I lost the sadness Which used to fill this room, And your love - I lost it’s tracks Along with yours. Or have I? I lost the chimes That used to call out Your name in the wind. Or perhaps I stopped Listening to their sweetness. I lost our home Where we grew up Or, rather, got lost On my way back. Willingly, maybe. I lost a country Full of nothing for us Yet here I am, Struck with grief, And it never goes away. How I miss you: You, force of nature - You. The idle days. The returning sadness With callous boldness, The sadness I thought I lost, Brings with it again and again The love you always held for me. You darling boy, I remember you, always, And I see you in my dreams.

Oh sleep, Come at once And take me dreaming, For I dread The closing of light. The quiet Conquers me And I am bound To the night, Lovelorn to the day. I want you To dare Dream with me. I want you to hold me. Here I am.

The sweetness starts With a gentle crackling From my speaker, Every now and again. It cracks just like A vintage record player, Almost exactly the same, And it’s possibly endearing, Definitely distracting me From the sweet melody Of something I love But forgot about. Something cut abruptly, Persistent and patient. Relentlessly passionate: My longing. And for a moment, Every now and again, I forget about How much I miss you.

Here’s to all the things You wanted to be, And to better. To what could have been, And could be and will be. And to your faith. To that warm heart And gentle touch. And to your love. To all that you do And don’t remember. And to tomorrow. To you, My darling everything. Here’s to you.

I’ve chased dreams And flew planes And dared to Be crazy brave. I’ve built empires And crowned kings, And witnessed miracles. I’ve crossed continents And met people Who inspired me, And gods who Created stars in their hands. I love them all. There are so many Things I love In this world And I’ll never Love any of them As much as I love you.

Your strength holds me. Your resilience inspires me. Your kindness humbles me. Your courage guides me. Your passion keeps me alive. Thank you for your strength. Thank you for your resilience. Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for your courage. Thank you for your passion. I’m proud of you.

Isn’t it curious Who we are: Not just a dot in time But a line in time, Hours of time, An arrow of time. Isn’t it great how We grow in time And with time, How we’re not just One moment, But every moment? Although it feels like We’re here just now, We’ve been here All along.

I love waking up Early in the morning When the sun shines through My double window. I cover my eyes Because the sun is bright And I have sleepy eyes. The sun that shines On my bedroom walls Reminds me of waking up With the best person, The right person. Wake up, wake up - The sun calls to me gently So that I can find you again.

Hold my demons Like they were your angels: I want to feel my soul Held by yours. Hold my thoughts Like they were your jewels: I want to feel my heart Held by yours. Hold my chin up Like it was your cup: I want to feel my body Held by yours. Hold my arm Like it was your truth: I want to feel my presence Felt by yours.

I want to hear my heart beating When it beats not too slow And not too fast, Just beat, beat after beat, Just slow enough For me to enjoy this day, And just fast enough For my heart to have courage.

We are the strangers Who are strange. We are the rebels With a cause. We stand out, We stand on our own. We are lonely Together with the world. We are rule benders, And life preceptors. We make the Unknown, known. We are the savages Who live in the city. We are dreamers Who dream in the light.

I shaved off my beard today So I can see my double chin. I almost don’t want to hide it anymore. I almost don’t mind it. It’s almost not mine to hide, Not yours to judge. My beard hides my shame, My mothers’ shame, So it’s hard to do without. I almost missed my double chin. It reminds me of my mother; I got it from her And she’s the sweetest thing. My double chin teaches me To love my body, see my body, Just like my mother loves me, Sees me. And I never really liked it. I was never a big fan of it. My double chin. But I love the love.

How can I not love this world? It's hard sometimes, A lot of the time, To love the things that hurt me, And the shallow depths, And the things that took you away. I love every moment that's real, When you still play on my mind And with my heart. How can I not love this world? How can I hold back My tears when they're pure joy? Even losing you - How can I not love the world When that's where you are? How can I not greet strangers With a smile? How can word get to you That I've forgotten how to. How can I forget How much I love this world Because of you.

I did't stay in today - I took a very long walk And nobody asked me where to. Nobody. I am not high today. I'm not low and I'm not dry, And nobody asked me to try. Nobody. I wrote today. Not a great load, not much good, And nobody really cared. Nobody. I am not afraid today. I live to breathe the smell of May And nobody asked me why. Nobody. I am free today. I breathe in and out and in And nobody is my master. Nobody.

I am the poet Who doesn't write poetry. I write dreams in ink And stories, The stories that live in my heart. I am a player, a lover, a fire eater And not a firefighter. I crave peace in my mind And I find it when I find peace in my soul. I rise on the blank page - Oh, how I love it! Oh, how it consumes me. I love how it loves me, I love the poetry that writes me. Although for the most part I am the poet Who doesn't write poetry.

Go and tell the sun I have conquered the day. I chanted the anthem in my heart And my mind is my clay. Go and tell the stars I have freed the night. Never will my dreams have to die Nor will I have ghosts to fight. Go and tell your gods I have democratised faith. I've felt love and tasted pain And in compassion I shall bathe. Go and tell the world I have freed the spirit. It's flying high, flying wild - I fought for a cause with holy merit.

Oh, water! Wash me with gratitude. Oh, earth! Feed me with compassion. Oh, fire! Fill my heart with passion. Oh, wind! Carry forward my dreams.

All good things and the joys Of a fulfilled life and legacy, And all the corrections and patience, The cage that locked our hearts. Love eternal, give me strength For that which is the love I crave! And many years in love’s embrace To fill my soul and bathe in grace. Bring me partnership, oh love, Give me that one that lasts forever. Marry me to devotion and patience So that I may live in two bodies. To be honest, that all is just nonsense. Absolute rubbish, the lot of it! Empty trash talk, hollow sentiment, Oh, Shakespeare, there thou aren’t. Because I didn’t have it in me To write about my deepest wish; I didn’t give you a chance to know the truth. I shouldn’t hide it. I wish I could tell you now That regardless of how much this may scare you, I’ve loved you since the first moment I’ve met you. That’s it. I love you.

When we first heard That the world will end, We felt afraid; We felt betrayed; Something shattered And time stopped. We felt alone. We gasped for air, We said our goodbyes, And then we waited. We waited for the end, We waited to be saved, We wondered what Could have been. We thought about us, About our old age And about everything Being OK. We looked at us, The last people - The best people. We found a speaker So we played music; Eventually, I noticed Us all moving together. We danced together - Of this we were But none the wiser. And so we danced At the end of the world. Foolish, imperfect, Smiling, unimportant; Resentful and forgiving. Dangerously, Lovingly, We danced at the end.

It’s about time - The day unravels with earth and sun. It’s about time - The darkness shrieks and bellows. It’s about time - The soul calls out for adventure. It’s about time - Our labour calls to bear fruit. It’s about time - And the day goes from still to still. It’s about time - Love calls and seeks revenge. It’s about time - The dusk and dawn are one. It’s about time - We embrace the task ahead.

Boom. Boom. Boom. I walk this earth like Athos. Their weight, my shoulders press Down to their glorious resting place; I carry them like chests of gold, Their wisdom which was left untold. I press hard into this earth - And build in parts my own self-worth. Away from Id I ran and ran, From earth I came and earth I am. I have to be the one to try, With wisdom’s words I cannot die. Though uneasy the soul shivers When the boom of courage quivers. Boom. Boom. Boom. I walk this earth for me.

I love how I can still impress my mother – She always made me feel like I belonged. I love how I don’t have to impress my boss – She already knows I’m capable of great things. I love how my cousin is a kind fool, like me – She is the sister I never had and always wanted. I love how my aunt is not quite my mother – She teaches me about multi-dimensional women. I love that my therapist thinks I’m a genius – She’s held my giant and she knows me profoundly. I love how my best friend celebrates my success – She always thought I’m to be famous one day. I love listening to Oprah, and Brene, and Pink – They fill in the wisdom gaps my mother never could. I love Jane, and Dolly, and Whoopi, and Wanda – We will never be friends but we will always be allies. I love how these women raise me, inspired me – I am a fully rounded person because of them. I love, I love, I love, I love - that's their legacy; I love how they're part of me.

Alas, said the ghost of death, you see, Naked of your gods, you all come to me. In sprints you rise and in sprints you fall, The life of man shall cease at dawn. And from your death you rise again To stand weary in the world of men. I pray you see there is no scope For you to seal your fait with rope. For glory, many battles you pursue; For your names in stone to be made true. Although your life you can’t sustain, What rose a man shall fall again. Before you, I shall bring but peace, In times when life for you will cease. But wonder now upon your grave, Isn’t this what man has made?

Break me, world, But do not kill me. I have so much life To live ahead of me. Take me, world, But don’t hide me. I have so many stories To inspire you with. Surprise me, world, But do not frighten me. I have so much lust To wonder at your beauty. Leave me, world, But do not abandon me. I have so much love To give to you.