Too Late

Too late to mess around
With words and how they sound.
'Cause I must go to sleep,
So I can rise
And fly away
Down South and watch
A wedding.
Too late to think of
Everything when
Morning will come
Too soon.

Leader

Whether you are
In Seattle -
Whether you are
In LA.
Whether you are
In New York
Or just across the way,
Know that I am
Here for you
And that will
Never change.
Know that I'll
Hold close the times
We shared,
Always.

Restoration

In an effort
To be
Unobtrusive
I have
Foregone my own
Concern
In an effort
For everything
I have
Given up on
Action.
I hesitate to
Ask
What it will
Take
To bring dynamics
Back where they
Should be.

The Strongest Bond

Is there anything
I wouldn't give
To keep my family
Finally safe?
Is there anything
I wouldn't do
To keep them
With me now and
Always?
Is there anything
That can break us
Anything that will
Make us less?
Is there anything
I can say
To save us from
This stress?

Lifeboat

Feeling like I'm
Treading water
And I'm treading
Time.
Won't be long 'til I
Lose my grip,
And slowly
Lose my mind.
So, throw me something
To keep me afloat.
Thank you for being
My lifeboat.

Re-Evaluation

Thinking of packing
And waiting and writing
Dividing attention and
Wasting my time.
But time isn't wasted when
It is invested in those
We love.
So, now, and again
I'm thinking of packing,
And waiting and writing,
Giving my full attention
And savoring my time.

Failure to Communicate

Don't know where you
Disappeared to.
Did your constant nearness
Blind me to your weirdness?
How did I miss
Your transition
To the stranger I don't recognize?
How did I believe your lies?
But I don't blame you.
That would be foolish.
I blame myself,
And no one else.

Better With Time

Dance is as it should be now,
And I'll tell you why:
Hok and Jaimie,
Travis and Heidi,
Are where perfection lies.
So, dance a little harder now
Feel a little bit more free.
Even if I'm not a dancer,
Dance still lives
Inside of me.

Music to My Ears

Excited when
My muses know
What to say, and
How to flow.
How to hear
And how to act.
How to see
And understand.
How I wish
That I knew how
To inspire the way
The muses do now.

Forgiveness

It is time
To make peace
With those
Who have hurt us.
It does no good
To carry around
Our wounds
Like badges.
So, take them off
And let them go,
Because I can say
Today, at least,
That I forgive you.

If Necessary, Use Words

"This is how you love someone,"
He said, and then he showed us.
With genuineness in his heart
He gets to know, but never judges.
Disregarding
Eyes upon him,
He stands with,
And stands up for them.
He shines as an example
Of how faith should be lived out,
Not in arrogance or hate
But in love that's without bounds.

Marriage

Vows were read and
Toasts were said
On this wedding day
We watched as you
Were joined anew
Two becoming one.

Toast

I wish you hope
And happiness.
I wish you joy, and
Strength and peace.
I wish you laughter
After tears.
I wish you faith
To calm your fears.
And a love that
Grows
Throughout the years.

Travis

Growing
From dancer
To choreographer.
From performer
To inventor.
From student
To teacher
To student
Again
And always.

Writer's Block

Ideas are scattered
When I want to gather
Them close, and
Extract the meaning
Found within each word.
Have you ever felt
Something begging
To be written
Before you committed
The first word to paper?
Have you ever wished
The story inside you
Would write itself
Continually,
And save itself to look upon
Once you are gone?

Vision

Looking forward
To tomorrow.
Looking back
To yesterday.
Looking around
At the here and now.
And looking ahead
To someday.

Stand With Me

When I don't have something
In a given situation,
I'll write about it
And give a character
The thing I wished I
Had been given.
It helps even though
I don't think it should.
It gives me more peace
Than I thought that it would,
To give things to characters
I haven't received.

Anonymous

Why do you feel the need
To put me down,
When you don't have the guts
To admit who you are?
Haven't you heard
Of the golden rule?
If not, or if so,
I refuse to engage you.
Say what you want
I'm going to ignore you.
My forcefield is up
And you're not getting through.

React

Who reacts in an emergency
With a sense of urgency
And who sits by
And lets it pass?
I say with certainty
It's the one who has
Fought
His own battles
On the edge
And come through -
But not unscathed.
So while people pass
And tragedy lasts
I'm proud that my brother
Was the first to react.

Documentation

Looking back
I remember
Times in cabins
Tents and nature.
Times with family
Years ago
Memories forgotten
Slow.
But I will show them
Off tonight.
I will put them
In the light,
So we will not forget
Childhood that's
A memory now.

Cover To Cover

Open up another world
Turn the page again
Let yourself enjoy yourself
Take it to the end.
Journey to another place
Brace yourself for blows
Put yourself inside their shoes
And know the things they know.
When you go inside a story
Don't leave yourself behind
Join the people in the struggle
Come out the other side.

Jennifer

Today,
I remembered
When you were a child.
Today,
I remembered
How you touched my life.
Today,
You're expecting,
And today,
You're engaged.
And though
You're grown, and
We've lost touch
Today,
I remember
I am proud
Of you.

Shape-Shifter

Abrupt
Disruption.
Early life
Early speech
Early strife.
Normal girls
Growing up loved.
Chaos around us -
It may have scarred us -
But it did not
Shape us.