Underdog

And while life isn’t easy

  I will not let it beat me

  I’ve come too far to just give up the fight

  Superpower

  They asked me what power I wanted

  Flight, invisibility, telekinesis...

  But I turned them all down

  "I'm human," I answered,

  "I already have

  The greatest power of all;

  The ability to influence

  The emotions of others."

  We all have that power

  So use it fucking carefully

  Splinters

  Memories

  Cold and harsh as winter

  Searing pain

  Stabbing my brain

  Like splinters

  Trapped beneath the skin

  That I couldn't pull out

  So I pushed further in

  Forcing them deeper

  'Til they were hidden

  From the outside

  They will never be evident

  But I will always feel them

  A part of me

  So I must learn to handle the pain

  The guilt

  The regret

  And not let any of it consume me

  And maybe

  I will one day find the means

  To remove the splinters

  And heal

  Catharsis

  Cold steel

  In my hand

  Shimmering

  I flick my thumb

  Across the blade

  The soft ping

  Reverberates

  In my ears

  The edge is keen

  Ready

  I need a release

  I long for catharsis

  I wield the knife

  And begin to cut

  I always find cooking to be so therapeutic

  Stitches

  I've been fixed

  Too many times to count

  My wounds stitched

  Both inside and out

  The broken bones

  And broken heart

  All have their own

  Unique scar

  Some will fade

  From sight and mind

  But those that stay

  Serve to remind

  That while I suffered

  I am still alive

  I am still here

  And I will survive

  Two Outta Three

  I may not be

  The greatest living poet

  In the world today

  I may not even be

  In the top ten

  But I am living

  And I am a poet

  And I guess two out of three

  Ain't all that bad

  Escape

  Trying to escape the demons

  Running in circles once again

  I thought I was finally free

  But this never seems to end

  Sometimes I try to hide

  In the farthest corners of my mind

  Hope they simply pass me by

  But they always hunt me down

  But then there are times

  Ehen the clouds are gone

  The shadows vanish

  And the daylight comes

  And the demons cower

  In the darkness

  And I'm finally free

  To live

  Change

  Isn't it funny how life can change

  One moment it all makes sense

  The next it all feels so strange

  Like nothing that you knew was real

  You've woken from a dream

  Now you don't know how to feel

  Still dealing with yesterday

  Wishing that tomorrow

  Could just wait another day

  But time stops for no-one

  It just leaves us lagging behind

  Or barely holding on

  Victory in Defeat

  Not all fights

  Are there to be won

  Some are but tests

  From which we must learn

  For when down on our feet

  We learn how to stand

  Rising again

  However many blows land

  And it’s times like these

  In the face of adversity

  That even defeat

  Can be turned into victory

  For in defeat

  Lies the greatest lesson

  We find out our weakness

  And see where to strengthen

  So never give up

  For as long as you learn

  Even though you may lose

  You have already won

  Dealer always wins

  In the casino of life

  However many times I play

  The cards will never fall my way

  The odds always stacked against me

  And my stack of chips

  Almost depleted

  I'm all but defeated

  But I can't give in

  Even though I know

  Whatever the cards I'm dealt

  That the house will always win

  Sorry…ish…or not

  Oh sorry

  Did I upset you

  And offend you

  With my jokes

  And my opinions

  And my bad language

  Are you really

  Such a delicate little flower

  That a single drop

  Of humour

  Caused you to wilt and wither

  Well that's on you

  I take no blame

  You won't get me

  To feel ashamed

  If you don't like

  The shit I write

  Don't pick a fight

  Just move along

  We can both be right

  No-one need be wrong

  Learning

  There is so much I must still learn

  Things I need to know

  But no-one can teach me

  Because I cannot be taught

  I learn from experience

  Through sights and sounds

  Through action and emotion

  What is written in text books

  Will never be teachable to me

  I have to see it

  Hear it

  Do it

  Feel it

  And I am learning

  Every day

  Discovering things I never knew

  Like my triggers

  And the way I respond

  Things you will not find in books

  Or be taught in a classroom

  But can only learn

  By living

  Graveyard of Broken Dreams

  If you need me

  You can find me

  In the Graveyard

  of Broken Dreams

  Where all my sorrows

  Lost tomorrows

  And wasted chances

  Come to rest

  And find eternal

  Peace at last

  And sing a lullaby

  Of silent screams

  In this, the Graveyard

  of Broken Dreams

  Eye To Eye

  I don't want to be looked at

  Over the tops of glasses

  To the sound of a pen

  Scratching frantically on the pages

  Of a notebook

  My words analysed and scrutinised

  But the way that I say them

  All but ignored

  I want to be listened to

  Not just the words that I speak

  But the feeling behind them

  Without needing to compete

  With the scratching of the pen

  And I want to be looked at

  Not as a subject

  But as a person

  Eye to eye

  Niche

  I get told I need a niche

  But to me that's just another word for leash

  Keeping me from go
ing my own way

  Dictating what I write or say

  But all I do is set the words free

  I won't release them from my mind

  Just to see them confined

  By what it is that others want to see

  Treading Water

  I envy those

  With the talent and the knack

  To write stories

  And see them through

  To the end

  I try

  To swim those waters

  But I tend just to paddle

  In the shallows

  Testing the waters

  Getting no deeper than my ankles

  Before heading back to shore

  And on the rare occasion

  I make it further in

  All I ever do

  Is tread water

  Lacking both the courage

  And the skill

  To swim

  Russian Roulette

  Life often feels like little more

  Than a game of Russian Roulette

  Relief at every trigger pull

  Ending only in a hammer click

  Before you're once again reminded

  There's still a bullet loaded

  And each lucky escape

  Is one less empty chamber

  Between you

  And the final round

  Will You

  Will you be my compass

  When I don't know where to go

  Will you give me purpose

  When doubt causes me to slow

  Will you light the way before me

  When the shadows make me blind

  Will you always set me free

  When I can't escape my mind

  Will you share my burden

  When my strength starts to fade

  Will you keep me certain

  When my belief begins to wane

  Will you be the one on whom I can always depend

  When I need you by my side, until the very end

  Circles

  Being popular

  Doesn't make you a winner

  Fewer friends

  Doesn't mean that you've lost

  Those are dangerous views to take

  A smaller, yet closer, circle

  Is more beneficial

  Than one that is too large and wide

  For you to stand in the middle

  And still touch the sides

  So be sure

  However big or small your circle becomes

  Never to let your friends out of reach

  Mouth/Brain Disconnect

  My mouth is often premature

  My words are somewhat immature

  And it's clear that I don't think before I speak

  I have no discernible filter

  It's not uncommon that I bewilder

  But it's just one thing that helps make me unique

  I'd have it no other way

  I like not knowing what I will say

  And being surprised as much as all the rest

  It keeps me on my toes

  When what comes next even I don't know

  Even if the words are not always the best

  So I might not make much sense

  People might take some offence

  Or I might need to give some clarification

  And I am happy to explain

  If anyone complains

  About any aspect of my verbal communication

  I openly accept

  My mouth/brain disconnect

  It's not a thing that I will ever deny

  And I will apologise

  If in anybody's eyes

  Anything I say is out of line

  But don't complain behind my back

  Or falsify the facts

  And publicise your bullshit accusations

  Because no matter what I said

  At least I didn't choose to spread

  Blatant lies and malicious misinformation

  One Rule

  I have

  One rule

  You can hit me

  You can kick me

  You can trip me

  Even spit on me

  You can cut me

  You can bruise me

  You can misuse

  Or abuse me

  And I will try

  To forgive you

  All you have to do

  Is apologise

  But never

  Ever

  Lie

  To me

  My Greatest Enemy

  I know I'll never kill you

  My greatest enemy

  For the end of you

  Would mean the end of me

  So all I can do

  Is keep on beating you down

  However much my fists may bleed

  With those on my corner

  Making sure I never quit

  Putting you on the ground

  But never under

  I won't give you the satisfaction

  Of dragging me to my grave

  With you

  Find the Solution

  “You can't cross the sea

  Merely by standing and star-

  -ing at the water.”

  (Rabindranath Tagore)

  Don’t just stop and stare

  See the problem and react

  Find the solution

  Life will always find

  New ways to trip you, hurt you

  But just remember

  It can’t keep you down

  Stand up and take one more step

  Moving onwards still

  Don’t just stand and stare

  At the ocean of despair

  Find a way to cross

  Find a friend who’s always there

  Just ask, they’ll help, you will see

  New Beginnings

  You shut me out, forced me away

  Never gave me the chance to say

  Goodbye

  And though I tried to make things right

  You shut your ears, blocked me from sight

  But why?

  I still don’t know what I did wrong

  But now I must be moving on

  From this

  For my next journey I depart

  New beginnings, a fresh start

  I spy

  It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day

  And to the old one I now can say

  Goodbye

  Resurgence

  You thought we were gone

  Dead, extinct

  But now we are back

  From the brink

  We won't be destroyed

  Won't be killed

  We're resilient

  We're strong willed

  You tried to end us

  A purging

  But we're returning

  Resurging

  I’ll Be There

  Only in the darkest night

  Do the stars shine so bright

  Only on the coldest days

  Will you seek the warming blaze

  Only when you're truly lost

  Will you look to find your way

  Only when you're sick

  Can you find the cure

  Only when you need a friend

  Will you reach out your hand

  Only when the silence reigns

  Will you call out their name

  It's in these moments

  Of darkness, cold and silence

  That we learn who our friends truly are

  The ones who are always there

  So if you need, just call for me

  And I'll be there, as you were for me

  Equals

  You treat yourself

  As my equal

  Yet try to place me

  Beneath you

  When you realise

  You are not

  And in doing so

  You fail to see

  How you only fall further

  In the eyes of those


  Who will be judging you

  When the time comes

  Nightfall

  Night falls

  Bringing with it

  The stars

  Crashing down

  Leaving

  The whole world

  In shadow

  But day

  Will always follow night

  And as night falls

  Day is never far behind

  Tumbling after

  And breaking on the ground

  Shards of sunlight

  Piercing the veil

  Of darkness

  Remnants

  Scratch beneath the surface

  I'll tell you what you'll find

  The remnants of a life

  I tried to leave behind

  I'm honestly ashamed

  For my hurtful words

  And I'm truly regretful

  For any upset and hurt

  Can't you see I've changed?

  I'm not still that same kid

  Why can't you accept that?

  Why must you always dig?

  I'm not proud of who I was

  Nor the things I said

  But I've moved on from then

  I've put the past to bed

  The only me that matters

  Is the one you currently see

  So judge me for who I am

  Not what I used to be

  Cheers for the Beers

  I should be thankful

  For the time you were my friend

  Our conversations helped a lot

  As did the beers we shared

  But knowing now the different you