Upon Waking

People are too concerned about people. So distracted are we by our differences that we've been overlooking our similarities.

So what makes us similar? What connects us to one another?

It is the Life Force. And the light force is driven by love.

These days, it seems people are afraid of love. Afraid to show compassion. Afraid to admit when they're wrong. Afraid to forgive. Afraid to say something. Afraid to do something.

Our world is riddled with fear. We are surrounded by signs that tell us "NO." We are fed prejudice and racism through advertisements and media. We have been conditioned; conditioned to live through a reality based on fear.

Fear of growing old.
Fear of having less.
Fear of being left behind.
Fear of being overlooked.
Fear of not being listened to.
Fear of being harmed.
Fear of being alone.
Fear of being honest.

Yes, it is dark.
But before there was light, there was darkness.
And before there was darkness, there was light.

Remember, your life experience is unique.
Remember that you are special.
Remember that you can do anything. Remember that you always have a family.
Remember you always have a home. Remember that you always have an opportunity to express love.
Remember to share your insights.
Remember to be honest.
Remember to share your best moments. Remember to listen.
Remember to learn.
Remember your personal standards.

Expect nothing - always be surprised.
Respect everything and everyone - this is a lifestyle.
Project your positives - make your happiness known.
Live through creativity.
Create new solutions.
Help others heal.
Be generous.
See the good in others.
Always be who you want to be.
Share and share often.
Teach what you've learned.
Show others how to improve.
Communicate effectively.
Be wise.
Be clever.
Be charming.

These are essential elements of the Life Force. When practiced and combined a certain energy is created.
I refer to this creation as positivity.

For every negative, there is a greater positive. And for every greater positive there is a greater negative. This is the balance of our universe.

What I find particularly beautiful about this arrangement of circumstance is the fact that positivity will always have the advantage.

And that is because all occurrences that we perceive to be negative or harmful are only moments away from leading each of us to something better, greater, and of healing.

So be concerned if you want. Delve into issues of race, territorial bounds, the rising cost of living, and gentrifications.

Or, create the life you want by maintaining focus on positive outcomes. Create by focusing on the good of today, of right now.
Sustain your ability to create and express love.

Your soul will thank you for it.
And you will thank your soul.

I've scribbled out expectations all over this place

with woes and foes and troubles twisting my face

Everything I see is doubled, tripled, or bent

I make a little money, but my job keeps me spent

I've had a few lovers, some of my best memories

But when I open up to my friends it's all complaining

What happens next? I wish I had a summary

Or at least a place to stay cool 'neath this summer heat

Made a few new friends, inherited a family

People that I love to see and cherish inherently 

One whispered my name and passed a note to me

It was an invitation for a lunch meet and greet

Still, I was troubled because the girl I'd been seeing

Was conjuring strong feelings, but my feelings were fleeing

We were a match made on Tinder with a solid first date

And though she was lovely, I still loved my last mate

Whom happened to call me one day at the lake.

She told me she was ready to put it all away

Her  counselor said this, and her counselor said that

I told her that I missed her and wanted her back

She agreed it was worth it, we'd give it another try

But I now I think she's with some other guy

I try to stay cool when females get me tripping

So my pipe remains lit, my paint steadily dripping

They say 

"face your fears" but,

maybe it's time

to start facing

what makes us

courageous

Glimmer

There's a glimmer out on the Bay

A golden light nearly lost in the haze

I come out here to recall my day,

to recall the present as it is happening

Feline Professors

A cat will teach you forgiveness.

Pair or More

Two is a pair

A couple is two

Any more than that

Call it a few

Cerulean Dream / The Name of a Poet

I was her passenger

on a dark blue freeway.

"I want your last name."

"Really? ...but, why?"

"Because it sounds better. It's cool.

It would just look good on my work."

"On you're writing, you mean?"

"Yea! I could carry on the name.

Whenever I publish something

your name will be there, too.

You know?"

I was baffled by her proposal, but

more so of her ambiguous enthusiasm,

the seriousness of her tone,

the earnest of desire.

As she steered the old Corolla

around muted blue bends,

a dusty sky churned behind

ashy blue mountains.

I glanced over at her.

She had that subtle smirk of hers,

a purple tank top,

her skin softly aglow.

All around was a cerulean shade

save for the flicker

of indicative red lights

"I guess I just don't understand.

You only want my name?"

Pressing on the pedal

she bent her smile

and quietly 

burned down the Caldecott 

Tell me, what harbored soul

is able is rise from the depths

of fear, uncertainty, and insecurity

just as the Sun rises everyday

with grace and ardor?

Who then has the capacity

to undo all the tars and cancers

writhing and twisting within?

Who can unwind the vines

of the lessons that taught

self torment, quiet suffering,

endless stress, and solemness?

Does one ever reach the final end

to any one and to all questions?

#respect

It's true, my sensitivities get the better of me

I get twisted like a damp rag and everything

stagnant rushes out and whirlpools round

before being flushed away, down the drain

So, sorry for the shitty attitude, but something

about coffee runs after nine o-clock

offsets my trust module and I begin to

question everything over and over, again and again

And pardon me for being confrontational

It's just that I did take it personal

when our collaborations went missing, but
not before you twice forgot to mention my name

Fossils

She's still a mystery

  And on those rare occurrences

when fate guides our crossing paths

I fall silent in her eyes

and a thousand winds wrestle my spine

perhaps it is the peak of mountainous love

piercing upwards through the fog

or simply a strong nervous laugh

who got lost along the way

I admire her bravery

In living life and in love

images of her kiss

are imprinted in my thoughts

much like fossils

of our prehistoric love

On Becoming A Man

I have a need to be a man.

A tacit yearning to conquer the self

I have a need to be clean

in my body, in my spirit, in my mind.

I have a need to love the way I want to be loved

so that I wont feel alone

and that I may become whole

through the vitality of love.

Through a series of enlightenment

I now see much more clearly
that every strength, every weakness observed

is an observation on me. 

Every critical remark or thought

aimed in any one direction

reflects back directly on me. 

So I ask for forgiveness 

I ask for permission
that I may always be in motion

always moving towards brighter days

alive with brighter thoughts 

and emboldened with broader
considerations.