Rhymes

Neuroplastic Transition

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Now let me pass my thanks
For this booster shot
Urgency to move, I got
It flowing in my veins
Got it growing in my brain
Hero’s plot, the second stage
Sword of destiny, now in range
To write the other side of fate
To make, create, to break ‘n’ shake
Off self-ridicule, the mirror’s fool
Apathy’s riddle ruled and conquered
No longer stuck on the first step
Leaps and bounds towards the next breath
Placing my best bet
Reminded of passion to fasten ideas into action
This choice to live in dreams passing
Demons on cloud nine with a

FUCK YOU
This is my life to lose
I refuse time spent solely focused on the blues
Ignoring sunshine, sunrise, these daily rainbow hues
You must be deranged and confused to think I’d throw away the music
Wordplay fused in the melody
Hell fell, fella see, broken fallacy at the bass drop beat
Ping pong feet quickstep to the feature presentation
On both main stage and front row seat
To greet these shadows headstrong
Fear thawed and melted
Insecurity handled and dealt with
As confidence comes in rhyme
Heartbeat ‘n’ harmony intertwined

—
Photographer: Me

I wrote this to capture the feeling when someone amazing tells you that they believe and have faith in you. A feeling that can change the way your brain works.

 

Growing Pains

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Past self, fake wealth
Transform in stealth of night to join the hero’s fight
No fright in the new day
Blocked out dismay
Disarray, dreams frayed
Love fade, an empty face, this empty space
Disgraceful reflections

Shame
Shame
Shame

No, stop that self blaming
No, I’m not claiming you’re good yet
But breathe that next breath
Take that next step
Cause you ain’t done yet

So why did you put dreams on pause
Why are you scared of love
Why
Why
Why do you hesitate
Do you spoil fate
Why do you throw it all away

What happened to the music
The flow you pledged to never lose
In between momentous orange slices of time
Where did you put your shine
You know you can’t rewind
So stop pretending to live blind
Behind past glory, the fast story
Bloom at night, then decay in the morning
Now heed the storm’s warning

With a heart worn on your sleeve
Prepare to feel torn
To mourn conclusions
Thread’s colorful illusions
All the while choosing
A life of love fueled by the music
Ocean’s waves fused with your musing

—
Photographer: Tim Marshall

Goodnight, Holly

sudden death
no phone call, goodbye
cry time, why time
unplanned funeral rhyme
love soaked tears to hide mind
find signs
re-find life between the lines
re-call shine from smiles, kind
memory blurry blind, braincell rewind
locks time to let her spirit repeat
as she lives not in the sky
but flies high in our hearts
just partially departed
marking the torch passed
love’s next chance to exist

Next Song, Please

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Said one thing yet meant another
Just to cover up emotion
Put in motion wall construction
Distance for the fall, I’m busted
Brain flustered, made it awkward
Balance lost
Good morning’s cost is now you’re gone
Proved fears right from all along
Insecurities, I’m tired of your song

Move on, not tangled up so long as
I can feel the flow of music
See my pain, then choose to love-infuse it
No longer confused in mirror’s gaze
Hero’s journey, this path I blaze
Growth phase to displace naive ways to live

You see, I’m done living the part
Of the hidden heart, bottled sparks
Never departed for adventure
Time to venture towards dreams of night
Hold you tight, then let go
Deep breath in, calm and slow
Lungs expand, mind melds to flow

You see, so long as I breathe
I can choose to disagree with self-hate
I let go of mistakes, earthquakes of heartbreaks
When remembering what’s at stake
One life, make or break
No chance to hesitate like yesterday
Can’t just say
“Self-love can wait till a later date”

Today, I make every heartbeat count
Memories stacked up to mountains
Fountains of integrated moments
Universe’s show in 360 degrees
Ocean breeze, headphone’s beat
Sore feet to meet you
At the intersection of time and space
In the front row seats

—
Photographer: Dariusz Sankowski

Getting Dressed

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Mind in motion
Health potion found in cardio
Stars forgotten
Light pollution blocking galaxies
Worlds of brittle fallacies
Short term masteries

Scenes meant for experience
No Instagram pic can mirror this
Copy it

Breathe and feel the waves crash
The pain passed
Sunrise path brings back love stacked
Chain reaction found in action
Let it grow
Let it flow
Wear the love just like one of your clothes

—
Photographer: Isabell Winter

Defeat’s Refusal

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It’s a new mask to move past
Last night’s dream’s cask
Internal flags at half mast
Marking dreams passed, too fast
Crashed into catastrophe
These wishes of a younger me faded by so easily
Yet it seems the key to breathe
Is found in the mystery
Not escape in misery
Of losing dreams
Of losing steam
Slowing down velocity
With hateful emotions bossing me
Crossing me, confusing what I try to see
Replacing love with animosity
To foster mean frames of mind
That blind these chances to find
A sweet ol’ bliss of mine

—
Photographer: Joshua Earle

Gravebook

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How often do dead bodies fill up my newsfeed
As I feed on news substituting my views
With antiquated rules where we forget to let love grow
Forget that this garden is ours to sow
Yet instead trample on opportunity
We kill our own community
Behind constructed immunity through conjured excuses
Now with bullets instead of nooses

As we’re too afraid to embrace one another
Based on a color
As if pigmentation is reason to smother this chance of a new day
A chance to say it’ll be okay

Yeah, we fucked up and made so many mistakes
But today we can choose to overcome our hates
In attempt to become more than what we were
To finally stir up a sense of love over darkness
Sharing bliss
Not in loneliness, but finally together as we weather the storms
Whether for better or worst we all deserve this chance to live

—
Photographer: Greg Ortega

Direction

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This is called the upswing
A rare chance to bring a sense of calm to a chaotic mind
A chance to bring action to the forefront of delayed decisions
Procrastinated visions
Dreams once cherished, now left in stitches
Thoughts perished and wishes diminished in Death’s rope
Now nearly too late for hope as time keeps trotting ahead

Now presented a choice to either bring light to what’s in my head
Or choose to lose dreams in the nighttime
Tell people it’s all fine
But once I face myself in some sunlight
The pain comes back with twice the fight

But alas, it’s all alright since I’m here now
Gratitude aware as power grows on the daily
With perhaps a chance to save me
Before falling back into darkness with the strongest fear
That bliss was missed
That I saw Love, then kissed it goodbye

—
Photographer: Jens Lelie

Finding a Reason

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How forgotten is every peaceful breath
In the face of senseless death reported on the news
No longer a game to win or to lose
But simply one to live

Let this be a reminder to those lazy days
The ones lost in clouds of haze
All the pounds you’ve gained
When instead you could have flown
Could have shown the world these dreams you’ve sown
As you’ve grown into the hero of this escapade
This grand charade
Playing as if you’ve got it made

Because in many ways you do
Now that you’re aware of all there is to lose
A love to share only if you choose to start living

—
Photographer: davide ragusa

Step by Step

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It goes one-two
First the right, then the left
As you walk into flow
This feeling you used to know
When it didn’t matter how hard the problem was
Or how you’ve taken it slow
No
Now let me show the story of how you chose to grow

Into the hero who maintains his smile
His glowing warmth through toughest trials
All the while maintaining a sense of urgency until his final scene
Playing the act with normalcy
As if to dream is just to breathe

—
Photographer: Lacey Raper