The Worlds I Grew Up In

It’s a funny thing,
The word home,
With so much meaning and none at all
That timeless institution
Possessed by anyone you ask
Not me – I grew up on the road
And in the sky
In snow and sun and rain and trees with
colored leaves that crunch under my feet
On sidewalks with fruit stands and pigeons and cigarettes
Puddles you can’t jump in,
A slow trickling creek bed
Graffiti and monuments, on subway, on foot,
I grew up nowhere and everywhere
Not a single concrete place
So I made one myself
Or at least, found it along the way

I grew up between the pages
Of a tattered old book
Across chapters I read infinite times,
I befriended the authors and characters they made
And their worlds became real
Their worlds became mine
And I did not have to wait for bus or plane
I could return at my choosing,
To this home I grew up alongside

It’s a funny thing, the word home
And if asked for mine, I might name a few places I’ve lived once before
But really I grew up
In stories, on pages
In castles, on dragons, in sword-fights and wand duels,
With magic and muggles and myths and mist
And demons and angels, heroes and villains
And gods and bad poetry
I grew up nowhere and everywhere but above all, in books

I am from

I’m from my computer
From my Wii and my Switch
I am from souvlaki and mushroom risotto.

I am from my mom and my dad
I am from the vegetable garden that my family made
I am from my soft and comfy bed

my big loveball

Jax
My giant furball
Lazy as a sloth
Barks for no reason and thats what i love.

Took him outside
Then he got lost
Found him with a guy
What a stupid dog
Thats what I love.

He poops in the house
Then he went blind
He was in pain.
We knew it was time.
Thats what I didn’t love.

We said our goodbyes.
Drove him away.
Tears down are eyes.
But we knew we put him in a better place.
And that’s what I love.

In a Perfect World, I Would’ve Seen You

It feels like we’re going backwards. I don’t know whether
It was possible for us to get back on track.
I’ve spent so much time thinking about us, together.

My current state was never meant to last forever.
My hair knotted and strayed, heart pounding, voice beginning to crack.
Compared to you, I was never as clever.

But no matter your praises, I know you see me as an error.
A stray 0 in a binary, a malformed spirit that should be thrown back
Into the great beyond, wherever and ever.

For a second I thought you would reach for me, cut the tether.
I would’ve welcomed it, given you the go ahead myself. It’s retribution, payback;
I always hated disappointing you. You would, you would reach for me.

Instead you stand there, still as stone. You tell me never.
“We’re one and the same. Though you I do not lack.”
“I could never hate you. You are a part of me, forever.”

I can’t rationalize it. You and I are the same flesh and blood, but I am lesser.
How is it that you can see and stack
Our differences and still say that you cherish and pleasure
The thing that you hate most, your mark of falsehood altogether?

Nature

Nature

Up
Above
My head
I hear leaves
Rustling in the
Autumn breeze.

Down
Below my
Legs i see
Flowers of all
Colors and sizes.

Over
The hill
I feel bark
From a willow
Tree thats blowing
In the cold breeze.

Under
The tree
I smell the
Fresh smell
Of books with
Ink still wet.

Deep
In my
Heart
Beating
So loud it
Is like a motor.

I really
Believe
That we
Have a
Protector
Watching
Over us when
We
Are alone
When we are
In nature by our
Sides all the time
Who makes our plants
Grow who is our mother
When we are in nature.

Time capsule

My time capsule is full of church music
the kind you find late at night
when everyone else has gone home to bed

My time capsule is full of silence
pencils without paper, cries without voices
apologies without words

My time capsule is full of impossibles
the days our most desperate wishes were enough
the night we were both looking up at the moon

My time capsule is filled with almosts
the envelopes that were never opened
the letters that were never written

My time capsule is full of nearbys
melodies that sound the same a thousand miles away
whispered prayers that the stars carry to you

My time capsule is full of faraways
everyday I promise myself soon, soon
these church walls can take me anywhere I want if I close my eyes

My time capsule is full of what-ifs
somebody sings to me wait and see
so here I am, wide awake at night, waiting to see.

Butterfly

Hello, fellow butterfly in a cage.
I am so, so sorry.
This was never how it was supposed to be.
I wish I could take all the pain away.
The world is lying to you, do you hear me?
This is a part of you that never has to change.
You are beautiful.
Love does not insist on its own way of doing things.
Love rejoices in the truth, and you know what that is for you.
Hold on, butterfly.
Keep going.
One day soon, you will fly again.

My Amazing Family

My sister is as beautiful as a flower, as fast as greyhound and as cool as a car.
My mom is as graceful as a butterfly,
as pretty as a mermaid, and as calm as garden.
My dad is as funny as a clown, as tough as a dragon and as fun as a family BBQ.
My family is amazing.

Basketball Sunday

Dribbling on a Sunday
Playing Basketball with friends
Every time I shoot the ball
The game gets closer to the end

Time on the court lasts a while
But its fun no matter how long
Up and down the court I go
Dribbling the ball makes a song

Its the 2nd half and we are down by two
The game is heated but mild
We always to have our friends cheer us on
I shoot a three, and the crowd goes wild.

As the ball is in the air
It makes a really cool swish
Now we won the game today
It was my birthday wish!