Be kind to yourself.
You have come so far.
Each emotion you feel tattooed
to your skin
the seasons wash away like chalk.

Be kind to yourself.
You are braver than you thought.
No longer scared of what lies
beneath your bed
but what awaits when you wake up.

Be kind to yourself.
You are worthy of love.
Only you give permission
for forked tongues
to leave passing words as lasting scars.

Only you can adopt old failures
and stack them as obstacles
upon each new path.
You cannot dictate what will be
only – who you are.

Be kind to yourself.
You are doing enough.
You cannot always be switched on.
Sometimes you have to lay down
and breathe –

it is not greed.
If you are always exhausted
you cannot help anybody.

Be kind to yourself.
You did not grow
from a single cell
born from a dying star
in order to feel so small.

You did not close the door
on friends when you expected
more from them.
Why beat yourself up
for who you were before?

Be kind to yourself.
A faltering dancer who gets up
again and again
draws the loudest applause
at the curtain call.

A person who spent half their life
at war with themselves
knows the value of peace,
the feat of getting out the house;
the measure of good mental health.

Be kind to yourself.
You have come so far.
They say ten thousand hours
is the time it takes
to master an art.

You spent so much longer than that
learning the patterns of your heart.
You can pull at those common threads
that keep you together
even when you are falling apart.

Be kind to yourself.
You are stronger than you thought.
Like Leonard says,
“there’s a crack of light in everything. “
You do not have to be perfect.

You do not have to live in the dark.
Be kind to yourself.
Make sure you get to the end.
Do not worry
how you stumbled at the start.

An Inca Dove flies to and fro
Landing graceful in my yard
Grist for any poet, bard
Her cooing soft and low.

Warm gray body, flash of wing
Whatever does she do?
I see her as her task ensues
She does a constant thing.

Back and forth the small bird flies
Of this I can attest
She pulls grass for her small nest
Right before my eyes!

I've been sitting here for hours
Thinking on my dreams
Lazily, or so it seems
For that bird builds her tower!

She goes by instinct, like the ant
Who burrows in the soil
Ever constant with her toil
'Til she would sit and pant!

While I do nothing in my seat
She flies away, and then
She comes for grasses yet again
Until her nest's complete!

Would that all the warring nations
Sit down to agree
To make the people warring-free
With such dedication!

Emulate the gentle dove
She slaves to rear her young
She works away and softly sung

Her song of purest LOVE.


SøułSurvivør
(C) 4/18/2017

There he goes! He's quite a sight!
He's an Ace... a STAR!
The life of him! It's 3 at night
He's just pulled from the bar
He'll blind you... ***** your light
Anywhere you are
Is he cool?... or a blight
He'll **** you with his car....

Rattletrap Cadillac
He's bad to the bone
Rattletrap Cadillac
He goes it alone
Rattletrap Cadillac
He should be goin' home
Rattletrap Cadillac
He'll hit you... then he's GONE.

He just got his SSI
So he's good to go
Drinks as much as he can buy
Hard liquor, don't you know
Has to give driving a try
And he don't go slow
When it comes to DUI
He star's up the SHOW!

[chorus]

The Grim Reaper on the road
He got drunk & stank
He ain't scared... a gun to load
And he ain't shootin' blanks
Jail may be his abode
If he weren't so rank
As to hit, and then just GO
Cuz he drives a tank!

Rattletrap Cadillac
He's bad... he's NATIONWIDE!
Rattletrap Cadillac
With Jack Daniels on his side
Rattletrap Cadillac
Because he won't decide
To hit some trees...
or give up his KEYS
AND GIVE UP HIS PRIDE!.**


SøuŁSurvivør
(C) 4/18/2017

oh, how easily we fall
tip-toeing toward the edge
victims to our own habits
changing
adjusting
living for speed
trying for depth
searching for more
more
more
more
more devices
more de-vices
vice for you
for me
broken under the weight
falling like ashes
carried by the wind
wanting