inspiration

Dreams in the Mirror: Part 3

See this is the train time rhyme
Taking this subway trip to cloud nine
A passion to find and explore
That life’s not just a grind when you’re looking for more
See what I’m looking for
Is to answer these questions I can’t ignore
No longer concerned about the score
But a focus on the game
Of living life to the fullest
And attempting to live it sane
See what I’m looking for is that frame of mind
That perspective and mentality to let my soul shine
In this universe of people
So that I can find a way to inspire
A motivation to reach higher
Cause we all know life’s on a timer
Counting down from that unknown number
Telling how much time we got till our final slumber
And it fills me with this hunger
This unimaginable desire
To give this life another trial
where giving up is no longer part of my vocabulary
My inner thoughts become a personal form of a sanctuary
So that when the day is done and they put my name in the obituary
This message will live on
That love is all we need

Love for the self
Love for the other
Love for the child
Love for the mother

Next: Part 4 – 8/1/2014

Continue reading →

Dreams in the Mirror: Part 2

Take this inner conflict
See it as a sign that you shouldn’t miss
For in life there is only time with emptiness
It’s in your hands now to create this bliss
Your soul is frustrated
To grow, it cries out

Finite creatures living in an infinite world
Contingent possibilities make knowing the future absurd
But we can make our choices today
We can be the hands that mold this clay
This malleable sense of personal identity
Discover the truth in what it means to be free
Embrace the peak of humanity’s decree
To let me be me
Become the person that I want to be

I’m not where I am by working alone
Only with the help of the other has my life flown
In the direction that I want it to
Look in the mirror and choose you
This is your cue
To break through your inner feud
Using your pain as your strongest fuel
To propel you forward
Even when you’re not sure
That you can face your inner monster
Cause if you sit and let it stir
It’ll grow faster and faster
And the second you slip up
Mistakes resurface into personal disaster

Yet the struggle is shared more than you know
In everybody’s hearts exist the capacity to grow
But pain becomes the norm and then becomes dulled
Before you know it your dreams are in the past
And you’ve grown too old
So NOW is the time to live and be bold
Become the fire that pushes back the cold

Next: Part 3 – 7/30/2014

 

—

Dreams in the Mirror is a 10 part series. It began as a short bit I wrote while venting about self-directed frustrations. During my recent Spring semester, I had gotten lazy with my studies and personal projects. Feeling extremely dissatisfied, I processed my feelings through writing what is now Part 1. Several months later, after the semester had ended, I now find myself commuting to my dream job. During my work-bound train-rides I have downtime to think and to write. I came across Part 1 and began writing responses. The subsequent 9 parts are all focused on answering the frustrations of my past and building hope for the future. This piece has been fundamental in my recent mindset toward life and I’m very happy that I have the ability to share it with the world.

Dreams in the Mirror: Part 1 – 7/26/2014
Dreams in the Mirror: Part 2 – 7/28/2014
Dreams in the Mirror: Part 3 – 7/30/2014
Dreams in the Mirror: Part 4 – 8/1/2014
Dreams in the Mirror: Part 5 – 8/3/2014
Dreams in the Mirror: Part 6 – 8/5/2014
Dreams in the Mirror: Part 7 – 8/7/2014
Dreams in the Mirror: Part 8 – 8/9/2014
Dreams in the Mirror: Part 9 – 8/11/2014
Dreams in the Mirror: Part 10 – 8/13/2014

Cross the Line

 

Where is the line
between dreams and free will?
At what point
is a mountain just a big hill?
Just a fountain filled
with obstacles to be dealt with
One at a time
absence of stress
with an ever-present mind
Not afraid to fall behind
so long as the direction is still forward
There are no misconceptions when you’re always moving toward
A brighter future
A better day
Pushing the boundaries
To wherever that line lay
If it may move out of your way
It becomes clear as day
That line rests
wherever you say
Yet still constrained
By the reality of life’s pains
Lost and broken
Only left with the remains
Of shattered hopes and withered dreams
It still seems absurd to try and believe
That walls can be conquered, goals can be achieved
Yet despite all the suffering, there are those still in need
Of a hero unwilling to give up
With few words but still saying so much
Always inspiring while maintaining trust
A catalyst that shakes off the rust
Of long forgotten hearts
stranded in the dust

—

Image Attribution (Creative Commons): Lines – Georgie Pauwels

Signal Fire

How do we break these chains of violence
And silence humanity’s bloodthirsty quest
To silence against those with a different opinion
Voicing their thoughts just cause they believe them
Once you blur the lines of race and religion
You see how we always share the same seasons
You realize on the inside that we’re all human

But it’s not that easy because it’s nearly impossible for us to collectively agree
And no one person knows what’s best for all society
Minorities and majorities
Make it hard to piece together
The best way to make it better

Either way the story goes
It doesn’t have to end in woes

I don’t know what the world really needs
But that doesn’t mean I cant plant these seeds
Of these newly old forms of philosophies
Founded in love, with a hope to increase
The optimistic exploration
Of next year’s generation
Cause it really doesn’t need an explanation

That we’re all sharing the same light
The one that burns internally bright
The kind that grants haven in the darkest of nights
Look at this rhyme as signal fire
Though the energy is within
The smoke keeps on climbing higher
Enough for you to have to look up
And see into the distance
That you’re not the only one
With broken dreams and lost wishes
Cause we’re all looking at similar pieces
Of a preexistent puzzle
Lacking a cover on the box
We can use our minds and our muscles
To uncover meaning together
And see which truths we unlock

Boarding Pass

On a plane ride
going sky high,
traveling to Chicago
joined by others
with the power to fly
Through time and space
displacing
struggles with rhymes
embracing my issues
while I choose to turn
internal conflict
into public news,
Sharing how I make it through
when moments seem unbearable
I wonder how to care any more,
Wondering what the boarding pass
to life would be
when time’s often spent
boringly,
instead of seeing
this life as a journey
every breath of oxygen
rewarding,
finding infinite peace
between the bars
of songs praised for
emotionally following along,
as if my words
have already been said
understood and turned into music
before this moments laid to rest,
Lest we forget
every soul we haven’t met,
To know living life to the fullest
is not only the ultimate bet,
but the boarding pass
to gain a past
we’d never wish to regret.

The Best Way to Act

Enter the park
And feel the
breathing of trees
As if nature
too
has a heart
Beating and free
This is what I feel
when breeze is revealed
Time slows down
I can see what is real
and of that which repeats
In the past, present, and future
An inner Gratitude happily weeps

Jubilant dogs and families
Passed by runners
And bicycling partners 
Enjoying an ever fleeting summer
All moving past
A baseball game
in its last inning
Of the same game
But different players
How is life not a game
When it can be split into frames
Of win and of loss
With rules just so carefully
Placed out of our grasp
Thrown on an initial path
With too little time to do all the math
To look up and see
we’re all just people
Clueless on the same track
Often too scared to share the fact
that we don’t really know
the best way to act.

Life’s a Mix of Green and Blue

Often it’s the inspiration
That overcomes waning motivation,
It’s something outside that
Keeps me from wasting
Time supplied,
Yet time still waiting
For the energy to move,
To be able to choose
Still afraid to act
As if there’s something left to lose,
Let me stop for a moment,
this isn’t just about the blues,
When you can see
All the fresh green
Centered between
Concentric circles
Of swaying trees
Over-washed in
The sweetest breeze
As if life itself is peace at ease,
All our wants
And all our needs
Temporarily sustained
So long as we breathe.

Find a Passion

Find a passion and let it grow
Let it lead you on a path to find your soul.
For me, rhymed insults in high school
Became the poems I’d write for girls I barely knew.
But after a suggestion from a friend
I gave this talent a direction,
A new focus on self reflection,
Not concerned about perfection,
Not to mention
Inspired by others
With lyrical prowess
Who progress
An artistic arrangement of words
With such a finesse
Where people call em the best
Cause instead of choosing to rest
They put to their mind to the test
And use their creativity
Affecting souls productively
While building art for all to see
Living life alongside their dreams 

A Fourth to Remember

Marine Park

Today is the day of independence
So let us remember the events that led to this

Yeah this world isn’t so perfect
As there’s so much left to do
But let’s not discredit the people
Who lost what they didn’t have to lose
Continue reading →

Art * Time = Feelings

A new track
A new canvas
A new animation
A new poem

The first bar
The first line
The first frame
The first rhyme

Time
Time
Time
Time

A melody formed
A background grown
A motion stirred
A thought shown

Time
Time
Time
Time

A song to share
Is one to hear

And a painting done
Is for the see-er

A short clip exists
Ever so briefly
To simply show off
The result of one’s dreaming

And here’s my arrangements of words in a row
Sharing my thinking, just so you’ll know