You Take a Look Inside and What Do You Find?

You Take a Look Inside and What Do You Find?

We write down lines
Comparing love to an endless list
Of sometimes cheesy, sometimes heartfelt rhymes
It's almost as if we can't resist

A man just might begin to feel
After all those years of keeping it in
That this poetic emotion is real
No matter how its presence exists within

But that's what he sees when he looks inside
When he looks at himself
It's not what he sees when he steps outside
When he looks at the world

No, you see the poetry fades
Melts away with the ice
Drowns in liquidated fossils
And chokes on the smog

Because we'd rather press the green
In between the folds of our wallets
Than press our hands
To the beating heart of one whose beat stops.
At the touch of us

We rack up the cash
Not knowing it straps us down
Surgically, precisely, and without remorse
It removes our hearts

We are bought, sold, traded
We barter for synthetic sensations
We purchase artificial affection
We invest in falsified feelings

This world is far too beautiful
To run on money
This strip of paper that we take
And use to measure human worth

Human Life

A once priceless existence
A true blessing
Now a punishment to those born poor
And a pass for those born rich

A pass through life
Through purpose
We've decided that a self-appointed purpose
Equates to a more worthy existence

These men and women who live
Without sacrifice
Stand in suits worth more
Than the measured value of human life

They ask us to sacrifice
They ask us to believe
That for some artificially constructed reason
They are more important than us

So, what do they see in the mirror?
Kings and Queens born with divine right.
What do they see through their perfectly cleaned windows?
Peasants fooled into believing they are in control.

But the joke is on them
They aren't in charge either
Not the ones still living
But the ones who live on in printed green

From their graves
They dictate our lives

This world was meant to be
For love
By love
Real

And we, as humans, have managed
To ruin that truth
And replace it with an artificial construct
Of currency, carelessness, and real, absolute hate

Break down the walls built around your hearts
Break down the system that would equate your life
To any price, of any measure

We can love again

So love, seriously that's all you really need
Well, at least it should be...

Five Year Plan

Five Year Plan

Can I trust
That when I stumble
Over my two
Left
Feet
My repetition,
My failures
In both song and dance
Suit and shame...

That one day I might
Be good enough,
Strong enough,
Smart enough...

Enough

My words are my own;
They belong to me,
But their effects
Are hardly mine.
I spew my anger,
Sing my love.
I curse my misfortune,
Reflect on opportunities lost.

Lost

My arms are too short,
Or my back is too far --
I don't know --
To give myself a pat.
My fears are too strong,
My inability too vast --
I don't care --
To tell you what I want
To do with my life.

Life

They say find hope
In life,
But how can one resist
That sweet release.
Religions of this world
Promise perfection in the next,
The after,
The beginning.
So, what kind of torture is this?
Taunted by time,
Plagued by pointlessness,
Numbed by our meaningless neuroses.

Numb

I don't want to stop feeling.
I just wish there was a way
I could
Without breathing.

The Longest Heartbeat

The Longest Heartbeat

The tears flow
From your eyes,
Down the cheeks
I can only dream
To one day see flushed
With that shade of red
That can only mean
One thing.

That song from your heart
To mine
Will hide for but a moment
Behind
The veil that matches
Your dress oh so perfectly.

It's in that dress
That you'll take
The longest walk of my life.

While the tempo
Of your heart's song
Will be the most serene tune
This world will ever know,
My heart's song will beat enough
For a lifetime
In the time it takes
For you to walk down the aisle
And forever into my arms.

Then, with your hands in mine,
My heart will stop.

For a moment
The life I once had
Will flash before
My eyes...
And I will smile,
Because of all the love
I have been blessed with
Will always be with me,
Making me strong enough
For what's ahead.

My heart will begin again
As my smile is etched
Into my soul by those
Beautiful words you use
To bring me back to life.

I am, and will forever be;
I do, and forever will;
I love, and forever I am blessed.

Losing Sleep

Losing Sleep

Losing sleep
Pen in hand
To the paper
Ink flowing,
Lines filling,
With the emotions
That keep my head spinning,
My heart racing,
My eyes open.

Losing sleep
With my thoughts
To guide me
From stanza to stanza.
As I retreat
Further into my own
Confusion.
My challenge:
To find my way
Not to the exit
But to the center.

It's in that center,
My center.
My balance.
For what thoughts could remove me
From my center?
But of course,
Could only be the thoughts
That one holds in between
The beats of their heart.

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This poem was written for the one, the only, Adriana Alves.  She was gracious enough to allow me to share this with you all.  She is an amazing young woman and I am honored to have had the opportunity to be inspired by her.

Dear Adriana,

Forever and ever, you will hold a place in my poet's soul.  Thank you for what you've done for me and my poetry.

Genuinely,

Benjamin

With These Words

With These Words

With these words

Forests grow strong
Mountains stand tall
Rivers run wild
Nature provides us all

With these words

Spirits are lifted
Trust grows sincere
Hope is restored
Fear hides in fear

With these words

A union commences
Together it grows
Careful steps taken
The devotion sows

With these words

A family is formed
New life is made
In this house
The memories do not fade

With these words

The chance at new beginnings
Comes at the cry of a child
And with a calming smile
And rested hand we simply wait a while

With these words
One is left deceived
Leaving the kind of scar
That makes it hard to believe

That with these words
All wounds can be mended

But it is with these words
And some time
And some patience
That all wounds can be mended

The heart can be broken
The heart can be saved
It can beat again

With these words

Words of purity
Of honesty
Of devotion and joy

These three words
Together they form
The single greatest power
In all the world

So say these words
With your heart beating
Mind leaping
Over the infinite possibilities
The limitless potential

Of these words

Speak in truth
And these words
Will say it all

So, go on
Say them
Say them!

One right after
The other

I
Love
You

Again, with the same sincerity

I
Love
You

Again, with all that you are

I love you
I love you

I will always
Love You