Ownership

Say it.

Say it out loud.

It doesn't have to be
Voluminous and vociferous,

But put it out there nonetheless.

Say it. 

You've been hiding.

It's ok.

You needed protection.

But that bandage isn't helping anymore

And the old wound is festering.

Air it out.

Let the light in.

Shake out the dust;

Get rid of the mould. 

It's time to move forward.

Time to grow.

It's painful.

And uncomfortable

But that's how it goes.

It is necessary and needful

And it will heal you.

So go ahead and say it.
Say it out loud.

Take the power back;

It's your time now.

After the Storm

Everybody talks about

How they want a love that's strong,

Then there was you

And I knew I'd found the one.

We were so good together

Whether we were making plans,
Laughing or talking about the weather.

Yours was a love I never wanted to end

But in life you never know

What's waiting round the next bend.

Our story's over;

You sleep in clover

Beneath the smiling sun.

In some way,

I think I had to pay

For having known so much perfection.

So while you feed the flowers,

I while away the hours

In self contempt.

As I gaze up at the moon, 

I feel certain that soon

The pain will all be spent;

The light will fill the space

Where in solitude I've dwelt

And prove that thing to be true
Which I have always felt:

That in getting to know you
 I have been bountifully blessed.

Worn

Barren earth where nothing grows,

Till the soil with hoe and plow.

Still no change appears over all the long, wide acres;

The hard, parched earth will nothing yield

Though coaxed and flattered and cajoled.

Set gaze to roam across the land,

And scout hill and meadow and field,

The wells are dry for lack of rain.

And though you try to dig it out,

Water is scarce in this relentless drought.

Fruit my fertile mind no longer bears

In honour of the farmer’s diligent work

Or in payment for his tireless years.

Now only fizzled out neurons

Are left to light the dark.

The tension and tiresome dither

Have proved treacherous to the tree

Which stands alone and withered.

Hands were held aloft to take,

And never did put back

A word of thanks or pretense of aid.

No fertilizer was ever laid

To enrich the giver,

Nor water applied to thirsty root,

Or sprayed on leaf or flower.

In this time of dearth

When there is neither death nor birth,

I watch in silence for a drop-

A sign to bring this to a stop.

Still no answer comes from cloudless vault;

No pearl of dew to soothe xerotic spirit

Lost in agonizing, pining guilt and fault.

So I lie down and cease to resist,

A listless pawn of fate

Letting dreary days drag on

Whilst others fight

And I am worn.

Hypothetically Speaking

What if I stopped trying to hide

And simply let go of my folly and pride?

What if today were the day

I gave up on the games

And stopped being so preoccupied with issues of shame?

What if I stopped trying so hard

And simply let go and let God?

What if today were the day

All your dreams came true?

Would it be worth all the things you had to go through?

What if you found out

You only had hours to live,

Would you still be proud of all the things you did?

What if you lost the thing

You've been holding on to with all your might,

Would you still have the courage to plod on and fight?

What if after all the years 

Of being adamant and headstrong,

We suddenly woke up to find we were wrong?

What if we gave our best

Even when the way got rough,

And found that our best was not good enough?

What if we had all the answers,

Would we still have questions?

And if we had no questions,

Could we still learn life's lessons?

What if we abandoned all lies

And lived only for truth

Would we be humble enough 

To accept the truth about me and you?

What if we stopped being enemies

And tried to be friends

Would the time we had left suffice to make full amends?

What if you were me and I were you

Do you think we each could walk a whole mile in the other's shoe?