Fairytales left there
on the hospital floor,
as a young child watched
his mother slip
from this world to the next.

Dreams shattered
of a happy life,
of holding her hand
the trembling now broken,
forever undone.

Nurses and doctors,
helpless and heartbroken,
knowing nothing
could rewrite the story
unfolding in that room tonight.

Home becomes a museum
of aching silence.
Closet doors sealed tight
for years,
too heavy with memories
and sweaters
still scented like her.

Left only
with the will to carry on,
to hold their head high
walking through school halls
where other children stare,
some feeling the loss,
some blind to the pain.

Counselors, teachers,
principals, and bosses
reaching out,
offering love,
doing their best
to stitch the wound.

But the day will come
when they forget.

Except for the ones
still walking
with the wound wide open,
a daily limp,
a raw reminder
of who won’t be waiting
at home.

Life,
short and cruel
for the ones who grieve
what can’t be given back,
who carry a love
too heavy for this world
to hold.

I wasn’t very good at it—
and truth is,
it wasn’t very good
for me.

I give too much.
Try too hard.
Fall too fast.
And forget…
to breathe.

It’s not the people.
It’s not the place.
It’s the hope I hold,
the pace I chase.
The kind of happiness
I keep reaching for—
maybe it was never meant
to be.

Love—
or what I thought was love—
left me empty.
Not whole.
And not for lack of trying.
I gave it all.
My heart.
My soul.

But I’ve learned something soft,
something real:
What’s not good for me
still hurts…
even when it looks
like love.

What is good for me?
It’s quieter.
Gentler.
Steady.

It’s the laughter
of my family.
The stillness
of the trees.
It’s in the work
that feels honest—
in friendships
that don’t ask me
to be less…
or more.

It’s peace
in the mirror.
Peace
in the morning.
Peace
in just being.

That’s what’s good
for me.

So when I go—
when the story ends—
remember me
not for the love I lost,
but for the peace
I tried to give.

I’ll leave it with you.
Soft as a whisper.
Quiet as a prayer.

That—
that right there—
is what’s good
for me.

Your world teeters on the brim,
Washing away with every wave.
Soaked with suds that numb the skin,
Deluded just to soothe the sting.

You drown yourself in alcohol,
A sea you drink to flee the day.
Each sip, a tide that pulls you in,
Further from the shore, astray.

You think the burn will cleanse the ache,
That silence lives in every glass.
But pain still floats beneath the foam,
And truth returns as shadows pass.

The mirror ripples when you look
Your face a blur, your eyes unsure.
You wipe the steam, but not the truth;
You’ve made escape your only cure.

Yet no wave washes guilt away,
No ocean swallows hurt for good.
To heal, to break the deepest spell,
You’ll have to see just where you stood.

Not in the drink, not in the night,
Not in the lie you try to sell
But in the stillness, in the light,
When you begin to face yourself.

You didn’t want my love
just everything else.
Took my time, my peace, my pride
Then whispered poison in my friends’ ears,
Made me the villain while you played the bride.
But when I finally found my voice,
And faced them with truth, not noise
They saw me still, the same old friend,
Not the broken man you tried to end.

I think about giving
If I had something,
Something that makes me happy
But what I like to do
Is hold joy in my mind,
Keep it there,
So I don’t drift
To thoughts of my own fate
That unknown answer
That waits in silence.

Because I have nothing.
Nothing that’s mine.
Nothing to give.

But if I did
If I did,
I would give it.

And that,
That giving,
Would make me happy.

We met on a cruise, the stars overhead,
Where laughter was shared and kind words were said.
In oceans and sunsets, I saw something true
But nothing as stunning as finding you.

We wandered through cities, through rain and sun,
With every new place, a new page begun.
You showed me your world, its warmth and its light,
And I offered you mine, with my heart held tight.

We’ve tasted new foods, we’ve lost track of time,
I’ve learned that your suitcase is bigger than mine.
You’ve taught me that love is both tender and strong
A dance through the chaos, a soft steady song.

And now, in this moment, as I look in your eyes,
With friends and with family beneath open skies,
I promise to love you, to cherish and stay  
Through every tomorrow, beginning today.

Wherever we go, whatever we do,
My heart is my compass, it always finds you.
So here’s to our journey, just starting to run…
You’re my greatest adventure. You’re my only one.

The pleasure found in a like-minded friend,
Where words aren’t needed for time to transcend.
Nurtured in childhood, wild and free
A bond as old as the tallest tree.

We ran like puppies through the pines,
No path to follow, no need for signs.
Branches bowed as we brushed by,
With nothing but laughter beneath the sky.

We chased the wind and played pretend,
Each game we started had no end.
Side by side, we roamed for hours,
Wading through streams, picking wildflowers.

Not lost, just far from grown-up plans,
Just boys with bark-stained knees and hands.
In the woods, we found our place
A world untouched, our sacred space.

Now older, with the forest far,
I still recall who we were, we are.
For in my heart, that trail remains
Two boys, one bond, and no restraints.

And women, they watch with tender eyes,
Not quite sure where its magic lies
They may not grasp the way it grew,
But they smile, knowing it’s something true.