Answered

Some questions are answered with affirmative

Some questions are answered with negative 

Still, other questions are answered with apathy and by default the answer is No

If you cannot answer with either a positive or negative response, you have by default, answered No

Far too people who use this strategy understand this concept and far fewer who refuse to answer the question realize they have, by default, taken the negative direction. Life does not wait for, "I am not yet ready."  If a road accident presents directly in your path, you have a split second to choose your reaction. Not choosing a reaction, still directs the path of your car. You did nothing to alter its path. You answered the question, by inaction. I do not want to live my life by chance and my own inactions. I want to sit in the front seat, my hands around the steering wheel, turn signals, ignition, lights and mostly my foot on the gas and away from the break pedal. 

Because if I am going to get there, I want to drive the bus!

©johnfklee

I'll write

I'll write what I'll write

And say what I please

I've stood on my feet

And dropped to my knees

I'll kneel to no man

But a woman I would

I'd bring back those gone

If only I could 

I'll live out my life

Be it days or be years

I'll laugh and I'll cry

And both causing tears

I stand with my brothers

Arms locked in arms 

I step up before them

Protect them from harm

I'll give to my sons

All the love that I can

And hopefully teach them

What is truly a man

But one thing I'll do

Or perhaps I'll do not

Is not laugh at myself

Even if I am caught 

@johnfklee

Friction

Friction changes the surface

Enough friction can change deeper

Coffee & Wine

Coffee in the morning keeps me from being boring. Wine at night makes me feel alright!

©johnfklee

Repeat

Sometimes I repeat what I say

If I repeat something

It is not just that I mean it

It is that

I live it 

©johnfklee

Mistakes

People make mistakes. Every day of your lives, we make mistakes. They are called; sins, slights, errors in judgement, world class fuck ups and the list goes on, and on, and on. Our Lord and Savior does not stop loving us because of any one of,or an amalgamation of, these mistakes. Likewise, we should not love The Lord any less for our mistakes. That is Unconditional Love!  Does that give us free reign to sin? No. Does another's unconditional love give us free reign to cheat or lie or belittle? No. But if that love is unconditional, they will forgive us. Jesus said, "Seventy times seven," do you forgive your brother if he sins against you. So you forgive those you love unconditionally. That does not mean you forget. That does not mean you tolerate. But we all make mistakes. If someone cannot forgive you, look you in your eyes and see the sadness, hurt, humility, regrets and still see the love you have for have for them, then perhaps their love is not so unconditional. 

Rules

If I followed all the rules

I would be bored to death

johnfklee

If we knew

If we knew

Would we still

If we could

Would we

If we can't

Why do we

If it stops

Why do we continue

What I've done

What I've done

And what I say

Won't matter much

Once old and gray

Except to those 

Been in my life

They've shared my joy

And cried my strife

Yes those I've loved

And held so dear

They've found me odd

At times quite queer

I say to those 

Who've stood my side

I've leaned on you

When rivers cried

But picked me up

And wiped my tears

You calmed my soul

Fought back my fears

To you I say

Still next to me

I'll love you back

Eternally

Always unsaid

That last

I love you

Will always remain

Unsaid

Of love and apples, give them away

As with a basket full of apples

On your way home

Offer an apple to everyone you meet

Some will take one and offer something of their own

Some will take one but give nothing back

Some will take one and put it aside or discard it later

Some will refuse

However, if you offer one to all you see

When you get to where you are going

Your basket will still have plenty of apples 

Left for yourself

Last kiss

If only

Those last kisses

Could last

Forever

Show me

Show me who you are

Not an image of who you wish you were 

Of love and apples

As is with a bunch of apples

just because it will fit into your basket 

does not mean you should take it all home

take what you need

take only the best

be sure to leave at least a little for others

Undone

I wish life and relationships were simple but they are not 

I strive to simplify my life

And my relationships 

We can simplify these by opening our hearts and minds

To ourselves

To others

To the world 

The words I have spoken cannot be unsaid. 

The actions I have taken cannot be undone. 

The words I did not speak cannot be said now. 

The actions I did not take cannot be done now. 

My life today, is as I have lived it. 

I am where I am

I am who I am

Because or my words and actions

And my words not spoken and actions not taken

I cannot undo my past

But I can undo myself

I can unmake myself 

I can remake myself into who I need to be

But doing so will have a cost

Can I afford the cost

Am I willing to pay the cost

Perfect

We are never so perfect
As human beings
As when we have a broken heart

That one rose. That first rose

That one rose he gave her

With a smile in his eyes

He paused when she took it

And watched as her eyes

Rolled over the perfection 

That flower contained

'Till finally that connection 

Was made with a kiss

That first rose he gave her

Following his first I love you

He handed to her with the weight of the world

Pushing down on his soul so exposed 

But one smile from her eyes

Took all the weight away

And he lifted them both sky high

The last rose he gave her

The last rose he held

It had her name to it but her acceptance unsure

For things weren't the same

And neither were they 

Neither as individuals nor as a couple

There was love but not the same

Some anger and some blame 

And not knowing if there was enough love in him and in her to hold that rose together again 

So that last rose was given

But I'll not expose the timing of things 

It could have been just now

Or many months ago

And yes, while it is up to them to decide where they go

It is the fate of a single, long-stem rose

Blood red and long of thorns that will show their fate to the world 

Does that rose still live

Was it planted or pressed between the pages of a heavy book

Was it taken by one party and tossed by another

That is the story of the rose we look for

Love said

And Love said

I've come for you

But I'm not prepared

I need to ready my heart

Hah replied Love

Your heart must always be at the ready

You don't have time to wait

I, Love, wait on no one

Then what must I do

What can I do to be ready

Nothing really

Just don't try to stop me

I'll do what I need

Just let me grow

Let me be

But I'm afraid

Of me

You're afraid of Love

Then you are a fool

Is it not said,

"Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love".

Of all these gifts

Do you fear them

Or only lack of them

I

I just don't understand 

And that is your mistake

You don't understand faith or hope or love

You feel it

You crave it

You have if

It is in you

As I said

Just don't try stop it

Don't stop me

Don't stop Love 

 

Feet

For most of us

At the end of our legs are our feet

Perhaps we should use them more wisely

Walk away when you can

Run away when you must

Stand your ground when you should

Living or dying

If we don't start living, we are then just slowly dying 

Love is..., balance

Love is...

Smiling when you are the third, fifth or whichever odd wheel, but knowing there is someone who balances you out in any situation 

She walked

As she walked up to him

For the first time in his life

He stopped worrying about tomorrow 

Ships

A ship at harbor has no stories to tell
But a ship that has been through storms,
Sailed into sunsets and sunrises
Passed islands unexplored
Crashed upon reefs and docked in great cities
Has many stories

Curve

The curve of her hips

Led down a road he had only imagined 

Her smile

Her smile 

Could so often ruin his day

That he prayed for it

Every morning 

Her nature

Such was the nature of her beauty

That when she cried

The birds stopped singing

And flowers bowed before her

Her beauty

And it was in those imperfections that she saw in herself

That he found the true nature of her beauty 

Her darkness

In her darkness

He found the light of his life 

Just keep looking

Just keep looking 

Close your eyes

Open your soul

Whisper in your own ear

What is it that I seek

Sometimes

Sometimes once upon a time

Can happen more than once in a lifetime 

As words

As words came to him

He released them

As his heart was filled

He emptied it to the world 

Both his Love and Dispair

He did not hold them in

But turned them out to the World

So that all who knew him

And those who did not

Could see his life 

Through his words 

Emptiness

Sometimes the emptiness you feel

Is waiting for you to fill it up with more of you 

If I knew

If I knew why

I could 

If I understood what

I could

If you explained how

I would 

Opportunity

One day, at a man's house 

Opportunity knocked

But the man did not answer the door

He cowered behind his fears

Behind his insecurities 

But Opportunity was stubborn

And continued to knock

Banging on his door

Kicking at it

Yet he still did not answer

Again

Knocking 

Pounding at his door

Shaking the hinges

Straining the frame

And still

He did not move

Finally

Opportunity crashed against the door 

Splintering wood

Testing the lock itself

And he moved

As the door rattled 

And frame bent

He timidly walked to the door

Put his hand on it 

And peered through the peephole

And he saw

He saw what it was 

And how good and beautiful it was 

He rushed to unlock the door

Removed the chain

And threw open the broken door

To nothing 

Lips and limbs

Hellbent

Sad songs

I like sad songs

I always have

It does not mean that I am a sad person

Just that I can empathize with the lyrics and emotions of the songs 

I typically write when I am sad or in a down mood

But I don't necessarily write sad things

I have written beautiful, positive things when I have felt at my lowest

I think it is because when we are down

We are more honest with ourselves, and

More in touch with our true emotions 

It is at those times that I just write what is in my heart

I write the words what are trying to escape from my fingers 

And I don't hold back or try to block any of it

I allow my heart and soul to take over

Maybe that means that when I am happy

Or content, as is my typical mood

That I am holding myself back 

Holding back my true emotions

Stifling my heart and soul

Why is that

Why do I, Why do we

Fear and stifle happiness and embrace sadness

Do I not feel worthy of this

Do I fear that opening myself to such positive feelings will leave me open to being hurt

I have never felt afraid to be happy

But deep down, do I fear it

I don't know

I like being happy

I don't consciously block happiness

This is not just a post of what I am thinking

It is a question for any who would read this

What do you think

What do you feel

2015.03.03

I may add to this later if I feel the urge

But please share you thoughts

Broken windows

Our imperfections, flaws and scars make us beautiful. That is why those of us that accept our imperfections are beautiful. That is why those of us that accept our flaws are beautiful. And that is why those of us that embrace our scars are the most beautiful of all. 

A broken window can tell far more stories than an unbroken one. 

Sleeping alone

Sleeping alone 

Is a waste

Of a perfectly good side of a bed

Doubted

When she doubted him

It broke his heart

When she doubted herself

It broke his soul

Standing

Stop standing in the way

Of your own progress

Doubt

When doubt enters you mind

Push it out

Using your heart 

Nail/Hammer

The nail does not ask the hammer to soften the blow

To tap it home

It asks to be pounded in place

With force

Lest the nail bend

The drive be not straight

And that which is nailed never truly is secured

In life

In life

We strive for perfection 

In our dreams

We find it

hate/love

Every time he tried to say the word hate

Love passed his lips 

A glass

A full glass

May not be enough

A half glass

May be too much

Just because a glass is half full, or half empty

Does not mean it will not quench your thirst 

Take all you need

And leave the rest 

Her beauty

Her beauty

Belied

Her beauty 

When we cry

When we cry

Every tear drop

Is a piece of our soul 

At night

At night 

He died and went to heaven

When he woke

He lived through hell

One her

There were so many options in the world

But there was only one her 

The mood

And when the mood struck him

He smiled

Every day

Every day cannot be your birthday

But

Every day can be a celebration of your life

Family

Family

Will be there 

When 

No one else comes 

He said

I love you

He said

Until he could say it 

No more 

Dreams

I am running out of dreams

Hope/Desire

He had lost all hope

But not desire 

His shadow

It follows him

Wraps itself around him

Intricately woven into his own being 

No matter where he turns, it is there

No matter how bright the light 

It lurks in the crevices 

No matter how dark the night 

There are patches of darkness that follow his every move

He cannot escape what is an essential part of him

Cannot run too fast or climb too high

It will be there

Waiting 

Waiting for him

And its next opportunity to engulf him 

Gentle touch

A gentle touch

Makes all the difference

In the whole, wide world

When I nap

When I nap
It is not alway because I am tired
It is not always because I need rest or lack energy

Sometimes I nap
To calm my mind 
And soothe my soul 

Some words

Some words are spoken with too little thought

Some words are not spoken with too much thought

Suffer 1

While she suffered

Without him

He died

Without her

God's lesson

One of the most important lessons he learned from God 

Was that he stopped

Looked at the life he had created

And saw that is was good 

Slept

He slept

Not to rest

But to dream

Of her

I write

I write

Because like breathing

I must 

Anonymous

How could he tell her he loved her

When he had not even met her yet 

Getting on

He found that getting on with his life

Was both wonderful and burdensome 

Sadness

And sometimes 

A sadness overwhelmed him

But could not defeat him

Pain

His pain

Was greater than his experience 

Most beautiful

The most beautiful woman in the world

Should be the one in your arms 

Sheets

He clawed at the sheets

Where she used to lay

Mothers

Mothers

Live on

In memories and grandchildren 

I sleep

I sleep

In hopes

Of dreams

Come true 

I wake

In awe

Of all

That's new

Dying

We sat there

Waiting for her to die

Not knowing

That she lay there

Waiting for us to allow her to 

Love

I love you

He said

Finally

Violence

Violence filled his heart

Yet Love, guided his hands 

Her

I miss her

When I breathe

Age

Your age is just a number; that is all it is. We could die tomorrow or live another 50 years, so don't worry about what your number is today. It is irrelevant to your happiness. 

Tomorrow

If I could have one day over

It would be tomorrow

That way

We would always have tomorrow 

Time 01

Time

Between breaths 

Is spent

Dreaming 

Of...

Weakness

Tears do not show weakness

Don't small streams feed rivers

That in turn 

Feed the oceans

Wept

He wept

For so long

He forgot why

He cried

I still breathe

I still breathe
Yet barely live