Your Very Own Flavor of Poetry

Photo found HERE

I keep forgetting that I'm more

more than this aging skin - these hips

these thighs, this belly growing thicker. More than these calloused feet

that always, always insist I walk faster, farther

in some other

direction. I keep forgetting that I'm more

than these scars

made by my own punishing hands - the ones you can see

the others that run invisible through veins and tired, bleeding inner parts

I keep forgetting that I'm more than the voices

that scream can't and never - right

and wrong

more than this mind that oozes indecision, this chest that squeezes

tight - that drops me hard in the shallow

and hollow of -

I don't know

I keep forgetting that I'm only a single breath

away from breaking free

from these bars I keep finding myself pressed beneath

a quiet prayer away from remembering again

that I was put here to spit it all out

as prettily or un-prettily as it was and

is

On this dark airless night

the strong rock inside begs to be

remembered

invites me to repeat this verse until moon

smiles her pretty half smile, until the winged one wakes me

with her new day kiss

You came here to hum the truth 

that comes in only your 

color

to sit inside the arms of a moment

to find breath in each drop of dark, to skip and sip and frolic 

with every fleeting firefly

of light

You came here to give oxygen to words

to spin every stain 

and splash 

into your very own flavor

of poetry

You came here to look into your own eyes and  whisper -   Beloved

You did not come here to please, to perform, to protect 

to be better or to be 

"liked"

You came here to feel 

the quake, the shake, the thirst - the love 

deep in your rooted center.  And, head bowed

arms spread in surrendered  hallelujah! - crawl 

skip 

fly 

tiptoe forward anyway

and no matter what

Yes

for this you came