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Collin Joyce Poem
You said you were going to do that thing you always wanted to,
whether it was joining the football team,
Or asking that girl you pass in the hallways to accompany you to the dance.
But you didn’t.
Because your schedule wouldn’t allow it.
Because someone asked them before you.
You told yourself that you weren’t going to be “soft” anymore
Because you never liked being pushed around.
But you didn’t.
Because you hated seeing the look on your friends faces when you got mad.
You wrote that note because you were tired of “not doing things”
Because you were sick of not following through with what you told yourself.
Because you thought that life was spiting you just for living.
You had everything ready,
You told yourself this was when you would finally follow through.
For the first, and the last time.
But you didn’t.
Not because the knife was dull,
Or the pills were fake,
Or the bottle was full of water,
Or the ammo was blank.
But because your sister wanted to play dress up
With the person that always made her laugh.
Because your brother wanted to get food
With the sibling that always knew his tastes.
Because your mother wanted to go shopping
With the child that knew her style a little better than the others.
Because your dad wanted to go bowling
With the kid that gave him a run for his money.
You kept telling yourself, “Tomorrow.”
Tomorrow, your sun would eclipse.
Tomorrow, your tide would settle.
Tomorrow, your world would stop spinning.
But it didn’t.
Because little did you know,
Those coaches needed another player.
Because your friends' expressions were of pride
For the one they were hoping would stand up for themselves.
Because that special someone rejected the guy who asked,
Waiting for you.
You had every reason to hope it would end.
But it didn’t.
Copyright © Collin Joyce | Year Posted 2026
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Collin Joyce Poem
Hope - The idea that everything will turn out fine even in the darkest moments.
The light at the end of the tunnel.
I believe hope can be found anywhere.
Whether it’s in a group of people saving a child from falling off a building
Or simply holding the door for the elderly.
Hope is the idea that someone, somewhere is making a lasting change.
Especially when all seems lost.
It’s easy to feel hopeful when everything is going your way.
But that’s the thing about hope.
It’s not easy.
Hope is the idea that when you help someone,
You help everyone.
But hope isn’t just an “idea”
True hope is an action.
It’s a choice you make.
Hope is choosing to stay,
When everybody is leaving.
No matter how many good days there will be,
Bad things will always happen in times we don’t want them to.
There will be days when you feel nothing matters.
When it feels like you are alone in your suffering
But that is when hope is needed most.
It will never be our place to judge,
However, it is always our place to help.
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
The pain you feel when someone stubs their toe, that's empathy.
The reason you cry when a dog dies in a movie, is empathy
Many people see this gift as another root of sorrow in their lives.
So, they close their hearts to not feel more pain.
But without empathy, hope is a lie wrapped in a hymnal
Without empathy, hope is just another fairytale you tell your kids
Because without empathy,
Hope cannot exist.
So open your heart to the pain of others.
And never sacrifice that ability.
Always hope.
Because that person who makes a lasting change,
Could be you.
Copyright © Collin Joyce | Year Posted 2026
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Collin Joyce Poem
The Art of Acting
Step 1: Posture
Your posture is more important than you think.
The way you carry yourself can speak
Thoughts into the minds of others from miles away.
It can make them trust you more than they ever believed they would.
Step 2: Expressions
The expressions you portray can make those around you
Feel at ease or put them in a sense of discomfort.
If you do it well enough,
Even the toughest shells will crack.
Step 3: Actions
The actions you take can make the coldest gestures
Feel like the sun’s warmth in the dead of night.
If done correctly, the hardest pills to swallow
Can taste like the finest pastries
On a summer’s morning.
Step 4: Change
Every character needs a switch.
Some point in the plot
Where the intentions they once had, flip
And turn into a new goal for them to chase
Step 5: Endgame
Every story needs an ending.
Whether this ending is good or bad.
Whether it’s your desired outcome,
Or not.
Every story must end,
Even if you want it to keep going.
Copyright © Collin Joyce | Year Posted 2026
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Collin Joyce Poem
I was complimented the other day.
I don't know why it stuck with me.
They’re just words so do I still think about them?
Words from some random person
I probably won’t ever see again.
I still think about them.
Random words they probably just said in the moment.
So why do they still ring through my head like a freight train passing by?
I’ve heard these words before
So why do these words hit harder?
I’ve never been a boxer and
Yet I feel as if I’ve been punched by Mike Tyson.
Why do the little things always feel so big?
Like a small wave eventually crashing as a tsunami.
Why do these words feel like exactly what I've needed to hear
My entire life.
Why do these words feel like for once
They were truly meant for me?
How did this random person manage
To stay in my head with just a few words?
They’re just words
So why won’t they get out of my head?
If they were just
Words.
Then why can’t I stop crying?
Copyright © Collin Joyce | Year Posted 2026
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Collin Joyce Poem
“Practice makes Perfect”
It‘s we’re all told.
That if you work on one thing consistently and for long enough
You will have such a solid hold that you cannot get it wrong.
So by that logic, pretty soon, I should be a master at poetry.
As long as I perfect it.
It’s ironic.
While I was writing this poem about perfection
I kept deleting
No, backtracking
No, erasing
The work I wrote down
like the message I want to convey
Doesn’t want to live on the page I put it on.
It’s like what I think
Won’t put
No, place
No, inscribe
Itself onto the document I'm using to write this.
The letters don’t seem to string themselves
Together like they usually do.
My mind continues to blank
Even though my thoughts were planned out
Even though I knew what I wanted to say
Even though this topic
No, idea
No, dilemma
Is so controversial.
Because we can all agree
Perfection is harder to come by than we first thought.
The definition of perfection is
“The state, condition, or quality of being free or as free as possible from any and all flaws or defects.”
Many people compare themselves to what they believe is perfect
But that’s the thing,
Perfection is different for everybody.
Yes, the word perfection has a definition.
But that was one of dozens of variants
I could choose from.
So if the word perfection can’t even perfect itself
Then how are we meant to dissect the infection
Of perfect perfection.
Copyright © Collin Joyce | Year Posted 2026
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