original poetry - "yes we can?" + "questions"

this first piece i wrote shortly after the election pertaining to the joy of the obama win and the sadness of the passing of prop 8. the picture above was taken at the anti mormon rally shortly after...my interaction with this little girl was absolutely priceless and i will never forget it as long as i live. i went up to her with a crackling voice and the beginnings of tears in my eyes and said, "thank you so much...we really appreciate you." and she simply replied, "you're welcome!". i walked away quickly so she wouldn't see me choke...it made my experience so much more powerful.

yes we can?

it's a completely new world
a fresh new notebook
a brand new fine tip pen
that glides across the smooth sheets
a gorgeous victoy
redefining history
an extreme makeover
of the phantasmagorical kind
justice needs no longer be blind
yet as the world bathes in the afterglow
shining warm with promise and hope
an anxious future waiting to be written
there are still many angry voices
choking and threatening to destroy
these beautiful roses that have come to bloom
what was once oppressed
has now conquered the throne
but as one formidable wall has fallen
another one grows higher and stronger
this is the way of the universe
the ebb and flow of the ocean
like the cliched waxing and waning of the moon
the birth and death of a star
the furious beating and the cantankerous silence of a heart
if all good things must come to an end
then all bad things must cease as well
but patience has never been my strong point
and i know few people who have a knack for complacency
so let us raise up in a thundercloud
voices strained but still strong
hands bloody and aching
from being fists for far too long
let us take this power
this ignition
and fight down the fear with action
shatter the ignorance with the highest pitch
reach the tallest branch
and relish in the taste of that forbidden fruit
learn that it is not forbidden after all
let us unite in our individuality
and agree to disagree
but agree to respect
and promise to each other
to listen
to study
to teach
to discover
to believe
to question
to love
to change
to live
all these things have gotten us
where we are today
and it is these things
that will take us to tomorrow
yes we can?



is it really such a terrible thing
to be so self destructive
when you learn so many lessons
while you're putting yourself back together again?

is it really so bad to spend
almost all of your allowance so fast
when you are so really good at
making that final dollar stretch out until the end?

is happiness always a temporary thing
because it is a gateway to craving more?
is a success simply a catapult
to begin the adventure of yet another quest?

do i procrastinate until the end of a deadline
because i think i work well under pressure
or am i not inspired anymore to give my all
and could honestly really not care less?


why do i fight to reclaim something
once i find i've already lost it
instead of reaching and grabbing
for what i want when i have the chance?