Tag: poems

First Love

Whether you want to call this puppy love or first love, it does not matter. We have all at some point experienced this kind of love during our lifetime. Whether it is the person we first dated or really fell in love and it does not necessarily have to be the first boyfriend/girlfriend or first person we dated either. For me it wasn’t my first “boyfriend.” It was a guy I started seeing after college when I went back home. It differentiates person to person. It could be with the person you are with today. It is that someone you do not forget about. It is someone you compare everyone else to. That leads me to my first quote of this post. “No matter what you say, you will never forget your first love.” It is like what I was saying before about not forgetting your first love. Sometimes that first love can be someone like your mom or dad so it does not necessarily have to be romantic because it is that person who taught you what love is. The first kind of love I saw and still see is the one with my parents with each other and to their children.

If you are still with your first love, congratulations, but a lot of the time you do not end up with that person forever. That is unfortunately the sad truth about our first love. That leads me to my next quote by Benjamin Disraeli. He says, “The magic of first love is our ignorance that it can never end.” That is the sad truth about our first love… we tend to ignore the fact that it could end at any point. It hurts, but it happens that way. That person, despite the pain and heartbreak will always have special place in your heart no matter what. They stick with you no matter what. That leads me to my next quote. It says “Maybe your first love is the one that sticks with you because it’s the only person who will ever receive all of you. After that, you learn better. But, most of all, no matter what, a piece of you forever remains left behind in the heart of the one you loved – a piece no future lover could ever get, no mater what. That piece holds innocence – the belief that love really can last forever. It holds friendship and pain, trial and error, that one kiss you’ll never forget and that night under the stars you can never get back. It holds youth and everything you thought love would be. Everything that was proven wrong.” So that person in other words is your first everything.

So I hope that my readers will always remember their first love because that is truly something special and never be afraid to love again if that first love does not work out in the end. That leads me to my next and final quote of this post by Elizabeth Aston. She says “One’s first love is always perfect until one meets one’s second love.” We are allowed to have more than our one or first love. And for the most part our second love is better than the first. I thought I would share not only one poem, but two. Enjoy!!!! And happy belated Valentine’s Day.

Someone I Loved (And Still Love)

You were once someone who I fully loved
As those moments we shared turned into
Distant and far away memories. I shoved
Everything aside, hoping I can forget you

And the way you made me feel. You are
Not here to help me get through all those
Lonely and empty nights. The bright star
You helped me find is there, but the rose

Along with our love died during the middle
Of spring. I had to learn to love the sound
Of walking away as I played second fiddle
To your very first priority. The word around

The street is that I moved on and maybe
You have too, but we both pulled the rug.
We both gave up when it was hard to see
The light at the end of the tunnel. I tugged

Myself out of all those flashbacks in which
I really wanted everything back to how it
Was before; easy and would never switch
Up on each other, but we can no longer fit

Together. All we can do is wish each other
The best and hope that we both can find
Love we search for. Love that can smother
And does not hurt. Love that is both kind

And patient. Love that does not keep us
Second-guessing. Love that is never little
Or too big. On the merry go round and bus
Of life we only keep going until the brittle

Edges of our hearts were breaking. This
Taught me the love never goes away even
When I wanted to hate someone. The bliss
That we had is all I craved and believed in.

Our story and chapter comes to an end,
But in them lays a person I loved. Scratch
That… a person I still love today. I blend
In hoping that you do not knows I catch

Or carry feelings for you. I wear your shirt
In the hopes that I will not forget you and
How it still brings me comfort. We skirt,
Dodge and avoid the past pain. I handed

You parts of me and pretend to be content
Even when my heart is still missing the old
You. It is your familiar touch and scent
That I long for. The “come here” as cold

Days and nights became way warmer with
Your rich voice. All I longed for was to love
You infinitely but love like that is a myth
And fable. Something we can only think of

As the world keeps turning and it always
Comes down to the fact that I have to live
A better life so when we meet again days
Or years later, we will be ready to give

Love a chance that it really deserves. But
For now I think about the what ifs. What if
We just kept trying? What if I tried to shut
Off insecurities we carried? Pour me a stiff

Drink and let’s drink to forget about life.
Let’s drink to forget about love seeping
Through our veins. I wanted to be a wife
Or partner through it all, regularly keeping

You safe and protected from the world
Tossing its leftovers at your feet. I wanted
To be the reason for your smiles, curled.
I cannot let the bad things that haunted

Us to be a mistake as our biggest mistake
Was screaming “I love you” and we were
Too way too late. We were too late to take
The biggest risk of all, having tears blur

Our vision, but we were still willing to fall
Again. I felt like a soldier ready to fight
Because that is all I wanted, but the wall
Went back up again and we lost the light.

So no, I will never be forgetting your love,
Even if I was starting to love someone else
As you are my first love, wearing a glove
To protect something gentle and complex.

Real Love

Love permeates the air because I cannot
Get enough of you, but it is not the lust
I feel in my bones and veins. It is the real
Deal as I used to always get so caught
Up in the past, but not anymore as I trust
You and all the love that is strong. I feel

You even when you are not sleeping here
Next to me or walking besides me in this
Journey of life. I asked a million times if
You loved me and you said, “Never fear
My love as it is sturdier than the abyss
We get easily lost in. Let go of the cliff’s

Edge as it will never hold you and support
Your body weight and heart like I will. So
Trust me when I say I love you one million
Times. Let us fill our souls and passports
With adventure as I wish to see your glow
Forever. I do love you with perfect vision.”

I wish I could articulate it into words and
Notions that make sense, but nothing will
Say it more than all these words to you, my
Dear as we will soon in the future stand
In front of each other as our love’s thrill
Is still here. Love like this is worth a try.

(Ex) Lovers & Summer Love

We all have exes. Whether it is an ex friend or an ex lover (as in past boyfriends/girlfriends). They are people we used to be with in the past. There is a reason why they are called an “ex.” They used to be there in your life and a lot of the time they are no longer there. It is like you go back to being strangers. It is like what this quote says. “My ex? We’re not friends, we’re not enemies. We’re just strangers with some memories.” Sometimes you can remain friends or at least act friendly towards each other, but that is a rare occurrence and is for those who are mature enough to handle it. That also takes time on both ends. But that is not what I am focusing on here. We sometimes have a lover or relationship that only lasts temporarily like a summer fling or what we can call a rebound. Even those temporary relationships can teach us a thing or two.

Ironically I think I learned this from someone I was seeing. It is best to cut ties with an ex. Which leads me into this next quote. “The best way to get over someone is to cut off all ties.” It is impossible to get over an ex unless you cut them off completely. In fact, I feel like that is the best way to get closure from a breakup. No communication, no contact, not keeping them as friends and the last one which is really important do not go back to exes. It is like going back to something/someone and you know how it is going to end. It is like what this next quote says. “Never go back to your ex. It’s like reading the same book over and over again when you know how the story ends.” Even if you are meant to be together they are an ex for a reason like I said before. That leads me right into these next couple of quotes. “When the past calls don’t answer. It has nothing new to say.” Like I said before an ex is part of your past life. There is a reason why he/she did not make it into your future.

These poems go to those ex lovers, especially to those who were able to teach us some valuable lessons in life. I also want to take some time and wish my dad and all the other dads out there a happy Father’s Day!! We would not be here without you. I am pretty lucky to have the dad I do. Today also happens to be my grandpa AJ’s birthday and the longest day of the year.

Past Lover

When our paths crossed the first time
I was caught off balance as I drank in
Your appearance and your soul was
Like a long lost friend I have not seen
In years. You made me want to climb
To the top of the mountain and begin
Anew. You took off the band-aid gauze
Pads and bandages because I have been
Through wars, but you wanted to know
My pain. I told you to be careful with me
Because my heart has been through a lot
Already and I was used to people leaving
When they see my scars. You would grow
Pretty flowers where all weeds used to be
Sprouting. You thought of me and brought
Comfort when you know I was grieving
For someone else’s love I lost. You were
More than a friend or lover because you
Were my shield and you were what kept
Me forever grounded. You only wanted
To protect me. What used to be a blurry
Speck on the horizon became clearer to
Me. You held me tight as shadows crept
By but I was no longer being haunted
As I was already lost within your hugs,
Kisses and a presence better than drugs.

Photo by Arnel Hasanovic on Unsplash

Our Summer Memories

I know summer memories are supposed to fade away
Once fall and winter days come rolling around, but
How am I supposed to forget that summer with you?

I remember laughter, tears and sunshine as we sway
With the stars twinkling in the night sky and the gut
Wrenching feeling that this summer is not going to

To last forever like I wanted it to. I was only looking
For something temporary, but then you came in with
That megawatt smile, those sunshine eyes, that ocean

Breeze hair and I was easily losing my steady footing.
There was something magical. Everyone had a myth
That love is only for the summer, but as the motion

Of the waves are deeply felt within our souls there is
A lie behind that truth because I felt our love even as
The days became shorter. The elastic cord that holds

Us together was still very strong. Summer love fizzes
Out before there is a second chance, but your topaz
Eyes are ones I will not forget. We were summer gold.

Simplicity

Life is known for being complex, but life has simplicity in a lot of ways too. I am going to dive in with a quote right away. “There is beauty in simplicity.” There is so much truth behind that quote because we tend to think that complex in are beautiful and we overlook the beauty of things that have simplicity. There is a difference between simplistic and simplicity. When we look up simplistic in the dictionary, it says the following: “characterized by extreme simplism; oversimplified.” And then when we look up simplicity it says the following: “freedom from complexity, intricacy, or division into parts.” So in other words, simplicity is directly related to the definition of simple, which is ordinary and not complex. This is going to be a short post so I will end it right here. The point is to enjoy all the simple things in life because we tend to overlook them. I am sharing two short poems I wrote. I hope that you enjoy!!

Unsettled

Your bones rattle
Like unanswered
Questions

The truth

The answer appears
On your tongue

Dystopia

I know that in the past I have talked about utopia. In this case I want to talk about the opposite, dystopia. Here are the definitions for those of you who forgot what utopia and dystopia are. Utopia: “a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions” (definition came from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary). Dystopia: “an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives” (definition also came from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary). So utopia in other words is the perfect and ideal world while dystopia is the opposite (terrible). It is like some of those books we read like “The Hunger Games” or “Delirium” or “The Giver.” Those, in my mind, are what I consider to be the dystopian type of books. It is a way to conceptualize what dystopia is.

I think of dystopia as something dark and maybe sinister in a way. I think this next quote explains the clear difference between utopia and dystopia. Daniel Raj Kumar says, “Utopia is an illusion. Dystopia is the reality.” In other words, utopia is not something that is always true and dystopia is something that is true. Although we view dystopia as something bad there is something beautiful about it at the same time. Ally Condie explains some of that beauty in a great way. She says, “The beauty of dystopia is that it lets us vicariously experience future worlds – but we still have the power to change our own.” In other words, dystopia gives us an opportunity to experience future worlds and also gives us a chance to change our world. I think dystopia gives us a wake up call, whether its real or fake.

The thing about dystopia is that there is a great chance of that happening, especially if we do not take care of today’s world. That is what Lauren DeStefano says. She says, “Most dystopian, classic and contemporary, paints a future world that puts a twist on present society – a future world that could plausibly happen.” So like I said before, dystopia is something that could possibly happen. I could go on and on about dystopia, utopia and the difference between the two, but I think you all got the difference. I will conclude by saying that utopia and dystopia are not exactly the most simplest of ideas, especially dystopia. It is like asking that “what if?” question. That is dystopia in a nutshell. Here are two poems to enjoy, both visual poetry. I hope you enjoy!!

My visual poem titled “In a Perfect World.”
My visual poem titled “Dystopian World.”

Rupi Kaur Tribute

I have been discovering and sometimes rediscovering poets. One of those poets is Rupi Kaur. I discovered her maybe about a year or two ago and before I moved I got her more recent book the sun and her flowers. I like her work because her poems are on the shorter side, but get straight to the point. She also includes some kind of drawing to go with her work and I really enjoy that. A lot of her work comes from a female and immigrant perspective. I really come to appreciate that as well. Anyways, here are two poems I wrote just recently, inspired by some of her poems. As I get to read more of her work she has become one my role models and I hope that she can be one for others, especially young girls. I hope that you enjoy the following poems tremendously!!

Body Love Letter (Rupi Kaur Tribute)

Dear Body,  

Thank you for giving me a body that is only mine  
And no one else’s. You are taught to be skinny  
Or curvy because there is no place in between.  

Why should it ever be a boy or man to intertwine  
With to make your soul more whole? It is a pity  
To be taught you need a man’s love to be a queen.  

You are no one’s pit stop or someone’s temporary  
Home. Thank you for your kindness and for carrying  
Life into tomorrow as well as for many years to follow.    

You deserve a multitude of rest when you are weary  
And bone tired. Your secrets try to hide, but burying  
Them is no way to live. You are not empty or hollow.  

You are a ship and a vessel that has survived every  
Storm. You have taken every bullet like a soldier in  
War. The world thinks you need to add some bells  

Here or there. They may even think you are too deadly  
Or natural to survive, but you have grown into your skin  
From a tiny poppy seed. You are my protective shell.  

So I thank you.  

Sincerely,  

Me

And here is the second one.

Unforeseen Heartache

Nobody thought it would be this hard
Losing a friend or a lover, but then
You are thinking of them when a card
From them shows up once again.
The slow, trickling tears come back,
Not like a train that suddenly hits you
Or the onslaught of rain as the black
Sky swallows you. It slowly builds to
The point where you get subtle aches.
There are no words to describe it, not
Even on the radio. They are heartbreaks
You have no time to prepare for. A knot
And other symptoms appear, sometimes
Months later when you are clearing out
Space in your heart for new butterflies
To hatch. When you choose self-doubt
And think of the times when things were
Less difficult you never stop to let this
Loss go completely. Their absence stirs
Within your soul and their love, amiss.

Those pieces/poems were inspired by her pieces including the underrated heartache, thank you,
https://rupikaurpoems.tumblr.com/post/163061242037 & welcome

Diamanté Poems

I am switching things up just a bit. I have been writing some poetry in a different format. One that I have not done too much of. Diamanté takes the shape of a diamond. It is a format I am willing to explore more of since when I participated in a competition on DUP with this theme/format in mind one of the poems I wrote got me first place. And the format tends to go like the following:

Line 1: Beginning subject
Line 2: Two describing words about line 1
Line 3: Three doing words about line 1
Line 4: A short phrase about line 1, a short phrase about line 7
Line 5: Three doing words about line 7
Line 6: Two describing words about line 7
Line 7: End subject

Light & Darkness

Light  
steady, strong  
illuminating, blinding, glimmering  
truth reveals itself and knows secrets
blackening, daring, braving  
shadowy, inky
Darkness

Roses & Thorns

rose
delicate, fragrant
blossoming, growing, expanding
in your sunshine there is discomfort
irritating, sharpening, bleeding
prickly, dangerous
thorn

P.S. And as you can see I am keeping this post very short. But the lesson is to always try something new because you never know where it might lead you.

Stars

Okay… we are finally talking about one of my favorite topics, stars. I know that I talked about it in one of my previous posts just briefly, but I get to talk about it in full length right here. I do not even know where to start. I guess I will start off by talking about why I love them. I have always had a strong connection to them. After learning about them when I was in school, I developed a fondness of them. When I took astronomy in college, it renewed my interest in them. I was always curious about our connection to the stars. They are beautiful to look at, that is for sure. Just a fair warning that this is going to be a longer post and there are going to be a lot of quotes. Just keep that in mind. With that being said… stars are said to be healing. There is nothing better than seeing the stars late at night and I feel like they can heal many things. “Don’t underestimate the healing power of these three things… Music. The Ocean. Stars.” And that quote is far from incorrect.

I feel like they are our connection to everything in this world. It is our connection to the darkness, the moon, the sun, life and everything in between. The first one I want to talk about is the darkness in relation to the stars. There is this quote, which I am finally understanding. “The darkest nights produce the brightest stars.” So in other words, the darker the nights are the better it is that we will see the stars, something I view as hope and better days ahead. We would also not be able to see the stars without darkness and night. The next one is the connection between the stars and the moon. They have a deep connection because the moon is in the sky when the stars are too. There is this quote by Les Brown and this is one of my favorites. “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” So even if you miss the moon, you will still have the stars. Something that will also bring some hope. In other words, you will a chance, even when you miss your first shot. The sun, just like the moon, has a strong connection to the stars. Since I love stars and this is my first post of 2019 I will throw in another poem. The second poem is about the Northern Lights, which are super important. Just looking at pictures of them is really magical and I hope to see them in person one day. I know that this post has been a little all over the place, but I just want to say there is an expression “stop to smell the roses.” I feel like there should be something similar like “stop to look at the stars.” I am sure there is something like that already, but there it is. Happy new year and 2019!!

Looking at the Stars

Stardust
forms a birthplace
as elements combust

like explosions, they are still a part of space
and time. Stars are formed like
constellations that we trace

with our fingers as we enter a dreamlike
state of mind. There we wish upon
a star. There we find our lucky strike

and connection as we are drawn
to the darkness. We are all made
of stardust that may be gone

forever with the novas. Particles are strayed
and are tiny to our eye,
but the dust is the reason why we wade

our way through life. They die
for us to live and breathe.
They free float in the sky

until they land beneath
our skin. The energy is reused.
Their spirit lives on and is a bequeath

to our bodies. They are forever fused
with the stars. The history
leaves us bemused

and fascinated with the mystery
of what they represent.
They are the ongoing story.

We are meant
to collapse at night
when our energy is spent.

We can burn bright
during the day and see
the dark skylight

before dawn. Let there be
no reason to be afraid of
the stars, where we

are formed and come from. The above
heavens bring us peace.
We show them love.

Everything will cease
as we lay under them.
Every piece

is like a gem,
precious and beautiful to look toward.
We forget about all the mayhem.

We should not have pondered
the universe.
The stars keep us anchored

to this world. We submerse
ourselves into the depths of the stars
and reflect back their inverse.

We forget our scars
and here we have fresh starts.

 

My visual poem titled “Northern Lights.”

Growth

As this year and 2018 comes to an end I want talk about something important. I know that I have talked about something similar in my post “Growing Up,” but as much as the subjects are close similar they are different. We all experience growth at some point, right? Growth is not always sunshine and rainbows because sometimes growth can be just downright painful. It is not just growth, but personal growth. “Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere we don’t belong.” Yes, things in life are painful as I said, but nothing is worse than staying somewhere you do not belong. That is why growth is so important.

Growth is something that is not easy because it can be downright scary and it sometimes take a lot of reflection. You have to think for yourself, especially for something like personal growth. There is this quote I found that is essential to personal growth. “Sometimes personal growth is going to cost you friends, relationships, jobs and material things. Don’t ever stop growing or put your dreams and aspirations on hold in order to keep people and things in your life. It’s not selfish to put yourself and your happiness first, keep growing.” In other words, you cannot let certain people or things keep you from growing and that is especially important, especially in a relationship. I think a part of being in a relationship is growing and building together. That is one piece of advice my mom gave me at one point. She pretty much said you cannot be with someone if they do not help you grow and flourish. If it means cutting off those certain people or things and walking away, so be it. Which is pretty much similar to another quote I have come to love. “The woman you’re becoming will cost you people, relationships, spaces and material things. Choose her over everything.” That quote is a lot like the one I already posted. It is pretty much saying to choose the woman and person you are becoming over everything else.

All that being said… I just want to say that 2018 has been a year of growth. I had to walk away from at least a few situations that were not the best ones to be in and I learned so much. That is another thing about growth… you can definitely learn something from it and it is a process. Here is another quote. “Growth is a process. You gain, you lose, you cry, you grow, you learn, you try, you fail, but you keep trying.” I feel like if you are not growing you are not learning and vice versa. So here is to my readers and my last post of 2018. May you never be afraid of growth because it is just simply another part of life. The good thing is that growth helps you mature and find better things out there. You truly never stop growing or learning. Happy (early) New Year and 2019!! May you all have a happy and healthy start to the new year. And since it is the end of another year I am going to include another quote to end the year on a good note. “If you know me based on who I was a year ago, you don’t know me at all. My growth game is strong. Allow me to reintroduce myself.” Cheers and enjoy these two poems. The other poem is what I resolve to do in 2019 and the new year. Happy reading!!

When Thing Grow – A Villanelle

Make room for things to grow
And mend in your heart cavity.
You have to plant and sow

Your roots. You always know
To stand tall, letting gravity
Make room for things to grow

Into a garden. No sign of a crow,
Signaling your end of depravity.
You have to plant and sow

All of your seeds. You show
Your speed and concavity.
Make room for things to grow

And twist into balls of dough,
With elasticity of your morality.
You have to plant and sow

For everything that will glow
And shine like your reality.
Make room for things to grow.
You have to plant and sow.

2019 New Year’s Resolutions

With 2019 just around the corner I resolve to be loving myself
And be selfish because my love for others is on the high shelf,
Just out of reach. I resolve to be kind to my mind, body and
Gentle soul. I resolve to be patient because I fully understand
That time is precious. I resolve to live every day to the fullest
With sunshine and laughter. I resolve to never let the dullest
Of moments fade away into nothingness. I resolve to let all
The bad memories go and to hang onto the good ones. I fall
But then to get back up and keep going. Life is a battlefield
And I resolve to walk through the fire. I resolve to be healed.

Appreciation For All We Do Have

I have not posted for a while, cannot believe it has been about a month since the last time I posted. Things have been that busy I guess. I wanted to post something about Thanksgiving and I know I am about a week late, but I guess it is better to be late than never. We have a tendency to complain about all the things we do not have instead of all the things we do have. It is just a part of our human nature to worry more about the things we do not have and we forget to appreciate the good things in life.

There are several good quotes about appreciation, thankfulness and gratefulness, but this is one of the best ones I could find by Wale Ayeni who says, “Be thankful for what you have. Your life, no matter how bad you think it is, is someone else’s fairytale.” So in other words, even when your life is bad someone else’s life could be worse or better. I know things have not been going well for some people, but there is so much to be thankful for. I could give a list of what and who I am thankful for. Maybe this list would inspire others to do the same. In fact people should write at least 5 things they are grateful/thankful for. I will start (and it really has not changed much over the years although I keep adding to it). Here it is and I wrote two poems about what I am thankful/grateful for.My list is as follows and might be long so bear with me (and it is not in any particular order:

  1. My parents
  2. My friends – including my two BFFs
  3. My second family on the West and East Coast
  4. Poetry
  5. Music
  6. My sister
  7. My brother
  8. Family friends
  9. Family
  10. Sunrises
  11. Sunsets
  12. Laughter
  13. Love
  14. Heartbreak
  15. Being broke
  16. Failures
  17. Happiness
  18. Roses (and other flowers)
  19. Rain
  20. Sunshine
  21. Chocolate
  22. Food
  23. Shelter
  24. Therapy (favorite store)
  25. My therapist
  26. Clothes
  27. Baking
  28. Exes
  29. Color
  30. And many more things

Here are my two poems I wrote. I forgot to mention this before and I know I need to do more of this, but I hope you show your appreciation to those who have been there for you because there might be a day when they will not be here. Enjoy and be thankful for what you have every single day. You will not regret it one bit.

Thankful For…

The muse that makes every morning more bearable.
All the hugs and kisses that are keeping me stable.
The whispers behind my back that are making me
Grateful for every kind word. When someone sees
Me for the mess that I am, but is continuing to love
Me anyways. To know that the bright world is full of
Harshness and darkness, but there is knowledge that
There is a smile behind the clouds. The quiet and flat
Laughter turning into sunny merriment coming down
The long hallways. When it felt like you could drown
In sorrow and sadness, but the smell of roses turns
That frown into bright eyes. All the scars and burns
Beginning to repair or heal themselves. The tears
That are drying all on their own and all of the fears
That make me strong. The women who came before
And paved the path for me to follow. Hearing my roar.
Being Thankful For Everything
Life has me thankful for it all…
The easy ups and sharp downs.
The pain and every single tear.
My solid and protective wall.
Smiles emerging from frowns.
The hope blooming after fear
Dies away. The times I laughed.
The mistakes I have made. The
People who are there for me.
Moments not photographed.
My safe place. When there is a
Feeling of peace. The rough sea
That becomes calm. The stars
That are still shining. My heart.
Every day that I am still alive
And breathing. Words that are
Mine. Chance for a new start
And the ability to deep dive.

Breaking Free

I know I have talked about in great length about being your own normal, etc. This subject matter is something extremely close to my heart. Some people live in between the lines and follow the rules. That is okay if you want to be boring and just like everyone else. It is alright to color outside of the lines and live outside of the box. That simply may mean to break rules. There is this saying that goes something like rules are meant to be broken. Besides that is what makes life more fun and interesting. Make and break the rules all you want to because nobody can stop you. You sometimes do have to know the rules before you break them. The Dalai Llama says it the best way. “Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.” I want everyone to take that to heart because there are effective ways to break the rules once you know them.

I have always looked up to my mom because she has always been the rebel of the family. It reminds me of this quote by Thomas Jefferson that is on a shirt I got once upon a time. “A little rebellion now and then is a good thing.” My goodness, I could not agree more! Rebellion shows that we do not always like the norm. My mom certainly is not a part of the norm and that is how I want to be too. Be crazy, wild, and spontaneous. Rebel and protest against something you do not believe in. Sometimes the best things come out of rebellion and protest.

Things become a little more tricky in regards to religion and politics. I will talk about it a little here since I have been around it, especially politics. I have not really been around religion because my parents do not practice, but my mom’s family used to be a part of the church. My mom made the decision to not be a part of the church and that is how she showed her rebellion. There is so much to be said about rebellion, etc. One of the best quotes I came across in my search comes from Anthony Anaxagorou who says “Rebellion is when you look society in the face and say I understand who you want me to be but I’m going to show you who I actually am.” Anyways, that is just a little snippet.

Politics, I can go on and on about, but one thing I want to state is that politics is all about rebelling, especially with a lot of the things going on with the Trump administration. There were many great signs at the women’s march back in January, but one of my favorite’s was “A woman’s place is in the resistance,” which is a take on Princess Leia in Star Wars. So go break rules and live your life away from rules society makes. Happy reading and “May the force be with you!!” And this poem that I am sharing with you today won runner up for a competition I participated in on DUP.

Breaking Free From The Rules of Society

Darling, I am a rebel who is breaking all of the rules.
Punish me all you want to, but I do not want to be
Like everyone else. I do not care if we act like fools.

I just want to feel the wind in my hair and be free
Like wild animals that roam this earth. I want to
Embody spirits who float. I want to be beastly,

Not caring if I look pretty or not. I envy this blue
Sky, carefree and like the calm waters after a storm.
Be like thunder and lightening because you do

Not have to be quiet. Be passionate, fiery and warm
In a world that can be too cold or stiff. You make
Your own rules as you follow your own road. Form

Your own thoughts and beliefs. Never let people take
Their version of God to shove it down your throat
Because there is no room to be insincere and fake.

P.S. I wanted to post this as close as I could to all of the student walk outs after the school shooting in Florida. My heart goes out to each and every one of you. And may we all find a way to stop these shootings once and for all. It all goes way beyond just thoughts and prayers. I was lucky enough to attend the March For Our Lives Rally in Downtown Oakland. And because of that I am including another poem I wrote.

Stop the Mass Shootings

Lay down every single weapon and gun.
Nobody needs to get hurt or murdered
In cold blood again. You think that the sun
Light feels bad, but it is the un-nurtured
Hate that is much stronger. How can you
Ever prey on innocent children, people
And bystanders? Nobody can feel too
Safe, even in a church, school, steeple
And at a concert we can no longer feel
Protected. Too many innocent lives
At risk. Even the place where we kneel
In protest should be defended. The knifes
Should not stab us in the back anymore.
We are all equals and an end to this war.