Before I Don't Have Another Chance

Before I Don't Have Another Chance

With arm slowly stretching,
Hesitating for but a moment
At the elbow and knuckles
Finally the palm comes up
And a plea escapes his mouth,

"It isn't much
Really nothing but a broken
Bleeding appendage
That doesn't know the first thing
About holding a heart nor hand
In its empty grasp."

From across the separation
She stands in shock
But she stands determined;
She will hear him out
With their few precious seconds remaining

"All the horrible things I've done
And all the good things I haven't
I can't promise to protect you
With this cowardly monster's hand
I can't guarantee your safety."

She is aware of his past
She is aware of his infamous cowardice,
Savagery, and shame
His hand isn't bleeding;
It's bloody

"I'm no hero
Not then, now, nor will I ever be
But you've shown me
Even the heartless
Can fall in love."

She believes him
But sheds not a single tear
She takes note of the twitch
In his hand,
Struggling to stay open

"I guess, having to guess,
Since hate has been the only thing
I've ever been sure of til now,
I guess that I promise one thing:
I will love you with every last second."

She can't decide
To scream in anger,
Twist in disgust,
Or gaze with pity in her star-bright blues
At this hopeless wreck

"With whatever time I have left
I will love you
I'm not saying that I deserve time
With or without you
Nonetheless, from right here and now I know only that I love you."

With all the demonstrations of power
She had seen
From the earliest of ages
Now she knew that truth and love hold no equals
When brought together

Then, with a flash
And sudden, shaking crash
The world around them is chaos
Shrapnel as sharp as the sword sheathed at her hip
Severs his open hand just below the elbow

He stumbles from both the chaos
And the wound
His final chance severed and gone
He falls and before his vessel explodes
He waves his bloody, bleeding stump

With a faint smile
An absence of joy
She will have burned into her memory
He opens his mouth, uttering,
"Bye."

Benjamin: One Hundred Tries Later

Benjamin: One Hundred Tries Later

Words of the past
Wrapped up in the progress
Of the present

I have grown
The ink of my pen flows
The strength of my words beats faster

Poetry, as it is
A release not from emotions
But from the repression of them

I speak through stanzas
Feel through ink
Bleed upon my sleeve

And for whom do I bleed
For anyone who reads
And feels the release from repression

I have students; I teach and learn
I have parents; I am loved and love
I have friends; I am cared for and care

It is for those
That I know
That I say thank you

It is for those
That I don't
That I say please feel

Feel the weight of your world
Upon your own two shoulders
And feel the strength in your truth

The truth in who you are
The truth in what you feel
The truth in the love you have

Share this truth
For no matter how much the world takes
There will always be some of you left to give

Lifelong Learner

Lifelong Learner

"Why must the summer end?"
The child asks.
"So we can keep learning."
The parent answers.

"What about you?
Since you're done with school,
Why does your summer end?"
The child asks, already missing the summer sun.

The parent smiles, the child mimics
The parent kisses their child
Then says,
"I never said anything about school."

Album Epilogue

Album Epilogue

With these thoughts in my mind
And these feelings in my heart
With these words on my lips
I just wanted you to know
That what you just heard
Could only ever possibly be
A gift from deep inside my soul
A gift for the one
The only
You

Album Prologue

Album Prologue

When you hold my hand,
How can you expect me not to grip?
When our lips meet,
How can you expect me not to kiss?
That beautiful face
That big ol' heart
I can't begin
To tell you what it would be like
To fall apart
Without you in my arms
There's nothing I can see
No horizon
No blue sky
No blue open sea
I am only
When I am with you

But can you possibly be
When you are with me?

Comprehension

Comprehension

I love you more
Than your mind can comprehend
But I'm sure
It's your heart that will always understand

So, don't think about it
Feel it
And let the tears come
And the smile spread

Know that it's the tears
You'll always have
As they cascade
Down memory lane

Every now and then
They'll trip
They'll slip
They are tears after all

Don't let them say
Don't cry
You cry
Because you remember

I can't thank you enough for that
That I might be missed
By someone so full of love
Those are tears worth shedding

See you later
Is what they say
Because goodbye
Is too sad

But here I am
Saying goodbye
In hopes that I might actually
Be able to appreciate

Everything you were
Everything you are
Everything I won't
Get to see you be

It's a tall order
But as big as I was
It's in the expanse of my heart
That I keep you forever

Goodbye,
I say
With tears
And a smile

For The Light

For The Light

Darkness does not descend
It does not envelop
Darkness has always been, is
And will always be

It's the struggle
As ever present
As the lacking
That one must endure

Without this endurance
This fortitude
There is darkness
Always

Seasons Dreamings

Seasons Dreamings

It's in the wintertime
That the sky goes from blue to gray
Unless, of course, you live
In sunny southern California
It's during this time of year
That my heart beats just a little bit slower
My mind matches pace
As I begin to sleep just a little bit deeper

Because I'm dreaming
Of that better tomorrow
Dreaming is all I really need
To have hope for those days
That are soon to follow
Dreaming
With my mind and heart in sync

It's in the springtime
That the light returns
Unless, of course, you live
Where it never turns off
It's during this time of year
That my eyes drown in color
A relentless rainbow
That makes me add my bright smile to the mix

Because I'm dreaming
Of that better tomorrow
Dreaming is all I really need
To have hope for those days
That are soon to follow
Dreaming
With my mind and heart in sync

It's in the summertime
That everyone gets a taste
Of sunny southern California
Unless, of course, you get the big taste of actually living there
It's during this time of year
That my heart melts
With every passing day
That just seems to race on by

Because I'm dreaming
Of that better tomorrow
Dreaming is all I really need
To have hope for those days
That are soon to follow
Dreaming
With my mind and heart in sync

It's in the time of autumn
That the places with leaves
Change their color before falling
To a cool, crisp ground, not found in sunny southern California
It's during this time of year
That I don't even notice
That the seasons have changed
It's just as hot as ever and the rainbow doesn't fade

Because I'm dreaming
Of that better tomorrow
Dreaming is all I really need
To have hope for those days
That are soon to follow
Dreaming
With my mind and heart in sync

Yes, my heart and mind
Keeping me dreaming
It's where I find my hope
But it's outside of them that I find love
So, I guess dreaming
Really isn't
All I'll ever need

Learning From The Best

Learning From The Best

I've been racking my brain
Hoping to stand up here and say
Each and every truth
I've learned from each and every
One of you

A teacher's job is to learn
As much as it is to teach
A teacher's job is to care
As much as it is to believe
That what we do matters

Days shrouded in doubt
Illuminated by that thought
That came flashing into your mind
That look of understanding
The pride and joy of knowing

I've been called inspiring,
But never have I felt
More grateful
To be inspired

Thank you, for everything

Now go change the world