Mutually Exclusive
May 6, 2020

You shouldn’t listen to words just because they come from someone you like.

I hear that all the time.

Similarly…

Just as important…

Perhaps more importantly (and less mentioned)…

You shouldn’t ignore words just because they come from someone you dislike.

Expectations Meet Reality
May 4, 2020

My worst fear came true –
I am alone;
I’ll never be understood in this world.

But I feel strangely relieved
Now that I no longer expect
The world to give
That which it never had to offer.

A Different Kind of Wisdom
May 3, 2020

I’m cursed
With a good memory

All the words
All the faces
All the pain
I remember it all

What I would give
To be as smart
As a goldfish
(or you)
& forget it all

Fine Balance
May 1, 2020

Acknowledgment of the present victories,
Without desire for future improvement
Is complacency

Desire for future improvement
Without acknowledgment of the present victories
Is a critical spirit.

Acknowledgment of the present victories,
with the desire for future improvement
Is the nourishing foundation for growth.

Unexpected Gratitude
April 23, 2020

Thank you for breaking my heart
I couldn’t say it before because
I didn’t know then
The person I would become
Because of you

Thank you.

Words are Birds

by Francisco X. Alarcón

words
are birds
that arrive
with books
and spring

they
love
clouds
the wind
and trees

some words
are messengers
that come
from far away
from distant lands

for them
there are
no borders
only stars
moon and sun

some words
are familiar
like canaries
others are exotic
like the quetzal bird

some can stand
the cold
others migrate
with the sun
to the south

some words
die
caged—
they’re difficult
to translate

and others
build nests
have chicks
warm them
feed them

teach them
how to fly
and one day
they go away
in flocks

the letters
on this page
are the prints
they leave
by the sea

[F982A] If I can stop one heart from breaking

by Emily Dickinson

If I can stop one
Heart from breaking
I shall not live
in vain
If I can ease one
Life the Aching
Or cool one Pain

Or help one fainting
Robin
Unto his Nest again
I shall not live
in vain.

Better Truths
February 19, 2020

I wish I could say I’d die without you
But truth is I’d survive a little too well

So here’s a better truth:

I don’t need you, but even so
I still desperately want you in my life.

Time Travel
April 13, 2019

I wish I could go back
To the times people said you weren’t enough
And cover your ears.

Declaration of Independence
April 3, 2019

From now on
I refuse to play second fiddle
Just to make you feel better about yourself