The Poetry Marathon

Underneath the trees,

we stare at the universe as it collapses in on itself.

Maybe it need not be a swirling vortex of entropy;

maybe we need look no further than inside ourselves to

repair all that lies on the outside.

Maybe we need to fix ourselves before moving on to the rest.

The fireflies are the sole illumination in an otherwise dark world.

You can only walk your own way for so long before your legs quit on you.

& as we lie under the light of the full moon, we realize just how less broken

we are then originally perceived. If they could see the same value in this world

as us, just think of how much brighter it all could be. Understand what is it to be anyone

but yourself. Only then will we see the day when iniquity is an ancient relic of yesteryear & empathy reigns supreme.

It lingers in its longing.

So distant yet so close in

any circumstance.

You think about it constantly;

is it your salvation or just another false prophecy?

Has it been your calling all along or merely a last resort?

You need to consider,

analyze

as thoroughly as possible

in order to keep your regrets from consuming you whole.

It’s never easy nor do we expect it to be

but perhaps we owe it to ourselves to see it through

come hell or high water.

You went a different way & made it clear:

either get on board or get lost.

Now I conduct the train from the bowels of obscurity.

How could anyone ask for more?

It’s the least you

deserve because at the end of the day,

trying not to love you is like trying not to exist.

You might as well try to explain the essence of music

or the color of starlight, perhaps even breathe through

your feet.

Long after time has ended & vanished into the bowels

of obscurity,

my love for you will endure

But as long you’re contented, I’ll follow suit with the railcar

in tow. Because at the end of the day,

it’s better to have a surplus than a substantial dearth.

How could anyone ask for more?

We went back & forth for so many years.

Even to this day, I still feel you right beside me.

I know you’ve moved on & I couldn’t be happier.

But just know if ever you need a helping hand or

even just a friendly face to smile at,

I’d come for you.

I’m ready for whatever manifests in this existential future.

Keep on working your magic & I’ll follow suit.

Whether it’s two ships passing in the night or

the passing of those you loved,

just never forget

I’d come for you.

We need the closure neither of us can get on our own

whether it’s on this side of the door or the other.

That’s why when nothing else seems to go your way

or when you don’t feel like you could carry on much longer,

I’d come for you.

We met in a flash,

came & went like the wind.

& it was cooler than I could have ever imagined.

From the karaoke around the campfire to shooting off roman candles in the woods,

there was no shortage of rockstar moments.

Racing down the hill with the thrill of existence on your back,

shooting down trap door slides at untold speeds.

surely, nothing could compare.

but at the end of the day, it amounts to nothing

if you are not truly there.

Thanks for the memories &

thanks for all the fun.

I can only hope I too one day

have my moment in the sun.

We don’t know what it means anymore.

Maybe we never did but we’ll give it our best shot

& therein lies your answer.

It’s being able to make those split-second calls

without a moment’s hesitation.

It’s walking into a shelter & not leaving until every last one of those lovable scamps has found a caring home. It’s finding the girl with the broken smile alone in the corner of the gym & asking her if you may have this dance. It’s never ceasing your efforts to improve yourself every waking hour of your existence.

& at the end of the day, that’s all anyone can ever ask of you.

First off, you think you’d go to her

tell her you love her.

Drive

bike

pogo

walk if you had no other way.

& you don’t need any form of reciprocation,

just a lack of regret when it all comes crashing down.

Then you’d probably just turn to the list,

do all the epic stunts you had yet to try.

It’s all coming to an end anyway

so might as well have a little fun along the way.

& when all is said & done,

you’d just collapse on the ground,

cast off the sins of the world &

embrace whatever is to come.

Never made it as a grandson.

I couldn’t cut it as a boyfriend healing.

Tired of living like a half man.

I’m sick of trying to be someone else’s conception of appealing.

But when you step into the light, it

puts everything into perspective.

It’s not like you & the dark were well-acquainted.

Tomorrow, the planet could tilt off its axis & fall into oblivion

but the one thing that will never waver is my love for you,

shining brightly like the most reflective obsidian.

I don’t need anything else from you

aside from some piece of mind,

just for you to be who you are:

loving, gentle, selfless and kind.

That’s how you remind me

of what I could truly become.

We won’t win them all but

we can still win some.

They’re fun when you’re a kid

listening to the counselors trying

to scare you with some guy crouching behind a bush in the woods

and then as you grow up, you realize

the real horror stories transpire

every day

all around you:

murder, rape, genocide and the like

but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive

because the majority are decent, honest

people with integrity and they are

the ones who will

write the history

books in

the

end.

Is what we all crave.

It’s intelligent, cathartic

something we all dream of

but it’s not easy to obtain.

it’s far off in the distance

but that never stopped us from trying

before

so why should now be any different?