and make it the very best;

if we knew our time was short
would we live our lives differently
would we drop our careers
to pursue deepest desires
our long forgotten dreams
that we had to bury long ago

or would we dread the anticipated end
the inevitable step to finality
would we forget to live

we never know which hour will be our last
so why do we give up the simple joys
which bring a smile to our faces

life is meant to be lived only once
so why do we not take it by the reins
and make it the very best

change;

change happens all around us
it's an everyday occurrence
despite our resistance.
our humanity is a product of evolutionary change
we are born, we grow, we adapt, we carry on.

but change, no matter how miniscule
is a frightening prospect.
we resist unfamiliarity
the breach of our comfort bubble
sends our senses spiraling out of control.

we do not like to feel vulnerable
wading through dark, murky waters
when we cannot see to the bottom
it is an ominous feeling.

but without change, we cannot hope to better ourselves
it is in putting ourselves in the open
do we face the world as a blank canvass
to caress and mold
into the person that we can only hope to become.

so embrace it, the change that is inevitable
our lives are not stationary
change is always in motion.

success;

success is a variable term
it differs for each individual
one may believe success equates to becoming president
while to another, putting food on the table for their family.

i have gone through my own trials and tribulations
i have experienced some things as a child
illegal occurrences that no child or human being
should ever be subjected to.

but it is true
what does not kill someone
can only make them stronger.

you may look at me
and say i am harden.
perhaps my environment made me to be
it was my method of protecting myself
from those who wished to do me harm.

hindsight is 20/20
in retrospect, the child i was should have said something
but as a child, we are frightened of the unknown
what consequences would be wrought
on our timid voice on the truth?

but that's okay now
wrongs cannot be righted
nor can they be forgiven
but they can be forgotten
left as a speck of dust
in the continuum of time
a memory that was nothing more
than a bad dream.

i have not strayed off a righteous path
i have not succumbed to drugs, alcohol, or prostitution
i did not decide my life was worthless.

on the contrary, i paved forward
i completed my education fully
i love the profession i have chosen
i love the friends who support me
i love the mother who raised me
who dropped everything for me
and did everything out of love.
i do not love the father who brought me into this world
but i do thank him for what he did everyday.
because without him leaving as he did
perhaps i would not have become the person who i am.

the future is always unknown
strayed pathways lead to different destinies
perhaps mine could have been better
but it could have also been much worse.

i thank whichever higher being for my life
and most of all
i thank myself, for without my will and determination
i would not be where i am today
and believe myself
to be a success.

obsession;

clinging to a thread-bare string
and obsession spiraling downward
until she's left hanging
dangerously close to tipping over the edge.

it is a consumption that is never sated
always drawing in more, more, more
like a delusional man searching for his oasis
in an endless slope of desert mirages.

fruitless desires that will always linger
never a break from emotional roller coasters
only in her dreams will there be rewards
only there will she be happy.

little diet;

it is just a little diet
to lose a little weight
to slip of the pounds
one by one
until we are obsessed.

our constant strive for perfection
flat tummies, toned legs.

doing a thousand crunches
and eating a couple cheese cubes
it is not the ideal way for health.

forget the fads
focus on your inner self
your body will tell you what it needs
if you only listen.

grey owl;

grey owl on a grey tree branch
looking from large eyes
landscaping the horizon
waking up to a new night.

spread out your grey wings
feel the evening breeze
heighten sensations, alive
breathing deep.

we are slowly killing the planet;

we are slowly killing the planet
note the use of 'the' rather than 'our'
because how can we call this world our own
when we are working so furiously to destroy it?

our constant drive for technological advances
is poisoning the world that has let us thrived.
as humans, we are sadistic creatures
maiming and killing animals for their flesh and fur
not for consumption to survive
but for supporting our never ending desires of 'fashion'.

predators of the world kill to live
humans kill for sport.

what really makes us any different from our animal counterparts?
they have families, just as we do
they eat and live, just as we do.

maybe we have the upper-hand in terms of intelligence
so why can we not manipulate that intelligence
to make this world a better place
and not only with words, but with actions.

and the irony of it all, especially with technology
is that we are not only destroying this planet
but our very own species.
so many new strains of diseases and cancers
are erupting with a vengeance.
we cannot hope to control science
when it is science that creates and controls
every aspects of our daily lives
including technology.
we only discovered how to manipulate it
we did not create it.

the survival of the fittest was not just a a fleeting idea of darwin
and nor was our scientist's theories of global warming.

we all learn as children
that trees and other greens
provide us with natural air cleansing agents
and our very link to molecular survival.
and yet, here we are
cutting down our forests, acre by acre
until there is nothing left
and still we will crave and want more
we will never be satisfied.

our species is just one in a million
we are no different from the rest
we are born, we live, we die.
we live among others who depend on the world just as much as we do.
who are we to take away the resources from them
who have just as much right to it as we do.

man versus nature
there are no sides
not when the world as we know it
is slowly decaying under our 'control'.

soul of hope;

and slowly the year begins to die
a solemn thought that lingers
ever present in the mind

but with december's death
a new beginning emerges
like a phoenix reborn
from the ashes that claimed it

this is the soul of hope
and we can all discover it.

she who became me;

and i kneel here
arms wrapped around the body
of a trembling little girl
a rain of tears wetting little cheeks

i can look into her eyes
and see the troubles that plague her
feel the emotions coursing through her
knowing every heartache and misery
experiences that no human being
should have ever been subject to

so much rolled up into one
a pandoras box
packaged prettily inside her soul
just waiting for release

i see the day her parents fought bitterly
when a trusted person touched her inappropriately
the realization of what death meant
and the shadowing thoughts of rejection

i hug the little girl more tightly
absorbing her into myself
every one of her memories
finding itself in my own
i vow to protect her
from the world's harshest reality
because it was she who became me.

already lost;

captured by his gaze
words caught in the throat
what to make of it
she doesn't really know

but it's tempting and reaching
circling all around
like wolves waiting for their meal

tantalizing and breathtaking
sirens on the sea
luring with sweet promises
he knows that he cannot keep

and still she draws nearer and closer
right into his waiting grasp

he will ensnare her
because she has already lost.