The Exploration

another mental hurdle Hidden in a file In a folder you created Is a collection of thoughts And the entryway is gated You choose the people who can stop By to take a look into your life Because you’re scared that what you might Say, will rub them the wrong way But today was a step And I said what I needed to say The reason that it might Fill you up with hate Is because you know there’s something better Than where you’re at today But somewhere along the way They told you “this is it” “This is where you’ll stay” Til all your friends are gone And your hair is completely gray And you’re too old To go outside with your kids to play Because you spent years, days Working your life away The reason that I’m private Is because everyone has something to say And what I say Isn’t the right way But it’s how I’d like to be So that’s what I’ll write about today Maybe I’ll place The thought from today Between two covers And a spine to hold it straight But if I ever published On the cover, what should th...

Gray hoodie That gray hoodie Elbows visible through the sleeves And the ends of the strings Are broken from my teeth Way back in 17 Early in the spring When I started reading books And studying poetry Second period Bell would ring And earbuds would go in Back when all I’d listen To was Channel Orange, track two Thinking bout you in a place Where my face was covered with marks So I’d wear that Patty hat to hide my face And a hoodie up so I could be apart Cuz it’s safer in the dark I still wear it Even with the holes And the stains And the marks From the places it has been Because just like me Those stains make significant Memories of the past Cuz it was there Long bus rides back After sitting on the bench Waiting for my time And it never really came But that was a different game One that taught me bigger lessons Than having a memorable last name That coaches call when they need 7 frames Or a closer to shut the door Or a fastball better than 84 Washed up I guess you could say But washed ...

  Wander The sun meets my eyes As it shines through the crevices Of the rocks on this mountainside The peak still far from sight If I would have worked overnight Maybe I’d be closer And I wouldn’t have so much left to climb So I throw on my pack Get a start on my hike Eyes glued to the ground Arms at my side There’s no time to think There’s no time to enjoy Because the destination is waiting And I’m nowhere near the top The days turn into nights With the blink of an eye Each day I wake up Just picturing the climb The way that it must feel To be up that high Where the air is frigid And the breeze never subsides And my knees nearly broken From all those hills I’ve climbed How good it will feel To finally enjoy the taste Of a home cooked meal After going all this way Mind focused on the end Not even comprehending the day I’m lost in this journey I haven’t even noticed the way The sunlight hits the snow As it comes up to start the day Or the way the stars glow When the clouds begin to ...

  Maples in May Outdoor air enters eagerly through an open egress Blinds bend from a brisk breeze And april showers give green to the elm trees Maple swings through a living room  And the seams have begun to leave Creases on the prints of my fingertips Grounds are damp So I do what I can To cram in reps And swings of a bat And as I swing The TV switches No longer wishing And waiting for pitches Everyday in awe As I watch from afar Catches at the track And robberies at the wall The days that I’d go To those places I know So well I could tell You the amount of wins The ace has, and the distance From the center field wall To where home plate lands In a forward lean As I try to see The action from the third deck Who’s at the plate and who’s on deck The innocent smile Of a kid So entranced By a pile of dirt And a bunch of grass I watched everyday The spectacular plays Made in that outfield And I always wished I could say It was me that could lay All out on the grass Ball in the glo...

  Zoom An unfamiliar sound Speaks through filters And filters into me And I read Because I know I should read So as the words become letters That in a pattern, repeat I leave I leave being me And now I look deeper And I watch from above I no longer see It as a day in the week But the plot of a movie Written about me Each minute a frame Each day is a scene So I should really make it One worth seeing What if Tuesday is the start Of a story, roll the cameras Start the scene Now life isn’t that boring Because I know there will be Some sort of climax And an exciting ending But only as I make it It’ll be what I want it to be Last year was a prequel Northridge days, a separate series Next year is number two Of an Arizona trilogy Or maybe it won’t be Maybe the movie doesn’t succeed So we end it at one And that’s all it’ll be When things start to get boring Zoom out, do some exploring Into your own life Look how the years have gone Look how the days seem long But others are short And some d...