Repeating myself
Over and over and over again
You can’t begin to imagine the pain.
The anguish.
The derelict feelings born of a journey
To better thyself.
To become the best version of me
A version forged in solitude.
I scream into the silence,
And I cry like a ghost in a glass house
Visible, but unheard.
Seen, but not felt.
Do they care?
About this version of me
This loathing of life,
This obsession to become
Everything they said I couldn’t?
Let me make it clear:
I. Will. Endure.
In spite of them.
In spite of the silence.
In spite of the lack of applause.
In spite of the hate.
The anguish.
The sorrow.
So I say unto you
You who don’t want to see your loved ones win:
You sit still while the chosen move.
You call effort "too much"
While they make it look easy.
You sleep because you're tired of trying.
I sleep because I burned myself alive in effort.
I don’t rest because I’m lazy
I rest because I fight every single day
To outwork, outthink, outperform
EVERY. LAST. DOUBT.
Let me show you a world
Where execution is my art.
Where performance is my ritual.
Where there is
No stop.
No quit.
No giving in.
Never.
NEVER.
NEVER AGAIN.
Categories:
outperform, anger, angst, betrayal, endurance,
Form: Free verse
The poinsettia is a rare plant, indeed,
Its vivid red leaves outperform its tiny flower,
In Africa, it achieves the height of an oak tree
Exploding in vivid red like a bedecked tower
Decorated for a special holiday occasion.
Our guide was astounded we paid for a frond
While here bouquets are had for the picking,
Making me feel like, back home, we are conned.
They grow, he said, from a stick in the ground
I never can keep one alive for more than a week
Then, I looked at him and noticeably frowned.
Six dollars I pay for a stem with two blossoms,
Suspecting they’re a cutting that will not thrive.
As I stared at the magnificent poinsettia tree
Clement blithely said, “Well, here they’re free!”
Written December 3, 2022
Categories:
outperform, africa, flower, humor, tree,
Form: Free verse
For thirty days in April we observe
a time for poetry to be revered,
with thoughts expressed by writers who deserve
to be upheld this month and widely heard.
A modern culture cannot thrive, unless
wise counsel is received from poets’ hearts,
that pierces hardened souls, reducing stress,
with influence and guidance from the arts.
The written word in its poetic form
is powerful, designed to overthrow,
and crafted with a skill to outperform
the status quo refusing to let go.
And so, this month we honor poetry
in all its forms and creativity.
Categories:
outperform, poetry,
Form: Sonnet
I got a gat
that's badder than yours
My rat-a-tat-tat
makes a whole lot of noise
My metal numbers,
whether big or small,
can outperform yours
in the streets or at the mall
I can go big
like a 357 Mag cannon
I can go small
like a 9 mil 'Retta soul getta
I got a gat,
my gat's badder than yours
It makes a mean rat-a-tat-tat
that stops all of the noise
If you wanna meet my gat,
and my gat wanna meet yours
It's okay,
just set the time
Corral your crew,
and I'll get mine
Then start the party blast,
and see who will win
Lets whittle down the cast
to the last man standing
I got a gat
that badder than yours
My rat-a-tat-tat
makes a whole lot of noise
I got a gat
that leaves a silent smoke trail
My rat-a-tat-tat
sends 'em all blazing straight to hell
Categories:
outperform, allusion, humor, humorous, violence,
Form: Rhyme
If passion is about what’s inside
that makes you feel most glad
and the thing you do with all your soul -
then my passion is being a dad.
It is a passion born out of love for my wife;
I guess from one passion another was wrought.
It is the one thing that brings me most joy out of life;
with each new child a new passion was brought
Everything that I do now
I do it just for them;
they inspire me to outperform;
they fuel my motivation.
I hope that when that day does come,
for them to eulogize me,
they remember me as being a good dad
and how I loved them passionately.
Categories:
outperform, father, passionme, me, passion,
Form: Rhyme