Being a man is not enough anymore We are usually the first to go So many woman, I see, giving more Left to deal with all the family’s woe Bound to the weakness of stroke She still encouraged us folk I learned from her How to keep this world together To accept, rejected children And nurture them to kings and queens SHE put VALUE to US She left me her backbone I’ll express it to the world Every man needs to understand He should thank a woman for his strength If I could have half the strength Of my grandmother I’ll excel in the world at great length For my happiness, I look to no other Such beauty could never be forgotten

Coming out of a country concert I never expected my night to end up in a first kiss on the lips of a curly-headed latin man, but it did indeed. Bumming cigarettes turned into conversation turned into invitations to drink turned into a connection turned into shots turned into murmured Spanish whispers in my ear as he discovered my lips over a bar table.

I don't remember a first kiss with him because it was so unremarkable. I know one happened (obviously) but there was nothing to recommend it to my memory.

And I'm calm Untouchably separate from others' actions Continuously giving love despite others' retractions Unexplainable the sense of peace that follows presence A powerful sense of self has taken up full residence A flow reconnecting the soul to potential energies Untapped centers of perceived external synergy Asymmetry balanced within no longer limits me Acceptance a voiceless, timeless remedy I pass ethereal through the swords of imagined enemies In my perception, long held perspective has shifted to one of constant movement Acknowledging the inevitability of my imperfections, I embrace inner improvement

His first kiss was a languishing and inevitable one, fed by wine and green things and comfy couches and long boring movies with silences that needed to be filled. His lanky awkwardness matched my own, and his lips were warm and convenient. He was a comfortable blanket that was attractive and helped me forget that my heart's home was far from me.

To the preacher bench May I confess Barbells clang in rhythms A choir's hymn Melted sounds of gym Giving in to fatigue Your only sin Sweat like holy water May it wash over my soul Muscles led to slaughter Still yield an empty hole Loneliness being lifted by Crushing back rows And wide grip pull-ups "Are you crying, bro?" "No, it's my fat burner. Shut up." My calloused hands Cry for more Than company of cast iron plates Or protein Or a steel-bent core Yet a yearn for another No matter the weight

I never intended for that first kiss to happen but alcohol had different plans. I was never the type of girl to look at other girl's men and I'd like to think that I wouldn't have kissed him had I not been so caught up in his artistry. Swaying and emotional and alone in his living room, I danced to the music and abandoned myself to the moment upon which he intruded. When he took my hips in his hands and choreographed my dancing with his movements I was lost in seduction. He drew it out, never getting quite close enough but leading me further down his rabbit hole until I was hopelessly lost and succumbed to his beautiful mouth.

A time of progression, acceptance, reflection Recovered affection, sense of self, and direction The waters within move with power yet in peace Led on by a current both light-hearted and deep My innocence has been long since lost but a present paradise gained Through harsh lessons learned a passionate resilience maintained And a closing of wounds once openly pained Thus reconciliation with lost ideals once fully estranged My spirit released back into unexplored and ever-changing wilds To serve as a sixth-sense scout in pursuing day-dreaming wiles

When I was almost 21, I had a soulful first kiss in a hazy hole-in-the-wall bar surrounded by grungy people, cigarette smoke and pitchers of cheap beer. Lonely for the first time in a long time, I turned to my friend for what comfort he had to offer, which at first just consisted of beer and cigarettes. As the night went on and we got drunker, that comfort expanded and I leaned against him, snuggling into his side and looked up into his scruffy sweet face. He was the kind of person who would be there no matter what our relationship entailed and would care about me even though he didn’t give two shits about anyone else. I snaked my arms around his neck and lost myself in his soft mouth that tasted of beer, cigarettes and devotion.

Speak spoke all it is is air All it is is air Thoughts brought Thinking I forgot Forgot that I thought Found sound Lost and safe Safely lost Safe to assume I think therefore im doomed agrath swoons she wants play rope and knife life in dismay stuck in bed night and day the flesh its weak but my spirits away muffled murmured speak as the noise seems to say I have you now Youre mine to stay darkness here her figures taught indulgence arrives and hope is lost but oh shes so pretty when shes prey bones on fire when they exhaust the cracks confirm what ive thought but since when do I listen anyway {helplessly romantic but hopeful I say overcast melancholic stormy but the most beautiful day}X2 ) X2 (jesus loves me this I know but what the hell am I even sayin he forgives but Ive already forgot and now im at a soiree with satan) X2 Speak spoke all it is is air All it is is air Thou...

Life can be lonely As love is kind Then death is darkness And hate stays blind When mistakes in our existence March back around What's strong enough To break a man down?

In my skimpy brief I could use some relief Time to grow a pair Let them stare Switch the music on Get the friction on Shakira’s got nothing on these hips Now let me lick my lips My rhythm is like no other man’s Want to call your girlfriend Make other plans? I’ll get your sexuality to bend I’m too risky for Tom Cruise I don’t need no booze My body’s so hot even the sun Wants to dance with me I just want to have some fun Dance all night patiently As the music send me high No time soon will these moves die

It’s unfortunate you think me closed When I am being an open book Where I have simply just closed this chapter If you remain a character in my novel I leave that decision up to you For love is love, it shouldn’t be forced It is always enough for me Though love, itself, needs room to grow Wise lovers had to break up to meld together

My sins were greater No one would know He smiled Saw what was flawed My sins exposed He bent my character Not to understand But to mold He lives on flawlessly I repent

I guess Degrassi had it right Don’t go through life not too bright Life is held in one big high school In life, be smarter than a GED Avoid the peer pressure that comes We have to do whatever it takes To graduate from the captivity of immaturity If we strive to be our best We know we can make it through

On my best friend’s 21st birthday when I was 18 1/2 and I just had my first drink at a bar there was another first kiss with a tall gangly boy that I brought with me and I was sweaty and nervous and awkward like I am, finding silly ways to get physical with him while we all walked downtown. He was wearing raggedy black pants and his long hair tumbled into his eyes and even though I knew he didn’t need encouragement when it came to this type of stuff, I also knew he was hesitant because he had never wanted a girl like me before who was religious and abstinent. I stood on my tiptoes in the Borden’s parking lot and tugged his head down to meet mine and in those kisses I knew I had found my forever home. Then I had to make him ask me to be his girlfriend because good girls don’t kiss boys that arent their boyfriends, ya heard.

In the age of the super hero complex, he tried to save his own soul. He had the words to change the world but he bottled them up inside. The only words he needed never came. Like waiting for the train that left hours ago. And when the time came to give up, and head home, something happened. He realized that walking back to where it started will never get him where he needs to go. One breath. One step. That's all he needed. One breath. One step. And when he took the last breath and the last step, he looked back at the cape and smiled.

There is nothing more calming Than your presence I look out past the waves Towards your infinite possibilities Easy to remember Hard to forget You give me guidance I hear your voice Your sandy hips Your liquid beauty I dream of falling into you Floating around the world You’re so deep I rest on you shallowly To marry you Taking me from this wild land I want to be inside you To know all your secrets I will tell you mine Though something tells me You already know me Give me your wisdom and knowledge To soothe the world like your touches

When the gossip settles What truth is left? What makes a person so self-righteous To make a laundry list of your life actions? Boredom Misery I don’t think you should be worried Those you’ve trusted Sitting on your jury But not to come to your defense Isn’t that enough evidence to live you own life? No matter how many lives you save There will always those waiting to point out who you didn’t save Don’t let yourself me judged Just change the conversation And move on There are so many people in your life that know YOU

My second first kiss was at the age of 18 in my best friend’s home theater with my awkward too-sweet boyfriend of the time. All wrapped up in a tangle of arms and legs, his axe body spray enveloped me as he clumsily tried to find my lips in the dark with little butterfly kisses. His pillowy white boy lips drooled his nervousness over mine and I felt like a jaded yet triumphant older woman for stealing his first kiss even though I was the younger one.

Last goodbyes The tightrope that I walked And the sidelines which we chalked Simple pleasures from clever treasures Measured our love by a single feather Cutting ties Your pure soul pulls the tears That calm my inner sinner A whisper that farms my fears Our fingers stroke the trigger Empty eyes Awoken by your makeup upon chest A vivid dream invaded my rest Drag me to hell so I can sleep Burn me alive with the secrets we keep

One glance at the paper thin skin That encased her veins  And he fell at her feet in worship Disbelief that a creature so delicate could be real and Be his. He never saw in the corners of her nights How she pledged herself to misery And the absence of self-pity Using the harsh sword of her words and thoughts And sometimes the sharpness of actual blades To pierce herself, over and over Punishment for her faults and failings  The sting of a razor against her skin Bright red welling of blood Jerked her out of her depression Reminded her what it was to feel. He never understood what it meant to her Only feeling like parts and never a whole Experiencing emotion when it wasn't appropriate And remaining impassive in times of intense feelings. She would always be Inadequate To herself.

I had my first embarassing fumbling kiss on my 15th birthday on a street corner in Mexico from a brown skinned boy who thought he was going to be a priest until he met me and then I couldnt speak to him or look him in the eye for three days because I was so mortified.

A swaying tounge licks loose lips with a protest on the edge of my words. I speak in parabols amidst the waves of fluorescent faces, undefining my phrases. Ticker tape, unreeling by lines out of my throat, distributes numbers to the attending reflection in my presence. Armor forged from furnaces and shovels, unprofitable battle hangs on the tip of a blunt diamond blade. My contradictive bed of dripping paint burns the eyelids of volcanos blinking their cracks in my direction. My final exhalation of perfumes and newspaper headlines deafen my conscience lying upon a grain of sand. Side-ear recognition of a seperate room in my name crammed with flowers and gold, blacks my objective to differenciate the past

Shout with Joy! The lightning has calmed The rain has stopped The Sun is smiling once again We finally made it through All pieces that fell apart Are now reassembled Some of our friends have become are foes Some of our foes have become are friends Yet we love them just the same The Storm is over now Get out your shades Life is gleaming Dreaming The Past has strengthened The Future is looking bright We are no longer off-centered Hallelujah!

The time comes when an end is near All we can do is scramble in fear People start to leave Tomorrow’s plans we weave The music fades The light goes off We are intoxicated with life For some that’s great And for others misery If only we could look a life soberly And realize that it is always open Time is a but a human creation We are never gaining or losing it Time just is The value of a human being Is determined by how it uses its time This I am guaranteeing Living should never be part-time In every ending There is always a new beginning Relationships will always be challenged But they never have to end Tomorrow the lights will come back on And the music will rise So never get caught up In what’s ending And miss out on what’s beginning Reasoning will connect everything

Republican or Democrat We don’t want to be either Independent, free to be us Black or white We want to color life gray Please integrate our churches Rich or poor We see no status quo There’s potential to invest in all Citizen or immigrant We can’t close the doors Not to a land we never owned We are done being silent We are done accepting “no” We are THE LOUD MAJORITY We roll the red carpet out for the 21 st century It’s a fresh perspective in the 2010s Welcome to the DECADE OF REINVENTION