Sometimes you can think more clearly after, and that gives you the courage in the next hard time.

My heart hurts and I remember why.

Casualties

You know, I always wondered what the chances were of a rusty nail or screw sticking straight up waiting for you to step on it.

Well, it's not zero, let me tell you that.

I am not obligated to be, nor will I be guilted for not being, your friend.

Lessons Learned

When I was five,
I’d learned right and wrong
I saw myself through the eyes of others
On the brink of discovery,
Imagination, aspiration, achievement.
When I was thirteen,
I’d seen how the rich treated the poor
I knew what happened
When you took people for granted.
When I was eighteen,
I’d been murdered three times:
Once by a harsh look,
Once by a harsh word,
And once by someone who couldn’t have cared less.
Now that I’m twenty-two,
Sometimes I wonder,
What happened at twenty-one?
I learned forgiveness in the hardest of times,
The importance of friendship
To care less and to care more
See the beauty amidst ugliness
Hope for the best
Keep life in mind
Don’t let the world bring you down
And maybe some of the lessons I learned in the past
Were foreshadowings of bigger things to come.