With Every Promise, Every Tear, Every Time

With Every Promise, Every Tear, Every Time

It's in gratitude
That I clock in
Each and every day

It's in gratitude
That I laugh
And smile my big, goofy smile

It's in gratitude
That I cry
Tears of joy

It's in gratitude
That I bring
My energy and personality to the classroom

It's in gratitude
That I write
Letters of recommendation

Before I finish
Let me dive
Into the tears I shed for you

You will find anger
Over the injustices done against you
In my tears

You will find sorrow
For the pain you feel
In my tears

You will find joy
For the smiles on your faces
In my tears

You will find pride
For all that you accomplish
In my tears

You will find hope
For the better future you can make for this world
In my tears

You will find gratitude
For being the best students and amazing people
In my tears

What you will never find
In these tears
Is so much as a single drop of shame

When you fail
I don't cry
I cry in awe when you try again

So why don't I drown
In so many tears?
Well that question brings me to the end

Like the unstoppable oceans
Of this vast and endless world
My tears have strength

However, it is a strength
From without, not within
It's a strength given to me by you

Thank you for giving me the strength
To lift trophies, wear medals, hold certificates
The strength to cheer, smile, and beam with pride

Thank you for giving me the strength
To say with confidence
That I love you all and always will

It's in gratitude
That I finish this poem
With this promise:

When I say I will always
Be here for you
I mean it with every tear I shed

Lied To Laws of Forced Apathy

Lied To Laws of Forced Apathy

We were told
The world would be left
In the palms of our hands
Like a precious jewel from the depths
Of its greatest oceans

But that was the lie
To keep us spinning
The wheels of their industry
Broken and bought leaders
Warped, downright evil priorities

The truth is
The world has been harvested
Left with craters of devastation
To be filled with the stolen purpose
Of the next generation

We will inherit less
Than what once was
By the we-know-betters
Of the past
Who made promises while missing their sold soul

They stomped our idealism
Creating a reality in which
A heart that has stopped beating
Cannot be brought back
Even by the once unstoppable power of love

The sad irony
Is that had the love
Never been taken away
And deemed weakness
The hearts of the youth

Could have beat forever and ever

Cliffs and Crevices

Cliffs and Crevices

The horizon
Tearing from its fixation
At the furthest distance
Rushes at us
Standing upon cliff's end

The crevice beneath us
Has always been there
But our windswept eyes
Cannot see
That it takes the slightest stumble

We do know, however,
That the sky is not for us,
Jumping can only mean
Falling,
Because humans can never fly

Countdown

Countdown

Why must time
Be spent
Trying to earn
More time?

Why must the clock
Take us away
From our dreams
One tick-tock at a time

Eroding aspirations
Blanketing hope
In darkness
So absolute

Why must time
Be both eternal
And final?

Unworthy Apology: A Letter to My End, My Only True Legacy

Unworthy Apology:  A Letter to My End, My Only True Legacy

Grasping at dreams
Means grasping at straws of burdening lead
Heavy thoughts and images
Projected by the heart

The heart, however,
Is a devilish thing
It rips itself from my chest
Making me think I made the decision

But decisions are made of the mind
Mortal enemy to the abstract liar
Beating in my chest
The masochistic liar

It places itself
Just in range
Of all the hatred and disappointment
It deserves

It beats with rapidity
To remind me I cause fear
It beats with a lethal melancholy
To remind me I bring sorrow

So maybe instead the heart
Isn't masochistic, but honest
For it to keep beating
It must face the scars
Inflicted by me upon the hearts of others

Exclusively Human

Exclusively Human

You can try and put
The pieces back together
But there are shards
Lost to the darkest depths
Of the deepest crevices
Of a broken heart

Tears and time
Do nothing
To wash the pain away
Mend the gaping wounds
With tears and time
Comes rust and erosion

It's a slow kill
That kind of slow
Imperceptible
To the human eye
And yet it is a pain
Exclusively human

Simple, Absolute Truth

Simple, Absolute Truth

At no time
No place
And under no circumstance
Will pride ever be
More important
Than the truth