Time

 

Photo By: Collin Hardy

It sifted through hands –
Broken, shattered, fragmented –
Pricelessness exchanged for triviality.
Reality became urgent, in urgency,
Attention forgot priority.
Multiplied seconds grew
Into hours,
Into years,
Into decades,
Into a lifetime.
As they passed, awareness came.
It could not be returned.
Once wasted – disappeared.
With age came knowledge,
But knowing did not compensate the waste.
It was violated by mundane choices,
Betrayed by unclear precedence.
Constant partial attention
Allowed humanity to become shadows:
What they could be was blocked by
Their decisions, and slowly
Time took everything from them.

The Swan

Picture By: Matthew Wiebe

They  called you the ugly one
Because you stood apart.
Pushing until you came undone
They lied to break your heart.
People said to go with the crowd,
To fit in like a clown.
So you fell for a mundane world
And let them lead you around.
When did you forget?
They tell you you’re an ugly duckling
But, darling, your story isn’t over yet.
One day, you’ll look down and see you’re a swan.

Carousel

Picture By: Benedikt Hoffman

You and me, were like a carousel
Around and around.
We loved for a spell.
Until the ride was over and we hit the ground.
You told me it would be up and down
But I realize it was all a fantasy.
Like the joke of a clown,
You and I were here and gone like yesterday.

 

 

 

Lemons & Limes

Picture By:  Hoach Le Dinh

Life gave you lemons and limes.
You couldn’t smile,
You couldn’t swallow your pride,
And circumstances wouldn’t let you hide.
Then you realized the beauty
Hidden under a sour reality:
Even though life gave you lemons and limes,
Sour turned sweet with time.

 

 

Through the Trees

Picture By: Johan Arthursson

Through the trees,
The color paints time.
You see the spring,
The summer, the fall
And winter, there, dies.
Like a thousand chimes
The breeze will calmly ring
As we get lost in its lull.
A thousand miles on the road,
A million more to go.
Through the trees,
We make our journey.

Like Fireworks

Picture By: Luke Fenstemaker

Like fireworks in the night,
Our time was right.
It lasted like a spark
And ran out leaving only dark.
See, the sky is empty now
And I wish that somehow
We could bring it back again.
But it’d only be vain
Because like fireworks in the night
Our time was right
And lasted like a spark
Leaving only dark.

Passerby

Picture By: Greg Rakozy

Outlined against the sky,
Stars linger and I am just a passerby.
The world spins
And in darkness, morning beings.
Rainbows light up the evening
And color sunrise in early morning.
I breathe in majesty
And linger in midnight’s reality.
Stars are scattered paint drops on heaven’s wall,
Galaxies the color on night’s hall.
Outlined against the sky,
I am just a passerby.

America

Picture By: Patrick Tomasso

Oxygen coloring blood red,
Pride flowing from feet to head,
Life worth every deed,
Truth worth every pledge,
Sacrifice worth every advance,
Possibilities beyond circumstance,
Rhythm to liberty’s dance,
America you are a second chance.
Flowers in the midst of rain,
Relief from tyranny’s pain,
Kindness in every vein,
Discernment keeping humanity sane,
Roses of passion in the nation’s bouquet,
Humility embodied in every way,
Justice prevailing in all people say,
America you are the light of day.

Home

Picture By: Luke Brugger

Your home:
Where you learned to walk
And how to talk,
A space to call your own.
Then years passed
And something changed
Your life was rearranged.
You thought your mistakes made you an outcast.
But home is still home.
It’s not a perfect place,
But a permanent space
Where no matter what, you’ll never be alone.

Who You Are

Picture By: Drew Hays

Why do you hide?
You say, “I’m such a mistake.”
Who told you that lie?
You just went and cried.
I asked why you were a mistake.
You named everything you didn’t possess,
So I told you being true was better than being fake.
But still you chased worldly success.
I wondered why money would fix you.
“Then I could have everything,” you reprove.
But you’re lying, your words aren’t true:
Money can’t buy you love.
I asked you if you wanted to be content.
“Yes,” you said, in awe.
So I told you how to live without regret:
Just be who you are.
Stop hiding.
Stop chasing money.
Stop lying.
Start believing.