I’m a strong believer in the idea that our entire decision-making process is influenced by either of two powerful, opposing factors: the fear of something versus the love or desire for something or someone. Whether we’re conscious of it or not, we seem to balance these two forces against one…

Hearts only grow harder and flesh is never thin, Some are much explicit while others hold it in, Dare, I let it lay on the surface of my skin, Lest I be judged by the color of my sin. A man of tobacco’s smoke is a man oppressed in vice, Cares nothing…

The founder of a Chinese tech-company, a retired Christian congressman, a world-class jiu-jitsu practitioner, a Libertarian clergyman, an Irish-American parolee, a Syrian national, an underground hip-hop artist, and a homeless veteran are the fortunate survivors of a plane crash who are now familiarizing themselves with this tiny, uninhabited island in…

My heart needs a home, I tried fitting it on bookshelves among the fantasy novels, but for some reason, Tolkien wouldn’t let me in between him and Mary Shelley. I tried placing it by the stereo in front of the speaker, next to the collection of music curated over the years. But after…

You are heartwarmth in winter You are the wind that rustles the orange and green ornaments, delicately clinging to wooden branches You are a lonely thought silently walking through my labyrinth mind, barefoot and curious You are golden silence at my breakfast table, the perfect mid-day sweetcake, and supper’s sparkling…

Respect. What is its nature? Like love and humor, its origins ought to be genuine. True respect cannot be taken by force. True respect will spawn organically. To demand it from others is like trying to force someone to laugh or to fall in love. To be respected is not…

A Quatrain Poem About Mine, and Maybe Yours Too — ………… Last time I checked, it was still on my neck, What now is a mark, once was a speck, Protected by the freckle, I can now never forget, Tattooed into a bad mood, the ink I still regret, Smooth surface, epidermis, let color fill the pores, Black lines, abstract designs, around the…

……………………………………….. When the Opium wears off, my bones begin to ache at every passing breeze, my muscles succumb to gravity’s will, and my skin is a blanket of pain. When the Opera finally ends, the silence is as deafening as a drowning violin, as lonely as a lost feather floating on wandering wind, as painful…

My shoulders are well-oiled axles, my fists are cannonballs I am an uncompromised, uninhibited, and unchallenged fresh breath of boldness I am the statue of fast holding, chiseled down from black diamond by the strong hand of craftsmanship I am chaos’s more stable second cousin, and favored uncle to the prodigals…