76)
No one talks about life,
or real life, and no one shares their truths
or tells about the hard times
or the unwanted parts of life
like, when your heart breaks
or when life takes place
and you find yourself
in the bottom of a bottomless pit
which, by the way,
seems as though
the bottom keeps falling,
yet—
we all know about this.
We all go through life
but no one talks about it
because vulnerability
exposes weakness
and weakness can lead us
to believe
that we are not just weak,
but equally worthless,
and tell me
are we all so tough?
Aren’t we all weak
sometimes?
Isn’t life humbling to everyone
or do we seem to just
hide it better than we think?
Or maybe, in fairness,
no one hides this well at all
and we just pretend
the elephant is NOT in the room.
We all go through life
and like I said to you
the other day,
this is life.
No one gets out alive!
No one walks away unscathed,
or without a scratch
and because this is true,
it is also true that life
will test you the
same as life will test me,
and same as life will test us both,
life will test everyone
because everyone is recovering
from something.
No one has it easy
all the time.
Into each life,
the following can be guaranteed:
loss will appear,
pain will show itself,
and in each life adversity
will show its face
and so will disappointment,
and thus,
the rest of our life
is up to us.
It’s not about what happens
but more,
who we are
is about how we respond.
One day
at a time.
77)
No one talks about
the social cancers
or the social illnesses
or the interactive poisons
or the toxins that we share
with each other.
And I say to hell with this.
I say to hell with keeping up
with the Joneses next door
or worrying about
where the grass is greener.
Life is most definitely contagious,
same as the common cold
or the flu,
or same as misery loves company;
life can be infectious
and same as people
can equally be infectious with their agendas
or their bullshit;
there are other things that can be infectious
like a smile
like joy can be infectious,
so can the spirit or personal redemption,
and same as the feeling of joy
can take away
the sorrows or the stillness
of life without laughter,
love can, and will
and both eventually and essentially –
love can and will
conquer all.
If this is true
and it is true
that to thine own self be true,
then it must also be true
to love thine own self,
and hence,
if this is so
then this is also true,
that love from within
must come first.
Put no one else upon a pedestal,
put no one else above you
or below you.
Put no one in your way
and leave no loved one behind
and rest assured,
that the secret of your endurance
is no different from the beat of your heart
or the pulse in your veins.
This is life
and this means,
yes,
you are very much alive.
78)
It is dark now
just before the dawn
and soon,
the sun will return,
as promised,
and today will resume
as promised;
however, nothing else is promised
and therefore,
the question becomes
which way am I going to go this morning?
Where am I going to take myself?
What am I going to plan for,
and what am I going to do
to make my plans go
from being a dream
to unfold into reality.
Everyone sees the glamour
in the successful one.
Everyone notices the glamour
in the billionaire
or the colors of their clothing
or the look of their style.
Everyone sees this,
but,
no one sees the sleepless nights
or the hours of practice
or the rehearsals
and no one sees the rejection letters
or the times when everything crashes
and it would be simple,
just to say,
“back to the old drawing board,”
but at minimum,
no one sees the work or the pain
or the sweat
or the hours of sleepless nights.
Everyone wants the prize
but no one
wants to work for it.
I’m sorry, but
life just doesn’t work that way.
79)
Soon enough,
the sun will come up
and soon enough,
I will have to answer
the call.
I will have to address
the list of things
I need to do today.
Soon enough,
I am going to be given the chance
to do something about myself,
and like you,
or like anyone else,
I can live the same way,
or I can settle,
I can submit,
I can surrender and give in,
or, if need be,
I can surrender my losses
and I can surrender to the truth
but moreover,
I can surrender to win
and let go of what shot me down
so I can find what can lift me back up.
In a few minutes
I will exit my front door
and I will not return
until the day is over—
Everything between
the beginning and the end
is the meat between the bread
of life.
This is not only so
for the span of one day
but, this is so
and true to life.
There is a beginning, a middle
and there is an end–
what we do in-between
the start and the finish
is the going to dictate
the flavor of our life.
Do you understand?
As for me, I don’t want to be bland anymore
or flavorless.
No
I want to live.
Those four words right there . . .
mean everything
I want to live.
So . . .
Come for me Tuesday
I am ready to face you
and dance with all
that comes my way.
The Written Addiction 