrestled in turmoil
All lost in vain
All lost because of you.

I am through with you
I see you for who you are
There is nothing good in you
And you consume all peace.
Share this with your friends!
Email
Post
The Finish Line

March 18th, 2025
You are the goal
the reason
the motivation
the why.

You are the completion
the place I want to be
the thing I lone for
the gravitational pull from within.

You are the mirage
the driver
the destination
the thing that keeps me going.

You are climatic
I find you strangely hollow
I finally reach you,
And then you are gone.
Share this with your friends!
Email
Post
Purpose

March 18th, 2025
It is not that I am tired,
I am doing the wrong things.
It is not that I need rest,
I need to be meaningfully challenged.
It is not that I have run out of energy,
I need to stop focusing on the wrong areas.
It is not that I am lazy,
I just need a reason.
Share this with your friends!
Email
Post
Complexity -revisited

November 12th, 2024
Complexity, I must sit with you yet again.
I must stop again, and ponder…

You war with my desire for simplicity
You frustrate my wisdom
You humble my dignity
You invade my certainty with mystery
You remind me of the vast beauty of diversity
You are very stubborn
You are still teaching me a new way to live.

You rudely introduce the thought that…
my way might not be the best way.
You make me slow down
You hinder my progress
You derail my solutions.

Complexity, you violate my logic.
You blur the lines between “us” and “them”
You make me question my views of “others”
You lead me into this wilderness called “the middle”
Where I refuse to choose a side
Yet, I identify with all
You bring loneliness to my life
I hate you for that.

Complexity, oh how I do hate you.
I hate that you lead me to ask hard questions
I hate that you leave me in this desolate place of purgatory
I hate that I can no longer find peace in single-mindedness
I hate that I cannot unknow what you have taught me.
I hate that I can no longer hate.

Complexity.
I suppose I will have to learn to live with you.
Since, I am aware of you now
I see you everywhere
I see you in the wrinkles of an elderly bigot
I see you in the eyes of a newborn infant
You are… opening my mind
And you have taught me to listen to my body
You enhance my vision
You are revealing a different world
You are departing divine wisdom to me.

Complexity.
You have made me an alien
I am a stranger among my people
I no longer want to fit in
Yet, I still want to fit in.
Complexity,
Look what you have done to me.
Share this with your friends!
Email
Post
Our Last Walk

September 14th, 2024
It was an early melancholy morning
She woke up more alive that day.
Just enough to make us question ourselves
And let doubt slip back into our hearts.

A grilled hotdog for breakfast
The very first time in nearly eight years.
She would be the queen that day
I slowly massaged her hind legs and behind her ears.

She looked towards the front door
Does she want to go for a walk?
I wondered how far she could make it
As I slipped on my sandals and grabbed her leash.

As we entered the early morning darkness
She pulled me with a familiar eagerness.
That tugging made me doubt yet again
Are we doing the right thing?

Shortly after making it to the street
I heard her labored breath.
The panting set in quickly
Her eagerness was being overcome by the chaos in her chest.

We lazily meandered along the asphalt
But stayed close to our house.
No stern commands to keep the pace
Only affirming words spoken by my cracking voice.

So, she walked me this time.
She got to choose the route.
We often veered into the grass
As she explored and sniffed wherever she pleased.

She soon guided me toward our front yard
Then laid out in the grass to rest.
We hung out there together for a few minutes
We made our last walk the best.
Share this with your friends!
Email
Post
Complexity

June 17th, 2024
Complexity
You challenge me.
You scare me.
You make me tense.
You frustrate me.
You make me angry.
You simply exhaust me.
I am so tired of you.

Complexity.
What do I do with you?
Do I try to solve you?
Are you a puzzle?
Something I need to fix?
Should I rush to find your solution?
Or, are you something to be endured?
I am so confused.

Complexity….
I want to simplify you.
I want you to choose:
Be black, or white.
Be good, or evil.
Be right, or left.
Be urban, or rural.
Be religious, or secular.
Be open, or closed.
Be a one, or a zero.
Be Wrong, or Right.
But you are all shades of gray,
And you have no boundaries.
I feel so disrespected.

Complexity…
I feel responsible for you.
I have to figure you out.
I want to protect others from you.
I want to protect myself from you.
You are so… complex.
You are not easy to deal with.
I am so frustrated.

Complexity..
You are not fair.
You simply do not care.
You are spicy.
You can hurt people.
You are full of risk.
I often respond incorrectly to you.
I am so angry, -and afraid of you.

Complexity.
There is another side to you.
If… I look from a different perspective.
If.. I slow….. down….
If, I allow you to be my guide.
You can show me something different.
Something I was not expecting,
I might be open to your teaching.

Complexity
I still don’t know what to do with you.
You find my weaknesses.
You don’t play by the rules.
You reveal Truth in its purest form.
You show me what I did not see.
You embarrass my logic.
You bring disruption.

Complexity
I cannot justify your actions.
You simply are not fair.
You leave me in disorder.
I have no solution for you.
I am exhausted.
I know you don’t care what I think.
And I am so tired… of fighting you.

Complexity
You are so rich.
Your wisdom is profound.
I appreciate your purpose.
I yearn for your connection.
Please be my Teacher.
I will try to be a good student.
I want to learn from you.

Complexity,
You are Beautiful.
Share this with your friends!
Email
Post
Grateful

May 28th, 2024
I feel very thankful.
I live in the most prosperous land on Earth
I am an American citizen
I did not earn this wonderful privilege
I was just born here.

I feel very thankful.
I have known my best friend for thirty-two years
She is my wife
We drive each other crazy
I love her and she loves me.

I feel very thankful.
I have three beautiful healthy children
They are all wonderfully unique and learning how to make their own ways in life
They drive me crazy too
I love them and they love me.

I feel very thankful.
I live in a nice home
I get to lay next to my wife in a comfortable bed every night
I sleep well knowing me and my loved ones are reasonably safe
Most days I forget how fortunate I am.

I feel very thankful.
While my body is not perfect, everything works
I have the resources to prioritize my physical fitness and I have access to healthcare
I have learned to listen to my body
I am healthy.

I feel very thankful.
I have a prosperous career
I have had many opportunities
Compared to most on planet Earth, I am wealthy
I am successful, and I did not get here alone.

I feel very thankful.
I have relationships
They are messy and frustrating and stressful and fulfilling and beautiful
They enrich and complete me
I am loved and cared for, -and I have the privilege of loving and caring for others.

I feel very thankful.
I am thankful for hope.
I am thankful for reconciliation.
I am thankful for compassion.
I am thankful for relationships.
I am thankful for the endless possibilities.
I am thankful for grace.
I am thankful for the future.
I am thankful for Love.
I am thankful for quiet mornings.

I am Grateful.
Share this with your friends!
Email
Post
Space

May 3rd, 2024
Space, “the final frontier.”
It really is.
What happens when I make time for Space?
What happens when I actually slow down and smell the roses?

Space can be scary and dangerous.
It gives me time to reflect.
It gives me time to notice.
It gives me time to explore.

I need Space.
I need to allow time for the struggle.
Those secrets hidden deep inside me
Time to wrestle with what really matters, to me

Space.
I don’t know if I like you.
You give me time to know myself.
You offer me a grounded perspective.

Space.
I love you and I hate you.
You free me and you frighten me.
You energize me and you empty me.

Space.
I will embrace your vast unknown.
I will bravely slow down, be quiet and listen.
I will honor your solitude and your wisdom.
Share this with your friends!
Email
Post
The internal dialogue of a stutterer

March 13th, 2024
My heart is pounding
Soon it will be my turn to speak.
I know what I want to say
But will my mouth let it out?

I choose my words carefully
Watch out for P’s and H’s.
Keep that real-time thesaurus open
You might be forced to swap a word out.

I feel my throat tighten
I do not even know why.
My mind and body play tug of war
As my vocal cords just seem to freeze.

Oh my God, that sounded so stupid
I knew exactly what I wanted to say.
But I could not get “that” word out
I feel robbed and belittled again today.

Good days and bad days
Why? -I don’t have a clue.
Some days it is almost unnoticeable
While on others, my defect takes center stage.
Share this with your friends!
Email
Post
Commitment

February 14th, 2024
Till death do us part
At least that is what it once was.
In sickness and in health
Unless one of us gets really sick.

I want to spend the rest of my life with you
Unless you change.
And if there is something I do not like
Well, we both have options.

What if I get tired of you?
Maybe you will get tired of me.
Forever is a long time
Why should we both stay?

What is true love anyway?
How do we know for sure?
Some say we are naive
And we might be missing something more.

But those greener pastures can lead to desert places
And freedom can be a very lonely place.
Commitment pays dividends for a lifetime
“We” are the investment that I have decided to make.

So let’s keep building this life together
I can’t wait to see where the adventure leads.
Let’s grow old together
I do not want “us” to ever end.

I will be stuck with you
Please say you’ll be stuck with me.
Life without you is unimaginable
That is how I know what true love means.
Share this with your friends!
Email
Post
A note to my younger self

February 10th, 2024
Oh young friend
Life seems so hard right now.
If only I could talk with you
To share that it will be okay.

You feel like you have no place to go
And you are lonely and frightened.
I am sorry that your friends rejected you
I am proud of you for walking away.

I honestly cannot imagine how you feel
If only you could see what I see.
There are vivid visions in your future
Hold on and press on, you are going to be okay.

Young friend, dream big
Dream as big as you possibly can
-then dream bigger.
Do not let days like today define you
One day my perspective will be yours.

Protect that soft heart, but keep it tender
Keep a wide-open mind and trust yourself.
Continue to ask the hard questions
Keep making different types of friends.

Be curious
Keep exploring.
Stand up for what is good and right
You are going to be just fine, I promise.
Share this with your friends!
Email
Post
The process

February 4th, 2024
Life is a process
There are no microwave ovens
There are no real shortcuts
Just trial and error, and trial

Life is a process
A never ending journey
A journey of sorrows
And a journey of love

Life is a process
A lesson about letting go
Letting go of those we love
And letting go of things that do not matter

Life is a process
An experience of feelings and emotions
Feelings that should not be numbed
Emotions that can easily derail us

Life is a process
A spiritual existence
A glorious mystical abstract of faith
Filled with doubt and wonder

Life is a process
Our very own silver screen
A mind game played in realtime
A logical puzzle with missing pieces

Life is a process
A reckoning with things that should not be
A prolonged exploration of all our faults
A winding path to reconciliation

Life is a process
The grand experiment of all things
With victories won by learning to fail
And the greatest achievements savored with others

Life is a process
The pathway to what really matters
Treasures earned by tears -blood, sweat and more tears
A never-ending discovery of all the beauty that surrounds us.
Share this with your friends!
Email
Post
Alone

February 4th, 2024
We were not created to be alone
Do not believe the lie
We were not… created to be alone
The solitary life lacks the richness of conflict and community.

We sacrifice community to avoid conflict
We give up relationship to avoid pain
We live with a void where love should have been cultivated
We endure our existence without the richness of having our hearts entangled with others.

Conflict tills the soil for authentic intimacy
Communing with others is messy and complicated and stressful and exhausting and fulfilling and life giving and beautiful
-when we toil together.

We make each other whole
Our differences… enhance our beauty
We were not created to be alone.
Do not believe the lie.
Share this with your friends!
Email
Post
something else

November 30th, 2023
Something else is in my spirit
Something else is in my soul
My mind yearns to know what “something else” is
A vision, hazy and out of reach out in the horizon.

Something else is in my spirit
Something else is in my soul
I am distracted by this “something else”
It tugs at me, pulling me towards things unknown.

Something else is in my spirit
Something else is in my soul
I fear where “something else” could lead me
I am uncomfortably comfortable and sense that there could be more.

Something new is in my spirit
Something new is in my soul
I ponder the possibilities of this new thing
Its origins stir deep within my core.

Something new is in my spirit
Something new is in my soul
My mind races to find the logic to solve this puzzle
While the answer lies beyond reason’s grasp.

Something else is in my spirit
Something else is in my soul
The seed of “something new” is forming
And I seek the patience to allow it to be born.
Share this with your friends!
Email
Post
The lost dream

November 28th, 2023
A poem about completion and healthy endings embodying Acceptance, Awareness and Action.

I had a dream.
A long gaze into the future
A vision of life and vibrant health
I had a dream, but it is lost.
That dream is no more.

I feel the loss, deep in my soul
Emptiness fills that space now
Uncertainty and fear attack my friends
I want to fight, but my resistance finds no ground
My heart yearns for the logic to blend my mind with reality.

Stillness, reflection and gratitude, these must light my way.
A journey with an unexpected ending is no less sacred.
It should be completed well, while honoring those who shared the path.
Then in this place, the seeds of future dreams can find fertile soil in my heart.
Share this with your friends!
Email
Post
The Mountain Tops

November 20th, 2023
We often covet the mountain top experience
With its picturesque view of the valley below
To live in the clouds
To achieve the dream
To lay claim to the victory
To stand in triumph at the top of the world.

But life lived on the mountain top is unsustainable
The air is cold and thin
The environment is often harsh and barren
And mountain tops can be -rather lonely
With their gorgeous views and deceptive perspectives
They are wonderful to visit, but do we really want to live there?

The valleys are where we find our purpose
Yes, the view is less enticing at lower altitudes
The ground must be prepared for seed
Rocks must be removed so crops can grow
Our hands become blistered from hard work
And unexpected floods or droughts can destroy all that we create.

But life is found in the valleys
Wildlife graze on lush green grasses
Houses are built that become homes
Community is stumbled upon, cultivated and then cherished
We labor together, grow together and dream together
Then as we look up toward those distant peaks, we discover the strength to embark on the next adventure.
Share this with your friends!
Email
Post
I have nothing to prove

November 13th, 2023
The truth is, I have nothing to prove.
What can I prove to you anyway?
Is it even worth the argument?
The sacrifice, the loss
Our relationship
No, it is not.
I have nothing to prove to you.

The truth is, I have nothing to prove.
What can I prove to the world anyway?
Are they even interested?
Do they even notice?
Why spent my life trying to prove things to those who don’t even care?
I would rather invest elsewhere
I have nothing to prove to this world.

The truth is, I have nothing to prove.
My enemies will always be, my enemies
Why are they my enemies anyway?
Maybe it was because I had something to prove
There has to be a better way…
Someone has to say -enough…
I have nothing to prove; I have no enemies.

The truth is, I have nothing to prove.
When will I be satisfied?
When will it ever be enough?
There will always be, the next mountain to climb
There will always be the “next thing”
And what has those “next things” already cost me?
I have nothing left to prove to myself.

The truth is, I have nothing to prove.
I have nothing to prove, but love.
I have nothing to prove, but friendship.
I have nothing to prove, but to be human.
I have nothing to prove, but to seek unity.
I have nothing to prove, but to rest.
I have nothing to prove, but to be me.
Share this with your friends!
Email
Post
Who I was

November 13th, 2023
Go, go, go
Think, think, think
Fight, fight fight
A brute force attack on life.

I can do anything
I can figure anything out
I can prove myself… to you, to all of you.
See, I did it.

Go, go, go
Think, think, think
Do, do, do
I really want to help.

I can fix things.
I can make things better
There is a better way,
If you would just listen to me.

Think, think, think
Do, do, do
Think, think, think
Fight, fight, fight
If I can just make it to the finish line, one more goal complete.

Think, think, think
Fight, fight, fight
Think, think, think
Think, think…
I am so tired.
Share this with your friends!
Email
Post
A Reflection of God

October 31st, 2023
God is watching out for me.
See, I did not get cancer
I must be doing something right
He loves me more than you.

God is watching out for me.
See, I avoided that awful traffic accident
He prompted me to go in a different direction
He protects me.

God is watching out for me.
See, I have no sinful addictions in my life
Never mind my pride, a few extra pounds or the delinquent loan on my SUV
He cares about me more than you.

God is watching out for me.
See, my path is anointed
Every step I take is ordered by the Lord
Agree with me and He’ll do the same for you.

God is watching out for me.
Don’t judge me by what I practice
Just listen to what I preach
Do as I say and you will be blessed just like me.

God is watching out for me.
See, my religion is pure and right
If you could just see things my way
He would love you just as much as He loves me.

God is watching out for me.
Wait! -there must be some mistake
Why did this terrible thing happen?
He must no longer be with me.

God is supposed to watch out for me.
Where did He go? What did I do wrong?
Things should be good when He is with me
God must no longer love me.
Share this with your friends!
Email
Post

Category: Poetry

Share this with your friends!

Share this with your friends!

Share this with your friends!

Share this with your friends!

Share this with your friends!

Share this with your friends!

Share this with your friends!

Share this with your friends!

Share this with your friends!

Share this with your friends!

Share this with your friends!

Share this with your friends!

Share this with your friends!

Share this with your friends!

Share this with your friends!

Share this with your friends!

Share this with your friends!

Share this with your friends!

Share this with your friends!

Share this with your friends!

Subscribe