The Poetry Marathon

I wouldn’t even begin to try & define it;

i think everyone has their own

personal concept of what

it looks like anyway.

But maybe there’s more to it than just

wanting to be with someone forever.

In any case, I’m ready to venture out

& see what looks like for me.

Something tells me I won’t be disappointed.

It’s a way to express our own

patriotism without coming across as

too self-absorbed.

With 196 out there, it’s hard to

imagine any one song coming out on top.

Because there’s merit to all of them

& maybe if we weren’t too obsessed with

our own,

we might be better able to see the

world through other people’s eyes.

Against all odds,

it persists

perhaps solely for those behind the wheel

but nonetheless has manage to

thrive where others have crashed & burned.

Perhaps we’re secretly more old-fashioned than

we care to admit but

I think it will always have a special

place in society,

the lyrical masterpiece that gets us

through our day

& delivers us safely back home.

My home & native land,

complete with brotherly love

& a pretty decent setup for

which i am grateful.

With hopeful eyes,

we see the next generation

& hope for better.

From far & wide, they break their backs

in search of a superior way of life

for them & their loved ones.

That’s why we strive to keep it all incandescent &

free

stopping at nothing to defend what’s ours.

It’s an afterthought, really;

a mirage if you will.

& you have no idea how difficult

it has been

to keep all of this from especially you

because the truth is i’ve garnered

an affinity for you.

in many ways, you have given me

the experience of having a brother

& i couldn’t be more grateful.

She was determined,

unlike anyone you’ve ever seen

just waiting for her shot to make it big.

& when it never came, she

found solace in the little things:

friends, family, the occasional parachute jump.

She’s better now,

not nearly as temperamental as before

& still holds out hope that someday she just

might be in the center of one of those immense

spotlights

whatever it takes.

Have it shine all over you

for the world to see.

Because maybe then things won’t seem so life or death;

maybe it’ll all finally coalesce

& you can stop finding the solutions to your adversity

at the bottom of a jack & coke.

Before popping off,

I just thought you deserved to know

you’re the best thing i could have ever done.

It’s been indescribable being

with you.

Now it’s time to part ways & see where it leads.

It’s no one’s fault, really;

things just grow apart no matter how

much you want them to remain conjoined.

But just know when all is said & done,

you’ll be here

again

by my side

& that’ll be all she wrote.

No more sorrow,

pity,

hatred,

adversity,

inquity,

just the two of us

floating in a world of catharsis.

We hear it so often, it almost doesn’t register anymore;

how could it when it’s drowned out by everything else?

It comes & goes like the wind

never putting an ounce of thought into

where it lands or could result from it.

& when it comes to us,

it’s like a warm breeze

washing over us.

when it leaves,

it just feels different

& you’re not sure what to do.

but you rest comfortably in the

knowledge that it will inevitably

return

one day.