Told

They tell us a lot of things when we're small
It's hard for our small heads to hold it all

We're told to behave (always)
We're told to play (sometimes)
We're told words can't affect us
Then told morality in nursery rhymes

We're told to think of ourselves
We're told not to be radical
We're told to be ourselves
But not to stand out at all

We're told our country is strong
We're told not to bully others
We're told to look after older sisters
To play rough with younger brothers

We're told to care about nature
We're told to drive cars
We're told to stand up
But not for a cause they find bizarre

We're told to make things which are new
Then told things aren't as good as they used to be
We're told so many different things
That it's getting to me

We're told well-meaning things
We're told things by those in power
We're told things will be alright
And that the world will end in an hour

I'm starting to tell myself
Those who told me much when I as small
Maybe these people
Don't know everything after all

I will not end these thoughts, dear reader
By telling you what you must do
You will have been told many things
Which advice you take, is up to you

our challenges are as unique as our gifts

our challenges are as unique as our gifts


I don't know about you, but I focus on the challenges I face
I obsess over my obstacles and the turns taken in my race
When I think of the path I've taken, I think of the doors that were locked
Where I've forced them open and where I have been blocked


our challenges are as unique as our gifts


And when I look at others, I'm often prone to jealousy
I see wonderful gifts and talents that seemed to miss me
But I also wonder about the things people struggle over
On things I did easily or if I forget how tough they were


our challenges are as unique as our gifts


We all have different scars. We've healed in different ways.
Some folk do in seconds what takes other people days.
Your heroes all had flaws but were likely bettered by the battle
You can learn from all people but beware that they are brittle


Our paths through life are our own. We live in different shifts
And remember, dear friend, all people's challenges are as unique as their gifts.

It's hard to listen

Ok, let's be real. Sometime it's hard to listen.
To glisten from a set of vibrations
From a thousand possible intonations
Which was the source's intention

And during this to keep your mind blank
Nothing as frank and distracted as the brain
To monologue shamelessly when you hear a refrain
Then fill you with anxiety when they have to repeat again

Clear your mind
Hear the words
Let clarity form

But what are words given without a reply?
You formulate inside what you want to say
To ensure the conversation steers a certain way
Onto a field you know how to play

No. Listen. Your time will come.
In fact, change that thought
Listening to others is also your time

It's your time to evolve
To incorporate a perspective
That is not your own

But not matter how much you try
Your thoughts stack high with your mission
Though it feels like it needs a magician
Know that it is tough, but worth it, to listen.

Time spent well

This poem is dedicated to time spent well
Since time is the resource we can't help but sell
Despite some of cling to it with the tightest grip
Only to find it wasted as it begins to slip

Treasure the moments you enjoy, even the ones you'll forget
Celebrate life instead of finding things to regret
Though it is folly to capture a moment that is passed
It is no bad thing to pay a small visit to the past

Dear friend. I know I enjoyed spending time with you.
And I can only hope you enjoyed the time too
We both spent time to buy a small duration together
And though time is fleeting, history lives forever

Truths are tricky, but I believe this one is clear
Time spent well leads to memories you hold dear



For Matt, a poetry friend in Christ

To know another

Here I am
I am me
I know myself
(well, mostly)
I'd like to know more

How?
By hearing tales
True, false
But all capturing
Seeing myself
Parts of myself
In the story

I began small
My mind was inelastic
I saw myself
In people like me
But me with small changes
It turns out
In media
There are a lot of people like me

Now, I expand
I want to grow more
To see myself with different histories
With different presents
With different futures
See myself as people
whose angle on the world
is different from my own

Is it guilt?
Why represent all angles?
While I started small
I can now take big strides.
I want others to be able to start small too
It is a luxury some don't have
And I will try to take big leaps to their starting steps

Together, we will travel the same path
At least a while
Until that time
When I must return to my own mind
We can share an experience
Know more of what it is to be someone else
And so
Know more of what it is to be ourselves