Where does poetry hide?

In the lonely nights
    dark moments with quiet whispers
Aroused emotions from film or song
In the wonders of a child
In the eye-opening moments of
    true love
    true friendship
    true joy
    true pain
In break-ups, deaths, and sorrows
In reuninions, births, and gladness
In the sparks of even dull times
In long silent car rides
In the pockets I forgot to check before I washed

The Beach

Seagull squaks finally flown away
Taking with them thoughts
Like turning sand
Leaving nothing but
The gentle crash
Of crystal waves

Ahhhhh, my soul found peace. Two of my brothers and I went to Lake Michigan yesterday. To sit along the endless blue and listen to the rhythmic crashing of such beauty placed me in a euphoric state. I missed Lake Michigan and its power. I also appreciated the crisp cleanliness of the air and the freshness of the water. There was no salt taste gnawing at my saliva glands, no stickiness to my skin, and no ocean smell. It was amazing!

For those far from home...

"You can kiss your family and friends goodbye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you, in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you" - Fredrick Buechner

Plunge

Plunge: to fall or descend steeply; to move swiftly or forcefully downward...or forward?

I have wanted to write for sometime now. To set free the me that is held captive within. Writing is like a short lived escape. I'm free to wonder, explore, relish what I want, delay, and believe. This current state I am in however, the one that does not let me free, suppresses my creativity and I fear is slowly molding me into the dull robotic creature that mirrors its surroundings and those within. I am not dull and I am not going to conform. I've let them get the best of me but I am ready to stand against the grain. So now I thank God that I am free to scribble my own thoughts. Express fresh ideas instead of reflections of textbooks or lectures where I regurgitate what they want to hear. There is nothing that I want more than to close the door on that chapter of my past. I am ready to flip the page and leave fresh prints on the snow white pages of my new adventure. The future is unknown but I am ready to plunge.

I said hello, I think I’m broken
And though I was only joking
It took me by surprise when you agreed
I was trying to be clever
For the life of me I never
Would have guessed how far the simple truth would lead
You knew all my lines
You knew all my faults
You knew how to heal that pain
No medicine can fix

And I bless the day I met you
And I thank God that He let you
Lay beside me for a moment that lives on
And the good news is I’m better
For the time we spent together
And the bad news is you’re gone

Looking back it’s still surprising
I was sinking, you were rising
With a look, you caught me in mid-air
Now I know God has His reasons
But sometimes it’s hard to see them
When I awake and find that you’re not here
You found hope in hopeless
You made crazy sane
You became the missing link
That helped me break my chains

And I bless the day I met you
And I thank God that He let you
Lay beside me for a moment that lives on
And the good news is I’m better
For the time we spent together
And the bad news is you’re gone