It’s funny

How easy it is
To carry memories
Weighted with lead
And dyed black

How they stick
Like tar
And move
Like molasses

But those
The color of sunshine
Light as feathers
Always fade

The fleeting ribbon of a balloon
And all you can do is watch
As it becomes flecks of color
Behind a cloud

One may think
That we are small
Only
A water droplet
A lonely domino
A single butterfly

But
With a little
Love
Hope
Reason
Droplets gain speed
Dominos teeter
Butterflies spread their wings

And
At one magnificent moment
A wave rushes to life
A thousand dominos topple
Fluttering masses fill the sky

And
At this moment
We are unstoppable

Let the fists fly
As they try to crush us
Push us against the wall
But they can’t
Hold us down

Let the rumors fly
As they try to ruin us
Turning everyone against us
But they can’t
Drain our spirit

Let the insults fly
As they try to deter us
Pulling up our painful past
But they can’t
Steal our will

‘Cause they can’t break us

Cool metal
Protruding
From a delicate circle
A sunset colored disk
Recessed within

I turn you over
In my hand
Fascinated
As your core
Remains still

If I were to spin
Your center
Would you stand,
A rotating sphere
Holding you up?

The wonder of an object
That’s steady, tall, and strong
Even when others
Try to knock them
Down

Running
Hoping

Jumping
Risking

Flying
Cheering

Falling
Crying

Crashing
Silence

Calling names
Answer nothing
Silence

A sturdy green arm
Holding up the crown blossom
Lanky, thin, and proud

Graceful, leafy hands
Those that beckon admirers
To hold and caress

Paint delicately
To contours of the tulip
In soft pink traces

Gray light
From a gray sky
Creeps
Through the window

Cast an eerie light
Bright
Yet dull
Foggy
Yet clear

Lulls
Into a
Fuzzy state of mind
Sleep consumes
Yet my mind is awake

Shake the hold
Free the conscience
Vanishing
Gray light

Keep a straight face
Keep quiet
Keep still

But what if
I don’t want
To be
That way?

Don’t talk
Don’t run
Don’t sing

But what if
I want
To act
That way?

What if
I want
To spin
To dance
To laugh?

Who is
To deny me
That happiness?

Reaching
Invisible hands
Far into the depth
Of black water

Flailing fingers
Struggle to feel
Grasping
For something
Not there

I recede
Gasping for a breath
Of crystal air
Shaking away the bitter cold
Of nothingness

Bare trees whispering
White snow banks accumulate
Chilling wind rips through

Trees soften, grow green
Snow drips, running to water
Wind looses its bite

Branches dressed in green
Among grass, a crocus blooms
Sunny breeze wanders