Going through some old boxes I stumbled upon a folder full of poems I wrote decades ago. Some of them made me laugh, some made me cry, but they all made me relive the moments that inspired them. For some people I know, these poems are about them. I will never say who those people are…..hopefully no one will ever figure it out. But they are all about life….even if it was the life of a teenager. Funny how some things never change, and others do. It’s hard to imagine that I had these thoughts as a teenager
Part One: What I Have Learned (yes apparently as a teenager, I thought I had learned so much)
No matter how hard you try, sometimes you never win.
When life gives you a second chance, you don’t always have to take it.
Sometimes the truth does hurt.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was a good relationship.
You can’t always trust your friends.
The only real secret, is the one you keep to yourself.
Sometimes the best communicator, is a good listener.
Forgiveness is a way of saying “I’m sorry too”.
What is true now, will also be true when I am older.
Just because you do something good, doesn’t mean you will get something good in return.
Honesty is not always the best policy
Sometimes the best result, comes from the simplest plan.
Jealousy is a reaction that comes without warning or restraint.
Once you have loved someone, they will always be a part of you.
The longer someone takes someone to answer a question, the better the lie will be.
No one is perfect, they are only pretending to be.
Begging for forgiveness is humiliating, and often a requirement.
You can still be wrong, even if you are never corrected.
Older men may be better in bed, but are often just as immature as younger ones.
Good relationships begin with strong friendships.
You will almost always get caught cheating in a relationship.
You should never go to bed angry… or hungry.
If a guy says he has feelings for you, but can’t or won’t express them, don’t force him to, it will only push him away.
You don’t get to choose how you are going to die, or when, but you do get to choose how you are going to live.
People say that women are the weaker sex, but a man with a broken heart is weaker than anyone.
Part Two: Poems
January 1997
In those days
What happened to good times
Where did all the laughter go
What happened to sunshine
Why does the world now feel so cold
Who took away our freedom
What happened to carefree days
What happened to living just for fun
Why do we worry our lives away
We hunger for our childhood
Lack of Responsibility
We reach out for old times
Where we want to live eternally
But the past is gone, we learn to move on
And life decides, how we will get by
In these days
Where did we put our hopefulness
Was it buried with our imagination
How do we get over this
When there is so much complication
When did we start changing
When did our lives grow apart
How do we let go now
Will time mend our broken hearts
September 1997
“I Thought I’d Won”
I thought that we had accomplished so much
From friendship to relationship, I longed for your touch
But it seems as though our love was not strong
We struggled until we could no longer hold on
You were the one who mad me glad
You made me cry when you were all I had
My heart was broken with simple words
I always listened but was never heard
I was devoted to you, heart and mind
But was shut out with words so unkind
My heart has been slowly torn apart
I feel for you, for you fill my heart
I can barely stand for you to speak
Because your words of love are not to me
So I sit in silence all alone
Hours spent waiting by the phone
Each time it rings I do not hear
Your sweet voice in my ear
I forever will long to be with you
But forever is too long to be hopelessly true
February 1995
“Together Forever”
For months I have loved you
But you never knew the truth
For hours I would daydream
Of just being with you
But someone else was around
And to you I wasn’t there
What others said was important
But what I wanted, you didn’t care
Once we were a couple
“How cute” people would say
But someone else came along
And from me, she took you away
I remember you in my mind
But in my heart, you are not there
I ask myself the question
Why do i still care
That is when I realize
That nothing is forever
And even though you are far away
In my heart, you will live forever
May 1996
“Always Remember”
I know now that you’re leaving
You’re feeling kind of sad
Youre leaving all the friends you know
And you’re one friend that I’ve had
You were always here to help me
When no one seemed to care
And when i needed a shoulder to cry on
You were always there
I know that tears will fall
But remember when i say
Don’t forget the times we shared
I’ll always remember you this way
February 1996
“Friend Nothing”
It’s amazing what you hear in the shadows
When no one knows that you are around
The truth will finally show itself
Where there’s no true friend to be found
Maybe one person started it all
But when other “friends” jump in
And try to tell them what I’m about
I guess I picked the wrong friends
I don’ mind if you see me cry
Because I realize you don’t care
So don’t act like you’re worried about me
When you’re the reason I am there
March 1998
“Keep in MInd”
There are so many ways to say how I feel
That i can’t even put them into words
A million emotions consume me
When the mention of your name is heard
We have been through so much together
That I hope by now I’ve proven to you
That no matter how life treats us
My love is genuine, honest and true
Sometimes at night when I’m alone
All those memories run in my mind
It’s amazing to me how i have this love
That I never intended to find
You’ve helped me grow in countless ways
And I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done
No one else could have changed me
I realize you were the only one
We have overcome so much
Built a bond that knows no time
And no matter who tried to take you from me
I knew deep in my heart you were mine
Don’t hesitate to reach out to me
No matter what emotions you are feeling
Because I will always try to understand
And help you in your healing
Sometimes life may not seem fair
And other days, things will seem bright
But no matter what happens during those days
You’re the last thing I think of at night
April 29 1995
In Memory of Adam Dickerson
Why did you have to go
Whey god took you , we don’t know
For a while we couldn’t believe
But then it really hits me
Your memory will always stay
Even after we go our separate ways
One day we will meet again, above in the blissful sky
Together we will rejoice there, but still we will not know why
Why god took you from us, who knows what you could have been
Your hopes and dreams were taken away, and from us, God took our friend
Just remember one thing, if in some way you can hear me
You’re loved and always will be, and we will cherish every memory
April 1998
“Looking Back”
He sat alone in a dusty room, holding an old shoe box
A single tear ran down his cheek as he lifted open the top
The wind blew through the room, scattering papers all around
He noticed a tattered picture and bent to get it from the ground
His mother, father and sister were in the picture with him
He stared at only his mother, closed is eyes and stared again
At the bottom of the box, there lay a golden frame
He slowly turned it over and whispered his mother’s name
She was just as he remembered her, perfect in every way
He knew that she was in heaven, and perfect she would always stay
His mother was so beautiful, too bad about her though
She died when he was only four, so much about her, he didn’t know
He put the things back in the box, and closed the battered lid
He knew he couldn’t bring her back, no matter what he did
He slowly rose to leave the room, ever so softly closing the door
With the box held tightly in his arms, he had what he’d come for
June 1997
“None of You”
You might use your eyes, but you cannot see
You might use your ears, but you don’t listen to me
You might use your feet, but only to walk away
You might use your mouth, but you have nothing to say
You might use your nose, but you can’t smell my fear
You might use your hands, but you can’t feel me near
As I gaze upon you, and think of all I see
I know that your cold heart, will never again hurt me
August 1996
“My Beauty”
I saw you standing there alone, under a star filled sky
Our eyes meet and you turn away, but then I did not know why
Now I know that it was me, that pushed your eyes away
For on the outside I’m not as beautiful, as on the inside I will always stay
I realize I’m not perfect, but if you’d take the time to see
That under this cloak I wear, beneath dwells the real me
The shy, timid and hopeful side, that I rarely ever show
I wish you would take the time, to let our friendship grow
When you see when we first meet, is simply in imperfect cover
But what appears on the outside, may on the inside, be some other
June 2002
“Life’s a Journey”
I never dreamed when i was young, that this where I’d be
I never thought someone so wonderful, would fall in love with me
LIfe’s a winding road we follow, leading us through each day
And once we reach a fork in the road, we must choose a way
Through the years I’ve chosen the wrong way a time or two
I would not change the path I chose, because they all led me to you
I believe there was something out there, guiding me down those roads
I never expected such great things, from the past few paths I chose
Thank you for walking with me, through all the turns and twists
But most of all, thank you so much, for proving that love exists
I know that there’ll be rocky paths, that you and I must face
We will find our way together to a much more tranquil place
June 2003
“Two Brothers”
A Childhood not worth the memory, a father without a face
A mother with no remorse, and no one to take her place
Two brothers share one story, but only one could break away
The youngest left to bear the burden of why the other couldn’t stay
Year of life quickly passing, lives changing every year
One brother longing for the other, to make both their lives more clear
A mother’s disappearance, the young boy put in a home
A hopeful older brother wanting to make right what once went wrong
A love so strong and true, a bond of blood and pain
Two hearts to mend one another, and live to start again
Great Imperfections 