Louis Toliver Jr. reads at Louisiana Words Live: New Year, New Words on Sunday, January 12th, 2025 at The Allways Lounge & Cabaret in New Orleans, LA. 

 Sam Ray reads at Louisiana Words Live: New Year, New Words on Sunday, January 12th, 2025 at The Allways Lounge & Cabaret in New Orleans, LA. 

It took awhile To push past the bad The negativity and hurt But once it happened It was as if a flower bloomed Inside of me And my heart grew larger Yet smaller Larger to hold more love More happiness and joy Smaller to expel the dampening effects Of the annoyances The heartbreaks and the failures Less things to drag me down Allowing me to love with all of me.

Some of it's pleasure  Some of it's pain, Sometimes feeling like the broken tracks Of a crazy train, Knowing the ride can be fun, Knowing it's mostly scary, Sometimes feeling like the broken emotions Need to be buried, Sometimes some make up, Sometimes none at all, Wondering if esteem, or hope and faith Will fall, And down will come baby, cradle and all, Knowing the who people see, Will surely soon die, Being reborn a new life, To girl from guy, But never did The guy exist, You knew he was a mask, The girl wore to hide Happiness missed, Growing tired of the heat costumed, Tearing away the disguise, The buried girl inside exhumed, The first sight of sunshine, The first breath of fresh air, The first ever smile worn, Without giving a care, Of what society thinks, Of what the public will say, Stepping out the door, The first time as you today, The whispers The looks The bait on the hooks, Misleading the guys some say, The lure unintended, You just are who you are, A broken lif...

I know that sometimes what I see isn’t what I see. I know that sometimes what I hear isn’t what I hear. I know that sometimes what I think isn’t what I think. I know that sometimes what I feel isn’t what I feel. I know that my eyes are for sight; not vision. I know that my ears are for sound; not listening. I know that my mind is for thoughts; not understanding. I know that my heart is for passion; not loving. I know this because my eyes can see what no else can see. I know this because my ears can hear what no one else can hear. I know this because my mind can think what no one else can think. I know this because my heart can feel what no one else can feel. I know that what I can see with my own eyes can help me to envision others more clearly. I know that what I can hear with my own ears can help me to listen to others with complete understanding. I know that what I think with my own mind can help me to inspire others in faith, hope and love. And I know that what I feel with my own h...