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Time

Precious they say

Sometimes feels like it’s dragging

Others, it’s flying away

.

Seems like yesterday

Out in my backyard

Or on a rainy day

Looking at my baseball cards

.

Grandma

Sending me for ice cream

As I look back now

It seems like a dream

.

As I’ve grown

Starting to get old

Memories getting longer

Just like my mom had told

.

Watching my kids grow

So fast it seems

Hard to imagine

Seems like a dream

.

Lots has changed

But one thing’s for sure

Time it keeps passing

Beyond life, it endures

.

©Mark’s Life

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I appreciate that you are here reading, but if you'd like to support me with a Paid Subscription, it would be greatly appreciated. Soon, I'm going to be making certain posts only visible to Paid Subscribers. With everything going on in my life, I could seriously use the extra support if you can afford to, please consider it.

My little girl

Wandering

Lost

I can see her

From an out of body location

She’s wandering

Aimlessly

Down the corridor

Of life

From where I sit

I cannot help

Only scream

Into the void

She can’t hear me

So she must navigate

On her own

She knows I’m there

So she is navigating

Her way

Down the hall

Checking the numbers

On the doors

As she goes

Door 15 getting further

And further

Away

Estimated arrival at Door 16

Seven months

She looks so little

So lost

I’m here

Always here

She know this

But I know

That she must

Travel this hallway

Navigate

This dark scary hall

Largely on her own

But deep down

She knows

That should she fail

Should she fall

I will be there

To help her up

And get her back

On her way

To Door 16

And beyond

©Mark’s Life

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NOTE: This poem stems from the pure mental exhaustion that I've been feeling more than ever of late. It seems like everything is spiraling erratically out of control, and there's no safety net to catch me.

I appreciate that you are here reading, but if you'd like to support me with a Paid Subscription, it would be greatly appreciated. Soon, I'm going to be making certain posts only visible to Paid Subscribers. With everything going on in my life, I could seriously use the extra support if you can afford to, please consider it.

I'm freaking exhausted

In every way, tired

Like milk going bad

Feeling expired

.

I want these

Rain clouds to disappear

Nothing in my life

Seems very clear

.

Every morning

I wake

Not knowing how much more

This soul can take

.

My body

Seems broken and bruised

Don't know how to fix it

I have no clue

.

I want I to hide

Want to take cover

Just want this shit

To be all over

.

Not my life

Please understand

It's the exhaustion

But I have no plan

.

So everyday

Struggle to motivate

Because I don't know

What to anticipate

.

Begging for one day

For this all to change

Wishing for my life

To be rearranged

.

Until that day

I'll try to rise and grind

Hoping that one day

Some peace I'll find

©️Mark's Life

Surrounded by ones I love

Knowing in my heart they love me too

So, why do I feel

Like they don’t appreciate me?

.

They know there’s nothing I wouldn’t do

To make sure they’re taken care of

But, lost in it all

Is their appreciation for me

.

I don’t want to throw them

Under the bus

But the respect, appreciation, and trust

Seem to be missing

.

Maybe it’s all in my head

Maybe I have it all wrong

But in the moment

All signs seem to confirm that I’m right

.

Additionally, I feel so alone

I don’t understand

How it’s possible

But my feelings I can’t deny

.

Meantime, I long for the day

To feel real appreciation

To not feel alone

That’s not too much to ask

.

© Mark’s Life

Today I will…

CHOOSE to treat people with kindness

TRY to be a positive role model

START the day with a positive attitude

MAKE an effort to do my best

GIVE love

FINISH the day with peace

PRACTICE what I preach

THINK how I can do better

BE the dad my kids need me to be

SHARE my heart with those I care about

ACCEPT that it's not always going to go my way

STOP negativity from ruining my day

SAY what needs to be said with love and respect

SEE what I can do better tomorrow

©️Mark's Life

NOTE: If you like this idea, I invite you to use the image as a guide to create your own “Today I Will” poem or essay. I loved the idea and ran with it. Thanks for reading.

NOTE: This poem comes from the standpoint of living with depression most of my life, trying to ‘let it go’ but never quite able to. I'm sure many of you can relate.

Depression

At its worst

Can debilitate

Though not constant

It's something

I've had to live with

Most of my life

There are most days

The lowest

Is kept at bay

Then on any given day

At any given time

I can get blindsided

And everything in me

Shuts down

I can't talk

Don't want to

I can't just

Let it go

I can't explain it

To those who

Don't quite get it

I have to just

Ride it out

Until something inside

Releases its grip

And let's me breathe again

Depression

I wish I could just

Let it go

I realized

A long time ago

That ain't gonna happen

So I just cope

Fight my way through it

But I can never

Just let it go

.

This tire

Yes it's real

Cruising along

Without a care

Taking things for granted

That some things just are

Well, because they are

And we move on

Until one day

Life reminds you

That you're not in control

You never were

You never will be

You're left

Feeling flattened

Deflated by life

And so you just sit

Waiting for someone

To come rescue you

Bail you out

Like so many times before

So there you sit

Staring up at the night sky

Looking to the moon

The stars

Waiting for life to move on

Waiting in silence

In the darkness of night

Waiting to be saved

Waiting to go home

But for now, you're stuck

Stranded as it may

At a roadside respite

A gas station parking lot

But you're safe

And you wonder

Why is life

Constantly leaving you deflated

But you're safe

A necessary reminder

That you've been given

Yet another chance

A reprieve

So, you replace the tire

With a spare

Tires are like that

Meant to be replaced

So we can return to normal

Resume your trip

Life, however

You only get one

So you remind yourself

To get on with your life

So, the next morning

You wake up

Your dog at your side

In a comfortable bed

Your best friend a text away

The sun is shining

And you think

Life

You're not going to leave me flat

.

Note: This really did happen last night. Driving along, not too far from home, daughter in the passenger seat, about to get on the highway. The low pressure light comes on with a chime, and in less that a minute, I'm driving on a completely flat tire. I go to a gas station, call for assistance, and wait. I don't have a jack, but I do have a spare and roadside assistance, and not long after, a tow truck driver comes, replaces the tire, and we navigate our way home safely. I couldn't be more thankful. It's almost like we were being watched over so the worst didn't happen.

Immediately, my poet brain activated, and that's where this poem was born. I'm blessed to write it from the comfort of my own home, safe, alive, and a story to tell.

©️Mark's Life

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Celebrations will be had. Cookouts, fireworks, traditions will be amped up today nationwide, as America celebrates 250 years as a “free” nation. The word free (or freedom) is something citizens have had many conversations/debates about, and will continue to do so for as long as this nation exists. I’m not here to spark controversy. I’m here to honor my home country in the best was I know how: with poetry.

1 in 343 million

That’s all that I am

Just one voice

Only one man

.

250 years has passed

From Britain we were freed

Imperfect men

Planted a seed

.

Innovations, Inventions

And so much debate

Many hate it

Still many think it’s great

.

I’m not here

To sway you to “my side”

I’m only here to say

That I still have some pride.

.

Most of us work hard

We all have our plans

About what it takes

To make it in this land

.

Take care of our families

Give back when we can

I still have much hope

But I am only one man

.

It’s easy to get caught up

In all of the “noise”

Me, I’ll just speak up

With a positive voice

.

I’ll be an ambassador

I’ll do my best

To show you just why

We’re not like the rest

.

Not saying we’re better

Perfect we’re not

Saying that the best of us

Will give all the good we got

.

One thing’s for sure

When our neighbor is down and out

Plenty step up

Of that there’s no doubt

.

So in celebration

Of the red, white, and blue

Happy Two Fifty

To thee I’ll stay true

.

©Mark’s Life

©Mark’s Life

©Mark’s Life

Author’s Note: I’m just one man in this country. I work hard. I fight for my family. Give back when I can. I will never try and convince you or anyone to see this country through my eyes. I only ask that you give me the same respect, no matter where you’re from, no matter your point of view. I still believe in the Golden Rule, and I will go to my grave trying to treat others with respect. We don’t have to agree on everything, but we should all strive to be better. I believe that positivity and real change starts from within. I will do everything in my power to make this country and this world a better place for us all.

Happy Independence Day USA!

Blessings to all.

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When I look in the mirror

What do I see

In the man

Staring back at me?

.

Sometimes I see

Dark shadows under my eyes

From staying up late at night

Drying up tears that I've cried

.

Other times

I see this guy

Thirty years younger

With dreams in his eyes

.

There are too often times

When who do I see

But a man who has failed

And gave up so helplessly

.

Then there's this dad

Whom I always lacked

That when he saw his kids

Knew he'd never turn his back

.

Every day I see

A man with a big, caring heart

Even when life's hard

He won't throw in his cards

.

He may never be rich

His life will never sniff perfect

But in the mirror I see

Is a man who isn't done growing yet

©️Mark's Life

Who do YOU see when you look in the mirror? Drop it in the comments below.

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Once upon a time

I held you in my arms

And for the first time in my life

I felt I had a real purpose

.

Already, I was giving you

More than I ever had as a kid

The love of a Father

So deep. So true.

.

Watching you grow

Explore and learn

Asking lots of questions

Discovering who you would become

.

I've shed many tears

Watching you shed yours

I couldn't always help

But I could always love

.

Being your father

Your Dad as it may

I could never have imagined

I could love so hard

.

As I look to the future

Wondering what may

One thing is for certain

Your Dad I will be

.

So

It's Father's Day

And I'm blessed

To be your Dad…FOREVER

.

©️Mark's Life

When I was young

The tears i cried were childlike

It could have been after a fall

Or nothing really important at all

.

The next time I really cried

Was when I lost my first love

I never knew that kind of pain

Hoped I would never feel it again

.

The loss of my grandma

The loss of my mom

Fifteen years apart

Cancer stole them both from my heart

.

Sometimes the tears flow

From a song that hits

A movie or written word

Or from something else I heard

.

What brings me tears on the regular

Are from memories or thoughts

Of my kids, their joys, their pain

The thoughts of their past again and again

.

You can tell by my words

What I write is how I feel

All the tears I now cry

They are all so real, that is no lie.

.

©️Mark's Life

NOTE: I'm an emotional floodgate lately. Not necessarily in a negative way. Just feels like everything I read or heal or dream of right now is flipping a switch and the tear ducts are opened up.

I hope you enjoy this. I promise I'm okay. I'm just all in my feels lately. It doesn't help that because of being dormant more than usual lately due to the school year being over and my recent bout with shingles has my mind racing a lot more.

Subscribe. Share. Support. This emotional guy appreciates you all so much.