How To Fly

Trust yourself
Spread wings
Open capes
Cliffhang

Jump

Throw your keys
Let pain seep through your fingers
Take risks
Murder your insecurities
Turn off your phone
Keep your tray in whatever position you like
Check your baggage

Make conversation with a person prettier than you

Know God

Jump

Write
Eat
Drink
Sleep
Repeat

Spend your own money
on something or someone else
other than yourself
Turn a friend into family
Kiss your dad and
Call your mother "mommy"
even after you turn 30

Pull up your pants
Loosen your tie
Buy a pocket watch
Untie your shoes
Wear jeans and heels
Leave the Freak'um Dress at home

Tell the truth
Read
Smile
Exercise
Whisper
Hold onto a pen for as long as possible

Become Freedom

Try weed at least 3 times in your lifetime
Don't get addicted.... To anything
Buy a stranger's groceries
Give a girl a hairtie
Write your number on a napkin

Listen to jazz
Get a record player
and put on the vinyl of
The Love Below
Slow dance in the middle of your bedroom

Love
Love
Love
Love unconditionally
Love someone as much as they do you

Sleep
Dream
Wake up on the wrong side of the bed
with a smile on your face
Dunk like Jordan
on whatever your rim might be

Scream "#DRIVETHRU!"
Speak Life
Complete a "Greg Shrug"

Breathe
Stand
Cliffhang
Love
Pray

Jump

Trust yourself

Trust God

Spread wings
Open capes

Be Superman

Take flight

Ricky Bobby Interview

She stands there
looking like Hillary Banks
A goddess
with no intelligence
So dumb
you have to pronounce the B at the end
Nevertheless
she is my friend
with curves that light up men's alleyways
I might be the only one to know her best curves
are the ones on her face
All of em
Even when she doesn't smile
I'm clearly infatuated with every part of her

Except when she stands there
Looking like Ricky Bobby
in his first interview
and says

"I'm not quite sure what to do with my hands"

She did more than just drop the ball
Chick thought we were playin soccer
And you know how low scoring a match can be
My team got shut out so much
My mornings started to look like replays
of the opening scene of
40 Year Old Virgin
At night I'd trade stares between a screen
filled with dancing flesh
and a bottle of lotion
Saying

"I'm not quite sure what to do with my hands"

I was doing squats
while holding the Olympic bar
that was our relationship
on the back of my neck
Horrible form
Before I knew it
I blew my back out
Trying to salvage something
that didn't exist
For anytime I asked her
to at least spot me
She would just stand there
And say

"I'm not quite sure what to do with my hands"

I don't know what's more frustrating
That or anytime she came to me crying
Anytime her debt outweighed her pockets
Anytime she didn't feel as beautiful as she is
Anytime she was lost
I'd put on my cape
Help her to her knees
And tell her to pray
She would just sit there
Arms imprisoned on her sides
And say

"I'm not quite sure what to do with my hands"

Fed up aren't the words
Exhausted isn't my mindframe
And disappointed will no longer
describe my heartbeats
I'm standing at a crossroads
with both grips on opposite ends of a wishbone
Screaming

"It's not about me being alone
It's about a chance for me to one day
dance with her while she's in white
and our song is being played by a band

But I'm not quite sure what to do with my hands!"

A voice has appeared now
from air fairly thin and says

"Lift them"

I say
"Much obliged"
Extend my palms
And walk away

Halitosis

Ok
You're gonna have to do us all a favor
And shut the fuck up

It's not that we don't wanna hear what you have to say
We just don't want to smell it

Oh I know
You love the things you consume
But the same shit you swallow
is the exact description of your exhalations

Shit
That's what I get a whiff of when you speak
So when I say your words smell like
you've been eating baby skunks
I mean you've got hog piss for breath
Please just refrain from responding
Spare me the adventure of having to bathe
in a tub full of tomato juice

You claim that peppermints and gum
are the cure to your ailment
But that sounds like a beaver
trying to hold the Mississippi
with a wooden dam

Unrealistic

I bet you have nightmares of being transparent
Don't you?
You afraid somebody might actually
listen, see, and care about you?

No?

See there you go again!
Talkin til ya tongue's brown
You ever notice
how many faces frown
anytime your lips separate?
It's like the gates of hell
got painted with a double coat
of kerosene

Just lock it all the way up

I guarantee you got the
cemetery scene from Thriller
playing on repeat
in the back of your throat
I'd be lying if I said
I hope you don't choke on
the pieces of feces you
try to feed people

I could just walk away from you
But for some reason
I still care about you
And I anticipate the day
you vocally stop shoveling fertilizer
because it'll mean greener pastures

It's either that or I give you
this pack of TicTacs of truth
and you empty the container into your soul
and never chew

Say what you mean
Mean what you say
Stop taking shots of Sex Panther
And relieve yourself of your duties
of being a bullshitter

Prompt With Josh

I'm trying to keep my eyes clean

Not saying I want to go fully Ray Charles
To the things I see
But maybe Stevie Wonder
Blind in appearance
But underneath the shades
I can see just fine

My glasses are a filter
Sifting through the hate and lies
Allowing people to sympathize
What seems to be pain

Is it really a roux?
Is it a hoax?
Pretending to be blind to the b.s.
But actually fully grasping
the concept of the world today
Acting as if everything is alright
regardless of a condition that
appears to be there but isn't
in my eyes anyway
Giving hope to the blind
The naive

That's debatable

But I just want to keep my eyes clean

From: Her / To: Me (Love Letter)

I love how weird I thought you were when I met you
Not because of your personality or anything
but because you like to cuddle

Also
I really love your poetry

I love the way you hold my hand
I love when you kiss my forehead
I love when you give me you jacket if I'm cold
I love when you let me take naps
for as long as I like
and if I do fall asleep
you always manage
to take my glasses off
without waking me

I love how much you love music
and how you know the words
to every song released before
the year 2000
I love how much you love comic books
and superheroes
and how you secretly want to be one
(I'm sorry, You ARE one!)

And I really love your poetry

I love that you want my opinion on your clothes
but you'll still wear
a Game of Thrones or Looney Tunes t-shirt
regardless of what I say
I love how silly you are at anytime
but you still know exactly
when to be serious

I love how you can be so selfless
in a world that's so selfish
How all your friends love you
How all my friends love you
How my parents call you their second child
the son they never had
Actually it creeps me out, it's disgusting
Stop it...
Stop being so damn adorable
I love how you can't help that

But I really love your poetry

I love how you're ok with a healthy amount
of our relationship being based on food
That you let me (keyword: let me)
be a better cook
That you accept my grumpiness
when I haven't eaten
and that you love when I refer to myself
as "The Baby" when this occurs

I love that you are willing to spend
your last dime on me...
Especially when "The Baby" is hungry

I love the sacrifices
the changes you've made for me
How you enjoy reality TV with me
(yes, a select few shows, I know)
How you used to be scared of dogs up
until we had our own
and even after she was gone
you still want another
(We are not naming your beagle Shiloh... smh)
You even changed the way you wear your hats
just for me
just because I found it sexy

I love the little things
Like how you make cups of tea
the way you look at me when I'm getting ready
when you give me the tiniest onion ring from your plate
how you console me
even when I don't want you near me
because you know it's what I need

But most of all
I love your poetry
I don't exactly mean your creative use of words
I mean the way you love me
the things you do for me

You have turned me
into one of your
Grand Slam winning pieces
And I want you to
Please just
allow your heart
to keep beating
to keep writing
for me

Forever

Seat Next To You

You mind if I take this seat next to you?

I've actually been meaning to speak with you
I think I've spent more time trying to figure out
the reasoning behind our separation rather
than trying to actually reach you
Which is pretty much what i'm trying to do now
Reach you
through cotton candy cumulus and supernovas

I've just wanted a seat next to you
as if you were the cool kid in class
everyone flocked to

I kinda have a confession
I used to mimic you
I wanted to be like you so much that
I bathed myself in the fragrance of your words
so that anytime I spoke
it would smell like something you would say
For some reason you were completely ok with this

Your confidence was uncanny
Somehow you knew
that following you
was completely the right thing
for me to do
Although it was impossible
for anyone to match you
you were flattered
by the attempts of imitations
The limitations of life
couldn't confine you
You were unique
and I'm sure you still are

There was a point when we were close right?
Best friends?
Brothers even...
Some might say we were becoming the same person
A shielded bond
Impenetrable, indestructible from the outside
The only way this machine could have malfunctioned
was from a glitch within the wires
which is exactly what happened

I got distracted

There were so many lights
Flashing, dancing
spinning, caressing
lights
I became unfamiliar with what yours looked like

I can't even say I was displeased or sickened
by your look of disappointment in me
I didn't get a chance to see it
For anytime I looked at myself
in the mirror your existence
was missing

I need you to listen to me now

This is more than an apology
More than plea
This is two knees, two open palms
a stomach and a face
on the floor
This is me finally receiving the blueprints
to my life that was wrapped in a package
unopened at my front door

This is for you

My ode, my sonnet
My song of sacrifice to you

Thank you
for being the defibrillator
that recharged my smile
for being the ink my pen bleeds out
when the flow of my emotions clot
for being the lone whisper of reason
that I can make out
when I'm stuck in a room
full of banshees

I thank you
for showing me that you're real
That I'm not stupid for believing in you
But I might be a little for neglecting you

I just wanna sit next to you again
That's all

No gimmicks, no prolonged services
No miracle water from "TV-evangelists"
No misplaced sense of judgement
No ulterior money making motives

Just you
please

Grant me the serenity to not allow
remnants of closed books, empty pockets
broken bottles, butted blunts
and boxes of condoms
to forever be my legacy

I need to breathe peacefully again

and I know that starts with
you and I going back
to being friends

So, how bout it huh?

I can already see that my name
is still etched into that chair
that sits beside your throne

So, if it pleases you
I think I'll take my seat now,
next to You

Uncertain Pt. 2 (The Unknown)

The "Unknown"

That's what you're afraid of...

Right?

Not being sure of what's to come next
Lost without GPS
Out of the loop
Last page of the book ripped out
Final scene of the movie cut

I get it

Endings are essential for you

The definite outcome of events
are more important than
the events themselves

Trust, I know
It's not easy cycling
the Tour De France
and winning
if you're unaware of the
twists and turns
the race has to offer

But that's why you live
because as much as you would
love to throw in the world's face
that you have complete control of things
You really don't
and it's ok

Life is only your puppet by so much

Especially when it comes to love

See that?
Love is living in the unknown

Acknowledging that there's a risk
in the collaboration taking
an unexpected turn
into an unfamiliar and unpleasant realm
Yet still understanding that
despite this risk
regardless of this chance
the butterflies
the dreams
the sparks
the bliss
all of it
makes it
worth it

Trust it

Welcome that uneasy feeling
that makes you think twice on
whether or not
you should dive into this pool
It's cool, I do the same thing sometimes
But my answer to
"Are you sure?
Do you want this?"
never changes
But if i'm asked
"Does she?"

See, that's where I'm uncertain

That's where I think of closing curtains
at mediocre Broadway play
followed by a soft symphony
of cricket chirps and golf claps

That's a bit of a problem for me

I feel like love and uncertainty
should rarely be mentioned
in the same sentence
So pardon me
for having blood thinners
running through the I.V.
that's connected to my patience

Love is embracing your faith

It's embracing the belief that although
every once in a while may be healthy,
taking weekly breaks aren't really necessary
The belief that a tiny bit of selfishness
and a whole lot of generosity
can co-exist in harmony
The belief in the fact that the effort put into
true friendships, relationships, and marriages
aren't 50/50
It's 100 and 100 from both parties equally

All I ever wanted
since I met you
was to just be happy with you
and you with me
But it seems we're reading different books
Forget being on the same page

I'm exhausted
I'm tired
I'm tired of treading water
waiting for you to swim to me
while you are frozen in terror
standing only knee deep

I had no idea uncertainty was contagious
until the day I was diagnosed doubtful
of whether or not you can be called my world
any longer

I don't want to be scared of the unknown like you

I love you

But I guess that's the problem
It's happiness
It's passion
It's heaven
It's love

The "Me"

That's what you're afraid of...

Right?