Now once a upon a time but many more times too
There lived a hero, let me introduce him to you
He stands, strong and blond and 6 foot 2.
An image of perfection, Yes, I hate him too.
Yet you can't hate him too long, he's everyone's friend
You, like everyone, will come to love him in the end
After all, he's just so easy to comprehend
You know what he'll do, on that you can depend
Sometimes, just sometimes, he'll be his own man
He'll divert radically from the well thought out plan
And when he does that, be as far away as you can
Unless you enjoy a ride in a nice, black, sedan
However, he doesn't know his strength, he has never been tested
As he has never been in battle, he has never been bested
But he's ready for the fight - after all, his whole life he's been rested
So listen up, because his story is one in which it's worth being invested
4 August 2014
1 August 2014
Story: In which our story has a Prologue
There are a lot of tales in this world.
But not that many actually worth listening to,
And far fewer worth retelling.
Particular for those whose business it is to do so.
Myself, I knew a tale or two I think you'd retell.
But which one, which one to chose?
Hmm, I apologise, but a few seconds are needed.
The choice of which story to allow to the world is not one to take lightly.
Let's see. I can't tell that one. Not if you want to sleep tonight.
And *this* one?
No. The wounds haven't yet healed.
But, wait, this story right here? Hmm.
I guess I could. But you must promise to be careful with it.
Now, get yourself comfortable.
Because, this world right now is to be one
In which a story is told.
My theme for this month is to write a story. However, like most people, I'm scared of big chunks of text. But, I also want time to explore the story properly. So, rather than my usual weekly updates, I'm going to be updating 2/3 times a week with a provisional 4 stanza maximum.
I don't know where this story is going to go, but it's going to be fun finding out. Let's go for a ride.
My theme for this month is to write a story. However, like most people, I'm scared of big chunks of text. But, I also want time to explore the story properly. So, rather than my usual weekly updates, I'm going to be updating 2/3 times a week with a provisional 4 stanza maximum.
I don't know where this story is going to go, but it's going to be fun finding out. Let's go for a ride.
30 July 2014
Age: This Tree
It's 1900, and the seed, carried by the wind from its parent, finally finds a home in the soil and take route.
It's 1901, Queen Victoria has just died.
The British empire spans most of the globe.
The first Nobel prize is awarded.
The tree is one years old, and not very tall.
It's 1914, World War is declared.
The entirety of the world is up in arms.
Humanity gambles with its own extinction for the first time
The tree is 14 years old, and the tree has leaves.
It's 1945, The second World War is ended
Humanity enters a cold war of fear
A global mindset is present in all
And the tree is nearly a half century old.
It's 1969, Humanity lands on the moon
It reaches up above the sky
And climbs even higher
The tree is 69 years old, and has just climbed above the canopy.
It's 2000, Humanity celebrates a Millennium
Celebrates surviving y2k, a bug of it's own design
And celebrates the advances of a century
The tree is 100 years old, and still standing tall
It's 2014. A young boy comes across a tree among many
The tree was here before him, and will be here after him
The world has moved fast around it
But, just for now, this part of humanity stops to rest with the tree.
It's 1901, Queen Victoria has just died.
The British empire spans most of the globe.
The first Nobel prize is awarded.
The tree is one years old, and not very tall.
It's 1914, World War is declared.
The entirety of the world is up in arms.
Humanity gambles with its own extinction for the first time
The tree is 14 years old, and the tree has leaves.
It's 1945, The second World War is ended
Humanity enters a cold war of fear
A global mindset is present in all
And the tree is nearly a half century old.
It's 1969, Humanity lands on the moon
It reaches up above the sky
And climbs even higher
The tree is 69 years old, and has just climbed above the canopy.
It's 2000, Humanity celebrates a Millennium
Celebrates surviving y2k, a bug of it's own design
And celebrates the advances of a century
The tree is 100 years old, and still standing tall
It's 2014. A young boy comes across a tree among many
The tree was here before him, and will be here after him
The world has moved fast around it
But, just for now, this part of humanity stops to rest with the tree.
24 July 2014
Age: My Dad is Old
In case you weren't aware, my Dad is old.
It's not his, fault. He's been old since I was born.
But back then he was only old.
Now he's old. Like, he's now nearly 50 old.
And, even though I haven't been around for much of it,
I feel like I added at least half of those myself.
Multiply that by 3 extra siblings,
And you might finally understand how my Dad is wiser and wearier than his years.
Alright, let me back up a bit.
My oldest brother was born when my Dad was two years from my present
And three years past from my brother right now
So maybe he wasn't always so old.
But he's certainly old right now.
Despite his love of Pixar
Despite the way he acts around cats
And, well, ok, maybe he doesn't act *that* old.
Wait, what am I saying?
Ok, let me get on solid ground.
My Dad has been old throughout my life, and, from what I can tell, all of his too.
But that isn't the only thing he's been
He's been a constant force of motivation
While allowing me the freedom to pursue routes he may not think best.
He's been there to guide my taste in books
Even while not being 100% at guiding my taste in music
He's helped encourage me to think for myself
He's been concerned for me, and helped me (sometimes) be concerned for myself
He's been there for meals, even when he's been busy
And, though I hate to admit it, he is rather good at puns.
In short, he's been the old person I needed in my life
Even though I realise now he's had to learn to be old as we go
And though I may slowly be reaching an age to pretend to be old myself
He will always be, my old man.
Happy 50th Dad,
Love Harry (the youngest one).
It's not his, fault. He's been old since I was born.
But back then he was only old.
Now he's old. Like, he's now nearly 50 old.
And, even though I haven't been around for much of it,
I feel like I added at least half of those myself.
Multiply that by 3 extra siblings,
And you might finally understand how my Dad is wiser and wearier than his years.
Alright, let me back up a bit.
My oldest brother was born when my Dad was two years from my present
And three years past from my brother right now
So maybe he wasn't always so old.
But he's certainly old right now.
Despite his love of Pixar
Despite the way he acts around cats
And, well, ok, maybe he doesn't act *that* old.
Wait, what am I saying?
Ok, let me get on solid ground.
My Dad has been old throughout my life, and, from what I can tell, all of his too.
But that isn't the only thing he's been
He's been a constant force of motivation
While allowing me the freedom to pursue routes he may not think best.
He's been there to guide my taste in books
Even while not being 100% at guiding my taste in music
He's helped encourage me to think for myself
He's been concerned for me, and helped me (sometimes) be concerned for myself
He's been there for meals, even when he's been busy
And, though I hate to admit it, he is rather good at puns.
In short, he's been the old person I needed in my life
Even though I realise now he's had to learn to be old as we go
And though I may slowly be reaching an age to pretend to be old myself
He will always be, my old man.
Happy 50th Dad,
Love Harry (the youngest one).
18 July 2014
When it's not just the news
There's a lot of static in modern day life
On a frequency that we just don't tune to
But we catch little snippets and sentences
But don't usually focus long enough to realise
That's how it is for the news for me
I'll catch a story every once in a while
But the rest of the time it's just static
Impersonal. Uninteresting. Irrelevant.
"Today a young man in Liverpool went....Kids today I swear....The average taxpayer can expect....Exciting change in number ten....9 Britons died today.....The church of England has radical new policies....We'll bring you more on this as it happens".
And usually, I don't listen in for more.
Usually, it means nothing to me
Usually I'm quite content to let it happen
Because usually it doesn't affect me.
Until I find out it does. That it does affect me.
That it shouldn't. That statistically, I was safe.
That numbers and percentages are so small, they could be ignored
But some days, the numbers just aren't small enough.
I had a friend die in the MH17 Malaysia airlines plane crash.
I wasn't his closest friend. Even though it hurts, I wont be hurting the most from this.
There are people right now who need prayers and sympathy more than me
And I am going to give the every ounce of it I can muster.
I still feel pain. I know he was a good guy. I knew his smile.
Suddenly the news, read and written by people I will never meet becomes *the* most relevant thing in my life.
"Why aren't they mentioning him?" "Why are they talking about him, let him be".
I've read more news today than I have in a long time.
Because today, those statistics they're talking about, aren't just statistics.
Those statistics mean way more than they ever normally could.
Those statistics mean close friends of mine are crying, are sad, need someone to listen to them.
Today those statistics mean a friend has died.
God bless. To all of you, but to one guy especially.
On a frequency that we just don't tune to
But we catch little snippets and sentences
But don't usually focus long enough to realise
That's how it is for the news for me
I'll catch a story every once in a while
But the rest of the time it's just static
Impersonal. Uninteresting. Irrelevant.
"Today a young man in Liverpool went....Kids today I swear....The average taxpayer can expect....Exciting change in number ten....9 Britons died today.....The church of England has radical new policies....We'll bring you more on this as it happens".
And usually, I don't listen in for more.
Usually, it means nothing to me
Usually I'm quite content to let it happen
Because usually it doesn't affect me.
Until I find out it does. That it does affect me.
That it shouldn't. That statistically, I was safe.
That numbers and percentages are so small, they could be ignored
But some days, the numbers just aren't small enough.
I had a friend die in the MH17 Malaysia airlines plane crash.
I wasn't his closest friend. Even though it hurts, I wont be hurting the most from this.
There are people right now who need prayers and sympathy more than me
And I am going to give the every ounce of it I can muster.
I still feel pain. I know he was a good guy. I knew his smile.
Suddenly the news, read and written by people I will never meet becomes *the* most relevant thing in my life.
"Why aren't they mentioning him?" "Why are they talking about him, let him be".
I've read more news today than I have in a long time.
Because today, those statistics they're talking about, aren't just statistics.
Those statistics mean way more than they ever normally could.
Those statistics mean close friends of mine are crying, are sad, need someone to listen to them.
Today those statistics mean a friend has died.
God bless. To all of you, but to one guy especially.
Age: A pre-mid-life crisis
So, here's the thing. I'm just at the stage in my life where
my decisions have just a bit more impact than I'm comfortable with. That what I
decide to do now may just end up affecting the rest of my life. And, well,
that's not the easiest thing in the world for me to deal with.
In a pre-mid-life crisis
The best advice
is to try not to panic and shout
So get on my page
As I preach from the stage
to tell you what it's all about
Time is a finite resource
So, quick! Decide your course
with what you've learnt already somehow
But each day you are given
Yet another decision
which will decide your life from now
Is your lust for money shameless
Do you want to be famous
and maybe end up in Hollywood
Do you want to make an impact
Or just live with the fact
you don't know what to do in adulthood
So now you are stressed
And I have to say I'm impressed
that you've held together thus far
So just take a quick break
Before you make a mistake
and I will try to make it seem less bizarre
Don't be scared to wander
To discover and ponder
and change course wherever you may desire
Uncertainty is no sin
And you are not caged in
unless you decide to create your own barbed wire
9 July 2014
Age: To which I belong
It was not a pretty conclusion I came to
But I had to concede that it was true
That I am a product of this day and age
That I didn't write the book of which I make my page
It really was painful to realise
That I would view the world with different eyes
That, were I born a hundred years prior
Being offended at misogyny would make me a liar
Were I in a different place and time,
I would most likely think slavery were not a crime
I might be homophobic, and I might be a soldier
No, this was not a nice realisation to shoulder
I may not have been these things of course
There are those in history who stood up to this force
But they were exceptional, and far from the rule
I must accept that, I most likely, would have been a fool
So now, if chatting with a gentleman of a different era
If he makes an off-colour jest I don't shout his error
I don't condone, or condemn, but try to understand
While letting him know why the joke didn't go as planned
For one day I to may be making jest at fault
Not realising my utterances as pure insult
I will try not to, for this is my crime
I, like most of us, am just a man of my time.
But I had to concede that it was true
That I am a product of this day and age
That I didn't write the book of which I make my page
It really was painful to realise
That I would view the world with different eyes
That, were I born a hundred years prior
Being offended at misogyny would make me a liar
Were I in a different place and time,
I would most likely think slavery were not a crime
I might be homophobic, and I might be a soldier
No, this was not a nice realisation to shoulder
I may not have been these things of course
There are those in history who stood up to this force
But they were exceptional, and far from the rule
I must accept that, I most likely, would have been a fool
So now, if chatting with a gentleman of a different era
If he makes an off-colour jest I don't shout his error
I don't condone, or condemn, but try to understand
While letting him know why the joke didn't go as planned
For one day I to may be making jest at fault
Not realising my utterances as pure insult
I will try not to, for this is my crime
I, like most of us, am just a man of my time.
2 July 2014
Age: To be young again
I don't want to be young again.
I don't want to be young again,
because I try not to forget there were bad things about being young
To have to still be doing work I don't care for
To still be embarrassed about not getting drunk
To be ashamed to develop talents
To have to relive teenage mood swings
To not yet be really thinking for myself.
Yeah, I don't really want to be young again,
because I'd have to undo so much of my life
I'd have to unmeet so many good friends
To respend all those hours working hard
To have to forget so many memories
To be bored for all those hours
While I may not have a spare moment these days, I think I like it that way
Because, honestly, the reason I don't want to be young again
Is because, even though I know 21 is still young, when I start wanting to be younger, I stop wanting to get older
If I feel like my best days are behind me
If I add a rose-tinted filter to all days past
Then I would probably stop trying right now.
Part of me does want to be young again
But much more of me wants to find out what happens next.
I don't want to be young again,
because I try not to forget there were bad things about being young
To have to still be doing work I don't care for
To still be embarrassed about not getting drunk
To be ashamed to develop talents
To have to relive teenage mood swings
To not yet be really thinking for myself.
Yeah, I don't really want to be young again,
because I'd have to undo so much of my life
I'd have to unmeet so many good friends
To respend all those hours working hard
To have to forget so many memories
To be bored for all those hours
While I may not have a spare moment these days, I think I like it that way
Because, honestly, the reason I don't want to be young again
Is because, even though I know 21 is still young, when I start wanting to be younger, I stop wanting to get older
If I feel like my best days are behind me
If I add a rose-tinted filter to all days past
Then I would probably stop trying right now.
Part of me does want to be young again
But much more of me wants to find out what happens next.
26 June 2014
Labour: Labour without gain
This is dedicated to labour without gain
To labouring with pain
Even as it all still feels the same
And going on sans shame
With neither result nor fame
To the psychiatrist, trying day after day
To cure a patient, to get through some way
To the teacher working to break though to a kid
Even if just trying the same thing they already did
To the benched athlete, trying to improve their skill
To the struggling painter who is painting still
To the addict trying to attend rehab again
Yes this is dedicated to labour without gain
For it's the labour without gain, that leads to success
It's when you know you're fighting for nothing and finally confess
That's when you're free, to labour on and on
Because that labour may have been for something all along
To labouring with pain
Even as it all still feels the same
And going on sans shame
With neither result nor fame
To the psychiatrist, trying day after day
To cure a patient, to get through some way
To the teacher working to break though to a kid
Even if just trying the same thing they already did
To the benched athlete, trying to improve their skill
To the struggling painter who is painting still
To the addict trying to attend rehab again
Yes this is dedicated to labour without gain
For it's the labour without gain, that leads to success
It's when you know you're fighting for nothing and finally confess
That's when you're free, to labour on and on
Because that labour may have been for something all along
18 June 2014
Off Topic: Last Words
There's a mythology around last words
They supposedly have more impact than all others
The parting imprint we impart on those about to depart
Whether they're the last words of life or last words to an ex-lover
How can a few words sum up
All the experiences that have gone before
Whenever I've found myself saying last words
I always want just a few last words more
Right now, I want to talk about and to each one of you
In turn, saying how you've made my time here unique
How you've encouraged, supported, assisted me and all others
And helped one another when someone's struggling that week
This community of individuals is simply outstanding
The time you've all sacrificed to help others go far
The things we've done, the people we've known
These are the things that define who we are
I don't know what my last words are gonna be
But know that my last words to you are simply this
I hope these are not my last words to you.
Don't grow old without me. I love you all. There's not one of you that I'm not gonna miss
context: this is the poem I wrote and performed for a valediction service (normal language - leavers assembly) for the people in my year who were leaving.
They supposedly have more impact than all others
The parting imprint we impart on those about to depart
Whether they're the last words of life or last words to an ex-lover
How can a few words sum up
All the experiences that have gone before
Whenever I've found myself saying last words
I always want just a few last words more
Right now, I want to talk about and to each one of you
In turn, saying how you've made my time here unique
How you've encouraged, supported, assisted me and all others
And helped one another when someone's struggling that week
This community of individuals is simply outstanding
The time you've all sacrificed to help others go far
The things we've done, the people we've known
These are the things that define who we are
I don't know what my last words are gonna be
But know that my last words to you are simply this
I hope these are not my last words to you.
Don't grow old without me. I love you all. There's not one of you that I'm not gonna miss
context: this is the poem I wrote and performed for a valediction service (normal language - leavers assembly) for the people in my year who were leaving.
 |
| Picture made in 2022. I could have made this neater, but it honestly felt fitting to have it as it is. |
12 June 2014
Labour: Keep Working
I'm stuck in a rut, and this rut is sticky
No signs of escape to roads out of this city
I'm just paying my dues from a bankrupt account
Struggling to earn enough capital letters to spell it out
This repetition has become it's own deja vu
A copy of a copy of not knowing what to do
So I'm though. I'm not gonna take it no more.
Wait, did you like that? Let me do an encore.
I'm sick to death of this illness
Viruses up to my irises yet I'm not feeling fulfillness
So I'll fill myself with whatever facts I feel belong
Did you know that what you know is known to be wrong
I find comfort in that, so I settle down in an armchair
Made of whatever nice half-truths that I happened to find there
I lay them around me as a protective thought
So you can try to batter through while I cook you up a treat
You'd better not harden up else you wont take the heat
I kidding of course,
Let me open up a discourse,
I've been working tough,
But I think I've worked enough,
So if you'll humour me
And wait patiently
I've got one last job to do
Until I break through...
No signs of escape to roads out of this city
I'm just paying my dues from a bankrupt account
Struggling to earn enough capital letters to spell it out
This repetition has become it's own deja vu
A copy of a copy of not knowing what to do
So I'm though. I'm not gonna take it no more.
Wait, did you like that? Let me do an encore.
I'm sick to death of this illness
Viruses up to my irises yet I'm not feeling fulfillness
So I'll fill myself with whatever facts I feel belong
Did you know that what you know is known to be wrong
I find comfort in that, so I settle down in an armchair
Made of whatever nice half-truths that I happened to find there
I lay them around me as a protective thought
So you can try to batter through while I cook you up a treat
You'd better not harden up else you wont take the heat
I kidding of course,
Let me open up a discourse,
I've been working tough,
But I think I've worked enough,
So if you'll humour me
And wait patiently
I've got one last job to do
Until I break through...
4 June 2014
Labour: Dreams
When I dream, I dream of stars and rainbows.
I dream of flying to distant lands and fighting pirates
I dream of worlds I don't live in.
I live here, why would I dream about it as well?
I don't dream about what product I can sell
I don't dream about where my life is heading
I'm sure I will, but while I'm not dreaming yet
I don't mind following someone else's dreams for a while
But I want to follow someone whose dreams make me smile
Someone who wants to make the world a better place
Someone whose dream is of this world but still in colour
Someone who doesn't just dream of making more money
And I'm not writing this just to sound funny.
We have so limited time on this earth
Such little time to explore and influence the path of this rock
And I don't think I'm being unrealistic
I may be young, and I am idealistic
But I want to dream in this world someday to
Dreams are just a reflection of our surroundings after all
So I'm gonna follow a dreamer
Follow someone with plans: a schemer
Someone who dreams in ways others don't: a prophet
Someone who is, well, a human
Someone who doesn't just go with the capital flow
I dream of flying to distant lands and fighting pirates
I dream of worlds I don't live in.
I live here, why would I dream about it as well?
I don't dream about what product I can sell
I don't dream about where my life is heading
I'm sure I will, but while I'm not dreaming yet
I don't mind following someone else's dreams for a while
But I want to follow someone whose dreams make me smile
Someone who wants to make the world a better place
Someone whose dream is of this world but still in colour
Someone who doesn't just dream of making more money
And I'm not writing this just to sound funny.
We have so limited time on this earth
Such little time to explore and influence the path of this rock
And I don't think I'm being unrealistic
I may be young, and I am idealistic
But I want to dream in this world someday to
Dreams are just a reflection of our surroundings after all
So I'm gonna follow a dreamer
Follow someone with plans: a schemer
Someone who dreams in ways others don't: a prophet
Someone who is, well, a human
Someone who doesn't just go with the capital flow
31 May 2014
Personal: My Fear
While I was playing with magic objects one day
I came across a strange instrument indeed
I knocked it in a very particular way
And out of it some parchment was duly freed
It was scrunched, as though placed back in a rush
It had one big clear line, with disclaimers underlying
"View your future today!" was written in bold brush
"Though you can't change your future, except by dying"
It would be fantastic to know who I'm going to be
There's no doubt that we wonder about it each day
But a future set in stone was not to be for me
Having a definitive path was never my way
But it wasn't just that, you see I have a fear
Concerning exactly what I would hear
That my future is simply one of monotony
Such a curse would be like a lobotomy
That I would get a job earning more than I need
Focusing on the financial legacy I lead
Friends with whom I only talk small
Living a life that isn't a life at all
That I've given up my creativity
Laughing about my past efforts jovially
Becoming of the world, rather than being fascinated by it
Happy to just have a comfy home in which to sit
While I'm aware there are far worse fates I could uncover
Such a life is, I hope, not for me
May I have an interesting life, and then may I have another
Onwards onto uncertainty
I came across a strange instrument indeed
I knocked it in a very particular way
And out of it some parchment was duly freed
It was scrunched, as though placed back in a rush
It had one big clear line, with disclaimers underlying
"View your future today!" was written in bold brush
"Though you can't change your future, except by dying"
It would be fantastic to know who I'm going to be
There's no doubt that we wonder about it each day
But a future set in stone was not to be for me
Having a definitive path was never my way
But it wasn't just that, you see I have a fear
Concerning exactly what I would hear
That my future is simply one of monotony
Such a curse would be like a lobotomy
That I would get a job earning more than I need
Focusing on the financial legacy I lead
Friends with whom I only talk small
Living a life that isn't a life at all
That I've given up my creativity
Laughing about my past efforts jovially
Becoming of the world, rather than being fascinated by it
Happy to just have a comfy home in which to sit
While I'm aware there are far worse fates I could uncover
Such a life is, I hope, not for me
May I have an interesting life, and then may I have another
Onwards onto uncertainty
23 May 2014
Personal:My Room
I don't think people realise just how recently I've come out of my inner shell.
On the outside I was always sociable and interactive
I would always tell people about what I'd done. But never who I was
I've always held beliefs that I don't really talk about
For example, as a pacifist Christian, it's amazing how rarely I discuss these beliefs (possibly out of a desire to still have friends).
It's said by some that analogies are key for understanding
And there's one analogy that fits rather well
See, not many people have ever been in my room
When I was young, we didn't have people over much
My parents were blessed with 4 kids and boy did we bless them hard
So I never got in the habit of having friends visit me
Instead I would have to be invited to visit them
It just so happened my house was a bit offset from my close friends
So even when I was older, it was never my house things happened at
My home was just where I went to be with a busy family
Where I would lose myself in books for lack of anything else
When I got to uni, I was in the most isolated room
Just by chance, everyone else's room was more convenient
I decorated and put on a show, but still
No one really came to visit. And I never really asked them to.
I sort of didn't realise this was the case.
I'd decorate my room, be all presentable
Set up a chair in the corner for people to sit
Then never invite anyone to sit in it.
I'd like to think I'm different now
Just know that if I invite you back to my room
It's cause I want to get to know you better
And maybe chat a little.
16 May 2014
Personal: Dancing
I did not dance to please the crowds
No, I danced just for me
I danced hard and I danced loud
As I became the symphony
I danced because it filled in my veins
Because I felt the rhythm
I danced because it healed all pains
And closed up every schism
I danced to know I could dance at all
To marvel that my feet could tap in time
I danced because it made me tall
Even as the beat began to climb
I danced so the music could not fade
To ensure that not one note dropped
I danced because I was afraid
To what would happen if I ever stopped
And now I'm caught up in my tempo
I can't control the pace
And now you may call me yellow
But I don't want to leave this race
Because this dance may be my peak
The most beautiful thing I'll ever do
And now I dance because I'm weak
I dance because I can't bare not to
I dance because I see,
There will never be a second act
So wherever this dance may send me
I will dance it on, and that's a fact
Spoiler: Dancing is a metaphor for poetry.
No, I danced just for me
I danced hard and I danced loud
As I became the symphony
I danced because it filled in my veins
Because I felt the rhythm
I danced because it healed all pains
And closed up every schism
I danced to know I could dance at all
To marvel that my feet could tap in time
I danced because it made me tall
Even as the beat began to climb
I danced so the music could not fade
To ensure that not one note dropped
I danced because I was afraid
To what would happen if I ever stopped
And now I'm caught up in my tempo
I can't control the pace
And now you may call me yellow
But I don't want to leave this race
Because this dance may be my peak
The most beautiful thing I'll ever do
And now I dance because I'm weak
I dance because I can't bare not to
I dance because I see,
There will never be a second act
So wherever this dance may send me
I will dance it on, and that's a fact
Spoiler: Dancing is a metaphor for poetry.
8 May 2014
Personal: I find you beautiful
If I tell you I find you beautiful.
(Which I would absolutely love to by the way)
I mean just that.
That I think you are a beautiful human being.
And I don't just mean in physical beauty,
Though I definitely can't discount that.
I mean there is beauty in the way you talk
In the way you think, act, and walk.
I don't mean that I want to enter a relationship
I don't mean that I want to sleep with you
I don't mean anything else than that,
I don't mean anything else than that I find you beautiful.
See, I find everyone I meet beautiful.
I really wish that these were hyperbolic statements for artistic effect
I really wish they were symbolising me being a "charmer"
It would make my life so much easier
Then when I meet the next beautiful person
I can complement without connotations
Put a smile on their face and go on my way
Without people second-guessing motives
It's just the way I am.
I really do find humans beautiful. And all of them in their own special way.
Him and Her and all of Them and especially You. I mean it.
You are beautiful. And I mean exactly that.
(Which I would absolutely love to by the way)
I mean just that.
That I think you are a beautiful human being.
And I don't just mean in physical beauty,
Though I definitely can't discount that.
I mean there is beauty in the way you talk
In the way you think, act, and walk.
I don't mean that I want to enter a relationship
I don't mean that I want to sleep with you
I don't mean anything else than that,
I don't mean anything else than that I find you beautiful.
See, I find everyone I meet beautiful.
I really wish that these were hyperbolic statements for artistic effect
I really wish they were symbolising me being a "charmer"
It would make my life so much easier
Then when I meet the next beautiful person
I can complement without connotations
Put a smile on their face and go on my way
Without people second-guessing motives
It's just the way I am.
I really do find humans beautiful. And all of them in their own special way.
Him and Her and all of Them and especially You. I mean it.
You are beautiful. And I mean exactly that.
1 May 2014
Personal: Scars
Content Warning: self-harm
A lot of my life I spend confused. Not knowing what to do.
I would desperately love to have the answers to everything, but I just don't. Sometimes there are no right answers.
Sometimes this means I make a fool of myself. Those are the times I can deal with.
This is dedicated a friend who will likely never read this.
One skill I've wanted badly from a young age is to notice things other people don't. And if I did notice something I would then pretend that thing defines a person:
I want to notice the colour of your eyes, if you have dimples when you smile,
I want to notice, most of all, if you're having a bad day, so I can offer kind words so I can see if you have dimples again!
What I wasn't prepared to notice was your scars.
My mind jumps to a thousand conclusions, while concluding nothing.
I have to remind myself that I am not Sherlock. I can't tell your past.
All I know is that some scars don't heal, regardless of time.
All I know is that you are fighting.
I have never experienced anything like what you're going through.
I don't know if the fight is over or still raging.
I don't know why you started, or how it ends.
I want to talk to you about them, so I can offer help. But I know that's selfish, because I know you probably want nothing more than to forget they were ever there
So let me just say this.
If I am ever fortunate enough to become close friends with someone who has scars,
They will not be my close friend who has scars,
They will be my close friend.
If you want to take the fight alone, you can take it alone.
If you want to wear your scars with pride then ignore any prejudging moron who jumps to conclusions.
If you want to hide your scars because they aren't you then so be it.
If you are confused then be confused.
Just know that to me, those scars do not define you any more than the colour of your eyes
Any more than your dimples. They don't define you any more than a bad day
But if a bad day ever does turn up. As they sometimes do.
I just want you to know that I'm here. And I'll do my best to make you smile.
23 April 2014
Honour: To stray a little
Humanity needs to expand its mind
It's been doing so for quite a while
Looking for new experiences to find
New methods and techniques to trial
But to do so can be frightening
Intimidating to the average soul
For every experience they find enlightening
There'll be another to annul
We're certainly scared of straying a lot
Those fellows are just completely wild
Better to do something safe soon forgot
Experience a life more mild
It's by small differences that we gain our pride
It helps define who we are in essence
Helps us to be set a little aside
Gives us new life lessons
Straying from the path has it's own reward
Be it a run, jog, stride or hobble
But I ask you to stray a little as you go forward
Trust me, you'll be better for the trouble.
It's been doing so for quite a while
Looking for new experiences to find
New methods and techniques to trial
But to do so can be frightening
Intimidating to the average soul
For every experience they find enlightening
There'll be another to annul
We're certainly scared of straying a lot
Those fellows are just completely wild
Better to do something safe soon forgot
Experience a life more mild
It's by small differences that we gain our pride
It helps define who we are in essence
Helps us to be set a little aside
Gives us new life lessons
Straying from the path has it's own reward
Be it a run, jog, stride or hobble
But I ask you to stray a little as you go forward
Trust me, you'll be better for the trouble.
9 April 2014
Honour: Finding honour in a broken soul
There are no whole beings any more
No creatures who are fully intact
Some beings give away part of themselves to others
Entrusting them, even though the other may not be aware
A beautiful sign of how much they can care
Each reducing themselves to become more together
They are not broken by such actions
They are all together more wonderful by doing so
But others find that same act harder
Because it's possible to lose yourself without giving it away
It's possible to not know where part of a being has gone
Just that that part absent. Not here.
Somewhere far away yet oh so close.
Paralysed bodies preventing restoration of a piece within arm's reach
And then others talk of honour
Of how good it is to be whole
And they mean not to be vicious or callous, but there's no honour in a broken soul
They just don't understand. And have never had reason to.
Yet they might be hiding an absence themselves
It does not do to assume you alone are broken
For the beauty is not in keeping yourself whole for eternity
Yet nor is there romance in being a broken being
Life is for searching. For adding, subtracting, swapping and dividing.
Maybe growing a little bolder. Filling a couple gaps more than you create.
Not embracing the brokenness, but perhaps becoming a little more accepting of it
For you are your edges, curves and cracks all together
And then maybe, someday.
You can share some of your broken self with another. And they'll share their broken self back with you.
I literally have no idea what I've just written. I couldn't write it again. But it's very different to how I usually write, which is good. I just had this song playing, and started writing. Maybe it makes more sense if you listen to it - http://levipatel.bandcamp.com/track/and-she-translated-into-the-sky
I do not claim to be an expert on depression, nor (for the most part) a sufferer of it. But I did have that in mind when writing, so I hope I've done it justice.
8 April 2014
Honour: Honour Among Superheroes
I don't have a great origin story.
Unlike most heroes, my story is kind of dull - I've had my powers since my birth.
Unless you'd consider most childbirth gory,
There's nothing to distinguish mine from every other child on Earth
I was personally tutored from a young age
Taught multiple types of Engineering, I could get degrees overnight
Though my education was not just based on the page
See it was considered compulsory for me to learn how to fight
And I was great at my crafts
I became one of the strongest superheroes ever known
To oppose me was considered daft
I was a king of fear, who wasn't even aware he had a throne
I had been blessed with many powers
Which meant that there was no equal to me on the streets
Yet I wondered for many any hour
If there would be something that would eventually lead me to defeat
I became introspective of my plight
I turned to studies in a way no hero has before
Mine was a different kind of fight
One no one could have dreamt would be in store
So I studied philosophy
Tried to work out the motive behind my actions
I studied psychology
Why heroes and villains would always be split into factions
I took a very bold decision
I talked to my nemeses, to all who opposed me
But I could never envision
The final result of my extended study
See, humans are a competitive race
We can't stand to be less good at anything than a rival
There's no greater insult than second place
So, with utmost certainty, I could predict the next great arrival
That if I kept on as I was
One would soon arrive who could match my strength
It would happen because
I'd cornered the enemy and hustled them at length
Either they gave up and went home
A rule of fear from my power controlling them at last
Or they would gather up every tome
To summon a rival, and they'd do it fast
So I made a choice
A final addition of the superhero coda
I summoned strength in my voice
And announced my heroing days as over
It was difficult
And draw so many criticisms and complaints
There grew cults
Worshipping me as Antichrist and saint
For I did not give my reason
I could not make the system self-aware
So my actions were simply treason
As for my motives, they didn't care
I still long for duty
I still long for such simple, straight forward solutions
Yet they'll never recruit me
My restraint must hold with resolution
The greatest act
That I'll ever do, with whom's legacy I am smitten
That I am in fact
The best hero, by being none, shall never be written
4 April 2014
Honour: what is honour?
What is honour?
Is it the respect of our peers that we've made good life decisions to get to the present point
Is it fighting our fears until we're no longer scared or put out of joint
Is there honour in seeking out pleasures we enjoy, even if others don't think we should be allowed
Is there honour in certain social restrictive measures, so that we fit in more with a crowd
Is the honour in self-sacrifice?
Is the honour in self-realisation?
Is the honour in giving others our advice?
Is the honour in patience and hesitation?
It is hoped we are perceived as honourable
That we are worthy of that high esteem
But we all hold different things as venerable
So it's hard to say exactly what honourable should mean
For myself, I believe honour to be with those who don't know
And admit willingly they still have much that needs to be learned
Who try to advance themselves, with no aim where to go
The lost but willing. That's where I see honour is earned
Is it the respect of our peers that we've made good life decisions to get to the present point
Is it fighting our fears until we're no longer scared or put out of joint
Is there honour in seeking out pleasures we enjoy, even if others don't think we should be allowed
Is there honour in certain social restrictive measures, so that we fit in more with a crowd
Is the honour in self-sacrifice?
Is the honour in self-realisation?
Is the honour in giving others our advice?
Is the honour in patience and hesitation?
It is hoped we are perceived as honourable
That we are worthy of that high esteem
But we all hold different things as venerable
So it's hard to say exactly what honourable should mean
For myself, I believe honour to be with those who don't know
And admit willingly they still have much that needs to be learned
Who try to advance themselves, with no aim where to go
The lost but willing. That's where I see honour is earned
27 March 2014
Bonus: Let Me Throw (a Frozen Frisbee)
The lines glows white on the pitch tonight
Not an open pass to be seen.
A tactic of isolation,
and it looks like a defence screen
The wind is howling its a swirling storm inside
Couldn't keep it in;
Heaven knows I've tried
Not an open pass to be seen.
A tactic of isolation,
and it looks like a defence screen
The wind is howling its a swirling storm inside
Couldn't keep it in;
Heaven knows I've tried
Don't let them win,
don't let them D
don't let them D
You shouldn't twirl the disc don't let them see
Conceal, don't feel,
don't let them know
Well now they know
Conceal, don't feel,
don't let them know
Well now they know
Let me throw, let me throw
Can't hold it back anymore
Can't hold it back anymore
Let me throw, let me throw
Forced away and need to score
I don't care
what they're going to say
Let my dump rage on.
Playing D never bothered me anyway
Forced away and need to score
I don't care
what they're going to say
Let my dump rage on.
Playing D never bothered me anyway
It's funny how some distance
Makes everything seem small
And the zone that once controlled me
Can't get to me at all
Makes everything seem small
And the zone that once controlled me
Can't get to me at all
It's time to see what I can do
To test their forces and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me,
I'm free!
To test their forces and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me,
I'm free!
Let me throw, let me throw
The disc into the wind and sky
Let me throw, let me throw
You'll see my deep threat fly
The disc into the wind and sky
Let me throw, let me throw
You'll see my deep threat fly
Here I stand
And here I'll play
Let the dump rage on
And here I'll play
Let the dump rage on
My throw flurries through the air close to the ground
My disc is spiralling through those zone trials all around
The defence realises that it's just too fast
Its never coming back, its past them with a blast
My disc is spiralling through those zone trials all around
The defence realises that it's just too fast
Its never coming back, its past them with a blast
Let me throw, let me throw
And it'll rise as the break is on
Let me throw, let me throw
That perfect curl is gone
Here I stand
In the field of play
Let the dump rage on
And it'll rise as the break is on
Let me throw, let me throw
That perfect curl is gone
Here I stand
In the field of play
Let the dump rage on
Playing D never bothered me anyway
My second Frisbee adaptation, this time to the song Let It Go from the Disney movie Frozen.
My second Frisbee adaptation, this time to the song Let It Go from the Disney movie Frozen.
26 March 2014
History: The Day History Ended
It was one of those days where everyone remembers where they were when it happened.
The only difference between this and similar days is no one remembers where they were just before.
You'd be standing there, a day like any other you've lived recently
And then you'd forget exactly what you were standing there for.
Being akin to the universal feeling of momentary forgetfulness
You'd continue walking, hoping the situation would resolve a.s.a.p.
Nothing would come to mind though, as you'd walk further
Explanations would distort beyond a simple 'silly me'
You'd remember your name, and you're current state
You'd know who your friends were and how you felt about each one
You'd just have no idea about the experiences you'd shared
You'd forget each and everything you'd ever done
Humanity reacted unanimously in the same way
And after the chaos and glory of the following year
Life was restored to mostly normal
Or as normal as it ever really gets around here.
It was understandable though, the impulse with which we seized that year
We had the chance to re-make the fun mistakes we'd been forced to learn from as adults
The only rule for the whole year was that you weren't allowed to do anything important
As the world was no longer wise enough to deal with any catastrophic faults
Thankfully, the sewage system was fully automated, as was a surprising amount of everything else
Decay due to entropy definitely did occur, but it was not as bad as anyone had feared
Sure, there might have been a few extra fatalities, but it was fantastic for the most part
We explored ourselves and the world. Nostalgia would ensure this year was revered
We would remember with wonder the year that we forgot
With no one questioning if it was because there was something we needed to leave behind
No hints were left. We'd successfully wiped out all record of our past selves
Except a clock counting down. It's locking a sealed letter in a transparent safe. We can't wait to see what we'll find...
The only difference between this and similar days is no one remembers where they were just before.
You'd be standing there, a day like any other you've lived recently
And then you'd forget exactly what you were standing there for.
Being akin to the universal feeling of momentary forgetfulness
You'd continue walking, hoping the situation would resolve a.s.a.p.
Nothing would come to mind though, as you'd walk further
Explanations would distort beyond a simple 'silly me'
You'd remember your name, and you're current state
You'd know who your friends were and how you felt about each one
You'd just have no idea about the experiences you'd shared
You'd forget each and everything you'd ever done
Humanity reacted unanimously in the same way
And after the chaos and glory of the following year
Life was restored to mostly normal
Or as normal as it ever really gets around here.
It was understandable though, the impulse with which we seized that year
We had the chance to re-make the fun mistakes we'd been forced to learn from as adults
The only rule for the whole year was that you weren't allowed to do anything important
As the world was no longer wise enough to deal with any catastrophic faults
Thankfully, the sewage system was fully automated, as was a surprising amount of everything else
Decay due to entropy definitely did occur, but it was not as bad as anyone had feared
Sure, there might have been a few extra fatalities, but it was fantastic for the most part
We explored ourselves and the world. Nostalgia would ensure this year was revered
We would remember with wonder the year that we forgot
With no one questioning if it was because there was something we needed to leave behind
No hints were left. We'd successfully wiped out all record of our past selves
Except a clock counting down. It's locking a sealed letter in a transparent safe. We can't wait to see what we'll find...
19 March 2014
History: The History of Compassion
Humanity often fails to admit that its past isn't great
We've become kinda lax with learning that of late
So lets rewind to the common ancestor we share with apes
To remind us how far we've come (as of this date)
It used to be simply survival of the fittest
And though it might seem painful to admit this
The selfish gene was our means to survive
Looking out for number one is what kept us alive
But then slowly, slowly, we started to adapt and change
We realised intelligence, and something most strange
That we were stronger as a community than we were alone
And thus the seeds of civilization were finally sewn
There was still an advantage to be at the top however
Thus bred global insecurities and personal paranoia
It is clear that fear is what drove those with power
Virtuous mercies and compassions were no norm that hour
Ethics and moralities developed so we could live together
It became within our interests to shelter others from bad weather
Still acting for personal gain, but now it's not quite the same
Because we advance from helping others without shame
Now we're getting around the present day
Arguing personal responsibility in various ways
That some people were just born to thrive
Competition and battle is what makes us strive
I'm not going to say whether or not that is true
But it's important we don't sacrifice progress we've gone through
There is a beauty in compassion not often told
So let me extrapolate how our future should unfold
Quite simply, continue linearly on our path
Learn to love one another so we can chat and laugh
Emphasise how working together is how we inspire
Because compassion is what elevates humanity higher.
We've become kinda lax with learning that of late
So lets rewind to the common ancestor we share with apes
To remind us how far we've come (as of this date)
It used to be simply survival of the fittest
And though it might seem painful to admit this
The selfish gene was our means to survive
Looking out for number one is what kept us alive
But then slowly, slowly, we started to adapt and change
We realised intelligence, and something most strange
That we were stronger as a community than we were alone
And thus the seeds of civilization were finally sewn
There was still an advantage to be at the top however
Thus bred global insecurities and personal paranoia
It is clear that fear is what drove those with power
Virtuous mercies and compassions were no norm that hour
Ethics and moralities developed so we could live together
It became within our interests to shelter others from bad weather
Still acting for personal gain, but now it's not quite the same
Because we advance from helping others without shame
Now we're getting around the present day
Arguing personal responsibility in various ways
That some people were just born to thrive
Competition and battle is what makes us strive
I'm not going to say whether or not that is true
But it's important we don't sacrifice progress we've gone through
There is a beauty in compassion not often told
So let me extrapolate how our future should unfold
Quite simply, continue linearly on our path
Learn to love one another so we can chat and laugh
Emphasise how working together is how we inspire
Because compassion is what elevates humanity higher.
12 March 2014
History: Personal Histories
I am merely the sum of my own histories
I won't bore anyone with already done stories
But know that each hi-story narrates my tale of today
Which will add to the adjective of tomorrow in it's own special way
While this consciousness is nothing less that so many temporal transactions
Each decision that's each day given leads to more important reactions
Why I acknowledge I learnt from the college of my own fair past
It seems frivolous to learn a limitless syllabus I will never outlast
Yet in my squalor of a mind I'm a scholar (but will never be a graduate)
I search these historical tomes in my cerebral home so my writing elevates
As I write the transcript of my transit through this strange wide world
I feel like a passenger on a stage as I see each page unfurled
Life is quick it doesn't stick in one place
There's no limit to the range of the danger you can face
I am just one present who is meant to rely on what I've already done
My previous tales making up the details that makes me someone
Yet, following this trend this history is soon to end and go
To add to the scroll and make the whole of the me of tomorrow
I won't bore anyone with already done stories
But know that each hi-story narrates my tale of today
Which will add to the adjective of tomorrow in it's own special way
While this consciousness is nothing less that so many temporal transactions
Each decision that's each day given leads to more important reactions
Why I acknowledge I learnt from the college of my own fair past
It seems frivolous to learn a limitless syllabus I will never outlast
Yet in my squalor of a mind I'm a scholar (but will never be a graduate)
I search these historical tomes in my cerebral home so my writing elevates
As I write the transcript of my transit through this strange wide world
I feel like a passenger on a stage as I see each page unfurled
Life is quick it doesn't stick in one place
There's no limit to the range of the danger you can face
I am just one present who is meant to rely on what I've already done
My previous tales making up the details that makes me someone
Yet, following this trend this history is soon to end and go
To add to the scroll and make the whole of the me of tomorrow
5 March 2014
History: The Greatest Event in History
It was the oddest encounter I'd had since my birth
Many years of research had led to this point you see.
But I finally managed to make my mark on humanity.
The first human to ever speak to the Earth
I wondered what on Earth the Earth would say
Would it critique for how we treated the environment?
Would it tell us the purpose for which humanity was meant?
Or would it make small talk then go on it's way?
Would it be impressed with all we've done?
The fact we've harnessed the Earth, to power our homes
The fact we've recorded our history, written at length in tomes
Or would it hate us with a rage of the Sun?
I said my greetings, and waited for the Earth to reply
In a deep slow voice, it spoke only a few words for our existence
"Oh, I thought I felt something. I have to say I admire your persistence
Well, best of luck. But don't get your hopes too high..."
It was then silent and I realised our vanity
We need the Earth, but we're not a symbiotic pair
It's not that it doesn't want to, but that it can't care
For such fleeting an instance as humanity
Many years of research had led to this point you see.
But I finally managed to make my mark on humanity.
The first human to ever speak to the Earth
I wondered what on Earth the Earth would say
Would it critique for how we treated the environment?
Would it tell us the purpose for which humanity was meant?
Or would it make small talk then go on it's way?
Would it be impressed with all we've done?
The fact we've harnessed the Earth, to power our homes
The fact we've recorded our history, written at length in tomes
Or would it hate us with a rage of the Sun?
I said my greetings, and waited for the Earth to reply
In a deep slow voice, it spoke only a few words for our existence
"Oh, I thought I felt something. I have to say I admire your persistence
Well, best of luck. But don't get your hopes too high..."
It was then silent and I realised our vanity
We need the Earth, but we're not a symbiotic pair
It's not that it doesn't want to, but that it can't care
For such fleeting an instance as humanity
26 February 2014
Love: What is love?
Ladies and Gentleman, what is love?
And don't worry, this ain't some bullshit hypothetical
From someone about to brag lyrical
About everything love has meant to him
No, this is genuinely a curious question of a stranger to the concept
Someone who's been told a thousand tales
Of how love can cure ten thousand ails
But never the contents of the ointment
Sure you can call me an unemotional husk of a human being
And you may be right but that doesn't mean I'm less curious
of that which people angrily search for until they're furious
Savagely tearing at their own absurd misconceptions of the small word
Is love just lust by another name?
But coated and quilted to look presentable
Pretending to be something it doesn't represent at all
A dark desire lifted as something to which to aspire
Some claim to have found it easily,
Without smugness but full right to feel that way
For achieving easily what will take some to the end of days
Who're wondering nought but what all the fuss was about
Or is it by definition undefinable by mere words?
Love is what it is, there's no clear map or directions
Just a collection of rumours and vague descriptions
And the journey is what makes you worthy
Ladies and Gentlemen, what is love?
Quite frankly I've no idea
And while I'm willing to learn - I'm still unclear
So here's to somehow finding out what exactly love is about.
And don't worry, this ain't some bullshit hypothetical
From someone about to brag lyrical
About everything love has meant to him
No, this is genuinely a curious question of a stranger to the concept
Someone who's been told a thousand tales
Of how love can cure ten thousand ails
But never the contents of the ointment
Sure you can call me an unemotional husk of a human being
And you may be right but that doesn't mean I'm less curious
of that which people angrily search for until they're furious
Savagely tearing at their own absurd misconceptions of the small word
Is love just lust by another name?
But coated and quilted to look presentable
Pretending to be something it doesn't represent at all
A dark desire lifted as something to which to aspire
Some claim to have found it easily,
Without smugness but full right to feel that way
For achieving easily what will take some to the end of days
Who're wondering nought but what all the fuss was about
Or is it by definition undefinable by mere words?
Love is what it is, there's no clear map or directions
Just a collection of rumours and vague descriptions
And the journey is what makes you worthy
Ladies and Gentlemen, what is love?
Quite frankly I've no idea
And while I'm willing to learn - I'm still unclear
So here's to somehow finding out what exactly love is about.
19 February 2014
Love: Ace Lover
I'm a little bit socially awkward and estranged
Sometimes people view me as a bit forward and deranged
But that's because I'm not quite sure of myself you see
It might just be I unlock this Ace Lover in me
As it happens Ace Lovers are a special breed
They care deeply about your personal needs
About enjoying life as a whole together
About knowing life can be difficult to weather
Ace Lovers love but sometimes not in the way you might think
They long for true romance, sometimes from the bottom of a drink
But romance not with any other goal in mind
Merely to woe another soul that they find
There is magic in the words and way they speak
There is beauty in the hearts of these loveable freaks
It's not usual you see, almost seen as a mistake
For anyone to fall in love for falling in love's sake
They view no greater aim than being with their lover
For someone who cares you should long for no other
Yes they really are a peculiar but wonderful breed
What a beautiful thing is an Ace Lover indeed
See, I don't know if I'm an Ace Lover, but I know I've got potential
Don't know if it was the way I was raised, or if my genes were influential
But at least now you know what Ace Lovin's about
So if you're an Ace Lover let me here you shout
Sometimes people view me as a bit forward and deranged
But that's because I'm not quite sure of myself you see
It might just be I unlock this Ace Lover in me
As it happens Ace Lovers are a special breed
They care deeply about your personal needs
About enjoying life as a whole together
About knowing life can be difficult to weather
Ace Lovers love but sometimes not in the way you might think
They long for true romance, sometimes from the bottom of a drink
But romance not with any other goal in mind
Merely to woe another soul that they find
There is magic in the words and way they speak
There is beauty in the hearts of these loveable freaks
It's not usual you see, almost seen as a mistake
For anyone to fall in love for falling in love's sake
They view no greater aim than being with their lover
For someone who cares you should long for no other
Yes they really are a peculiar but wonderful breed
What a beautiful thing is an Ace Lover indeed
See, I don't know if I'm an Ace Lover, but I know I've got potential
Don't know if it was the way I was raised, or if my genes were influential
But at least now you know what Ace Lovin's about
So if you're an Ace Lover let me here you shout
12 February 2014
Love: Long Distance
Dear Lover,
Though you're many miles away,
There's no one I hold closer to me than you
Though right now I can't hold your hand
You're still the one helping me pull through
Though when I wish you "good morning"
You may be wishing me back "good night"
Though you may be too far for me to see you
I assure you, you're still my light
The distance is far,
Sometimes it can feel too great
From the space between us,
You've seemed distant of late
Just know I'm holding on
Waiting for the day
When we've saved up the money
When we've found a way
To bridge the distance
The world has put between us
It feels like I've done wrong
Being punished for some crime
Yet we'll stitch up the gap
So well that it seems seemless
So that every time I do see you
We embrace again for the first time
Love, x
Though you're many miles away,
There's no one I hold closer to me than you
Though right now I can't hold your hand
You're still the one helping me pull through
Though when I wish you "good morning"
You may be wishing me back "good night"
Though you may be too far for me to see you
I assure you, you're still my light
The distance is far,
Sometimes it can feel too great
From the space between us,
You've seemed distant of late
Just know I'm holding on
Waiting for the day
When we've saved up the money
When we've found a way
To bridge the distance
The world has put between us
It feels like I've done wrong
Being punished for some crime
Yet we'll stitch up the gap
So well that it seems seemless
So that every time I do see you
We embrace again for the first time
Love, x
5 February 2014
Love: The moon
When we make love, it'll be to the moon
It'll shine brightly, it'll almost swoon
The great celestial orb will look down on our pairing
So great are we even the moon is moved to caring
It'll see us there, and bless us with moonlight
So let us show our love to the moon tonight.
Mate, fuck the moon.
Fuck thinking you have to be beholden to a lump of rock in the sky
A rock that hides half the time and even then only ever shows half it's face
An oversized pebble that can only reflect the light and energy of others, and produce none itself.
I don't want to be like that. You and me shouldn't hide, even if times are dark.
And we should live off no light but our own.
When we make love, it'll be to the stars
They'll glitter gently from way afar
We'll draw dot to dot over the canvas of the sky
We'll make wishes on any stars that try to shoot by
So lay down with me, and lets take inspiration
Let us show our love among the constellations
Mate, fuck the stars.
Fuck those giant balls of fire hanging in space
That seem nice from afar, but burn any who get to close
Those pinpricks, so many light years away
I don't want to be that far away from you, or to be hurt if I get too close
We shall burn with our own brightness
When we make love, it'll be to the Earth
It'll bless us gently as we lie on it's turf
We'll spin with the planet as it revolves around us
If you listen close you can hear the rocks discuss
How they were made for us alone
So lets show our love on this Earthly stone
Mate, fuck the earth
Fuck this big ball of rock that cares not
We are insignificant to it, and rightly so
We do no matter to it at all, I can honestly say.
Although it may not seem much, you matter to me
We shall create our own world between us
When we make love, I want to express it in metaphors
I want all to realise that you are the one I adore
That the world shall be amazed by our creativity
And the love that is present in our imagery
To describe the love I feel for you
Lets make love like no one else could do
Mate, fuck metaphors
Fuck wordplay as a means of romance
I want to take action and explore this world with you
I want us to know reality, and embrace that for all it is
We don't need to exaggerate to show how in love we are
We shall create and be our own hyperbole.
It'll shine brightly, it'll almost swoon
The great celestial orb will look down on our pairing
So great are we even the moon is moved to caring
It'll see us there, and bless us with moonlight
So let us show our love to the moon tonight.
Mate, fuck the moon.
Fuck thinking you have to be beholden to a lump of rock in the sky
A rock that hides half the time and even then only ever shows half it's face
An oversized pebble that can only reflect the light and energy of others, and produce none itself.
I don't want to be like that. You and me shouldn't hide, even if times are dark.
And we should live off no light but our own.
When we make love, it'll be to the stars
They'll glitter gently from way afar
We'll draw dot to dot over the canvas of the sky
We'll make wishes on any stars that try to shoot by
So lay down with me, and lets take inspiration
Let us show our love among the constellations
Mate, fuck the stars.
Fuck those giant balls of fire hanging in space
That seem nice from afar, but burn any who get to close
Those pinpricks, so many light years away
I don't want to be that far away from you, or to be hurt if I get too close
We shall burn with our own brightness
When we make love, it'll be to the Earth
It'll bless us gently as we lie on it's turf
We'll spin with the planet as it revolves around us
If you listen close you can hear the rocks discuss
How they were made for us alone
So lets show our love on this Earthly stone
Mate, fuck the earth
Fuck this big ball of rock that cares not
We are insignificant to it, and rightly so
We do no matter to it at all, I can honestly say.
Although it may not seem much, you matter to me
We shall create our own world between us
When we make love, I want to express it in metaphors
I want all to realise that you are the one I adore
That the world shall be amazed by our creativity
And the love that is present in our imagery
To describe the love I feel for you
Lets make love like no one else could do
Mate, fuck metaphors
Fuck wordplay as a means of romance
I want to take action and explore this world with you
I want us to know reality, and embrace that for all it is
We don't need to exaggerate to show how in love we are
We shall create and be our own hyperbole.
29 January 2014
Off topic: The voices
I have a lot of voices in my head
And each one of these voices love the sound of their own
They keep bickering and chattering and jabbering and nattering
Until they turn to one tone
And all of these voice, they have one goal
To suggest what they think is best for me
The only problem with this simple fact is
Each one has a different priority
And there is a great myth
The most of all fantastic of lies
That there is one voice of truth
In that grey bit behind your eyes
That if you know which voice to follow
Then life will go perfectly in all you do
You'll make the right friends, do the right job
Naturally you'll charm the love of your life too
The only issue is, I don't believe this one bit
It would be so nice if this were a fact
If it were, the choice would be so simple
Yet I believe it requires more tact
There is not one voice for good and one for evil
Because that would be a simple choice
Life is not like that, it's much more chaotic
Than to be able to follow one voice
Instead, there's many voices, who each know what's best
All want a different something
One always wants adrenaline, one wants sleep
One simply wants for nothing
Some prefer risks, others security
And near all have certainty when they speak
There's so many choices and outlooks to choose from
You could be there for many a week.
And choose you must, use that most dangerous thing
A personal decisional capacity
Don't follow just one, for you'll get closed minded
That path leads to calamity
Life is tough - there's no easy answer
The same approach is not always the right one
Be a wonderful mix of all sorts of voices
Then, you can be someone.
And each one of these voices love the sound of their own
They keep bickering and chattering and jabbering and nattering
Until they turn to one tone
And all of these voice, they have one goal
To suggest what they think is best for me
The only problem with this simple fact is
Each one has a different priority
And there is a great myth
The most of all fantastic of lies
That there is one voice of truth
In that grey bit behind your eyes
That if you know which voice to follow
Then life will go perfectly in all you do
You'll make the right friends, do the right job
Naturally you'll charm the love of your life too
The only issue is, I don't believe this one bit
It would be so nice if this were a fact
If it were, the choice would be so simple
Yet I believe it requires more tact
There is not one voice for good and one for evil
Because that would be a simple choice
Life is not like that, it's much more chaotic
Than to be able to follow one voice
Instead, there's many voices, who each know what's best
All want a different something
One always wants adrenaline, one wants sleep
One simply wants for nothing
Some prefer risks, others security
And near all have certainty when they speak
There's so many choices and outlooks to choose from
You could be there for many a week.
And choose you must, use that most dangerous thing
A personal decisional capacity
Don't follow just one, for you'll get closed minded
That path leads to calamity
Life is tough - there's no easy answer
The same approach is not always the right one
Be a wonderful mix of all sorts of voices
Then, you can be someone.
25 January 2014
Colour: The man
He was the colour in peoples lives, honest, kind and no liar
He was known worldwide with pride as the sort of man who pushed you higher
Some called him the spark, because he could re-ignite the dullest embers of any flame
But now he needs a therapist, and feels naught but shame
He wanted to colour peoples lives even while feeling kinda down
See there's no jester left for you, when you're the world's clown
For although he's been known to cheer a whole entire town
His is the only smile he could never turn from a frown
Sometimes it's those with the brightest exterior
Those who shine bright, who to us seem superior
They are those who are cursed with the darkest interior
Who really do feel the most inferior.
Now his outer colour is all he has left
While his inner colour is simply grey and bereft
But he'll still do his best, to show that last inner light
To bring colour to your life while on his stage tonight.
He was known worldwide with pride as the sort of man who pushed you higher
Some called him the spark, because he could re-ignite the dullest embers of any flame
But now he needs a therapist, and feels naught but shame
He wanted to colour peoples lives even while feeling kinda down
See there's no jester left for you, when you're the world's clown
For although he's been known to cheer a whole entire town
His is the only smile he could never turn from a frown
Sometimes it's those with the brightest exterior
Those who shine bright, who to us seem superior
They are those who are cursed with the darkest interior
Who really do feel the most inferior.
Now his outer colour is all he has left
While his inner colour is simply grey and bereft
But he'll still do his best, to show that last inner light
To bring colour to your life while on his stage tonight.
15 January 2014
Colour: Eyes
It's quite spectacular, that we can all be identified by our eyes alone
That different patterns and colours sit on the surface of our vision
It can be seen that we all hold different pattern, colour, and tone
Which can be distinguished by a decent optician
But not only do we have different eyes externally
A different eye-based appearance
We also all see the world different internally
We have a different ocular experience
So do you see your vision too often tinted red?
An anger at the world that faces you
Does it all occasionally get to your head
Is it sometimes tough to fight through?
Can you also, though, see with blue
Be at peace with the world entire?
It's not angry, the world has its problems too
It's up to you to lift yourself higher
I know I occasionally have more than a hint of green
I'm jealous of what others display
And don't see the work put in behind the scenes
To make up who they are today
Maybe a drop of brown to your eyes?
A gentleness to welcome a friend
Honesty and sincerity, no person of lies
Or is that brown just a lens and pretend?
But grey is what I fear, no colour is let in
To be tired of the world and all its merry little game
I want to world to expand and brighten!
Not for it to dull and seem all the same
But life is a palette, a versatile mix
And no lens sees the world the same way
Each is personal, deep and complex
So what is yours, would you say?
That different patterns and colours sit on the surface of our vision
It can be seen that we all hold different pattern, colour, and tone
Which can be distinguished by a decent optician
But not only do we have different eyes externally
A different eye-based appearance
We also all see the world different internally
We have a different ocular experience
So do you see your vision too often tinted red?
An anger at the world that faces you
Does it all occasionally get to your head
Is it sometimes tough to fight through?
Can you also, though, see with blue
Be at peace with the world entire?
It's not angry, the world has its problems too
It's up to you to lift yourself higher
I know I occasionally have more than a hint of green
I'm jealous of what others display
And don't see the work put in behind the scenes
To make up who they are today
Maybe a drop of brown to your eyes?
A gentleness to welcome a friend
Honesty and sincerity, no person of lies
Or is that brown just a lens and pretend?
But grey is what I fear, no colour is let in
To be tired of the world and all its merry little game
I want to world to expand and brighten!
Not for it to dull and seem all the same
But life is a palette, a versatile mix
And no lens sees the world the same way
Each is personal, deep and complex
So what is yours, would you say?
8 January 2014
Colour: A world of greys
It's said that these days
Most people are greys.
Grey personalities
in sharp grey suits
Their grey formalities
Enabling grey pursuits
And those greys,
They like it this way
The greyness is comforting
Their scale blends softly
With greyness embracing
But ending up costly
See, there's a price to pay
To become a grey
The rewards are great
Security and community
Yet along with grey fate
There comes immunity
A resistant shield of grey
A barrier to display
For the comfort of a grey life
You give up a rainbow
As payment for no strife
You limit places you go
For to be grey
Is to live just one day
The greyness eternal
Is a life without risk
So a pox on those prisms of the infernal
What a glorious monochrome is this.
Most people are greys.
Grey personalities
in sharp grey suits
Their grey formalities
Enabling grey pursuits
And those greys,
They like it this way
The greyness is comforting
Their scale blends softly
With greyness embracing
But ending up costly
See, there's a price to pay
To become a grey
The rewards are great
Security and community
Yet along with grey fate
There comes immunity
A resistant shield of grey
A barrier to display
For the comfort of a grey life
You give up a rainbow
As payment for no strife
You limit places you go
For to be grey
Is to live just one day
The greyness eternal
Is a life without risk
So a pox on those prisms of the infernal
What a glorious monochrome is this.
4 January 2014
Colour: Turquoise
The theme for January is going to be colour, so expect a few more poems on this theme :)
What I'm about to tell you may or may not tell you a lot about me.
What I'm about to tell you may or may not tell you a lot about me.
It could either be a pointless anecdote, or a deeper hint as to how I perceive life.
But know this, in life, the journey is often as important as the destination.
The route we chose to take in life defines us just as much as where we end up.
So, with that in mind, know that when I was younger my favourite colour was Turquoise.
It's one of those slightly odd facts about me that you might dismiss easily.
And you may be right to.
It's just a favourite colour after all.
Though remember what a favourite colour is to a 7 year old boy.
It's what they want to wear, the colour they want their towel (really),
It even can influence their football team (which to many boys is their life)
Colour can mean a lot to a person
So, why on earth was, out of all the possible colours, turquoise the one I "picked"?
It may add some context that, for a while, I wanted to be an architect just because it was the longest word I knew.
But turquoise wasn't my favourite colour because it was a difficult word to spell
It wasn't even because I originally had something turquoise I liked.
I was just glad I'd found it.
When we were shown the colours, everyone was taught primary.
(Side note, when I found out it was RGB - not RYB - in real life
I felt far too betrayed by school for comfort)
Then, later on, we were taught about secondary colours.
Oh, it was so perfect, they fitted in so nicely after all.
But then, my brain got to wondering,
What if there were more colours between those?
So some brave teacher dug up a list
And told me 'tertiary colours' did indeed exist
Showed me the names, most of which I knew
But there was one which was entirely new
Turquoise. Half way twixt green and blue.
Instantly, it became my favourite hue.
And while I didn't go around bragging about it
I made sure that, when asked, I was honest.
I can't remember if I just liked the novelty
Or if I just didn't want the colour to feel left out
But for a long time, I was happy with turquoise
Although I'd settle for pale blue
Nowadays, I don't really have a favourite
I don't have a story about any other colour (Although I did really dislike red)
But, as far as that goes, I wonder if this entire spiel has been highly trivial
Or if you now know more about who I really am. Just from a fondness of turquoise when I was young.
26 December 2013
Round 2: Next year (and 10 poems I liked writing)
Hello to anyone who's actually adventured this far.
It's been a phenomenal time, and many thanks to those of you that've actually been reading and enjoyed what I wrote. I'm always amazed every time someone's said they've read and enjoyed them. So even if you're only doing it to humour me, thank you :)
Next year, I'm going to be doing something slightly different. I'm still going to be writing a poem a week. The only difference is, this time each month I'm going to have a theme. And, with a one poem a month exception, each poem has to be (at least tenuously) related to that theme. While my writing has got better, I need to get better at being creative with the original idea. So that's what this is for.
Many thanks again, and if you want to find out what it is I've been up to, find a list of ones I liked this year to read. If you liked one then please do let me know. It really does mean a lot.
27: When Science Proposes to Art - Favourite Poem
I don't think there's anything I would do to this poem if I had the chance. I think it's the right length, and it captures my current thinking on why Science and Art are similar (but also different). As a poet/engineer I've had to think about this a lot. There's a lot of doctrine saying if you do this you can't do that. This was me saying that, aside from the whole 'you don't have to do what people tell you' thing, exactly why the two are alike. And why together they are even better.
10: The Beat - Favourite Rhythm/Wordplay
This is my favourite use of wordplay and rhythm. Every time I read this I perform it a different way. While others I love for their imagery and themes, this one I love because it's just so damn fun to say aloud. Go on, give it a go. Somehow it manages to get you comfortable at the right parts and then jarringly change it to make you unseated. I'd love to be able to write stuff with this sort of rhythm the whole time. And I haven't been able to write like this again since March. Ah well.
23: A Gentleman's Rhyming Duel - Favourite to Perform in Future
I can't remember why I thought of this one. But it's use of longer rhymes and the fact it fits with my natural performing style (I know I'm close to rapping anyway) means that it seems to fit very well in my speech. This is certainly one I'd love to perform at some point. Partially because I can do a silly voice. Well, mostly actually. But it's probably the funniest I've done and I reckon it'll get the best reactions.
46: You Are All - Favourite to have Performed
I started out doing poetry as performances. And the reactions of people is why I still do it. I thought up the first 2 lines, and knew this would be one I had to perform. As such, I had a long time (until the next open mic) to try to work out where the poem would go. And, after all that thought, I ended up writing something fairly thematically different (though keeping the main lines). I love the power of this one, and it's one of the ones I've managed to go back and re-write a couple times to improve.
29: Monsters - Favourite Lines
I actually remember strolling down the street when the first couple lines came to me. This happens occasionally, and a basically spent the rest of that trip repeating the lines (so I wouldn't forget them) and then expanding in a few ways on them to find where I wanted the poem to go. I can't remember what the alternatives were, but I'm very happy with how it turned out. It was also very fun to perform, as I did at my college poetry night (meaning it's one of the ones I've sort of got memorised).
13: Don't Look Down! (Up is Far More Interesting) - Favourite Written on the Spot
Written for a friend of mine (hi Aimeé!) this is actually one of my few science related poems. I pretty much wrote this one on the fly writing it as a facebook message (which is why it formated oddly) and then copied and pasted it straight into the blog. I find any poem I'm able to write in a sitting tends to fit together a lot better and finds it's naturally length more naturally. Not being able to edit is both a blessing and a curse though.
34: Roses - Favourite Shouted on the Spot
So, I was at work, and bored. I went for a walk to clear my head. Turns out near where I worked there was quite a nice forest trail. I ended up sitting on a bridge, and performing this one aloud on the spot. I then did so again. A few more times, and I thought I had it. I hurried back to work and typed it up as an email (poems look very different from code, and I kinda didn't want any work people to notice). It's probably the only non-rhyming one I'd ever be happy performing, though currently my only audience have been the trees. Ah well. Also, side note, the initials are a shout-out to a couple friend of mine, but I don't think they read this blog. But they would totally be the type I can imagine writing on trees. I did also have to kinda condense this down from the one I shouted, as I think I was going for a good few minutes before I noticed someone coming in the distance and got embarrassed.
5: The Nod - Favourite Non-Rhyming
I've always wanted to try branching into spoken word. Into just writing a paragraph so powerful it can be said aloud and still works. This is my best attempt at that (so far), though I'm still a little way off. The link actually goes through to a blog by a good friend of mine, where some more of my stuff my get linked to in future. He also managed to improve in a couple of ways the poem. This is why writing to a deadline is a bad idea, but I certainly couldn't have done this year without it.
48: Refuge - Favourite Message
This was originally written for an Oxfam poetry competition. Apparently it didn't fit the 'theme' they had in mind (though they were naturally very kind about it). This is about a very core belief of mine - that of charity. So I find it quite tough to write about, while giving it the respect it deserves. The fact I think I managed it here is why it's one of my favourites.
3: I Am But An Idea - Favourite Marker
The first poem I did where I was proud of it. It took a few attempts, but even though this one isn't as good as I'd like now, I still remember the satisfaction having written it, and thinking how much I liked it. A nice one to finish this post on. It really does show just how far I've come.
Thanks for reading. Really, I hope you liked it :)
It's been a phenomenal time, and many thanks to those of you that've actually been reading and enjoyed what I wrote. I'm always amazed every time someone's said they've read and enjoyed them. So even if you're only doing it to humour me, thank you :)
Next year, I'm going to be doing something slightly different. I'm still going to be writing a poem a week. The only difference is, this time each month I'm going to have a theme. And, with a one poem a month exception, each poem has to be (at least tenuously) related to that theme. While my writing has got better, I need to get better at being creative with the original idea. So that's what this is for.
Many thanks again, and if you want to find out what it is I've been up to, find a list of ones I liked this year to read. If you liked one then please do let me know. It really does mean a lot.
27: When Science Proposes to Art - Favourite Poem
I don't think there's anything I would do to this poem if I had the chance. I think it's the right length, and it captures my current thinking on why Science and Art are similar (but also different). As a poet/engineer I've had to think about this a lot. There's a lot of doctrine saying if you do this you can't do that. This was me saying that, aside from the whole 'you don't have to do what people tell you' thing, exactly why the two are alike. And why together they are even better.
10: The Beat - Favourite Rhythm/Wordplay
This is my favourite use of wordplay and rhythm. Every time I read this I perform it a different way. While others I love for their imagery and themes, this one I love because it's just so damn fun to say aloud. Go on, give it a go. Somehow it manages to get you comfortable at the right parts and then jarringly change it to make you unseated. I'd love to be able to write stuff with this sort of rhythm the whole time. And I haven't been able to write like this again since March. Ah well.
23: A Gentleman's Rhyming Duel - Favourite to Perform in Future
I can't remember why I thought of this one. But it's use of longer rhymes and the fact it fits with my natural performing style (I know I'm close to rapping anyway) means that it seems to fit very well in my speech. This is certainly one I'd love to perform at some point. Partially because I can do a silly voice. Well, mostly actually. But it's probably the funniest I've done and I reckon it'll get the best reactions.
46: You Are All - Favourite to have Performed
I started out doing poetry as performances. And the reactions of people is why I still do it. I thought up the first 2 lines, and knew this would be one I had to perform. As such, I had a long time (until the next open mic) to try to work out where the poem would go. And, after all that thought, I ended up writing something fairly thematically different (though keeping the main lines). I love the power of this one, and it's one of the ones I've managed to go back and re-write a couple times to improve.
29: Monsters - Favourite Lines
I actually remember strolling down the street when the first couple lines came to me. This happens occasionally, and a basically spent the rest of that trip repeating the lines (so I wouldn't forget them) and then expanding in a few ways on them to find where I wanted the poem to go. I can't remember what the alternatives were, but I'm very happy with how it turned out. It was also very fun to perform, as I did at my college poetry night (meaning it's one of the ones I've sort of got memorised).
13: Don't Look Down! (Up is Far More Interesting) - Favourite Written on the Spot
Written for a friend of mine (hi Aimeé!) this is actually one of my few science related poems. I pretty much wrote this one on the fly writing it as a facebook message (which is why it formated oddly) and then copied and pasted it straight into the blog. I find any poem I'm able to write in a sitting tends to fit together a lot better and finds it's naturally length more naturally. Not being able to edit is both a blessing and a curse though.
34: Roses - Favourite Shouted on the Spot
So, I was at work, and bored. I went for a walk to clear my head. Turns out near where I worked there was quite a nice forest trail. I ended up sitting on a bridge, and performing this one aloud on the spot. I then did so again. A few more times, and I thought I had it. I hurried back to work and typed it up as an email (poems look very different from code, and I kinda didn't want any work people to notice). It's probably the only non-rhyming one I'd ever be happy performing, though currently my only audience have been the trees. Ah well. Also, side note, the initials are a shout-out to a couple friend of mine, but I don't think they read this blog. But they would totally be the type I can imagine writing on trees. I did also have to kinda condense this down from the one I shouted, as I think I was going for a good few minutes before I noticed someone coming in the distance and got embarrassed.
5: The Nod - Favourite Non-Rhyming
I've always wanted to try branching into spoken word. Into just writing a paragraph so powerful it can be said aloud and still works. This is my best attempt at that (so far), though I'm still a little way off. The link actually goes through to a blog by a good friend of mine, where some more of my stuff my get linked to in future. He also managed to improve in a couple of ways the poem. This is why writing to a deadline is a bad idea, but I certainly couldn't have done this year without it.
48: Refuge - Favourite Message
This was originally written for an Oxfam poetry competition. Apparently it didn't fit the 'theme' they had in mind (though they were naturally very kind about it). This is about a very core belief of mine - that of charity. So I find it quite tough to write about, while giving it the respect it deserves. The fact I think I managed it here is why it's one of my favourites.
3: I Am But An Idea - Favourite Marker
The first poem I did where I was proud of it. It took a few attempts, but even though this one isn't as good as I'd like now, I still remember the satisfaction having written it, and thinking how much I liked it. A nice one to finish this post on. It really does show just how far I've come.
Thanks for reading. Really, I hope you liked it :)
#53 The Adventure
I remember when I started out, I was so naive
It was a seemingly innocent and quiet eve
I set out of my proverbial door
Not knowing the challenges the world had in store
So I braved monsters and demons
Stood toe to toe with the most sinister villains
I developed arch-enemies and other foes
But I also had friends, as is custom I suppose
But every time the challenge came my way
I thought back to that fateful day
I could have just stayed at home
Safe and cosy in a protective dome
I ask myself, why am I out here at all
As I'm being battered down and about to fall
After all, the challenge a was self-imposed risk
There was no need at all for me to do this
And the comfort is alluring, no doubt of that
I could just give up and fall down flat
Accept that the adventure is not my fate
That the danger has been getting too great
But, while all of that is certainly true
I have to look back at what I've gone through
I'm taller now. I have a clearer view
I can see exactly what I was trying to do.
Now, after so long in the wild, a choice appears
One that has filled all my hopes and fears
There's a path that circles back to comfort again
It seems so relaxing and free of pain
I mean, I can still journey out once in a while
Tell myself I can go just one mile
The marathon is just self abuse
It's an offer I find it tough to refuse
But another path branches off to the left
And of comforts it's very much bereft
It requires me to be unique - the monsters have learned
It might best me even with the skills that I've earned
With a sigh and an eye role, I head to the left side
I'm not sure why, it might just be pride
But screw it. What is life but for the battle?
Why do we exist if not to get rattled?
For why comforts are tempting, they're the reward of life
To earn them we have to fight hard and take on the strife
For to have taken on the world and still be able to stand
I can't help but feel that I've emerged a slightly better man
It was a seemingly innocent and quiet eve
I set out of my proverbial door
Not knowing the challenges the world had in store
So I braved monsters and demons
Stood toe to toe with the most sinister villains
I developed arch-enemies and other foes
But I also had friends, as is custom I suppose
But every time the challenge came my way
I thought back to that fateful day
I could have just stayed at home
Safe and cosy in a protective dome
I ask myself, why am I out here at all
As I'm being battered down and about to fall
After all, the challenge a was self-imposed risk
There was no need at all for me to do this
And the comfort is alluring, no doubt of that
I could just give up and fall down flat
Accept that the adventure is not my fate
That the danger has been getting too great
But, while all of that is certainly true
I have to look back at what I've gone through
I'm taller now. I have a clearer view
I can see exactly what I was trying to do.
Now, after so long in the wild, a choice appears
One that has filled all my hopes and fears
There's a path that circles back to comfort again
It seems so relaxing and free of pain
I mean, I can still journey out once in a while
Tell myself I can go just one mile
The marathon is just self abuse
It's an offer I find it tough to refuse
But another path branches off to the left
And of comforts it's very much bereft
It requires me to be unique - the monsters have learned
It might best me even with the skills that I've earned
With a sigh and an eye role, I head to the left side
I'm not sure why, it might just be pride
But screw it. What is life but for the battle?
Why do we exist if not to get rattled?
For why comforts are tempting, they're the reward of life
To earn them we have to fight hard and take on the strife
For to have taken on the world and still be able to stand
I can't help but feel that I've emerged a slightly better man
23 December 2013
#52 A toast to Adulthood
Ladies and gentlemen. I bid you silence for a second.
Yes, I know, but it'll only take a second.
Come on, please? It's this type of thing I'm going to talk about.
Alright then. Ladies and gentlemen. Fill your glasses and raise them.
As I make a toast to adulthood.
And ignore the fact my glass is filled with milk. Focus.
This is important.
*ahem*
To. Adulthood.
That exact moment when we all became mature.
I hope you all remember where you were when it happened to you.
You were just walking along, jeans round ankles when suddenly, boom.
You pulled up your pants and walked briskly to the nearest store to purchase a pair of slacks.
That exact point where we woke up and realised we needed to apply for a job
Where we all realised there were 'young people' in the world
Where suddenly youth culture stopped making sense
When people instantaneously felt they could rely on us
When we realised how important responsibility was to us all.
When we were able to go to bed at 10 and wake up at 7 every day
When we realised late night parties were silly
And that exact moment when we realised there was nothing we liked better than doing the same thing each and every day, preferably for the next 50 years straight.
Where, just like our parents before us, we suddenly wanted to be sensible
Where, just like our teachers, fun was something that happened to others, and should therefore be squashed
Where you were suddenly aware what taxes were and how much you hated them
Adulthood. Where in an instant you changed into a functioning member of society.
Nah, I'm just kidding ya.
This is a toast to the slow gradual decline of childhood,
And the realisation that it's left adulthood behind for you as a parting gift.
To the slow appreciation that someone actually makes stuff work
That people have been working pretty hard around you your whole life
To understanding this world isn't all fun and games, as much as we'd still like it to be.
To knowing that you have to work a lot of it out yourself, and suddenly being aware that no one anywhere has any clue what they're doing.
To moving away from friends because you don't have time any more, but you'll find time again soon I'm sure.
To wondering how there could ever have been too much time in a day.
To adulthood being the realisation we are all alone.
And this toast is to adulthood. But it's a toast by many. For we have become alone together.
Which just might make it that much more bearable after all.
To adulthood.
Yes, I know, but it'll only take a second.
Come on, please? It's this type of thing I'm going to talk about.
Alright then. Ladies and gentlemen. Fill your glasses and raise them.
As I make a toast to adulthood.
And ignore the fact my glass is filled with milk. Focus.
This is important.
*ahem*
To. Adulthood.
That exact moment when we all became mature.
I hope you all remember where you were when it happened to you.
You were just walking along, jeans round ankles when suddenly, boom.
You pulled up your pants and walked briskly to the nearest store to purchase a pair of slacks.
That exact point where we woke up and realised we needed to apply for a job
Where we all realised there were 'young people' in the world
Where suddenly youth culture stopped making sense
When people instantaneously felt they could rely on us
When we realised how important responsibility was to us all.
When we were able to go to bed at 10 and wake up at 7 every day
When we realised late night parties were silly
And that exact moment when we realised there was nothing we liked better than doing the same thing each and every day, preferably for the next 50 years straight.
Where, just like our parents before us, we suddenly wanted to be sensible
Where, just like our teachers, fun was something that happened to others, and should therefore be squashed
Where you were suddenly aware what taxes were and how much you hated them
Adulthood. Where in an instant you changed into a functioning member of society.
Nah, I'm just kidding ya.
This is a toast to the slow gradual decline of childhood,
And the realisation that it's left adulthood behind for you as a parting gift.
To the slow appreciation that someone actually makes stuff work
That people have been working pretty hard around you your whole life
To understanding this world isn't all fun and games, as much as we'd still like it to be.
To knowing that you have to work a lot of it out yourself, and suddenly being aware that no one anywhere has any clue what they're doing.
To moving away from friends because you don't have time any more, but you'll find time again soon I'm sure.
To wondering how there could ever have been too much time in a day.
To adulthood being the realisation we are all alone.
And this toast is to adulthood. But it's a toast by many. For we have become alone together.
Which just might make it that much more bearable after all.
To adulthood.
17 December 2013
#51 Planning
You can spend a lifetime planning
Where your lifetime's gonna go
You can spend a lifetime planning
All the things you're gonna know
You can spend a lifetime planning
Trying to decide just one decision
You can spend a lifetime planning
Finalising your grand life vision
And I know you
You're the sort of perfectionist
For whom the devil's in all details
For whom every plan has a plan
And plans for what those plans then entail
When your lifetime plan is done
And has been checked over twice
Then you can really start to be someone
Which I guess will be nice
But new surprises will come through
For all plans have their flaws
What then will you do
You who planned 'til you could plan no more
So here's what's up
Everything in life is a balance
And plans do indeed help life run by
But, there will always exist chance
On that you can rely
Sure the future is scary and unknown
And planning can help to that end
But no matter what fate has sewn
You still have to live in the present, my friend.
Where your lifetime's gonna go
You can spend a lifetime planning
All the things you're gonna know
You can spend a lifetime planning
Trying to decide just one decision
You can spend a lifetime planning
Finalising your grand life vision
And I know you
You're the sort of perfectionist
For whom the devil's in all details
For whom every plan has a plan
And plans for what those plans then entail
When your lifetime plan is done
And has been checked over twice
Then you can really start to be someone
Which I guess will be nice
But new surprises will come through
For all plans have their flaws
What then will you do
You who planned 'til you could plan no more
So here's what's up
Everything in life is a balance
And plans do indeed help life run by
But, there will always exist chance
On that you can rely
Sure the future is scary and unknown
And planning can help to that end
But no matter what fate has sewn
You still have to live in the present, my friend.
11 December 2013
#50 Rebellion
He sits in his room and plots the world's demise
Through this musky gloom comes all light to his eyes
This darkened vision, this darkened sight
Unwelcome decisions taken in perpetual night
And this propagates, spawning new dilemmas and questions
But he's started this class and is determined to learn the lesson
There is a grandeur, and a certain amount of style
To dark this pure, as he sits and ponders a while
As he sees himself, stood on top of it all
Standing on the back of the world that he made fall
His plans have come to fruition, come to an end
He's a king with ambition, no more need now to pretend
He's been hiding himself so long, and his true potential
But now power courses through him in a manner almost sensual
And he can see everything else, stood in awe finally aware
Or exactly who it is they see standing there
They finally notice, they finally recognise
Too late the mist has been drawn from all their eyes
He can see himself now, finally who he deserves to be
This vision he sees through the dark with such clarity
Ah even the manic, the megalomaniac and king
Can be drawn asunder by even the simplest of things
He so focussed on his vision of being Lord of all
He's forgotten he needs a plan to make the Earth fall
He sees so far ahead he can't take a single step forward
He's stuck in the present, but if he can't help himself then who would
The grandest ambitions can lay waste to the greatest of men
As he sits forgets that life is an 'if' not a 'when'.
4 December 2013
#49 Teaching Parallax
One of the sad facts about life is that you have to get older
One of the good facts in life is that we progress
When balanced together, it can seem irritating.
I'm turning it through in my head 'til my mind is a mess
Yet as I grow up and older, I'm forced a new angle on life
I can witness my perspectives slowly shift
So while sometimes this change can be truly devastating
Other times it can't help but be a gift
See, I remember back when I were a lad.
How I thought about education and about learning
And through the forced nostalgia of age
For that time again I'm initially yearning
Then I remember how I behaved. How I acted.
I remember all the embarrassing things that I've done
About yelling and screaming. About bullying and demeaning.
Oh, what it was to be young
See life was clearer back then.
It was binary, Boolean, in black and white
Good and evil were clearly determined
By who you'd got along with that night
And there was one evil clearer than any other
Standing clearly in front of us all
The teacher, controller of our fate and destiny
The teacher, standing so tall
That one who was forcing us to learn against our will
That one who couldn't understand who we were
That person who seemed heartless and cruel
That villain. That scoundrel. That cur.
And yet. And yet. The teacher isn't so tall these days
I'm starting to see life from that view
Looking back, I'll admit, I'm almost amazed,
At what we put our teachers through.
They're trying their best, in a thankless job,
The outsider just doing what they can
And to still impart knowledge, and lessons of life
Ain't an easy job for a man
So now I can see clearer, or at least in a different way
From how it was way back when
First, I want to firstly apologise
For how difficult I can't help but have made it back then
Second, be grateful, that this realisation
Came while I was still learning
Since the way I'm treating those trying to educate me in life
Is slowly but surely turning
And finally I give thanks
And gratitude most sincere, of that make no mistakes
To those who fought through
To teach and educate, for mine and for other's sakes
Who went the extra mile, to show me
That the teacher in class was a person too
And by that I mean, they're tired and flawed
A person like me or you
Yet still they show strength,
Trying to do their best each and every day
For their own reasons
Helping the tomorrow before they become today
So a repeated thanks to my teachers
And to my friends who are bravely choosing this as their career
It may have taken a while, but I assure you at last
You'll find gratitude and sympathy here.
When balanced together, it can seem irritating.
I'm turning it through in my head 'til my mind is a mess
Yet as I grow up and older, I'm forced a new angle on life
I can witness my perspectives slowly shift
So while sometimes this change can be truly devastating
Other times it can't help but be a gift
See, I remember back when I were a lad.
How I thought about education and about learning
And through the forced nostalgia of age
For that time again I'm initially yearning
Then I remember how I behaved. How I acted.
I remember all the embarrassing things that I've done
About yelling and screaming. About bullying and demeaning.
Oh, what it was to be young
See life was clearer back then.
It was binary, Boolean, in black and white
Good and evil were clearly determined
By who you'd got along with that night
And there was one evil clearer than any other
Standing clearly in front of us all
The teacher, controller of our fate and destiny
The teacher, standing so tall
That one who was forcing us to learn against our will
That one who couldn't understand who we were
That person who seemed heartless and cruel
That villain. That scoundrel. That cur.
And yet. And yet. The teacher isn't so tall these days
I'm starting to see life from that view
Looking back, I'll admit, I'm almost amazed,
At what we put our teachers through.
They're trying their best, in a thankless job,
The outsider just doing what they can
And to still impart knowledge, and lessons of life
Ain't an easy job for a man
So now I can see clearer, or at least in a different way
From how it was way back when
First, I want to firstly apologise
For how difficult I can't help but have made it back then
Second, be grateful, that this realisation
Came while I was still learning
Since the way I'm treating those trying to educate me in life
Is slowly but surely turning
And finally I give thanks
And gratitude most sincere, of that make no mistakes
To those who fought through
To teach and educate, for mine and for other's sakes
Who went the extra mile, to show me
That the teacher in class was a person too
And by that I mean, they're tired and flawed
A person like me or you
Yet still they show strength,
Trying to do their best each and every day
For their own reasons
Helping the tomorrow before they become today
So a repeated thanks to my teachers
And to my friends who are bravely choosing this as their career
It may have taken a while, but I assure you at last
You'll find gratitude and sympathy here.
21 November 2013
#48 Refuge
I mean, personally, I find it difficult to see
Why anyone on this Earth would become a refugee
I'm sorry. I guess. I mean. I can't really know.
What it's like to not have a home to which you can go.
I've been fortunate. Far more than I'm willing to admit.
Please, I'm so sorry, won't you come in for a bit?
This was a very quick poem (intentionally kept a bit short), done a while ago on the theme of refuge. The people I submitted it to thought it wasn't good enough though. Considering I think this is one of my favourite ones I've written so far, that's a little disheartening, but hey, just means I'll improve for next time.
Why anyone on this Earth would become a refugee
After all, it's quite frankly plain to me
There's no place like home to be quite so homely
I mean, my parents are there, if I'm not feeling well
But for when I am, man, the place seems swell
I'm safe behind these walls, it's easy to tell
To never come back, now *that* would be hell
I mean, why would anyone want to depart
The place they hold as home in their heart
I mean, there are so many comforts, privileges too
This country cares for me but why should it care for you?
I mean, sure you'd be welcome to stay a little while
But don't you miss home? Oh, why don't you smile?
I mean, is it really that bad? Is it really that tough?
You've...given up your home. You've had enough.I'm sorry. I guess. I mean. I can't really know.
What it's like to not have a home to which you can go.
I've been fortunate. Far more than I'm willing to admit.
Please, I'm so sorry, won't you come in for a bit?
This was a very quick poem (intentionally kept a bit short), done a while ago on the theme of refuge. The people I submitted it to thought it wasn't good enough though. Considering I think this is one of my favourite ones I've written so far, that's a little disheartening, but hey, just means I'll improve for next time.
19 November 2013
#47 Welcome to Nostalgia
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm here to sell you one hell of an adventure
The only fear that I have is that you'll love too well it's splendour
You'll be enticed, drawn in, and instantly infatuated
As I present to you the boldest hypothetical ever instigated
Nostalgia. Where you can go back and live in the past
Go back to your birth or just re-eat this morning's good breakfast
In fact it can do both, and intertwine strands of time so fine
So that you'll align any personal timeline highlight you call mine
Yes re-relive your memories for only a minimal fee
We'll even add in this rose tinted filter for free
Oh, can't you see how much better your life could be here
Sure you can stay for a while, of that don't you fear
In fact some of our clientele stay for a long time indeed
They get almost defensive if you try to make them recede
After all it's comfortable here, what on Earth is the harm?
It's good for you, cover the pains of today with this temporal balm
Now I'm nothing if not honest, you see I did mention a price.
It's very small, practically minimal, but this virtuous land, it can be a vice
See while it's good to visit and remember where you came from first
It's like an elixir which can be addictive to those who develop fix for the thirst
But never mind that! Get lost in happy mis-memories and drink the present away
It's scary there, just a few sips and you'll return to a happier day
Maybe you'll come to love Nostalgia, maybe you'll never want to leave
Maybe Nostalgia is cruel, and your time it might just thieve
But aside from all that, why not come for a small trip?
Our drink is healthy, even doctors recommend the occasional small sip
Come on. What's the worst that could happen, do you really need much persuasion?
Come to Nostalgia. Give in to temptation.
The only fear that I have is that you'll love too well it's splendour
You'll be enticed, drawn in, and instantly infatuated
As I present to you the boldest hypothetical ever instigated
Nostalgia. Where you can go back and live in the past
Go back to your birth or just re-eat this morning's good breakfast
In fact it can do both, and intertwine strands of time so fine
So that you'll align any personal timeline highlight you call mine
Yes re-relive your memories for only a minimal fee
We'll even add in this rose tinted filter for free
Oh, can't you see how much better your life could be here
Sure you can stay for a while, of that don't you fear
In fact some of our clientele stay for a long time indeed
They get almost defensive if you try to make them recede
After all it's comfortable here, what on Earth is the harm?
It's good for you, cover the pains of today with this temporal balm
Now I'm nothing if not honest, you see I did mention a price.
It's very small, practically minimal, but this virtuous land, it can be a vice
See while it's good to visit and remember where you came from first
It's like an elixir which can be addictive to those who develop fix for the thirst
But never mind that! Get lost in happy mis-memories and drink the present away
It's scary there, just a few sips and you'll return to a happier day
Maybe you'll come to love Nostalgia, maybe you'll never want to leave
Maybe Nostalgia is cruel, and your time it might just thieve
But aside from all that, why not come for a small trip?
Our drink is healthy, even doctors recommend the occasional small sip
Come on. What's the worst that could happen, do you really need much persuasion?
Come to Nostalgia. Give in to temptation.
9 November 2013
#46 You are all
This is dedicated to anyone who's every found themselves apologising for no less a mortal sin than just being themself
Let me just start off by saying you all *the* most spectacular fantastic amazing interesting and intriguing *person*, that I have ever seen.
I realise that this might sound a little extreme, so let me take a step back to explain what I mean.
See I guess I'm a passionate guy, But I'd like to think I'm honest too
So I'd like to admit to being honest about being passionate about you
And by you I mean every human soul who I've been lucky enough to greet
You've all achieved this amazing goal, this amazingly crazy feat
And that's:
To manage to make your own way in this feral thing called life
To fight through all the perils and to fight through all the strife
To find beauty in areas that other people don't
To experience cares about things that other people wont
You've all got a past that belongs to no other
You've all seen life go by fast, you've all been a lover
You've all gone through great hardships, you've all gone through betrayal
You've all known what it's like to try you're very best and yet still somehow fail
You are individually wonderful, individually unique
Which all seems fascinating to this happy little freak
I know you do yourself down a lot, that's just how things are
But even when you're down, you're still wonderful, you are your own little star
What I guess I mean is, if you'll excuse me the rambling
Is that life is a game of risks, and I'm not very good at gambling
So I love to meet everyone who took the chance to advance down different paths in life decisions
Which I think is roughly everyone, estimating with fairly accurate precision
You have great personal stories and you've shown great personal strength
Strengths about which if I don't condense I am able to go on at great length
Because when I say you are the most spectacular fantastic amazing interesting and intriguing person, I honestly mean it to be true
But what I mean by that, what I'm trying to get to,
What I mean is that you're quite simply and wonderfully just you
So don't you ever let me catch you apologising for no less a triumph than simply being yourself.
Let me just start off by saying you all *the* most spectacular fantastic amazing interesting and intriguing *person*, that I have ever seen.
I realise that this might sound a little extreme, so let me take a step back to explain what I mean.
See I guess I'm a passionate guy, But I'd like to think I'm honest too
So I'd like to admit to being honest about being passionate about you
And by you I mean every human soul who I've been lucky enough to greet
You've all achieved this amazing goal, this amazingly crazy feat
And that's:
To manage to make your own way in this feral thing called life
To fight through all the perils and to fight through all the strife
To find beauty in areas that other people don't
To experience cares about things that other people wont
You've all got a past that belongs to no other
You've all seen life go by fast, you've all been a lover
You've all gone through great hardships, you've all gone through betrayal
You've all known what it's like to try you're very best and yet still somehow fail
You are individually wonderful, individually unique
Which all seems fascinating to this happy little freak
I know you do yourself down a lot, that's just how things are
But even when you're down, you're still wonderful, you are your own little star
What I guess I mean is, if you'll excuse me the rambling
Is that life is a game of risks, and I'm not very good at gambling
So I love to meet everyone who took the chance to advance down different paths in life decisions
Which I think is roughly everyone, estimating with fairly accurate precision
You have great personal stories and you've shown great personal strength
Strengths about which if I don't condense I am able to go on at great length
Because when I say you are the most spectacular fantastic amazing interesting and intriguing person, I honestly mean it to be true
But what I mean by that, what I'm trying to get to,
What I mean is that you're quite simply and wonderfully just you
So don't you ever let me catch you apologising for no less a triumph than simply being yourself.
31 October 2013
#45 The Earth Keeps Moving
Any fool, or any dunce
Can, if they try, make the world stop once.
To make the world see them, to make the world know
That this fella right here is a guy who's gonna grow
It's not too hard, doesn't require too much invention
To make the world make you the centre of attention
Make it acknowledge that, hey, you exist
Isn't that nice, now wont you be missed?
Only, if you've stopped the world, it's a dangerous game to play
As the world respins and curls, commences creating the day
The intertia, might just knock you off your feet
In the type of experience you might not wish to repeat
See now you're behind, trying to catch the world again
But you've had your time, it's just not the same
It knows who you are, now does it really care?
You'd have to go so far, and no it's not fair.
Last time, you took the world by surprise,
And in it's shock it managed to look you in your eyes,
But all it saw was a fool or a dunce.
Who had their moment, and made the world stop once.
However, that's really not the point of this rhyme.
The real trickster can stop the world a second time.
Stop the spinning of this great ball of rock
For the second time to halt both hands on the clock
To have the courage, conviction, creativity and class
To once again manage to stand on top of this planetary mass
So that, for a second time that the world sees you standing right there.
You see the second time you make the world stop, you also make it care.
Because any fool, or any dunce
Can if they try, make the world stop once
But that's not really the point of this advice
For it takes a genius, to make the world stop twice
Can, if they try, make the world stop once.
To make the world see them, to make the world know
That this fella right here is a guy who's gonna grow
It's not too hard, doesn't require too much invention
To make the world make you the centre of attention
Make it acknowledge that, hey, you exist
Isn't that nice, now wont you be missed?
Only, if you've stopped the world, it's a dangerous game to play
As the world respins and curls, commences creating the day
The intertia, might just knock you off your feet
In the type of experience you might not wish to repeat
See now you're behind, trying to catch the world again
But you've had your time, it's just not the same
It knows who you are, now does it really care?
You'd have to go so far, and no it's not fair.
Last time, you took the world by surprise,
And in it's shock it managed to look you in your eyes,
But all it saw was a fool or a dunce.
Who had their moment, and made the world stop once.
However, that's really not the point of this rhyme.
The real trickster can stop the world a second time.
Stop the spinning of this great ball of rock
For the second time to halt both hands on the clock
To have the courage, conviction, creativity and class
To once again manage to stand on top of this planetary mass
So that, for a second time that the world sees you standing right there.
You see the second time you make the world stop, you also make it care.
Because any fool, or any dunce
Can if they try, make the world stop once
But that's not really the point of this advice
For it takes a genius, to make the world stop twice
29 October 2013
#44 Not your typical
Just to say, I'm not your typical run of the mill human being
I'm not like that standard model you see walking around
I'm fully equipped with genuine thought 'n' feeling
With all the latest gadgets that can be found
Look, I can work through maths with 101% accuracy
I can draw art, and I'll only have to start over twice
I can feign culture and pretend to be classy
And, if for some reason you desire, I can feign being nice
Yes I'm the top of the range, the latest trend
Not like those other fakes you see walking around
I can see you're jealous, no need to pretend
I'm unique, one like me is not to be found
But then it hit me. Exactly what I was saying
By trying to be the best, I was being like the rest
With exactly what message I ended up conveying
It mattered not the result, just that I was taking the test
See the flaws in my design are what keeps me different
I don't need to be scared to acknowledge it you see
All I need to do is acknowledge what is most apparent
That I don't need to be better, just to be me
22 October 2013
#43 Birthday
So, it's my birthday. I've survived another year.
And I did it my way. And yes I'm still here.
I've clung on for life for another orbit of the sun
I've survived much strife but now this year is done
One more to add to my ever building total
Kind of sad, the year is just a number after all...
But in that year that adds just one to my age
While I've dwelled here still on life's stage
I've acted my part in a great many plots
I've thrown my heart into worlds that others forgot
I've moved on a great deal, not forgetting my past
There's been times to stop and heal, others to go fast
There's been a great many memories that were once the present
Hopefully now fewer enemies and who have less to resent
Many friends made, and many friends not seen
Many debts paid and many insights gleaned
There's so much I've done, and forgotten accidentally
But now this year's gone, and wont return incidentally
So when I add up all that I've achieved
I can stand tall with what I've received
Aside from the friends, aside from the presents
And I wont pretend that I mean the events
I can forget all that, and add one year to call myself 21
As where I'm at, and a tribute to the year just gone.
And I did it my way. And yes I'm still here.
I've clung on for life for another orbit of the sun
I've survived much strife but now this year is done
One more to add to my ever building total
Kind of sad, the year is just a number after all...
But in that year that adds just one to my age
While I've dwelled here still on life's stage
I've acted my part in a great many plots
I've thrown my heart into worlds that others forgot
I've moved on a great deal, not forgetting my past
There's been times to stop and heal, others to go fast
There's been a great many memories that were once the present
Hopefully now fewer enemies and who have less to resent
Many friends made, and many friends not seen
Many debts paid and many insights gleaned
There's so much I've done, and forgotten accidentally
But now this year's gone, and wont return incidentally
So when I add up all that I've achieved
I can stand tall with what I've received
Aside from the friends, aside from the presents
And I wont pretend that I mean the events
I can forget all that, and add one year to call myself 21
As where I'm at, and a tribute to the year just gone.
15 October 2013
#42 Maturity
The first time I cried, and realised I wasn't ashamed
Was the first time I realised that I had cried as a man.
When I decided to accept responsibility when I was blamed
I realised that I was finally mistress maturity's fan
We were never told about this growing up
The difficult parts about becoming an adult
That it doesn't come at one time, a head's up
But a collection of slow and uncertain results
But sometimes you get glimpses of indications
Little hints that Life is moving you along
Giving you a little bit of provocation
After all, the distance we walk is long
Sometimes I feel I don't want to advance
That I'm happy just at this point in the adventure
Feel happy pausing at this instance
Not feeling there's anywhere else I need to venture
But I realise now, I'd hate to be stuck further back
Now I've developed so far
Progress of self is a virtue I'd not wish to lack
And that's when I have my moment of aha
See, although moving on is a scare
It's how we sadly mature
And this realisation, of it's own affair
Was another small personal advancement to endure.
Was the first time I realised that I had cried as a man.
When I decided to accept responsibility when I was blamed
I realised that I was finally mistress maturity's fan
We were never told about this growing up
The difficult parts about becoming an adult
That it doesn't come at one time, a head's up
But a collection of slow and uncertain results
But sometimes you get glimpses of indications
Little hints that Life is moving you along
Giving you a little bit of provocation
After all, the distance we walk is long
Sometimes I feel I don't want to advance
That I'm happy just at this point in the adventure
Feel happy pausing at this instance
Not feeling there's anywhere else I need to venture
But I realise now, I'd hate to be stuck further back
Now I've developed so far
Progress of self is a virtue I'd not wish to lack
And that's when I have my moment of aha
See, although moving on is a scare
It's how we sadly mature
And this realisation, of it's own affair
Was another small personal advancement to endure.
7 October 2013
#41 Out of my depth
It's happened. Again.
It feels kind of insane
How often it's said
That I'm in over my head
Everything is rushing
I'm embarrassed and blushing
Because I should understand
But I'm really not the wanted man
Let me step back and explain
I went to shot the moon but hit a plane
I aimed way too high, and fell on my ass
I wanted to graduate when I needed to stay in class
Learning to reign myself in is not a skill I possess
I tend to go for too much so end up with less
Find myself claiming I'm far more than I am
A hollow shell of a shadow of a man
So as an intruder, I hide my heart
I try my best to act the part
And sometimes, I succeed
I do exactly what I need
I've felt an intruder the entire time
Like an accomplice in some sordid crime
Then people congratulate me after
Pat me on the back and say with laughter
How well I did, impressive and cool
Yet if on that day, I feel a fool
I'll believe them. And pledge to aim higher
Jump willingly from the frying pan, and into the fire.
It feels kind of insane
How often it's said
That I'm in over my head
Everything is rushing
I'm embarrassed and blushing
Because I should understand
But I'm really not the wanted man
Let me step back and explain
I went to shot the moon but hit a plane
I aimed way too high, and fell on my ass
I wanted to graduate when I needed to stay in class
Learning to reign myself in is not a skill I possess
I tend to go for too much so end up with less
Find myself claiming I'm far more than I am
A hollow shell of a shadow of a man
So as an intruder, I hide my heart
I try my best to act the part
And sometimes, I succeed
I do exactly what I need
I've felt an intruder the entire time
Like an accomplice in some sordid crime
Then people congratulate me after
Pat me on the back and say with laughter
How well I did, impressive and cool
Yet if on that day, I feel a fool
I'll believe them. And pledge to aim higher
Jump willingly from the frying pan, and into the fire.
2 October 2013
#40 What is Courage
It takes a lot of courage to stand up to our enemies,
But a great deal more to stand up to your friends.
In fact, courage comes in many places
But it follows no patterns or trends.
Courage can be exactly what you'd expect.
Some show it by great acts of heroics
Which have an obvious cause and effect
Which are all very lovely and quite poetic
But who doesn't love a challenge ay?
So I'm taking quite minor courage and making a stand
Here is some courage more difficult to display
Here is some courage of which I am a fan
I love the courage of a small kid standing up to a bully
But also that of the bully to admit he's done wrong
To overcome pride and admit his folly
That he's been a bully all along
To the man who's struggling with depression
And has the courage to admit it to another
Who decides to seek help, rather than bottle it up
Is courage greater than almost any other
For the small girl who believes in monsters
That are hiding under her bed when she rests
When she goes to look and confront her fears
She is sure to match her monstrous test
I love the courage to play an instrument even when you suck
The courage to say what you should've said before
The courage to stand up for small principles
The courage to be just a little bit more.
Courage can take many forms, forms others don't understand.
For courage where it seems not needed is almost an adage.
But the first step is always the hardest. And the most worthwhile.
So go ahead and be brave my friend. Have courage.
If you didn't get the Harry Potter quote, then, well, I guess that's ok. But seriously, you should read the books again. Seriously.
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