Craving connection

“I was a quiet kid, I was always in my head. I was scared to speak my mind. I thought I better fit in instead. Years have past and I’ve grown, but I still don’t fit in at all. With the courage to share my words, I finally don’t feel so small.“

“Will you commune with me; highlight our common unity?

Community forged through connection.

I pay you with my attention.

Not because you made me.

But because you mention...something that sparks me, soothes me or drives me wild.

You triggered me deep.

Thinking about healing my inner child.

Now THAT’S WILD.

Am I really….considering healing?

Can I say no to what they’re dealing? Do I want to fight the feeling?

What is my pain revealing?

Is it all image and competition?

Materialistic what?

We’re backwards.

Does it matter?

When we don’t know which way’s up?

Is humanity in rut?

...maybe I’m just an extreme example.

Am I asking to much?

They tell me to keep quiet.

You wonder if I’m I scared.

But I don’t fear the reaper

The reaper ain’t prepared.

I’m not leaving yet.

I’m squared up with my doubts.

Cleanse away the nonsense and tell me what it’s about.

I’ll just try to feel it out.”

“Can you feel my passion in my poetry?

I know some people who can relate.

I use my words to create connections.

It’s never too late to be great.

It’s never too late to find meaning.

It’s never too late to seek truth.

It’s never too late to show up.

It’s never too late to be you.”

“I want my poetry to draw you closer.

I want it to speak what’s on your mind.

I want you to feel seen.

I want to make use of my time.

I want you to know your worth.

And forgive yourself when you mess up.

I want you to heal your wounds.

And the love inside to fill your cup.”

“I don’t have thousands of followers.

I don’t think they’re on the edge of their seat.

I don’t want to fake it or pretend.

I want my authenticity to speak.

I never doubted my potential.

Some say I’ve been wasting time.

I never felt the need to rush.

What’s mine will always be mine”

It took moving halfway across the world to Hawaii (without knowing anyone or having a place to stay) to realize I am truly an artist and a poet. I’ve been writing my whole life and nothing feels better than finally owning it and sharing. Knowing that my word can help myself and others to heal, grow, connect, share and find community through our connection. By sharing our stories we heal our pain and by healing our pain we become stronger together.

So hard to choose but below are a few of my poems from the past year:

“I had to build my ceilings tall to meet the wall I’d been constructing.

It was meant to keep out intruders or anyone trying to sell me something.

I got lonely in my high house,

So I took it all apart

I decided to start over.

So there’s less space between our hearts.

I know you might hurt me, because we’ve all been hurt before.

But I’d rather take a chance at loving.

Then waste time hurting for sure.

Now I don’t have a wall.

I done’t even have a fence.

I keep my possessions small.

And my focus present tense.

When I see you I remember,

We were cut from the same cloth

You might be dyed from java pumps and me from red dirt

But if you look closer you will see:

we’re both made of this Earth.

We both share the breath of life,

And we practice going deep.

We build a fire to remember

That without passion we fall asleep.

And to keep us warm as the wind

Blows free any dead ideas about who we are or who we’ve been.

And when we look up at the stars we know where we’ll be again.”

“I’m becoming more like a flower

I don’t need to hide away

Or question if I’m worthy

To show myself today

When I embrace my beauty,

It’s not only a win for my heart

But I can grow with the forest

My whole self becomes a part

I can admire others

and they can admire me

I feel good when I’m connected

That’s what I’ll always be

We would dance with the wind

And show gratitude for rain

Keep our faces towards the sun

And of course never complain

Now that I don’t have to hide

I’m a better flower for it

It would sure be a shame

If I kept trying to ignore it”

“Loving yourself in the low

It’s about acceptance so you can grow

About releasing and letting it go

It’s about forgiving yourself for what you didn’t know

You couldn’t know.

Loving yourself where you are

Is about seeing beauty in the scar

About finding humor no matter how far

How far you are from where you thought you’d be

You can be imperfect and still feel free

No ones perfect how could they be

I wouldn’t want to be

It wouldn’t make for a very interesting tale

I want to hear about the ways that you fail

I want to hear about how you rose

Right out of the ashes

And its shows

You wear your come up like a badge

You aren’t sorry you went down because of the adventure you had

You’re glad you went and definitely glad you came back

You don’t have to have made it to see that’s where you’re headed

You don’t have to have all the answers to get into heaven

You don’t have to make up anything or try to lie

Because all the knowledge you need has always been inside

You could stop trying so hard and relax

The worlds not on your shoulders you weren’t given that task

All you gotta do is stop running and wait

Wait for the silence to open to you the pearl gate

It’s always been there right in your mind

You wondered right by it thousands of times

Just be the observer and don’t identify with the hurting.

Just create the safe space for the magic to start working.”

“Learning to listen and not resist

Learning to let go of what I think it is

Learning it's okay to feel how I feel

Learning how to say no so I can heal

Learning there's always more to the story

Learning I don't need the praise or glory

Because everything I need is already mine

And everything I want will come when it's time

I only need to get out of my own way

Everything else will fall right in its place.”