The tram

Sometimes, it feels like I'm stuck on the tram
While everyone else has cars
I'm on my rails, on my path
While they can navigate by the stars

If I want, I can stop
Get out, stretch, see the view
But then it's back inside
Doing the loop I always do

I have days where nothing happens
And the scenery's the same
Then I'm taken a new road
Without reason or aim

And I know it's melodramatic
When I stop, and think, I'm blessed
I know that I'm not stuck
There's nuances I haven't addressed

But some day I hope to look up
Consider how I feel
And be 100% certain
That I'm holding the wheel

Binary Goodbyes

When I was younger, everyone I knew
Could fit, if pushed, inside a classroom at school
Most of those people, I saw every single day
People who were close to me in every single way

Then slowly, my world expanded 
It grew and grew and grew
I never really planned it
But as it grew I said goodbye to people too

Now all the people that I know are stretched all around the world
Some people I'll may see again as fate's path unfurls
But you could ask why do you keep doing this? Making new friends?
Why do you keep persisting in meeting people if you'll just leave them in the end?

Well. God's given me a life and he's given me a lot of love
He's blessed me, invested in me, and that should be enough
But I'm still growing and I'm still showing what it is to be alive
And I'm doing that with the support of many people who make me strive

I strive to be as kind as you, and be reminded of you in the way I act
The physically distant are still encoded in who I am and that's a fact
So even for the sad goodbye for those I may never meet again
I remember from having met you that I will never be the same

But one day, in another world, I would still like everyone to gather
To share with you stories that make you both happier and sadder
Because sharing with distant friends always makes me delighted
Recollecting what we became with the spark you once ignited

And though it is the case our paths lead in different ways
I'm grateful if we shared years, or if we shared days
So let us not focus on goodbyes and time apart
Instead, be thankful for time together that we hold forever in our heart

***

Inspired by 1011010100101000 by Jonny 5 + Yak

Passive Listener

I am not a passive listener
I am not a passive learner
I do not deal well with sitting still
Putting thoughts on the backburner

I want to be a part
Of whatever story you are telling
Even if that's just "uh-huh"s and "yeah"s
And one-off interjecting

If I am not engaged
My thoughts will lose control
If you offer a stray thread
I will unravel it whole

And though my tapestry is enriched
With those threads that weave and turn
That I lose the teller's tale
Is a sadness I actively had to learn

So don't let me be passive
In the truth you're trying to tell
Engage me in your journey
So we can share a tapestry as well

Suzie's Wedding Poem

 Dear Suzie and Kyle

It is tradition, on such a momentous event as today
To honour you with an old and tired cliché
Letting you know that I think the pair of you make the most lovely set
But mainly letting you know that I can use the internet

However. You are a unique special couple and we live in unique special times 
So it would not be fitting to trouble you with overused and overtired rhymes
As an example, a truth that everyone here can hold with us wherever we go
Is that we are utterly certain that we rank within the top 15 to 30 people you know

So as you move from the world of fiancés and spouses-to-be
Into the future of "My partner and me" 
I'm not going to joke about how it's now too late to run
Or how you're going to need permission to go out and have fun

Honestly, I consider it a shame
To refer to a loving partner as "the ol' ball and chain"
Because you seem happy with this choice in life
So, instead, here's a celebration of this new husband and wife

To Kyle, it is an honour to welcome you to the family
To have yet another older brother with hair a different colour to me
I welcome your jokes and your good humour too
I look forward to making future memories with you

To Suzie. Ah Suzie, special sister of mine.
Here's a one-time apology for all the many times I was an irritating younger brother and made you whine
I'm thankful for the creativity we've shared with each other
Genuinely, Suzie, I am thankful to be your brother

To the both of you, I wish you more than just a fantastic day
I wish you the strength to support each other over any hardships that come your way
Be unashamedly in love all future years
Reinforce each others' hopes, tackle each others' fears

Be loving and open, as I know you can be
Best wishes from me and the rest of the family
Share love. Share adventures. Always, share a smile.
As you go forth from this day as one pair, as Suzie and Kyle

Unironically Woke

Here is a statement that might confuse some folk
I, unironically, will call myself woke
And I'm not being performative or hiding schemes
I just believe in what the word actually means

Being "woke" seems like classic young person slang
It's lit, it's peng, you get me fam?
And it is a hip word, I know that's true
But being woke is an important concept too

It captures an idea we've needed for a while
And what "woke" represents hopefully wont go out of style
It's an awareness, alertness, to injustices on Earth
An awareness of privilege you've had since birth

But, because the word is non-white in origin
It's mocked by those who are lacking in melanin
Not realising that their aversion to this aspect of black speech
Is exactly why wokeness is an important mindstate to reach

Because the extra barriers to serious discussions
Around wokeness have big repercussions
We'd rather not discuss the impact of colonialism today
So instead we'll focus on how woke is a funny word to say

If this is you, I'd ask you to take a step back
Focus on the idea, ignore that the word is black
Try to ignore the ad hominems that are so easy to tell
And ask yourself honestly if you might be woke as well