Join Together

Take my hand and let go
Let the world fall away
into endless fantasy
Hold on tight
To this adventure
Wherever it may lead
Dance with me
To music only we can hear
Fall into my arms again
Let me see the spark in your eyes
May we shine together
The lights that lead us home
Rise up
Leave behind the ashes
Toss aside your cares
Let us join together
Just you and I
caught up in a moment
that never seems to end…

Huh, not at all sure where this one came from. Really, just had that first line pop into my head and as soon as I wrote it down the rest forced its way out. I swear, my inspiration comes in fits and spurts…

The Missing Pieces

They say what you don’t know can’t hurt you
but here I am left bleeding
‘Cause I didn’t see it coming
when you stabbed me in the back
and though I’m sure I’ll live to tell the tale
I can’t help wondering about the missing pieces
I thought we were headed
in the same direction
and yet I’m stuck here in the dark
as you disappear
What happened to the sparks I felt
when looking in your eyes?
How did you cut the cord
between our souls?
When was it that you realized
that I wasn’t enough for you?
How’d the whole thing die this silent death?
I guess my world just wasn’t big enough to hold you
I always tried to hold you higher
Guess it was my time to fall
I’ll likely never know the reasons
or the truth behind deception
I’m buried under questions that you’ll never hear me ask

I think my muse is trying to overwhelm me after being silent for quite some time. Another piece drawn from music (seems that listening to The Weeknd after a little light drinking is just enough t oget the mental juices flowing), this is another one I’m kinda proud of…

Watching As You Walk Away

Watching as you walk away
(like I haven’t been here before)
Standing still
not sure what to say or do
Reach out
Fall down
Give up
Is there any difference now?
How can I change your mind?
How can I convince you
to slow down
turn around
maybe even listen?
I can’t, I know
I’ve tried it all before
So instead I’ll save the time
the pain
the wasted effort
and let you walk away
just like all the rest…

Well isn’t this just a depressing bit o’ fluff? This one was one of those “musical inspiration” moments, thankfully, with a slight splash of far-from-recent personal experience to draw from. 

Live, Just Live

Miles down the road
Burning daylight daydreams
The wonder of it all
Getting closer
To the mystery
The grand finale
Keep on keeping on
Full speed ahead
Headlong into the sunset
Into the hidden horizon
The secret ending
Pick the right direction
Don’t slow down
Don’t look back
Never settle
Never hesitate
No retreat,  no surrender
Feet to the floor
Head in the clouds
Eyes on the prize
All the cliches
Live, just live
Don’t wait for it to come
Find it
Hunt it down
Drag it,  kicking and screaming
Make it all it can be
Be what you want to be
Change the world
(or at least your corner)
Leave a mark
Make a memory
Give them something to remember
Discover your road
And follow it where it leads

Freedom and the Open Road

To freedom and the open road
The right song, right mood
Pointed to the horizon
The rush of wind
And good company
Ever higher,  ever onward
The infinite potential of tomorrow
Just beyond the treeline
To life yet lived
Joys yet undiscovered
The goal that makes it all worthwhile
To love,  health,  and happiness
As the lights pass by
Into your rear view

A stream of consciousness that spewed its way out as I’m headed home on a beautiful night. Some days,  despite all that’s wrong in the world, it’s worth remembering the positive and enjoying what you have. And right now,  I have the road…

If I’d Only Kept My Mouth Shut

It was hardly the first time I’d seen you
but somehow it was like looking into the sun
a blinding flash, a hint of something new
something beautiful and full of promise
I’d never been so off my guard
wrapped up in the moment
lost in your twinkling eyes
if I stop to think about it I can still taste your lips
still feel our tongues dancing
still hear my nervous laughter
too busy trying to regain my mental balance to just shut up and enjoy the moment
if I’d just been a little weaker or a little dumber who knows where we’d be now
but no, I wanted something different
something more and less at the same time
and somewhere in the middle of this tidal wave
I found my footing, held my ground
it took so much not to be swept away
not to get caught in your undertow
but no, I had to be reasonable, had to be rational
even as the emotions of the moment made me say things I knew better than to reveal
out of something so full of possibility
I found the way to the worst of both worlds
I haven’t seen you since
have barely spoken, despite our insistence on staying in touch
it was just a moment, and moments pass
the right thing done in the wrong way
all I can do is look back on the night and wonder
I so often think that things might be different if I’d only said the right thing
that it’s almost funny and rather sad to know
that everything might’ve been better here
if I’d only kept my mouth shut

The inspiration for this one’s subject matter is semi-obvious, going back to the subject of pretty much every other poem I’ve written in here over the past couple months now. The style, though, is a little different than usual thanks to a recent obsession with slam poetry. I went out of my way to sound this one out in my head as I wrote it, and as a result I know EXACTLY how I’d read it if it were to be performed. And if I ever have the guts, I might just record myself doing so for the hell of it…

Moments

I found some memories today
Stuffed away in a drawer
The pages yellow with time
The words still as strong as ever
Emotions rising to the surface
Glimpses into my past
My heart
My soul
Moments of beauty
Moments of pain
Moments that have made me
Captured in phrases
Poems and prose
Each line, each letter
Takes me somewhere
Another stop on the road
My personal timeline
I put the pages back
A surprise for another day
But the reminders still linger…

So I was cleaning out some drawers and storage containers today and found an old spiral notebook full of poems from sophomore and junior year. Kind of strange reading them, especially being reminded of what was going on to inspire them.

The Eyes

You’re never really you
Are you?
The walls are up
The facade nice and solid
The smile too wide
But I know better
Better than you could ever dream
I’ve built my own walls before
Hid behind my own facade
And there’s one thing I’ve learned
The eyes
They never lie
The holes in the armor
The reflections of honesty
Hide all you wish
Hold back everything
Lock it up deep inside
But there’s always a path
Always a portal
I won’t claim to have the key
The gates are still sealed shut
But as long as I can look
In those holes
In those eyes
Those eyes that show so much
Then I can hold out hope
To break your free

Insomnia’s a bitch. Insomnia coupled with connecting the dots on something I should’ve realized a LOT sooner is an even bigger bitch…

Later edit: This should’ve been posted last night/this morning, but right before finishing it I pretty much passed out at my tablet. For the best, considering the near-spam level of posting I did last night/this morning. Anyway, after sleep I realized this could be a retread of a very old poem of mine with the same title. Not the first time I ripped myself off, and likely not the last…

Hold You Back

Standing in the shadows
As you claim the spotlight
Always the center of attention
Don’t forget to step on the little people
As you climb
Do you even remember?
Crying on my shoulder
Talking about nothing
Just being there
Didn’t mean a damn thing
Did it?
It did to me
But I’ve always been sentimental
Used me then
Use me now
I’ll find a way to be the victim
Even from the background
Play the fool again
Keep up your appearances
Shallow as they may be
I can’t give you what you want
But you’ll drain me anyway
As long as I let you
Why change now?
Why try something new?
We can have the same old failures
Your audience awaits
And far be it for me to hold you back

Another one of those “inspired by multiple people and events, but mostly one in particular” pieces. Pretty close to home, too, as it reflects the same spot I find/put myself in repeatedly. Ah well, what’s a poor fool to do?

Under Yesterday’s Shadow

things are never quite as you remember
when you find you’ve been away
time takes its toll
memories fade
seasons pass
and take with them the days we knew
try as they might
no one can stop the clock
entropy is an inescapable truth
but something can always be made of the future
and sometimes the past comes back to life
so here’s to the world under yesterday’s shadow
and reforging paths we never got to take
righting the wrongs
reliving the magic
and to the future, whatever it may bring

Rather than do my now-usual “I’m still alive” post, I figured my most-recent piece of poetry would be a better return to active blogging. This one was inspired by a story I read online recently combining with my usual holiday season nostalgia and swirling together into something semi-poetic. 

Now, I hesitate to make any promises about regular postings anymore, all things considered, but I can say they will be a lot more consistent than they have been…