Learning Curve

In first grade I learned about magnetic forces

that pull from the ends of the earth in an epic tug of war

so that no matter where you are

opposite poles attract.

In fourth grade I learned about family;

how two people come together and plant a seed in the roots of time 
to create a unit of shoots sprouting Heavenward. 

In eighth grade I learned about friendship;

the kind that pulls you to the right side of the playground 

where braces glisten like jewels 

and the most secretive of clubs are formed through the handshakes of a lifetime.

In eleventh grade I learned about God

whose master plan gets implemented

no matter what side of the bed I wake up on.

In college I learned about love

the kind that wrenches your heart out from under your skin

until best friends become lovers

and then best friends all over again. 

And now I'm learning about you.

Our magnetic force that has created a family

of best friends 

whose playground is the word of God. 

Haiku:

Mountains stand taller

Than trees on the ground, but not 

Taller than people 

Tweet:

My first tweet. Another bark up the wrong social media tree. If your phone doesn’t buzz, you probably cant hear my roar #socialmediamadness

Cancer [Updated 11/17]

That word.

plastered on billboards, brochures and commercials

now belongs to her

And because swallowing the news was harder than ingesting a horse-pill

I took the elevator up six flights to place where she began

Where cries are welcomed and milk never spoils 
Where humans become parents 

And pain dissipates into an instinctual suckle 

I peered into the room where the gems are kept 

and pictured my own 

Rolling down the slide 

in her big girl boots and knotty hair

Here, nurses are angels who wipe your brow 

and place a halo on your diamond

But just six floors under they may as well be devils

who will soon inject poison into her body 

I pray she will end up here one day

In a different kind of pain than she is in now

Six Floors Under

That word.

plastered on billboards, brochures and commercials

now belongs to her

And because swallowing the news was harder than ingesting a horse-pill

I took the elevator up six flights to place where she began

Where cries are welcomed and milk is gold 

Where no lottery ticket is more valuable than these bundles of joy 

Where humans become parents 

And pain is forgotten as quickly as lightening strikes

I peered into the room where the gems are kept 

and pictured my own 

Rolling down the slide 

in her big girl boots and knotty hair

Here, nurses are angels who wipe your brow 

and place a halo on your diamond

But just six floors under they may as well be the devil

who will soon inject poison into her body 

I pray she will end up here one day

In a different kind of pain than she is in now