Monday, December 27, 2010

About a Boy


The poison within my soul
Courses through my veins.
Day upon day
I work to heal the scares left behind
By such a wretched parasite.
Oh what troubles lie about
Like the bones of wicked men,
Scattered across the barren lands
Set against the futile winds of fate.
A quarrel with the world I possess
And I shall carry it until my day of rest.
Of much pain I can attest
And love’s embrace hath rendered
What little hope to carry my
Spirit from one day to the
Next, but no more and no less.
The double-edged sword deals
A heavy blow for each
Joy with which my heart sings.
A new dawn awaits what
Light yet remains.
I shall whisper not of things to come
For the stars have often silenced
Men of modest speech.
What fortune lies ahead I wonder,
What pleasures shall such a life bring?
The only thing left to do is live,
And to allow my feeble prayers
To bear fruit or to be cast,
Aimlessly, into the night breeze
Where deaf ears place such things.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Inner Spirit


Behind every word I speak,
Behind my hopes and fears,
When I am weak,
And when happiness appears,
I am always guided by one source.
The course
That I am on
Challenges me from dusk till dawn
But my spirit is strong.
A lifelong
Battle I face,
And often I want out of this place.
But one love
Is my guide
And I need not hide
For it will strengthen me.
I shall fulfill who I am suppose to be
With the almighty
By my side.
So I shall cast aside
My pride
And join my brothers and sisters worldwide,
In praise of the message of rastafari.

Monday, December 20, 2010

A Clearing

I came to path in a dark valley,
And it was narrow like a cold alley.
Musty and dusty,
I made my way down this road.
My heavy burdens continually slowed
My treacherous march.

Rising overhead like a Roman arch
Brush made way for a clear path.
Mislead by some devil’s wrath,
I continued hopelessly down this poisonous path.

Finally one day I came to clearing,
And the closer I came nearing,
I started to have this feeling.
A light came appearing,
And its presence alone was healing.

A new path appeared,
But looking at it I feared.
Rocks and stones
Where cast amongst this resting place of bones.
With so many unknowns,
I stopped to rest on my decision.

After my slumber I looked down my
Current path, and had a vision
And saw I would be lucky to scrape by.
Turning to this new route
I still had my doubt
With what I was about
To get into.

But without any clue,
I charged forward,
Into the great unknown.
Knowing it would not be straightforward
I tried not to fear what was not shown.

I am not alone,
But the future’s uncertainty
Has left me prone
To assumed distant certainty.

Love knows no time my dear,
So displace that fear,
Because I am here,
No matter how unclear,
This all may seem.

I once came to a clearing
And the closer I came nearing,
I started to have this feeling.
I chose wisely that day,
And even though I pay
For choices I made,
Some time ago.

I can now say I am not dismayed
For I have I suffered enough to know,
I was meant to find you
And love you through and through.

I once came to a clearing
And the closer I came nearing,
I started to have this feeling.
And I can say I am thankful for that day,
And to God I pray,
To never again let me go down that way. 

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Winter


In this winter wonderland,
I am trying to withstand
The evil forces working against me.
Trying to just be
Me without having to conform
Is how I will weather the storm.
The internal pressures to perform
Have often consumed me,
But only because I didn’t want to disappoint thee.
You say the fire is not always there,
But I declare
That you need not beware
For there is something in the air
Whether or not it always seems to be there.
An important decision lies ahead
And every time I go to bed
I pray to God for this shred
Of hope.
I had been on such a slippery slope
And it amazes me still
To think I could find any hope until
You came along.
Stay strong
And just sit back and listen to those beautiful songs.
As the day of the savior’s birth nears,
The sign of celebration and cheer appears.
Gifts of thanksgiving and joy
Come in the form of a new toy.
What I want for Christmas can’t be bought in a store,
Or wrapped in wrapping paper.
What I adore
Is much greater.
On just a hope and a prayer,
I wish you would see in me
What I see in thee.
Sleep well my rose
And enjoy this bit of poetic prose
For my love has chose
And of this I do compose.

Rainy day


Grey clouds may be closing in
But I have faith that love shall win.
The aches and pains shall cease
For my love shall never decrease.
Rise from thy bed
Fair maiden
And look at the road
Ahead. The path may be laden
With obstacles and such,
But don’t run away and use those as a crutch.
In thy sickly hour,
I pray for thee to find thy strength and power.
Stay strong my dear,
Like the rose.
Let your thorns strike fear,
But you pedals bring cheer. 
I have not written any prose
So beautiful as you.
Do not let fear become true,
And please find it in your heart to love me too.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Second Family


Four brothers and rose
Compose my second family who chose
To stick by me even while I struggle with some woes.
I suppose
That those
People will always be important to me.
I shall always be in debt to thee
And I will guaranty
My unwavering loyalty.
Oh what great times we have spent,
And how time went
By,
But no one can deny,
Even when we say goodbye
We will always be nearby.
No matter how things go
Our relationships will continue to grow.
And although
We have our differences every now and then,
Such impediments shall be stifled again and again.
Upon my day of rest,
I shall claim myself blest
To have known such amazing people.
From the steeple,
My last song shall ring,
And for that moment I shall feel like a king.

Football Game


I see you standing there,
Happy and enjoying life without a care.
After a long week,
It appears as though you have found sweet relief.
My outlook on life has been bleak,
And thoughts of hope are marred by disbelief.
After the few minutes I actually get to talk to you,
I am left with trying to subdue
My thoughts of failure and shame.
I try not to complain,
I try not to go insane.
I try so hard not be a pain.
I know I am not anywhere near the main
Importance in your life so I maintain
My restrain
To venture into your school domain.
My love will never wane
And I would follow you to Spain
If I had to.
You just look so at peace with your friends
And it seems as though they provide something I can never give.
No matter how hard I spend,
I always seem to relive,
Moments of pain and sadness.
In all this madness,
You saw past all the badness,
And gave me a second chance.
I can’t dance,
And I am new to romance.
I wait by the phone every morning
Hoping you will call.
I love to hear your voice say good morning,
And when you apologize for nothing at all.
Waiting is my new occupation
And I hope my day of liberation
Comes soon.
So for now I will just have to sit and look at the moon,
And tell you I love you and hope to see you soon.

Friday, December 10, 2010

BU

My name is demar
And I partied like an all-star.
I went too hard
And now I’m just another washed up bard
Who has been left scarred
By my own disregard
For life.
Now internal strife
Is my destined life.
Sleepless nights
And endless fights
Have reached greater heights
And brought new insights
Into my mind.
I struggle with the grind
And I am stuck in such a bind
That it feels like I am behind
The eight ball.
What I would give to be back in the dinning hall,
Sitting up against the common room wall,
And trying to recall
How last night was such a close call,
But even more seeing you all.
I will be back next fall,
So don’t be sad at all.
Boston has not seen the last of me,
And only good things are what I foresee.
I shall bask in the SoCal sun,
And follow my heart’s true course.
I am in it for the long run,
And I do so with no remorse.

Peace

Everywhere is war,
Yet what are we fighting for?
The sick and poor?
Lines on a map and religion is more
Like it. People die every day
So that some politician can say
We protected our ideals so that we may
Live in comfort and peace.
Brothers and sisters I pray
That we cease
The violence.
This is not time for silence.
Let love
Be free like the dove
From above,
And guide us to freedom.
No longer shall past identities keep us from 
A better future.
There shall be no winner or loser,
So drop your guns and knives
And go home to your wives.
There will be no more battles,
So don't expect any last death rattles.
This will be the day,
That heaven on earth will be on display.

Confusion


Confusion is what plagues me,
And you hold the key.
Each day I say I love thee,
You only agree
And never say it back to me.
How can this be?
What do you not see?
I don't make this decision lightly,
Not even slightly.
When you smile so brightly
I want to hold you tightly.
When you say on paper
That I fit the mold,
I can’t see any deal breaker
So it’s hard understand why things are on hold.
You are always busy,
And it would make anyone else dizzy.
If what you say is true,
And I do believe you,
Then why not pursue
This?  What do we
Got to lose?
Do you not agree?
Or am I someone whose
Good enough but
Always shut
Down.
I love thee so much,
And I hate to see you with a frown.
Just give me this one chance to touch
Your heart and to be with me.
If God could grant me one thing
I wouldn’t have to think long you see.
I would ask for eternal spring
Because you my rose would always be
With me.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Protégé


My protégé 
Living like me
Back in the day.
Trying to be
Like Scarface,
Tearing up the place.
The world is his,
And there is
No one to hold him back.
He is on the attack
And will not settle for being a hack.
I see myself in him,
And that lifestyle is grim.
I won’t let him make the same mistakes,
So he won’t have to suffer the same aches
Of being the outcast.
He will outlast
And outclass.
The top is where he is headed,
And hearts will be melted.
At the end of the day
The competition will decay
And he will be at play.
So sit back and relax,
And take a load off your backs.
You need not check up on your girl
Cause that pearl
Already left you.
So welcome to the club
And join the queue.
His empire is here to stay,
So step out the way.

One Love


Is this love that I'm feelin,
Because baby I need some spiritual healin.
After all this reelin,
There ain't no way I'm dealin
With any concealin.
My back is against the wall,
And I am afraid to fall
Back into the bottomless pit.
I must admit,
Sometimes I feel like I am waiting in vain,
And my brain
Suffers from immense pain.
But then I make way
For the positive day.
Three little birds
Sing such beautiful words
Of hope and wisdom.
A buffalo soldier I had become,
Longing to be back where I was from.
So turn your lights down low
And let me tell you what I know.
I want to love you and treat you right,
Every day and every night.
When you hold me tight,
You make me feel alright.
You satisfy my soul
And fill the vacant hole
In my heart.
I got one love
And it’s been yours from the start.
So let go
And let love show
What few know.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Letting go


With each beat
My heart meets
Its match.  Concrete
And complete,
You push me to the limit.
Every minute
I spend with you,
I undue
All the years of loneliness.
A certain aura of coziness
And warmth surrounds your beautiful soul.
The black hole
That took control
And played its role
Has finally finished taking its toll.
Weathered and beaten,
You accept me for me.
You are a beacon
Of hope, and I truly love thee.
Words may just be words
Unless they have some backing.
Before the birds
Rise to welcome the morn with their singing
I am bringing
My love in tangible form.
Amidst my own personal storm
I go against the norm
And do not conform.
Under your warm
Gaze I perform
The only way I know how.
I avow
Right now
I would follow thee
To the ends of eternity
Just so I could hold you tight
And tell you every little thing is gunna be alright.
Sleep well now my dear
As my voice tickles your ear.
Your rock is here,
So let go of your fear.

End of the Day


Standing there in the doorway,
After such a long day
You still look so beautiful
Even after just coming back from the courtroom fray.
Legally you may be a juvenile,
But you will always be a woman to me.
I smile with such glee
At thee,
For no words can describe how lucky it is to be
Me.
Maybe I am just gutsy
Or maybe the stars have finally aligned for me.
I am just a poor boy
Trying to employ
My heart’s joy.
Stunning and sweatpants don’t always mix,
But in your case they transfix
Me upon your true beauty.
I feel it is my duty
To express what perfection
I see.  I try so hard for your love and affection
And time does foster such connection.
Sleep well my dear
And do not fear
The hour to rise may be near
And the future also unclear.
Just know I will always be here
To whisper sweet nothings into your ear.

Monday, December 6, 2010

VII


Can life get anymore crazy?  I am constantly followed by the shadow anger and sadness wherever I go.  Stalked like the hunted, my only reprieve is at the bottom of a bottle of rum.  Countless nights spent sleeplessly searching for answers and days spent sleeping away what was once a promising life.  What was once a normal existence has become the isolated.  I am easily attached to those who wish to lend a helping hand, but what they don’t realize is they bring me down even more.  I am so alone and with each passing minute I ponder why I am still here.  There is so much to live for, yet there is so much to die for too.  My future success has no merit to me anymore.  Why does one person get to decide why I am successful or not?  I wish I could just get in a car and drive for a while not looking for anywhere in particular to go.  I want to be free of these bonds that chain me.  I wish I could look out from the cell window and see the ocean in all its majestic wonder.  I wish I could feel each grain of sand between my toes as I would casually saunter along the waterfront and smell the sea air with its almost palpable saltiness.  That is the place where I would like to live and die.  But that place is so far away from where I am now.  I can only dream and ponder such places.  A concrete jungle is where I am destined to be, as it seems, forever.  To stop is to die and to think is to be out casted.  To survive you have to become master of the game and play by their rules.    I follow them now because I have nowhere else to go and I feel as though I will never be able to jump ship and swim ashore.  The storm that has engulfed the ship is starting to slowly drag her down.  The waters are treacherous and there is no land in sight.  Any sight of land would be the savior of me.   Oh what troubles life has brought.  Time has now become the judge of all.

V


Happiness is a bottle of vodka and a smoke.  Motivation to do anything has all but gone.  Physically I feel ill and mentally I feel drained.  Happier days seem so long ago and darkness has replaced them.  I feel so alone, even among good friends.  Gathered around good company, I can only fake smiles and laughs.  Funny Italian accents and late night pizza can’t even bring me up.  Life has become a waiting game; me waiting for my mind to finally give into the enemy.  Why me?  What did I do to deserve this?  Why must my talent bring so much pain?  My face now shows how I currently feel.  My weathered and battered look gives warning signs to those around me.  Even those who can and do try to help can only watch on as I fight alone.  I so wish I could tell you what is wrong, but I don’t know.  I’m trying to defend against every demon or parasite known to exist.  Like a doctor, I try to find the cure by process of elimination.  I am fighting figments of my imagination with nothing more than a pen.  Oh what chance do I have?  I need help, but who can really help me?  Who will truly understand me?  Life has me stranded at a crossroads between sanity and insanity.  I want to be happy and without pain, but I also want to continue what I’ve started.  Life or art?  Boring or creative?  Life may seem the easy choice yet I find it hard to decide.  For now I will blindly trudge on into the black abyss.  Sometimes fighting for hopeless causes is better than nothing at all.

IV


I do not know if it is dark or light outside anymore.  I have just become accustomed to saying good morning to the night.  These words the fill this page are a direct window into my soul.  They are the sleepless demons that surround me.  They are the phantoms of suffering which want me dread.  My mind is a cell where I am trapped and I have no elaborate scheme to initiate my escape.  My gift is my curse; my genius is misunderstood.  Each day I live fosters more demons for me to be ravaged by.  I wonder what hell is like?  I wonder if it is anywhere close to what I feel some days?  Can I ever rid myself of this parasite?  Do I know some truth that others miss?  Or have I already lost control over my mind?  Can better days be on the horizon?  Life feels long while we live it, but short when we think about it.  Long nights of sleepless thought have provided me some truth.  The truth is that life is not short or long.  It is in fact not anything connected with time.  Life is what drives us to just survive.  To live is to be.  To die is to be forgotten.  The mind tells us that things are passing slowly or quickly when it really hasn’t.  To think of life is to avoid death.  Death shall unshackle us from the chains of biased or tainted reason.  Wisdom cannot be attained until we have gone.  Life is spent on frivolous activities, which drag us along until we are six feet under.  If we can just master the mind and look into the soul we will find pure truth.  The truth shall set our minds free.  Upon death we shall smile, because that light that finally leads us from the darkness will bring upon us what we have always been seeking.  I am not so sure what I really want from this life.  The constant lies have brought me down long enough and I want the truth.  Inner peace is what I seek, so I hope my journey will lead me there; sooner rather than later.

Plea

I must confess this is all new to me,
For I have been alone for life’s entirety.
I try not to bother thee,
But I am not entirely
Sure of how to do such things.
Being away from you stings,
Because your presence alone brings
Such joy to my heart that it sings.
Love is often seen as too fickle,
But to me it is not something fearful
Rather it is something blissful.
I know I need to give you time,
To sort things out on your own.
Just know that I would climb
Over any obstacle to be with you, and you alone.
I tell my friends all the time,
That I don’t want to lose you.
And I arrived at this conclusion,
Because I want you, through and through.
I try to be subtle with my allusions,
But then again I would be such a liar
If I were to say that were completely true.
I have waited my entire
Life, to love someone like you.
I do not hide from the word love,
And you of all people know this.
I fear that I speak of
Love too often, and maybe it has lost its bliss.
I love you so my rose,
And every thorn and blossom you possess.
And this is why I have chosen to compose
Such a piece as this. 

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Rules

A black sheep I am,
The rules of the norm do not apply to me
Because I wont follow them
Or else I would lose sense of what it is to be,
Me.
Oh dear you see,
What problems I foresee,
This choice to be so eloquently
In defiance of thee.
I fear not the backlash
Because this is not a slapdash
Decision.
There will be no revision
Cause I have chosen my words with precision
And there is no indecision.
Like it or not
This is who I am,
So either take your shot
Or join in the praise my man.
At the end of the day
I am going to do it my way
So say what you are going to say
But just know I will not obey, ok? 

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Confession of a Woman

Oh what lives we live,
And secrets we hide.
I must forgive,
For what I love I keep by my side.
It is in my nature you see,
To conceal what is most dear to me.
You may be too shy,
But you are such an amazing guy.
I pray every night,
That you stick with the fight.
You break down my walls,
And see right into my soul.
I am not one who usually falls,
But love has played its role.
Even when I am not with you,
I am always thinking of thee.
So if what you say is true,
Let what shall be, be.
Let love be our guide,
And life shall take care of the rest.
You may have to learn to keep in stride,
But you are still my heart’s best. 

Bookstore


Walking amongst the aisles of books,
I see the way you look at me.
Standing there with your amazing looks,
I am left completely speechless in front of thee.
Hand in hand,
We read silently.
Trying desperately to withstand,
The urge to laugh so violently.
With those gentle eyes,
And that kind smile.
I can do nothing more than improvise,
For my original plans are thrown out along with my old style.
Your soft lips caress my heart,
And your warm embrace heals my soul.
To know you cared from the start,
Makes my life feel under control.
The more anxious you get,
The better I know.
Secretly you admit,
The more you love me so.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Union


Each day is a new adventure,
On this roller coaster of life.
I may seem to always be at leisure,
But really I am in internal strife.
The soothing sounds of your voice,
Comfort me during my daily struggles.
I have not chosen this life by choice,
And I would gladly end these troubles.
My world would be so empty,
If your love were not here presently.
My time with you has not been lengthy,
But long enough to speak of you so eloquently.
A fool I was sometime ago,
To just let you walk away.
There is one thing I now know,
I was meant to find you again one day.
These blind eyes have been healed,
And your beautiful soul is all I see.
My love for thee shall never yield,
And the fruits of our union are what I foresee. 

Moment in Time


Wandering the old corridors and driving on the familiar streets is eerily foreign.  I feel as though nothing has changed yet everything has changed.  Old friends comment that I look different yet I wear basically the same clothes plus I have the same haircut.  Am I really that much different or is it just that I haven’t seen them in four months?  So much has happened in such a short amount of time that places I used to feel most comfortable have an odd feel to them now.  I no longer feel any connection to what I used to be.  I am just a visitor rather than a homegrown resident.  It is almost like I left for years rather than a few months.  My sense of time and date are so out of sync that for all I know it could be the middle of May rather than the beginning of December or 11am rather than 11:50pm.  I struggle through each day with its highs and lows.  I am trying to be strong and not give in, but most times I am left crippled by the pain.  Lying hopelessly alone, no one is around to comfort me.  I cry out in all my misery and agony for anyone at all, but there is never a response.  I just want to better again; I just want to better for my family, friends, and my love.  I want to be the promising young man they saw blossom before their eyes in years past.  With all the pieces to the puzzle of my life broken and scattered on the floor, I can’t help but feel that I may never be able to put it back together.  Oh what challenges life brings us.  Moments of purity are what I long for.  A moment where the earth stands still and you are filled with eternal happiness.  Moments like that are rare and only happen every so often.  People worth sharing that moment are even harder to find.  While I was blinded by youth’s ignorance I almost let such a person go.  This compassionate soul found me when I was about to give up on life and has changed my life forever.  She has become so much more than a guardian angel and friend.  Oh how I long to be with her.  With kind words she brings me closer to her and with a short but heart felt kiss we are connected for a moment in time that shall never be forgotten.   As the night grew older and I held her hand in mine and she rested her head on my shoulder, a moment, which I have been searching for, occurred.  Time stood still for just one moment, but it was just long enough for me to know that this woman is truly amazing.  

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Garden

why do I love thee so?
more than the world shall ever know.
my fear and doubt plague me more so,
than the world needs to know.
to see you in full bloom,
is to witness perfection.
I may be trapped in this room,
but I always feel your affection.
a heart of gold and kind eyes,
you embrace me with your radiance.
even though I was addicted to highs,
you always showed me compassion and patience.
I may have been pathetic and lonely,
but somehow I found such a rose as rare as you.
I may not have always acted so boldly,
just know that I didnt want to hurt you.
I love you,
and I want the world to know.
so let these words be true,
and let our garden grow.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Vicious Cycle


I am so exhausted, yet my brain continues to run in circles, which provides me with enough energy to still be awake.  Sleep is apparently only for the happy and the dead.  I wish I could say the last time I had a decent nights sleep but it has been far too long ago for me to recall.  Lately I have still felt alone even though I am closer with more than I ever have been in my life.  It is as though happiness is being dangled in front of my nose, but I am not able to grab it.  The more I try the worse it seems to get.  Uncertainty and indecision torture me until I have no more strength to stand.  I have no energy anymore and few things actually make sense.  Does anyone really want me?  Does she even love me?  I fear the worst and nothing can comfort me.  The more and more positive news I hear the worse and worse I feel.  What would cheer anyone else up only adds more fuel to the already rampant fire.  You say I’m good enough yet there is always a but.  The youthful vigor, which coursed through my veins, has been replaced by poisonous doubt.  I see anything positive as twofaced or I have to break it down until there is nothing good about it anymore.  Analyzing and re-analyzing have become my daily tasks.   The famine created by my mind has decimated the fruits of happiness.  I am trapped behind the cold steel of isolation and my only comfort is the row of iron bars, which say nothing more than hello and goodnight.  Looking out my cell window, I see way off in the distance my Spanish rose.  Oh how I miss her so.  She is in bloom this time of year and I want to be there to pick her so she can always be with me.  I cherish everything about that rose.  With every winter storm and summer drought she still stands as vibrant as ever.  There is no other rose like it and I only want her.  I have walked many miles, but I am willing to go to the ends of the earth if that’s what it takes to have this rose.  Until that day I shall be enslaved to fear and doubt; until then I will not be free. 

II

To even write this word makes my hand tremble.  To even think of such a thing at a time such as this would seem crazy.  FEAR.  What is fear?  It has so many forms that only someone much wiser than I could come close to describing it.  It stalks me like a shadow.  Consistently there even in my brightest moments.  I’m suppose to be having the time of my life, yet there is this thing, this creature that creeps up on me.  I suffer from it like it is the plague.  I cannot shake this illness even when I kill the source from which it came.  I have even left the very place from which was born, and yet it has found the means in which to follow me.  Prosperity always seems to be met with some misfortune and every success is met with a failure.  Oh God why have you forsaken me with this?  He never seems to be home to respond to my constant pleas.  I am left alone then on the dark side of the moon left to stare into the abyss, which never seems to end.  Is there a light out there for me?  Is there a cure for this raging cancer before it consumes what is left of me?  All hope is not lost yet.  Deep within me there is some life.  That small bit of magic will not go quietly.  I may be lost among the rows of tombstones, yet I am carrying a lamp and only need a match to lead me from here.  The search may be bleak, but I can’t give in; at least not without a fighting till the end. It has been hard to keep fighting lately.  The walls of security, which enclosed my life, have started to slowly crumble.  The invading forces are gaining ground every day and the defense is growing weaker.  The light that was once radiant is one breeze away from being blown out.  I have often thought about what happiness might actually feel like; what it would be like to wake up and smile about life and all it has to offer.  I feel as though I will never achieve this like other before me have.  Along my journey I have lost too much of myself to recover fully.  If you happen to be walking around on a beautiful day and happen to witness life’s perfection, please I beg of you to savor it; if anything at least for me.  The sunshine of your soul in that moment shall smile upon me and help me gather the pieces of mine.  If not, then pray for me while I’m consumed by an enemy which has seldom been defeated.  Wish me luck brothers and sisters as I make my final stand.  For I do this alone and I’m afraid that my courage has just about run out.  

Rose


Endless golden fields and rolling hills are the backdrop to this latest twist.  I am starting to believe that I am a resident of this country rather than any one city or specific location.  Miles upon miles of glimmering horizons filled with never ending grassland.  The highway is my only place of refuge.  Flying down the highway I have but one mission and that is to be near my old home again.  Oh how I want to see the familiar stores and people, to know most of the streets so I don’t need directions, and to know where my sanctuaries are.  Driving up to my house was an eerie feeling.  Memories that I had blocked from my brain suddenly began to blossom before my eyes like the rose garden I used to play around in my front yard. My memories from childhood are filled with more sadness than happiness, which is quite depressing.  Looking at myself in the mirror I cannot see any promise or hope.  I am a walking failure and no matter how much I care or try nothing seems to work out.  Upon arriving home, I had to first see my Spanish rose.  Her beauty was at its devastating best and her smile played with the strings of my heart.  In the bitter cold of evening, I tried so hard to be perfect for her and yet I fell so short of that.  I know she cares about me, but is there more?  Does she feel the may I feel?  Did she not feel something when I held her hand in mine?  Every time I watch her leave I die a little inside.  Her countenance is so upbeat and lively that without her love I feel so empty.  Actions speak louder than words, but the right words can be just as powerful.  When our lips locked I felt like I was worth something again.  I may have finally found my true place of residence, but will I be allowed in?  The walls around her heart are built with thick blocks of stone and only a true Michelangelo can sculpt his was through.  I will chisel away as best I can for maybe my creation will be good enough in her soothing eyes.  My fate has yet to be sealed, so for now I shall continue on my course and pray the winds of success and failure blow in the direction of the former.