No need to be caught up
when you can catch up.
No need to feel angry
when you are happy.
No need to stress out
when nothing is happening.
No need to reveal a frown
when the world’s upside down.
No need to drop heavy tears
when you think of past years.
No need to stare at the clock
when time is taking a walk.
No need to blast the past
when the future comes fast.
No need to be hard on yourself
when you can ask for help.
No need to quit the fight
when the finish is in sight.
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.
It’s been raining for 26 years straight.
I haven’t gotten tan since my life began.
Soaking wet, I had to learn to stay afloat.
I even built myself a boat. In my life,
I have seen friends, family, and strangers
encounter dangers only few understand.
I have seen some sink to the very bottom.
I never liked swimming, but it’s what I had
to do to keep living. I learned not to be
afraid to swim around before I sink down.
Some days, I’ll dive down to see buried
memories and under-water trees. The rain
never goes away as nature does its thing.
I am drenched, cold, and tired as I paddle
in place, creating ripples in time and space.
The water will rise higher, so I practice
holding my breath. I inhale first. I hope
for the best and prepare for the worst:
no air. I am under water, over my head,
but I am still alive, just extremely wet.
At the start, there were many
just like me: a town full of us.
Now, my heart stays empty.
A store once stood where I
am standing. A church, once
alive, has been laid to rest.
A school that once thrived
is now a page in the history
books. A hospital that once
stood strong is long gone.
Many fled the tiny town,
and some stayed to face
the inevitable destruction
coming their way. Lives
were lost in the small war.
All I could do was watch
as fire surrounded, leaving
me stranded. Many years
later, there is only one left.
I am the man who made it.
I survived life’s greatest
test, and I see the world
for what it is. I am blessed
to be the only one left.
Many years ago, there were cities, statues, cathedrals, pyramids,
and buildings made of bamboo, sand, clay, plaster, cobblestone,
blood, sweat, and tears. Lives were lost at the cost of these
creations. Not one worker knew the magnitude nor the attitude
that followed their construction. Even after their destruction,
they stood the test of time. Time has passed, yet the history lasts.
The Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon,
the Statue of Zeus, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Lighthouse
of Alexandria, the Temple of Artemis, and the Mausoleum
of Halicarnassus tell us a story: a tragic story of life and death
and how they finally met. Now, what we have has been ruined
to no one’s fault. What is left is a gift from those before us.
We must appreciate old ruins before they all turn to dust.
IN YOUR DREAMS POETRY 