A Message to My Future Self

I hope you don't think I'm crazy,
That every decision I was resolved to make
Was acceptable and for the best—
I hope you're somewhere scenic,
Watching squirrels run through trees
And listening to water flow in streams.
I hope you found someone
As adventerous and crazy as you,
Who balances you out and loves you.
I hope you're still learning,
That you're finally fluent
In a language other than English.
I hope you're happy
I hope you love
I hope you're the better parts of me

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Drew Beamer

A Message To My Younger Self

You don't know everything,
But you know more than you think you do—
It's ok to speak your mind,
But be sure of your mind before you speak it...
Laziness is you're biggest enemy,
One day you're going to wish you'd done more
And time will be slipping through your hands.
If you ever feel like you're missing out,
Trust me, you're not...
And they don't actually remember what happened
Knowing a classmate has died never gets easier,
But you will get stronger.
Use that strength to help those around you,
Because there's no point in reading a story
With only one character.

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Tony Tran

Stopping Time

Time stops for a moment
And I stand in awe at the sights around me
Breathe in the air
Touch the textures of fabric
See the colors swirling
Smell the crisp of cinnamon
And hear the wind caressing the leaves...
A glimpse of perfection
Embedded in this moment.

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Nathan Dumlao

The Grand Gold Tree

Metallic gold leaves cover thick brown limbs like a coat
Stretching up into the blue of the sky above me,
And large round fruit bursting from the branches,
Vibrant hues of deep purple and blue swirling...
Warm and inviting, majestic and strong—
I am tiny beneath it's canopy, tiny beside its fruit.
I could sit in its branches for hours,
Listening to the rustle of leaves
And the scurrying of squirrels...
I doze off in the comfort of its safety,
Realizing I was already asleep.

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Patrick Hendry

A Message to the Father

Father, in Heaven, on earth and all around me—
There is so much I don't understand, so much to learn
And there is so much I don't deserve, yet here we are...
I have nothing of value to give you in return;
I can't keep my promises no matter how hard I try
And I wonder why You even bother with me, why You created me.
So I'm here, at Your feet, willing to give all that I have
You are the only reason I survive, the only reason I succeed,
And this is the only way I know how to say thank You.

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Kelly Sikkema

A Message to my Success

There were times I thought you were too difficult
I thought I would break into a million pieces
Stretching myself here and there trying to succeed—
Study, hustle, work, hustle, write, hustle,
Struggles lead me to places I never thought I'd be
And lessons form around topics I never asked to learn.
But through all the anguish, I found a better me
And discovered that success is the experience, not the degree.

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/

A Message to my Hurt

When you let the wrong people in,
They decimate your mind—
The type of people who attack your dreams,
Attack your worth, attack your goals...
When they start, you kick them out fast
Lock the door and never look back,
But their real weapon was planting seeds—
Self doubt turns me into the attacker
The most dangerous enemy one can have,
And suddenly I'm attacking myself...

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Eric Ward

A Message to an Old Friend

For one summer, we were close—
Hiding away from bad influences,
Bonding over the Word of God,
Navigating transitions—
I learned that coworker and friend
Can be synonymous, can be harmonious.
I wouldn't have made it that summer
Without you there to keep me sane,
I would have given up
And nothing would be the same.

A Message for my Grandpa

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Gita Krishnamurti

A stranger asked if I was related to you,
They saw the resemblence
Even when I can't remember your face.
We have the same favorite food
And I talk a mile a minute, like you...
They say we're just alike
Even when I never learned your ways
We probably would have been close
But time was too short.

If you're starting to notice a theme with these poems, you're not crazy! I found a challenge for the month of October where you're supposed to write a letter each day and it tells you "who" the letter is for. I decided to do said letters as poems and incorporate them into the 365 day poetry challenge, so the ones that aren't too personal are being posted as my poem of the day.

A Message to a Past Regret

I remember you in all your quirkiness
Determined not to fit in—
I don't know if you were defiant
Or just more awkward than the rest of us
But middle school isn't kind.
We weren't ever friends,
We both had our own problems—
I saw them picking at you.
I may have even laughed.
I thought, we all get picked on
And we did...
But you had a rough life
Even outside of school;
Home is stressful,
Funds are short,
You're just trying to survive.
And I was worried about my own problems
I'm sorry

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Scott Web

A Message for My Dreams

You are not too big
Impossible though you may seem
But even if you were,
You keep me going...
When I close my eyes,
I see you forming
And when I open them,
I see you you transforming—
You make me who I am,
So never stop expanding.

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Johannes Plenio

A Message for My Mind

God gave you freedom of thought,
Freedom to absorb and entertain
But every thought isn't for you to keep—
Be selective,
Choose wisely what you will allow
To take root and to grow
Tend the rows between neurons
And pluck out the weeds...
A healthy mind comes before
     Happiness
     Health
     Wholeness
     and Hope
So use your freedom wisely

A Message for My Heart

To my heart, so easily corrupted
Wait for a while, patient and steady
I need you to be strong
There's so many reasons to collapse
Reasons to give up and give out,
But you will not break—
Be careful what you let in
What you let near
Take your time and beat steady
And you will survive anything

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Bart LaRue

Text Message Interlude

I found this crazy poetry prompt to go through my last 14 text messages, choose the third line and arrange them into a poem. I was a little confused (e.g., are only my texts valid in the count? Is it 14 conversations or text messages in general? What if one message is a whole paragraph?), so I took so liberties with the prompt. [I also edited out identifying information.] However, the whole thing sounded like a fun challenge, so here we go...

Hey. Happy Sabbath!
How is your week going?
How's it been so far?
     I've been working and some customers are just stupid
     I'm reading the commentary on Facebook now
Aww... No problem, hope you're feeling better.
     Whoop Whoop!
     This was my inspiration paragraph
Hopefully I get out soon
We'll see if I'm predictable
     Oh Bubbles
Yep, I'm trying to convince them to get a dog
He has nowhere to sit
     Creepy, right?

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/William Hook

Shower Spa

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Curology

The steam from hot water
Brings out the scent of eucalyptus
And relaxes me.

The quiet sound of the water
Spilling on to the tile floor
Steady and calm.

The gentle tapping of the water
Massaging away the day
Like a friend.

Winter is at the Door

Spring turned to Summer,
Summer turned to fall
And the leaves are falling,
One by one they disappear.
Winter's knocking at the door
And the cold is settling in
I'm not ready for it all to end,
But the clock is ticking,
And time is almost up.

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Annie Spratt

Race and Racing

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.2 Timothy 4:7 CSB

The world is racing forward
But for me and my sisters it hurts too much...
Synapses in my brain are overwhelmed
My arms and legs are heavy—
I've been running too long
Without nourishment, without rest...
Other people stop to view the sights
Society pours in to them
And they are well fed;
I am depleted and done,
But the road winds on without end.
We've come so far and yet so far to go
Can I find the will to move
     one step
     two steps
          Closer?

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Braden Collum

Fishing For Ideas

Ideas flow like water in a stream,
     Constant and steady,
Never circling their way back—
I dive for them
     As though they were fish
Jumping out of the water sporadically.
Sometimes they slip through my fingers
Slick and hard to grasp,
But sometimes I find myself with a prize,
A living body, squirming in my hands—
In my control, ready to shape, ready to mold.

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Drew Farwell

When Monday is a Rainy Day

Rain on a Monday is like
A flat tire in rush hour traffic...
Gray and dreary and full of regret,
Slow and fast all at the same time
But for the soothing rhythym
Of droplets on the window
Steadying my mood.

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Gabriele Diwall

Less is More

When a friend only needs a hug,
When a person is already beating themselves up...
When worrying about things you cannot help
When listing all the bad in life--
Say less, feel more.
Say less, help more.
Say less, lift up more.