grateful

grateful

i am sitting

on a beach

with a joy

faithful

He is sitting 

over me

with a smile

My Second to Last Post (Unless, of course, something changes)

I am tired of being myself
This recklessness is exhausting
These wounds
Are self inflicted

Rule breaking is fun but also tedious
So much time spent conspiring
So much brainpower diverted
To that warm tingling feeling
Behind my neck and between my ears
That sense that I am doing something wrong
That I am bound to be caught

There was a time
When the world seemed enormous
Like how could you ever see it all?
Like a lifetime would be a long time
But weren't those just the daydreams of a child
Who had only seen the world on TV
And wanted nothing more than to explore?

But what is a life valued on exploration?
At what point is your goal achieved?
And if seeing the world is the a self fulfilling joy
At what point will you be able to say "I've seen it"?

Here's the thing:
I think that trying to understand foreigners speaking another language is a chore
And I am beginning to think breaking rules like "don't walk on this beach" is too
The thing that really gets me excited
Is spending quality time
With good friends
Who love me the way I love them
And in whose company I would be content
Whether here or on some other continent

My apartment is the new Paris
Come, all you ex-pats
It's a place built on friendship and love
Pleasures you can never tire of

My last post

No hard feelings, but this is the last time im posting here.   I will certainly remain interested in poetry.

I gave this thing a few years, and in a few years it was pretty much just me...

I am a person who is very critical, either by nature or nurture... and here are my thoughts:

None of you were born in Los Angeles like I was.   None of you went to Beverly Hills High School.  And none of you have spent the last two years in rural America to reflect on life in southern california.

LA has a strange effect on people.   It makes them feel important.  

You might think your ambitions are humble and wholesome, but you wouldn't have stayed right in LA if you did not secretly desire some combination of money and influence that only LA offers.

I love when people pursue their dreams.   But what are those dreams? 

Good luck!

And last and most importantly:  Christianity and the story of Jesus dying for my sins and my father's sins is about as irrelevant and bogus as any other religion I know.

Sorry to be bitter.  thank you for reading my posts here, and I will be back in your city for a few weeks in August and September before i go to spain hopefully (unless something changes)

Mike

Ignore Everything Else

I'm sure your life seems important right now, mine does too. I have lot's of important stuff to do also, believe me.

I am sure your mind is playing its usual game of juggling and sorting tasks.   But let me say that it doesn't matter.

Let's return to what you really care about:  Your story!

When people look at you!   When people think about you!   When you think about yourself!     That's what it's all about.  

How did he make so many good decisions?  How does he do it?   Was it luck, talent, or hard work?

Don't forget that you are the greatest.  If you search deep inside yourself you will find that shining ruby of greatness that only you possess.  

You are a winner.

Now look around at all the other winners.   Who denies that there are many people greater than you?  Great people with a good heart, who love their careers, love their wives, have more charisma, and will forever have a greater impact on people.

Nobody cares about you and nobody will remember you.