Lit And On Fire

tones of grief, epitome of shame half-wrought notes : apology or blame throw the stone — regret — into the deep on the edge, the onset very steep share the baggage, every single weight but unload and shear before too late silent burden hears a lot and more scurrying like hares upon the floor steal the thunder and obscure the light slip them tales of fake and frigid might wipe the board clean; write it on a slate stale or recent; do not hesitate smile , go on like everything’s afloat keep it neat; there’s slime under the moat don’t be dour, sour from these limes   miles to go; there will be sleeping time

Feel free to judge me Go on, expose your heart Point your righteous finger If you really want to start Make your estimations Conjecture all you like In the end, it’s not my vocals Blaring on the mic Feel free to judge me You’re perfect, I presume Your character’s in order Is what I would assume Or maybe check the mirror For specks inside your eye Don’t worry ‘bout my vision I take care of my sight Feel free to judge me But keep it to yourself If I do not solicit Then I don’t need your help Respect is quite essential Like distancing and masks If I need your wisdom I would surely ask Feel free to judge me Or better yet, judge your own Look at your own demeanor And if at all you’ve grown I’m not your goodwill project Can’t read my heart and mind You do not know my story So don’t be rude; be kind Feel free to judge me I’m beloved by my Lord He will rightly defend me Be careful with your sword Do not do unto others What’s not been done to you...

Don’t think about it too much Just write your thoughts on the page as they come You know they’ve been piled up, scattered all over, and cooped up in your brain Let them out; let your mind breathe; give your thoughts more space Acknowledge everything that has been and release them Give your emotions exposure to the light of day Who knows what might come your way once you do You’ve thought about how much you’ve missed going to movies With friends like Archie, Mike, or one of the men you’ve mentored You’ve pondered about life perhaps not ever going back to what it used to be Certain that you do not want to revert to some of the old things Unsure of letting the others go You’ve thought about the utmost importance of times of solitude Especially when spent in the presence of God You’ve realized even more how valuable face-to-face interactions with people are The priceless moments you’ve invested into the lives of others way before all this happened And the future tim...

You go nowhere but move fast Spinning mildly you won't last Though attractive, quite a bore Round and round and nothing more You don't back down, not a chance Overcoming circumstance Quite aggressive and intense Often making not much sense You concur with all that's said Always nodding with your head One for all, for unity But then think of where you'll be You are languid now and then Eager for the where and when You're the bedrock for this thirst And at other times the worst You're the limit they can't pass You're a boundary that lasts Separating time from tide Marking where all should abide You are signal to a change Dropping old things isn't strange Little cooler but still warm Letting go has been your norm You're commanding to the eye All, it seems, intensifies Insulating, tough, and cool You're a fighter, not a fool You are random, you're aligned Each a trai...

It's cold and dim and no one really sees All that transpires inside this sphere Just a little patience and mercy, please While one deals with these anxious fears Some things flicker here and there But none too bright to rouse satiation These eyes have looked almost everywhere But none yet meets expectation Perpetually embracing an elusive muse Entangled in pursuit of distant dreams Hope fatigued but still in use Pushing forth through turgid streams Swirls of postulations hardly condense Indefinitely paused but intentionally ceased Someday when comes the recompense All tensions will be calmed, all fussing eased Peaks and valleys, highs and lows Nothing is stagnant, as everything moves Forward and onward: that's always the flow Survive then thrive, as all this will prove For now belief and stand reiterate Let seeing eye not be the only guide On truth and good and love meditate Stay on...

You are enough You do not need the superfluous trappings of fame Or the glare of a spotlight zeroed in on you You do not need thunderous applause to prop you up Because once that's gone, silence is all that's left You are enough You do not need people to hang on to your every word Or have droves at your beck and call; what for? You do not need the backing of the masses Just a few who truly want to walk and run with you You are enough You do not need to always be in control, or at all Or to know every single thing that happens around you You do not need to have your say in every situation Sometimes innocence and ignorance truly lead to bliss You are enough You do not need the fattest bank account in Zurich Or have five villas in Panchgani or Tamtattouchte You do not need to run after Aston Martins Because you are much more inestimable than that You are enough You do not need to have the highest paying job Or the ...

T-3 hours and counting Body fully parallel to the ground Almost eerily quiet; no sound Thoughts come flooding in; they're profound Of how I'd oft be lost and oft be found Recollections of cords that had me bound There was plenty of that to go around Errors were hammers; my soul to pound Their residue to this day still hounds For now allay them on this mound The others have in teardrops drowned Where once my smile was I have frowned But hope and promise now abound T-20 minutes and holding Eager to leave the world behind; this earthly blue The solid sphere of life that we all made of you A mix of good and bad and false and true Needing to live and breathe and thrive anew My mind meanders on someone that I formerly knew On things that we'd say and things that we'd do On how it all started and how it was all misconstrued On where it all led to and how we bid adieu Emotions still mixed and linger in different h...

Sit and listen, then listen and wait Two years ago you were only eight Back then just colors, so little care Your life so simple, from here to there Opened to music both of your ears Heart full of wonder, mind filled with fears Hindsight would say you were wide-eyed still Decades from now you will have your fill Five years on down you will be fifteen Taking the path of somebody's dream Not yet prepared for choosing a path Never prepared for Science and Math In over your head, drowning at best Trying to swim, yearning to find rest Be not afraid when failures betide They soon will to your own dreams be guide Eleven more years ahead in time You first heartbreak will not be sublime Gave all your heart, you were quite naive Emotions misled, feelings deceived Teardrops you shed will teach what you need Relationships hurt, bring pain indeed Yet you become wise from here on in Every end is a chance to begin And further ...

You cannot walk on until you take the first step You can't dive deep without first taking a breath You cannot set sail until you paddle and row You can't drive fast if you've nowhere to go You cannot climb heights if you're weighed down by fear You can't fully rejoice until you've shed some tears You cannot embrace until you've shaken the hand You can't have a harvest without working the land You cannot be free until you break off the chains You can't be familiar without facing the strange You cannot take a sip until you lift the cup You can't continue if you've not had enough You cannot fly kites without resisting the winds You can't truly lose until you know you can't win You cannot perspire without breaking a sweat You can't really bleed until you've got nothing left

There is a need for me to say "thank you" For things I've learned when I used to flank you I'll say them proudly, loudly and curtly I'm grateful for good times and those times you've hurt me Ms. Chief, we had some playful days together You stood by me for a season, in all sorts of weather The worst in me was game to you; the beast in me unchained We had to part ways or my life would in rudeness remain Ms. Take, I am grateful for every bit of correction Be it in word, in deed, or in secret affection I used to hate you sharply until you informed me Errors and failures -- they break me to form me Ms. Deed, we were thick as thieves when I was clueless I was naive; your immorality was newness You never told me my actions would bring aftermaths But I learned my lessons; had to leave you after that Ms. Nomer, enticed me to call things as they were not And urged me to label people without a second thought My love for words usurped and then corrupted Until frustratio...

I could be bitter But I want to be better I want to be still, abide Be left intact in Love's abode I could all your mistakes accent But you as mortal I accept I could begrudge your faulty quest But in my heart come be my guest I have in lowly tryst just waited Believing all my faith's not wasted I want to shout it in a whisper Because I need this woe to whimper I could exact in full revenge But I loathe hate as revenue I will in trust refuse the torment Because in comes a blessed torrent I will get by with smile and whistle Believing hostiles will somehow whittle I will protest in justice wordless But I in hope not be workless

Labels are fables that do not define Swagger and daggers, not fancies of mine Bludgeoned in dungeons, mistook for a swine All just because I was born as a guy "Swinger!" A ringer for my gender's sake Players and haters rub off their mistakes "Single, go mingle!" "Your smile must be fake." "It's 'cause you're a man!" Please give me a break! Tempests, the tempted go out on the prowl Hunting the hunted -- the damsels -- like fowl Using, abusing their strength with a scowl And I, a guy... should I throw in the towel? Handsome and then some: he must be a cad Silent and private: intentions are bad Friendly: he's deadly in deception clad This man wasn't raised that way by his dad! Yet truly and duly brothers have erred Eons of peons, and casual words Painted and tainted the masculine herd I am just a guy enlightened and stirred Paltry, a small tree of all the King's men Tepid, intrepid again and again Weighted, sedated no...

Numbers account for the things one can see People and structures and college degrees Hours of practice and money amassed Different metrics of one's own success Estates don't state what is of great import Property ventures and assets to sort Climbing the ladder society scales Fame is not character; pomp is for sale World, would you stop? Don't define me by stats Flow charts and pie graphs and ven diagrams Polls are just popular, not always right Figures disfigure the joy in one's life Status pursued, in a moment, will pass Treasures, like life, are just fleeting at best Glittering gold is not nearly as dear As years spent in peace, in absence of fear Not in the quantity, many, a lot But in the meaningful, few and less-sought Not hard to find but one does have to look All is laid out, it's inside the Good Book Faithful consistency measures the heart It's in the finish and not how one starts As you ke...