Not even just last
night’s earthquake could wake me from
sweet dreams about you.

Finally receiving a medical
prognosis
feels sobering because my
health
will improve but only
after
I go under the
knife.

It means so
much
that you took
time
out of your
day
to check-in on
me
because in most
times
I'm merely an
afterthought
in other people's
minds.

From the
moment
I walked
into
the examining
room
and saw
all
the metal
implements
on a
tray,

my phobia
of
the dentist
took
over my
brain.

I keep
having
a recurring
dream
of traveling
far
away with
my
friends to
vacation
by the
beach,

I've now
developed
an acute
wanderlust.

Emotions were running
high
under the summer
sun,
but now I'm
glad
we didn't do
anything
to escalate the
tension
in that hot
car.

Don't keep
chasing
after people
who
go walking
past
you on
the
road of
life;

you aren't
journeying
to the
same
place they
are,

and in
time
you'll see
that's
a good
thing.

Periodically rest has
nothing
to do with
relaxation
sometimes it's an
act
of surrendering
to a situation
which you can
do so little
about.

A cracked
radiator
in your
car
is a
minor
setback, but
still

it keeps
us
from each
other;

and we're
lonely.

Today when your
car
started to over
heat
I stayed there
on
the side of
that
road until you
found
a ride back
home.

Don't forget to
send
me a postcard
from California;

because I need
you
to remind me
that one friend

out there
still wants
to keep in
touch.

This morning I
bought
both our pancake
breakfasts
to celebrate me
having
earned my learner's
permit,

soft and fluffy
discs
finally reaping my
reward.

Jordan could tell
from the first time
we met
there's something
different
about me,

she knew
under the
surface
I wasn't just
another average
guy;

which enabled me
to become
so much
more
than I once
was.

Never let someone
else's
feelings prevent you
from
living your own
truth;

emotions come and
go
but you've gotta
live
with who you
are.

I will
write
a personal
statement
defending your
testimony,
because I
won't
let bad
people
lie about
you.

Creating art
is
the closest
experience
I've felt
to
a spiritual
awakening.

Sometimes watching
films
that cause
you
to start
crying
offers much
needed
release of
sadness.

The green buds
are
ready to blossom
upon
this tree limb
just
in time for
spring.

In a
world
filled with
people
most of
them
are nothing
more
than just
strangers,

so when
you
do find
connection
with a  
person
forge it
like
pieces of
iron.

When large crowds
are
packed into tiny
spaces
I feel like
everybody
else is *******
up
all of the
oxygen,

and I can't
breathe.

Today I missed
going
out to eat
after
Sunday morning
church service
because that's when
I felt like a
member
of the
congregation.

Fretting about an imaginary
problem
is like a child
being
afraid of monsters hiding
in
the darkness of the
bedroom,
but you've got to
remember
simply turning on the
light
made all the boogeymen
go away.

Now, as an
adult,
just let the lightness
of
your inner being keep
you
from agonizing about pretend
crises.

I hope that our love
lasts longer than the ash off
of her cigarette.

Purchasing new
things
will only
buy
you temporary
happiness,
while also
emptying
your bank
account;

keep the
money
and be
satisfied
with your
savings.

God sent me a cleaning
crew
to help tidy up my
apartment,
at first, I felt they
were
invading my privacy but I
can't
argue with the results my
place
feels like it did back
when
I moved in, a brand-new
home.

When strangers
reach out
to me
on the internet
and try acting
like we’re so
familiar
with each other,
I feel
goosebumps.

Part of the reason
why
wounded people don't forgive
abusers
is because when they
turn
to their loved ones
for
validation, they're more concerned
with
pacifying the guilty, which
ultimately
keeps the pain alive
inside.

The next time a
tornado
blows past our house
I'm
taking you with me
into
the bathroom to stay
safe
from the giant swirling
vortex;

we won't get swept
away.

Just because I
treat
a woman with
kindness
doesn't mean I'm
interested
in her romanticly
it's
called basic human
decency
not falling in
love.

I'm not a
pet
hamster who keeps
on
running himself ragged
inside
of the spinning
wheel
that leads to
nowhere;

never stopping to
rest.

All these flower petals
may
have fallen for the
rest
of this winter, though
deep
within the buds will
be
ready to bloom come
spring,

you feel sad this
time
of the season but
reach
next, equinox, then you'll
be
prepared for happiness once
again.

Loners will often
inhabit
crowded spaces, not
engaging
with anyone because
they
still crave human
connection.

Going Christmas shopping you
worry
about lack of money
and
whether you'll buy the
right
presents for everyone; I've
found
out it's not the
price
tags that are sentimental
but
the thoughts and intentions
behind
gifts that resonate with
people.

Oh, what a
relief
I'll feel when
we
drive out of
town
kissing this place
goodbye.

This new
year
I resolve
to
poise myself
by
learning the
ancient
rituals of
shamans
to help
balance
my state
of
mind and
heart.

Anne's spirit now sits
upon
a dark cloud looking
down
bidding us a fond
farewell
her children of the
night.

I may sound harsh
but
I don't say anything
about
other people that I
wouldn't
speak directly to their
faces;

I'm not behind anyone's
back.

All these maintenance
men
within my apartment
feel
like alien intruders
probing
inside of my
home.

We had an
argument
with each other
just
last Friday afternoon,
over
the weekend we
were
separated, I calmed
down,
showing back up
this
Monday morning, he'd
forgotten
all about our
quarrel,
I'd forgiven him
of
his reproach, and
time
healed both our
wounds.

After our
conversation
I’m quite
glad
we can
speak
to each
other
without a
hint
of romance
between
us both
because
we only
need
to be
friends.

You smirked
because
I was
having
a bad
day,

why does
my
misfortune give
you
so much
pleasure?

Like a rushing sea
wave you can't stop a panic
attack from flowing.

Tidying up my
house
isn't just a
chore
it's a weekly
ritual
to cleanse my
home
of the negative
energy.

I'd like to
spend
some time with
nature
over the weekend
because
nothing calms me
down
more than the
feeling
of soft autumn
wind
rustling through the
trees.

We ate thanksgiving
dinner
in a tiny
diner
hashbrowns and scrambled
eggs,
we weren't following
tradition
but I'm grateful
for
any meal I
share
with someone like
you.

You didn't
appreciate
my sincere
apology
so I'm
withdrawing
all my
guilt,

you won't
forgive me
and I
don't care
anymore.

Driving around with
your
old buddy looking
for
some cold beer
is
the classic Friday
night.

Please just let
me
reassure you that
even
while wearing a
hairnet
on top your
head;

you're still the
prettiest
girl in my
eyes.

Today I
bought
a fresh outfit
because I was
finally ready
to tear-off
my tattered rags,
and try on
a brand new
me.

It's like I'm participating
in
a game of baseball
and
I've got to touch
bases
to remain in play;
you're
one of these bases
that
I touch to stay
safe.