Love, a poem

“Love”

Love
Is the moment of peace in the storm,
The epiphany in the crowd.
It carries us through the hollows of the world,
The dark paths haunted by lonesome specters and lost souls.
It is a burning hearth fueling life,
An all-consuming fire growing ever stronger with time.
Love gives us purpose and makes each day a new paradise
And when all has faded, love lives on as a
Memory.

Memories
Are the root of identity,
The driving reminder of all said and done.
Memories give comfort to the chaotic present,
Or haunt minds long fled from the past.
They never leave us,
And in the end are our only constant companions.
Memories wait at the end of all introspection,
The final resting place of all
Dreams.

Dreams
Are where we lose ourselves,
Cutting loose from the bonds of self-doubt.
They are the raging rivers of the mind,
A place to drown in our thoughts and come out anew.
Dreams are a window into the soul,
And hidden desires that can never be pursued.
Dreams are where we go to get away from the claws of the world
And find out what we wish we could be, and what we
Hope.

Hopes
Can save people from themselves
And push one toward the common good.
They show what the world can be,
And offer a path toward that idea.
They can inspire a generation
To come out from under the cynicism of another.
Hopes are the powerful hands of humanity
But also so fragile, so easily shattered by
Despair.

Despair
Is the coldest of winters,
The deadest of deserts.
It carves out the soul of a man,
Leaving a hollow shell lost in time.
It can pull a man free from the world
And let everything pass him by.
Despair is a constant companion,
Self-doubt lingering at the edge of
Memory.

Memory
Is what binds us together,
And what we fear most.
Lost causes echo out
Amid missed opportunities and affairs.
It is the ever present relic of what we learn
And what we have come to accept.
Memories are a reminder of all that we have,
But in the end, fade compared to
Love.

Love
Is the eternal mercy,
The embrace of companionship.
It shines brighter than any star,
And burns hotter than any sun.
It is the essence of life,
And what preserves us even in death.
It heals us and cares for us,
And I know not of anything greater than
Love.

Two Poems for Tuesday

Here are a few new poems from me. The first I got the idea for while I was flying to San Francisco for Spring Break. Just the joys, the difficulties, and the excitement of traveling overwhelmed me. It made me think, why do we travel? Why do we find a thrill from some unknown place? The second I thought up today, during a panic of anxiety and doubt. I need to be more sure of myself, I guess writing this out is a cathartic release.

"Wanderlust"

The road winds on an on
And feelings pull even harder
Like a quiet mournful song
It draws me across borders
Through the fields, across oceans
Down dusty trails
Long since abandoned,
Haunted by ghostly gales
What drives us here,
To places now unknown
Is it a fear of the static
Or fear of being alone?
I'm caught by a grip
Is it excitement or fear?
This nervousness in me
Am I afraid of leaving what I hold dear?
Yet I'm drawn towards the road
Pulled towards what is far away
Be it silent plains and lonely towns
Or loud and bustling bays
If the road winds on
And I'm just a traveler,
Do I know what brings me down the road
Or am I just a wanderer?

"Concern"

Why am I nervous?
Things are going fine
Yet here I am, as hesitant as ever
I know things are well between us,
But I'm just a wreck
Maybe it's me
I've never been good at this
I've never had the company of someone like you
Okay, it's definitely me
I'm just afraid
Not of your or us
But of me
How do I not ruin things?
How do I not drive you away?
Things are so perfect right now
And I don't want them to pass
But I don't know how to ask you
If I'm good or am I bad
I want to stay, I don't want to go
Please give me a sign
I'm anxious, my mind is racing
I'm trying my best, but I'm just a mess
I second guess and doubt
I'm trying to stop, I'm trying to be free
Of the fear that grips me tightly
Things are so good,
So why I am nervous?

A tale of the writer,
Nicholas

Weekly Round Up and this Blog's First Poem!

Here is the first weekly round up of the blog. To keep this from just being my articles, I want to through in a poem or a music with each entry.

I write for USC's newspaper the Daily Trojan, with both Thursday's internet column and a variety of articles bearing my byline. These past two weeks I had some of my favorite articles published. One is a look at The Losers, a great comic by Andy Diggle that's been made into a movie that comes out in April. Anotheris a look at the blog culture that explores the hidden sides of Los Angeles. Thanks to Sean Percival of Lalawag for his help with that. And I got to write about blogging! How wonderfully fitting for this. http://dailytrojan.com/2010/03/03/comic-book-losers-get-their-own-action-flick & http://dailytrojan.com/2010/03/03/getting-to-know-l-a-the-online-way/ & http://dailytrojan.com/2010/03/10/blogging-provides-students-a-soapbox/

I also contribute to Dan Northern's excellent college-tip blog, College Thrive. I write the weekly drink column "Screw the Solo Cup." With Spring Break fast approaching, here's my recommendation for a wonderfully classic and tiki cocktail. http://collegethrive.com/drink-of-the-week-mai-tai

Now onto the poem. I haven't written poetry in a while, so this is a great time to get back into the practice of it. A word of warning, the poetry on this blog is going to be sentimental, maybe inane, irreverent, and sometimes very personal. This one, "Maybe," is my first poem in months. It's short, but very true. I've met a lot of great people recently, and one of them is truly awesome. You could say she was the muse for this one.

Maybe it’s the way you smile,
So truly happy
Without a care in the world
Maybe it’s the taste of your lips,
The sweetness you have
In the warmest embrace
Maybe it’s the words I can say,
How I can be honest
Knowing you’re listening
Maybe it’s the way I feel,
The nervousness of screwing this up
And upsetting you
Maybe it’s how much I want to be with you
When we’re together,
And even more when we’re apart
Maybe I’ll never know
Why I love you
But I do
And maybe that’s all I need
Since I’m with you


A tale of the writer,
Nicholas