It’s okay to think

It’s okay to ask questions

Why what where and how

Might drive parents nuts

But still seek for answers

Find clues

Investigate

Read, explore, endure

Plant that seed so that you may grow

In knowledge that you seek

In truth to set you free

In wisdom to share

Learn from others

Not only the good but the bad

Be observant

Let your imagination go wild

Have adventures

Explore the world around you

Enjoy every moment

And as always

Stay curious

You have all the money and the girls

Buy them diamonds and pearls

Don’t know what to wear, need more stuff to buy

Have too much pride

No one by your side

No matter how many mansions you buy

There will be no place for your treasure to hide

When you die

You gasp for air

But your face is covered blue

No time to recover from all the guilt

From all this destruction you have helped built

Wishing you spent more time

On the things that money can’t buy

Seeking for a simpler life

Taking time off to spend with your wife

Watch your kids grow

Before life passes you by

No place you’d rather be

Than with the ones who helped you see

What money can’t buy

Feeling distant

Feeling strayed

I’m falling away

I chat

I message

I text

I call

I watch

I phone

I obsess

I friends

Social Media – A place to connect

But why do I feel disconnected

Doesn’t feel real

Genuine

Hiding behind a screen

Posting things for self image

Maybe I’ll make more friends

Maybe I’ll get more likes

Maybe they will message me back

Still waiting for that text

How can I have so many friends on social media, text all the time, call distant friends

Yet feel so empty

Has technology taken away the most important attribute for connecting with friends?

And that is the physical you

An authentic conversation

We strive for the new

But some things were not meant to be replaced

Call me old fashioned but nothing beats talking with friends and family face to face at a personal level

Nothing will replace that genuine conversation

Nothing will connect more than spending time with the ones you love

You can’t genuinely get to know someone without meeting them face to face

You see their imperfections

Their flaws

Their quirks

Their heart

Their goals

Their dreams and desires

Their stories

You learn a lot from an ordinary conversation

Maybe social media isn’t after all social

Just a shortcut that skips the true meaning of connecting

So go outside and make some friends

You will never know what they are really like until you truly connect

I have scars

That bring up memories

I have stretch marks

That reminds me of what I have lost

I have wrinkles

That reveals my age

I have curves

That size won’t fit

I have freckles

That won’t go away

I have gray hair

It’s just not fair

I have deformities

I hope they don’t stare

I have disabilities

Please stop feeling bad for me

I am imperfect

I have flaws

I can’t change the way I look

I can’t change the way I am

Acceptance

Judged

Hurt

Betrayed

Loneliness

Scared

I am imperfect

But it’s okay

Because we are also imperfect

Our hearts define us

Not our flaws

There is beauty in everyone

Don’t be ashamed of who you are

Don’t let someone define you by your

Looks

By your shape

By your age

By your wealth

But by your heart

So I’m proud to say

That I’m perfectly imperfect

In the most perfect way

Someone hurting

Someone crying

Someone begging

Someone who’s lost everything

Someone in need

Of love

Of help

Yet they walk by us everyday

Unnoticed, a ghost

They breathe in the same air

They could be a coworker

A sister, a brother

A father, a mother

A close friend

Or a complete stranger

Looking for answers

Seeking for help

Losing a sense of reality

Losing grip of hope

Once we sense it

Once they open up

We feel a call of duty

We begin to sympathize

We join in and grieve

Our hearts fill up with compassion

In that moment we realize

That we are not alone

That we also have struggles

We have also felt pain

We know we can’t always fix the problem

But what we can do is be there

When they need us the most

We can be the ears

That listen

And not judge

We can be the arms

That embrace

That tells them that it’s going to be okay

We can be the eyes

That sees beauty in them that others don’t

We can be the voice

Letting them know they’re not alone

That they still have a choice

We can be the heart

That pumps love and compassion

A heart that has been broken before, understands sorrow

We can be the brain

That guides them to the right path

And gives them knowledge and wisdom to overcome any obstacle

We can make a change

A difference

No matter what you are

Or what you believe in

I would like to let you know that I care, we care about you

You will survive this

You are beautiful

You are amazing

You are God’s gift

Don’t let anyone push you down

Because we care

And will always be there

If I died and had to be described in one word

I would hope it would be…

Compassion

Emotions we hide

All trapped inside

Anger that awakens

Fear, all shaken

Disgust, lost trust

Sad, fallen into depression

Joy, the pursuit of happiness

Masked

Disguised

Of who we really are

Emotions may cause pain

But necessary to sustain

To understand

Meaning

Acceptance

Freedom

Pain

Compassion

All these emotions in my brain

Will bring memories

Knowledge

Wisdom

That we gain

So don’t let your emotions be the blame

You are not going insane

Your life is going through transitions

Through changes

It’s okay

To be mad

To cry

To feel jealous

To be scared

To laugh

To smile

Because they are the building blocks of who you are

So let your emotions work as one

Only than will you be able to reach to the moon

Listen

Don’t speak

Just listen

It’s okay to be quiet

It’s okay to hear the wind

Breathe

Words are powerful

As listening is to wisdom

To listen

Is to stop and hear those words

Not just what you want to hear

But hear what you need to hear

Speak when you must

Listen is to trust

Listen is to learn

No need to interrupt

You will have your turn

So let others have a turn too

I speak this

Because I’m guilty of this

So from this day forth I promise to speak less

And listen more

We have ears for a reason

So pause

Think

Reason

Listen

Now you may speak

Color

Something we take for granted

Without it we could not see the beauty around us

But we also see the destruction

The gray the red the black

Red for blood

But also for love

Green for growth

But also for greed

Yellow for sunshine

But also for fire

Blue for oceans

But also for sorrow

They represent some of colors of the rainbow

What a sight

But then it turns to night

But even in darkness there is light

Stars glistening in the sky

Yet with all this beauty, with all this color

We still don’t appreciate it

In fact we abuse it

Color is beauty until it is represented as the color of our skin

Suddenly we become judgemental

Because we are scared of the unknown

That I don’t want be known by the color of my skin

But as a person

As a human being

By my name

Not by my race

Race is just another name for disgrace

Yet we bleed the same color

That it blows my mind that the pigment of someone’s skin defines who they are

Which is wrong

We are defined by our heart and mind

By our purpose

Jesus loves all the children of the world

No matter what color

What culture

What race

He still loves us

So stop this nonsense

This ancient problem that is still an issue today

Take color for its beauty

But don’t judge it

Or you will show your true colors

I feed on power

I fall for lust

I break in anger

I did something unjust

I consume on everything till there’s nothing left

What breaks my heart

Breaks my bones

Tell lies

And cast my stones

What fires my soul

Inspires my goals

I push too hard

Placed the wrong card

Confused

Infused

Consumed by anger

Which is no stranger

A dark alternate ego ready strike

Venom in my teeth

Fall down beneath

Why…

Why do I fall for these temptations

Why do they consume me

Why can’t I be left alone

Am I just a clone

A figure of my own imagination

But life has to be much more

Than this mindless future

I am the results of what I consume

But I can change

I can feed on love

Rather than pain

Lift those up

And gain

A healthy full life

Because I am a consumer

So what do you consume?