Truth

You have to express yourself,
There's no avoiding that,
Even if you're covering you,
With a substitute man,

But when you do that, think of what,
You will be when you die,
You'll be you, for sure,
No matter what the world buys,

And if you've sold something that isn't you,
You've messed up your one and only chance,
To see if you could maybe might have been,
The one to make the world dance.

So, it's not alright,
To misrepresent yourself,
That's unfair to no one but you,
And only you can be your own help.

Trying to Find You

If you've ever wondered,
Why I don't talk about,
Specific things, like the dew on the grass,
Or the smell of laundry, when it just comes out,

That's not what I think of when I think of you,
You're much too much an ethereal thing.
Each time I try to liken you to gossamer,
I simply lose my meaning.

You're like a googol of fireflies,
Swallowed up by the infinity of space,
The richest quadruple chocolate fudge cake ever made,
With unfathomable taste.

So I hope it's alright,
If I simply say,
That you are an impossible being,
That I search for everyday.

The Pattern

I find you in a pattern,
With a very simple repeat:
One, two, one, two, and do it again.
I think you're really neat,

Until you want to shake up things,
And add a layer on top,
With no real thought about it, other than,
To make it something it's not.

Not to say that it can't be something,
To make me think and wonder at,
The majesty and mystery of your mind,
Though it goes no further than that,

Which is alright,
Though it has nothing to do with you.
God, why can't you just stick with the simple,
That makes you so beautiful?

Change

Change is always happening,
You can't stop that,
You do have some control over, though,
If it is good or bad,

More than just a state of mind,
You can pick and choose,
Embracing some, and leaving others behind,
For now, you can win or lose,

Now you can take a part in your own fate,
You can put thought into who you are,
And who you want to be, because change,
Is how you go near or far.

Alright,
Now we come to the part,
Where there are still questions about how this works,
And there are no more answers to impart.

Perspective

You must stop complaining,
And get over yourself,
Put things into perspective,
Like your mental and physical health,

Like your children and your marginally paid house,
Like your job and your scads of free time,
The choices you have and freedom you enjoy,
And the friends you have waiting in line.

Think of all the places around the world,
You can visit at the drop of a hat,
With no hassle or fear or thought about money.
When you're depressed, think of that.

Now, are you alright?
Do you feel the stress washing away?
Sometimes you have to put things into perspective,
To get through the day.

The Consume/Produce Balance

To produce or consume?
That is the question.
You need to know what's out there to create,
Origination.

You also need to have enough time,
To consume what you produce,
Before consumption is allowed,
For to seduce,

You need to know what you're saying,
And revisions are a must.
So, consume, produce and consume that,
And do all of this fairly fast.

Because, it's alright,
To vomit your innards without eating,
But others will see that you've no right to puke,
And you'll feel unappetizing.

The Universal

Is it universal?
Well, let's investigate.
Does everyone understand,
What you say?

Do they join hands in unity,
And help each other out?
Hug each other at the thought,
That they know what it's all about?

Because that is what it means,
To touch all with that phrase,
Which, if happily stumbled upon,
Will instananeously raise,

Everyone alright,
No more war, and no more poor,
Because it's only what separates us,
That keeps us from being more.

When Do You Live?

Even when you've got nothing,
Doesn't mean you've got nothing to give.
The existence that you represent,
Is imperative,

It is the most anyone has,
To inspire someone else,
Less the fact of your being, itself,
But your acknowledgement of it.

For, how many people really stop and think,
About the wonder that is them,
And truly value every second of,
Their existence?

Alright, alright,
It's not as simple as that.
You have to make a living to acknowledge your life.
Society ensures that fact.

Reset

Every mind needs some rest,
Unless it wants to stay,
Exactly the same as its always been,
For, in order to find a new way,

Of thinking of the world in which you live,
You need to step back.
Imagine there is a different way.
Imagine that.

Imagine that the stress that you feel,
Isn't really there.
Sounds easy, yes, and like a lie,
But you find lies everywhere,

Like when you feel alright,
After a car crash,
The calm of shock is quite a relief,
But you know that it won't last.

What Stress Gets You

How can a life be lived,
In that ball that you call stress,
Stifling every feeling you can have,
Into discomfortness?

And what good does it all do you?
I know, we've said this before,
But, there really shouldn't be much use for stress,
Unless you're running from a wild boar.

So, here you are, pumping your veins full,
Shortening an already very short life,
Unless you learn to erase the desperate feeling,
That your hands are tied,

And that to be alright,
You have to hold on to all this shit,
You bought with money you don't even have,
With nowhere to put it.

First Sestina

I always thought that life was about love,
For as long as I can remember,
Even though, everyone I ever
Met, tried to turn me on like a lamp,
Like the sun in the middle of summer,
That such a belief would lead to regret.

But, I was never one for regret,
And though I was never smooth at love,
Luck shone on me like it was summer,
And people were even envious, if I remember,
Telling me that I could turn on opportunity like a lamp.
Being young, I foolishly thought that could last for ever.

I thought that life would never ever,
Put me in a position of regret.
But I was as insignificant to it as a lamp.
It is incapable of love.
You all know from being young, you remember,
That faster than the seasons, winter takes over from summer,

The hot, sweaty tiredness of summer,
An opinion I didn’t think I’d ever,
Have of that sweet season, ‘til I remember,
How my most earnest passes, always ended in regret,
And I knew that I didn’t understand love,
Like darkness can’t understand a lamp.

I did stand tall and bright, like a lamp,
Even against the bright sun of summer,
For a while, while I could not give up on love,
When I thought I would not give up on it, ever.
Because, how monstrous is passion compared to regret?
Well, my conscience won’t let me remember,

Because there are things you shouldn’t remember,
Around those things, pull the bulb out of the lamp,
Because they were only steps to growth, not meant for regret,
Like the leaves that died to make room for the leaves of summer,
Like the cringes you dare not ever,
Tell anyone, in case you give a bad name to love.

The regret in my life, I choose not to remember,
Like love can’t be turned off like a lamp.
I will hold tight to summer, and won’t let go of luck, ever.

Blazing New Paths

When things start changing,
When you notice more people,
Popping in and out of your life,
Offering you more detail,

Than you`re used to,
About things that you like,
Asking if you want to join,
And you`re thinking you might,

Despite what paths you`ve gone down,
That you don`t think you can escape,
Because every path`s unexplored territory,
That`s been explored for days and days.

So, it`s alright,
If you`re not feeling where you are,
To veer from the path you`re on.
That`s what life is for.

Connections

In this world of connections,
It's so easy to miss,
The one or two that are meant for you,
Amid the mess,

The way we are able to see each other,
Across land and across time,
Is truly a phenomenon,
But is new to our life,

And I find it so easy,
To get lost, trying to be,
Open to all, but just looking for the one,
That can help me,

Get what I want, alright?
No more than anyone else,
I just want to be happy,
And take care of myself.

Freedom

There are things you don't have to,
Worry about anymore.
I've sized them up for what they are,
And kicked them out the door.

You're in a new world now,
Without the need to do,
The tings demanded by the ones that,
Previously owned you.

I bet you never thought this day would arrive,
I never thought I could give it to you,
And guess what? Now you have the freedom,
To do the things you always wanted to.

But remember, alright?
I've now dropped the other shoe,
You're the only one who can do the rest,
So, for once, take the cue.

Change Your Ways

When is too much, too much?
How will you ever know,
If what you've done to honor your life,
Has been enough to even show,

Others what you really have inside.
What you really were made for?
The fact that others can't see that,
Is a sign that you're not sure.

For every person, there is that thing,
That when found is what they want.
It's not the struggle- that doesn't exist,
When you like it a lot.

It's alright,
It's hard to find your thing,
And even when you do, society demands,
That you make a living.

Death Bed Regrets

It is never too late,
I've seen it so many times,
People who seem so old,
Completely changing their life,

At least, in the eyes of others,
For, five thousand times out of five thousand and one,
Those people knew who they were in their heart,
And were waiting for their life to catch on.

And what are the regrets of those,
Who on their death bed realize,
That they would have lived differently,
If they were then, as wise?

That it would have been alright,
If they followed their dreams,
Despite the risk, despite the fear,
Despite how the world seems.

The Hacker Way Manifesto

If I look at something,
That I deem complete,
There is something I am missing because,
Perfection is a dream,

And imperfection allows you to be,
An actor in this world,
With room to improve what's already there,
Or you would certainly be bored,

You would certainly not be living,
You would be a cog in a great machine,
Waiting for the the collective consciousness to see,
That this is not how the world should be.

So be bold, alright?
Break and build and break again.
Unless you think you will never change,
And are happy with the world you're in.

The Leap of Change

There is a fine line,
Between where you are and are going to be,
Though that line is as opaque,
As your stomach lining,

But don't wait until that lining fails,
You should have changed, far before that.
Have you forgotten the magic of birth,
Learned so far in the past?

Change, just change, what's stopping you?
Money and responsibility?
They only have meaning in the context of,
Your current way of living.

And it's alright if you're afraid,
No change comes without fear,
Just as no change comes with a guarantee,
That the same thoughts are always near.