Pretty, Pretty Girl

Pretty, Pretty Girl

There is no solution
In the falsified imagery
No liberation
In the behind-the-lens secrecy

And yet you are shoved
Behind an image

Images and imaginations

If only they could see
That I love you
For who you are
And who you'll be

One day they'll know
The beauty found solely
Within your soul

There is so much more for you to be
Than be defined by such a word as "pretty"

Pretty, pretty girl
You open the magazine
Turn on the TV
And are told
That you better be pretty

Pretty smile
Pretty hair
Pretty dress
Pretty everywhere
On the surface

But what that cover story won't say
What the networks won't show
Is that you're pretty strong
Pretty smart
Pretty bold

In fact, you are by no small measure these things

If they would demand
A calm, empty smile on the surface
It is because they fear
The mighty ocean that lies beneath

Now if only they could understand
Not to fear
But to embrace the magnificence
Of your potential

For my Mother
For my Sister
For my Grandmothers
For my Aunts, Cousins, and Nieces

For my friends
And for every one of my female students
Who felt wrongfully defined by your physical appearance
For what it's worth, I love you all.

Defying Gravity

Defying Gravity

I feel the pull of gravity
Upon my heart
And it is not heavy
No, it is uplifting

Once I find the one
That can make me fall up
All the way to cloud nine
All the way to the once unobtainable

I will know
That the pull on my heart
Was never gravity to begin with
It was love pulling me away

From all the things
Every single thing that once weighed me down

Her Promise

Her Promise

Do you this day
Open your heart?

Do you open your heart
To this gift?

This gift from her heart,
She offers with faith.

A faith far greater
Than ever felt before.

Never before has her heart swollen so full.
Never before has her world been so frightening.

And yet she stands,
Not upon her legs,
But upon her faith.

Her faith is an oath.
Her faith is true love.
All she is
Is now and forever for you.

So, I ask again:
Do you open your heart this day
And forever after?

His Promise

His Promise

Do you this day
Open your heart?

Do you open your heart
To this gift?

This gift from his heart,
He offers with hope.

A hope far greater
Than ever felt before.

Never before has his heart raced so fast.
Never before has his world been so still.

And yet he stands,
Not upon his legs,
But upon his hope.

His hope is a promise.
His hope is devotion.
All he is
Is now and forever for you.

So, I ask again:
Do you open your heart this day
And forever after?

An Epic Day of Sincerest Celebration

An Epic Day of Sincerest Celebration

On this special day
Not so long ago
A precious baby girl
Came screaming into this world

And ever since
The world has taken notice
Of this baby's cry
This young woman's spirit.

The world was changed
For the better that day
And her serenade
Is only just beginning

This is a poem, yes
But her's is an epic
And with time
She will cry out for this world

It will listen
It will learn
And thanks to her
It will change for the better

Voices

Voices

I have but one voice
In my heart
With which to speak the truth.

And a storm of voices
In my mind
That would silence that truth.

For the Kids From Destiny Islands

For the Kids From Destiny Islands

In the darkness
There is light
To be unleashed
By souls so brave, so true
That the key unlocks the heroes within

With the light within unleashed
The Keymasters traverse existence
And everything in between
Shining their light upon the darkness
That would engulf all it could consume

Everything would be lost
To this darkness
If not for the souls
Of pure light
At the very center of each world

With the key
And with valor, wisdom, and allies beside
The wielder of the key,
Worlds will be saved
And the light will reignite the bonds

Bonds of love and loss
Bonds of friendship and fear
Bonds of willpower and worry
Bonds of past, present, and future
Brought back together with the key

It will be an odyssey
Of pain and sacrifice,
But of growth.
The key will forever be needed
And a wielder's dedication to bear it.