Worth Fighting For

It’s time to face it. Nothing
can replace grit. Prepare
and get mentally fit. Train
through the pain. Maintain
a winning attitude. Practice
gratitude. Curb the attitude.
Build the strength to fight
what cannot be seen, even
in light. Stay ready and walk
steady. Act like you know
where you’re going. Tonight
is the night you fight. Face
your fears. Punish the past
and fracture the future for
keeping you scared all those
years. Wipe your tears and
break the rear-view mirror.
Now is the time to be strong.
Later is the time to be wrong.


Rope Burns

As life gets heavier,
my grip naturally tightens.
I am playing tug of war,
and on the other side
of the rope is the fear
that I lose all hope.
I am always trying
to stay grounded when
my mind is flying.
I am trying to live
instead of thinking
of death or dying.
When I try to pull,
I feel that the hole
in my soul becomes
filled: almost full.
In this life, I tug, tug,
and tug. I attempt to
stand on top of a rug
that is being pulled
from under me. See,
these rope burns
come easy. I won’t
slip or lose my grip
until the sweet taste
of victory drips off
of my quivering lips.

The Final Stage

The final stage is in range.
The blood, sweat, and tears
were sincere. The highs
and lows that I felt
were never in vain.
I push off the shore into
the final stage. My boat
floats without resistance
toward a solitary island
in the distance. Onward,
I go: it’s coming to a close.
The final stage is where
I must be. There’s a final
boss that I must beat.
The last, final stage
will be the best one
I will have played
in this fateful game.



Damaged Goods

Broken, worn-down, damaged:
We’re damaged goods. We became
good after we were damaged.
It’s tragic – fantastic. All the same.
We had to fight to become good.
We created light the best we could.
The damage was bad. Fires spread
and burned our spirits and homes.
Flames engulfed all life in sight.
Fires spread and we fled. Damage
was done. It wasn’t good. We ran
to a new place to call home base.
We rebuilt our home in the woods
and became some damaged goods.







Tough Skin

Callaced and rough, tough
skin cuts when touched.
Tough skin worn by men.
Holding axes, shovels, and
tools makes you tough.
Sometimes, it is enough.
Other times, the man hides
behind his tough skin.
It is not manly to be soft.
Have you heard this before?
Women can’t be tough.
It is not womanly to chop
down a tree. Women must
plant seeds. Who says I can’t
be soft? I am tired of being
tough. I think men should be
sensitive, too. All men’s tears
should water the seeds, while
women tear weeds. We must
break free from norms and
set forms that used to be.
We can be tough, rough, soft,
or hard. We can live together
with our skin and talk about
the places we have been.