Life of Verse

There’s a feeling when you’re stuck under something so massive that you just have to sit with only hope that there is someway out. I wrote this poem under that same weight a couple of weeks ago, and I still don’t know what was holding me down. Life felt out of reach, and I stretched my hands out to grab it through this poem. Words are something tangible, maybe not lasting, but something that can move in the moment. That’s why I write, and that’s why I started this blog.

I want to speak for the world. Maybe give it a voice, or at least one that someone can relate to. I know in this moment of a desolate quiet that I was sitting on a balcony searching for something, there was someone trying to escape that came emptiness. I also know that words can never be life; the verse will never capture the complexity, the ever-changing nature of the world. But.

For the person lying in bed for hours staring at a dark ceiling or the one sitting in disappointment about their past. There is a life in verse that can speak to what was too muffled to be spoken. And in a life of verse, maybe I can lead people, maybe I could just lead you to hope, a smile, or that cold feeling of alone leaving your heart. 

You need to stop running towards nothing, though.

Sometimes, it’s easy to get caught up into the little moments of life and forget the bigger picture. When you’re just going through the motions, there’s no substance, no purpose in your life. For a moment, stop moving forward and consider. Don’t take a glance, but gaze. There’s no beauty in being stuck on a small part of your labor, so for once, take a step back.

Do you remember when it began?

Your passion, your hope, your joy when you accepted you were going to do it, where did you find it first? 

It might be in a worn-down photo of you and your mom from 10 years ago. Maybe the smile of relief from your daughter when you delivered on your promise. But there was – there is a motivation somewhere, and you won’t get anywhere unless it’s back in your heart where it belongs. 

Don’t give up even if you feel lost. I believe you’re still on the right path; you just lost sight of the end. So if you move away, as this new life you have committed to becomes so distant, you’ll see how close you’ve come. And continue on this big picture you have, because you didn’t start for it to remain an idea, but join you in reality and make life a little better.

The wind dragging over me
Maybe it’s trying to tell me something
The ancient drops held behind my eyes
Maybe they want to be free
Eyes racing over every detail
Maybe they want to just gaze
The light spilling out from the bellies of the clouds
Maybe they want to fill the earth
Glasses smudged and greased after being so pressed to remain upright
Maybe we need to rest

When I take off my glasses, I see a canvas
The paint is much more blended now
Amber resting above the indigo on the horizon
Clouds riding the waves of the wind
I can’t see the waves of the ocean any longer
Ships, maybe whales, are guided along to
Somewhere there’s a painting of a Honolulu sunset trapped between buildings, fixed by the rise of cities
When life is out of focus, life is art
And I can appreciate what I once saw
My tears can return the brushstrokes of the sea
My breath, the swirls of winds
My heart, the yellow dot of a hidden sun

✌🏿