being done.

everything left behind

l

e

t

t

i

n

g

g

o

after all this time.

the end occurs

and new beginnings blossom from the parched soil.

"All lives matter,"

they say.

"Don't be so selfish.

Everyone suffers,

so stop minimizing our suffering."

All lives matter.

When you refuse to wear a mask in public,

your life matters.

When you hate those around you for trivial things,

your life matters.

When you allow crimes to go unpunished,

your life matters.

You want to desperately for your life to matter

that you discard the lives of others.

You say "All lives matter,"

but that's not what you mean.

What you're really saying is

"My life matters."

You say it to convince yourself

because even you don't believe it

anymore.

When someone says "Black lives matter"

you look on in disgust

calling "them" hypocrites

for wanting the same rights as "us."

Yet they're not the selfish ones.

They want a life where it's safe for their children.

Where they can walk the streets

with pride on their faces

and not fear.

When you say all lives matter,

you're giving everyone a glass of water.

But some people already have endless water,

and some people need much more than a glass.

In order to have equality,

we must first level the playing field,

and it's not level yet.

She slipped me the desire for sugar-sweet

chocolatey something

substantial to eat

She guided my dreams to cookies and cakes,

the things I can always

truly enjoy

even as I drown in the guilt of eating too

much and the sugar vibrates

in my ribs

She slipped me the desire for stepping away

into a bright, blank world of light

pretending to fulfill me

She guided my dreams to virtual

worlds and virtual words

that stuff stuff stuff my head

with cotton death of new ideas

and boredom

She knows sometimes I’ll slip and

forget to do more, but I guess

I need this first step before

the more can come

How do you release the grey without

feeling it?

She knows I can’t, so

she makes me want something

nameless

and also ice cream

and sometimes I don’t take it

She slipped me the desire for hot, salty

tears that run down cheeks in cold lines

and gasp up from my throat

like purifying fire

She guided my dreams to accepting

my pain in determination of

doing better tomorrow

You cocky man

strutting your wares

you think I’ll endure

whatever games

you play

You arrogant man

I’m sick and tired

of all your cheating

don’t want your lies

so close your mouth

You swaggering man

I want you to know

I tell no tales

I do not care

you’re no longer there

You vain man

I’ve made up my mind

– it took a while

so now I smile

just movin' on

not coming back

You egotistic man

I roar like a train

going down the track

to new adventures

and new guys.

You pompous man

The future beckons

your memory fades

and is erased

just movin' on.

My mind boils

in fleeting horizons.

I plunge deeply

into blue veins

of infinite ocean

but cannot glimpse

the ending.

Decisions float

before my eyes,

swirls of possibilities

but no answers.

Stillness of my air

surges and begs

for resolutions.

Deception layers

my skin as confusion

sways in winds

of turbulent fate.

Squalls knock

me into

the vast unknown

leaving me

pondering,

“What is it

that I want?”