THE LITTLE MAN THAT STANDS TALL

I see you, starting over again, the wood and the leather, the pride and the pain

I see you taking the fall, wanting to be the bigger man, I see you standing tall

They chant your name and they applaud, you are their celebration

But In a completely different world, you fail and you’re human

There’ll be places you won’t go, possibilities you won’t explore

There’ll be people you won’t please, games you won’t own

There you are, cramped and crippled; the dream is over for the day

Arms outstretched, you cry to the skies, how you wish you could stay

The story of your life, with unheard screams and with overlooked sorrow

They’ll add you to their coffee, and they’ll discuss you at breakfast tomorrow

But the man you made stole the show and the only thing you couldn’t win

And you blinked your eyes in endorsement, like an undefeated king

And I know you’ve always been, like your poster on my wall

The little man that takes the fall, the little man that stands tall

Happy birthday.

THAT MIDNIGHT THOUGHT OF SELF-LOVE

That midnight thought of self-love, I realized

A poor man choosing to buy alcohol with what’s left in his pocket

Is selfishly beautiful,

Everything original is true, I pictured

A man with lung cancer, wishing for soot to fill him over again, a final drag

Is crazily respectful

Do you type your password slowly, for fear of having to type it again

Do you smile at your creativity while grinning at your intelligence

What you’ve cooked is what tastes best,

Why fake altruism, when charity is convenience

That midnight thought of self-appreciation, I realized

You never being able to know what his poem means to a poet

Is selfishly beautiful,

Everything original is deep, I pictured

Her, hair all over the place, loving the way she looks at herself

Is crazily respectful

Your favorite song, do you keep, for those five minutes before you sleep

Don’t you chase not what you want, but the reason, for another reason

Democracy is always for others, team work, a compromise

Why debate, when truth is opinion

That midnight thought of self-ignorance, I realized

As I switched on the light and closed my eyes in reflex

Life’s a lark,

I turned my back to open doors, I pictured

Light will do you no good if you’re used to the dark

But all I have is all I need, a birth mark and a bleeding heart

And a mirror I trust, to remind me of

That midnight thought of self-love……….