I find myself envious of the students around me

Blissfully unaware of the mistakes they’ll undoubtedly make

Ignorant to both life's wonder and tragedies

Regret is a potion strong enough for the dead to wake

There is no taste bitter than the first regret

It often comes after a long night

Like a stranger who offers you a cigarette

But is in need of a light

Regret will always be accompanied by some greater thing

It will hold the door for love, happiness, and joy

It lets them go first, only to enhance its own sting

Regret does not discriminate, it attaches to both girls and boys

It is mans own time machine

A glimpse into what could have been

Replaying the scenarios again and again

If you’re not careful you’ll surely get stuck

And that’s when it whispers

Thoughts hit you like a mac-truck

It hurts me to think that we all share this fate

So I urge the students

Give life everything you have

Because you never know when it will be too late

I was your friend and you were my world

You asked for everything

And so I gave it to you

I fell in love with you and I thought you did too

You were my one and only

But I had no idea how fast you grew

Tired of me and my everything

I gave it to you

The key to me

When my back was turned I didn’t see

You left with the door locked

And you threw away the key

You had no right

Now no one can come in

And I can never leave

You’ve left me here all alone

Broken and deceived

There are so many people

Who will never really know me

You’re the first and the last of the people who do

Now people are sad and confused

When they see this half of a whole

Because I gave you my everything

My heart and my soul

What is a soul?

Of that, I’m not sure,

Then again, who can really say for sure?

Souls don’t determine where you go after

Souls could care less whether you go below or above

I do however believe there is a direct link

Between souls and love

I don’t think one can exist without the other

Souls are not the essence of individuals

But the bond between a pair

A pair that belong together

A pair that need each other

Some things are meant to be together

Of that I am sure

Things are like that

One doesn’t put on one shoe

They put on two

The same is true

For birds who would surely leap to their death

After being pushed from the nest

If they only had one wing

Instead of the set

Souls are ever-changing

Their very essence

Always rearranging

Changing in depth, size, color, shape

Experiences are the building blocks for souls

Shared experiences are woven together

Through time and togetherness

With the person you love

A lovely picnic under the stars

A needed ride because of a broken car

An inside joke between the two

Or an argument that needs working through

It doesn’t matter

Souls are good

And souls are bad

Souls are happy

Souls are sad

They’re everything

Between two people

Who are in love

Breakups are hard

Not only are you losing the person you love

But you’re losing the experiences

That you shared with one another

The pictures, laughs, songs, and belonging

The tears, pain, anger, worry, and wronging

It’s impossible not to reflect on them both

When the soul detaches

Abrupt or if you see it coming

The love still latches

Onto the two

Because the two make you

Two halves to one whole

Two halves to one soul

As much as one might want to

Forget the memories

That a soul leaves behind

We are incapable of getting a clean slate

Incapable of forgetting

Our soul mates

Ever since I was little, I have imagined a life beyond my own. A life filled with adventure, chaos, love, and passion. There is a plethora of experiences that can only be shared through the art of storytelling. People's lives are dictated to some extent by their boundaries and stories allow people to manipulate these boundaries and surpass them. These experiences are what I yearn for as well as the lessons and perspectives that come along with them. Like a sponge in the sun, I hope to soak up any and all of the moisture that I can. In this case, moisture is all of the perspectives that reading allows us to look through. Without this moisture, the sponge remains dry and starved of hydration, not allowing it to reach its full capacity. These experiences range anywhere from being a closet homosexual man in mid-century England to an abandoned little girl from the bayous of Louisiana who is being looked at for the potential murder of a man in town. The best way to learn is through experience and reading allows people to undergo countless experiences.

More than any other, The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Juno Díaz has left a lasting impact on my life. I read it last year and it completely transformed my thinking. Diaz simultaneously presents me with experiences that I can relate to while exposing me to new and exciting experiences that I otherwise would never even know existed. Diaz showed me that although I can be halfway across the world from someone, I can still see the world through their eyes. I'm now conscious of the fact that people might feel displaced or confused by their heritage as well as how important it is for someone to feel like they belong. This book has helped me to become more aware of people all over the world who might be feeling the same way that I am or are experiencing something much worse than I am. The book is humbling because of all that happens to Oscar but also serves an assurance that I am not alone, even when it feels like it.

I long and I ache for a life that’s not mine

I’m simply expressing my feelings

When you say that I bitch and I whine

I’m growing older and weaker by the day

Every second, every minute

One step closer to the worms and decay

I suffer from a number of things

Your lack of empathy for one

But also the vice from this ring

Eight years have gone and nothing has changed

I’ve lost myself in hopes of finding you

The woman I once was

Now a psycho, deranged

But enough about me...

How is my hubby doing?

Why is your face all red?

Is it because of that girl you’ve been screwing?!

Oh, honey of courseeeeeee I know about her

She’s really quite nice

And luckily for you, she doesn’t care about size

Did you know?

The doctor thought that I was silly

“Ma’am did you mean IUD?”

I told him

“Both prevent kids but only one preserves life

I’ll give you a hint

It’s not the one that keeps me shackled

As husband and wife”

He couldn’t understand what I’ve gone through

Once again, a man mistook something for mE

As something for yoU

So my answer is no

No more procedures

No more implants

It takes two to tango

Yet I find myself alone in this dance

I will not hurt myself on account of you

Eight years wasted

I’m not ready for round two

I’m sorry my has-been husband

It’s time you walk the walk

Unless you want to spend the rest of your days

Smothering your children in socks

It’s long overdue

We have to get you snipped

Like a dog at the vet

We’ll get you all fixed

Go on now and grab your keys

Pedal to the medal

You’ve got a woman to please

We’re not going to break up

Because now you’ll be better

A man who shows up

The man who doesn’t complain

A man with no ifs ands or buts

I’m sorry my has-been husband

It’s time to man up