What is it about the seas...

What is it about the seas

That calls attention from near and far?

Perhaps it’s the way the salty breeze
Softens and smooths the roughest scar;

Or how, despite the sun, one clearly sees
The hopeful hint of an evening star;

Or how one collects seashells with ease 
To keep forever in a crystal jar;

Or how the incoming waves taunt and tease,
And we jump and giggle right where we are;

The number of reasons span galaxies —
Most are rational, some bizarre.

But one thing the seas surely guarantees
As I search for inner peace thus far —

It’s the perfect place to release melancholies

Trapped deep within my beating heart.

The Climb

Your summit may seem unreachable
From the base looking up at the top.
Lower your eyes to the rocks in front of you—
Start climbing and don’t ever stop.

Your looming anxiety may hail doubt and fear
And freeze the new path before your feet.
Don’t retreat to the comforts by your fireplace;
Keep digging your boots into the sleet.

And yes.. your errors and failures may produce
Abysmally cavernous holes.
If you fall in, take a breath…
Climb out…
And get back on the trek to your goals.

So stop wishing and dreaming and plan your route,
And take your first step without dread.
Ignore how impossible the journey seems—
Don’t create another mountain in your head.

Along The Journey

It's not at the finish line where you find yourself. It’s not at the end of the race. It’s not when you reach your final goal.

It’s along the journey filled with jagged rocks, upwards climbs into thundering clouds, and dangerous dives towards a black abyss. 

It’s when you fall and pick yourself up, again and again, crying and hurting, yet still moving forward.

It’s in ignoring the naysayers and haters, dodging the evil eyes, and fighting off the worst of those villains — your own self-doubt. 

It's in the fears you conquer, and those you learn to live with to survive.

It’s in the easy plateaus, so quiet and peaceful that you see and feel things that were blocked-out by drive and ambition.

It’s in appreciating all of your small victories, the smiles you meet, the people who laugh with you and continue to jump and fall with you. 

It’s in every day you wake up, breathe deep, take a moment and continue on.

Along the journey is where you find yourself.

Our Loved Ones Never Die

Our loved ones never die.

Their spirit transforms into

Birds chirping in the early morning,

A gentle breeze caressing your cheeks,

The serene warmth of the midday sun.

Our loved ones are all around us.

They're in the old song on the radio,

In the scent of their favorite flowers in bloom,

In the worn-out photos on your walls

Or a birthday gift you've treasured over the years.

Our loved ones still live through us.

They're in the stories you pass down to your children,

In silly jokes you've told a thousand times,

In the memorabilia on your side table,

And in the customs you've carried on.

You cannot touch them.

You cannot see them.

You cannot hear them.

But you can feel them.

Our loved ones will always live in our hearts.

A Young Dreamer

A gentle wind flows in through the trees

Carrying the scent of apples and pears.

I awaken under the sound of rustling leaves,

With flower petals in my hair.

I dreamed of flying with mighty dragons

And swimming at the bottom of the sea.

I write my dreams down as fast as I can

Before they scatter away from me.

My journal is filled with endless scribbles

Of ideas that stretch out towards the moon.

Stories, poems, an ode to my (soon to be) true love, 

And sometimes I draw silly cartoons.

The sun is setting, so I'll be back tomorrow

To dream and doodle away.

My time is my own, but not for long,

For all of us have to grow up someday.