“A North Carolina Spring – in 2023”

(Video below, before poem)

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Me and my friends,

I see we been through enough fire.

We rewriting stories

Full of intention and desire.

This world is full of f****d up people.

But – if you look hard enough,

Perhaps give a squinter or two,

If you pay attention to the inner,

Perhaps even the little you,

When you stomach a few minutes of the news,

A lot of scary sh*t is happening.

But – when you take a walk on a sunny day

Just before high temps hit

In the very indecisive weather of a North Carolina spring,

And you catch a nice gust of wind

On a deep inhale,

Taking a moment

With absolutely nowhere to rush off to,

No busy agenda, no deadline,

No expectation to meet,

No woes to cast,

No ex to ruminate about…

Tracking?

No validation seeking,

Cuz didn’t they see that post I made? Why didn’t anyone like it? How many views do I have on that?

Perspective:

This world is full of people.

A lot is happening.

The pace is fast.

Me and my friends,

I see we been through enough fire

To blossom into a phoenix,

Rebirth of perspective.

We wear 2023 with tension, disappointment, and uncertainty.

We have been tired for years, some for decades, seeing the pursuit no longer include happiness.

We want life.

Do we want life?

May we stop passing down

Fear,

Whether it’s fear of success

Or a phobia of bees,

May we stop passing down

Negative responses to uncertainty.

Me and my friends,

I see we been through enough fire

To fill our steps with faith in God,

Knowing we don’t have to be perfect at this,

Knowing that at times it looks a little odd.

Gotta stop passing down inconsistency and self doubt,

Me and my friends,

I think we figured it out.

Me and my friends,

I see we been through enough fire,

We gunna enjoy the journey

And you can come along and vibe too,

We tend to forget that happiness is first internal.

Happiness begins with you.