Dawning - 6/21/14

What happens when the person you adore
Enjoys what's given and pre-orders what's in store?
Does it mean as much when the person wants more?
Or is it just as nice when you've been implored?

The little things can become big deals.
Relationships can progress to mountain biking from the rose-colored big wheels.
It's amazing to see the ups and downs of two people consistently relating,
When conversations can go from doting to aggravating.
Wide eyes can start to squint,
Once-blurred flaws now appear in clear focus, as though under microscopic lens.

Personalities wax and wane,
Tides of emotions ebb and flow.
Arguments can tax and strain,
While discussions heal and offer ways to grow.

Sex creates connections of the soul,
Blinding the mind and binding bodies.
It can be a very deep level of bonding,
Or the last thread keeping both parties from absconding.

Love is often extolled,
Both in verse and in song,
But what often isn't told,
Is the work it takes to keep it moving right along.
Yes, beauty springs forth when love happens,
The prettiest pastures proliferating in our hearts.
However, grass doesn't remain green on its own.
In order for the grass not to seem greener on any other side,
It's imperative to take care of home.

Growth, respect, affection, and interest.
Maintain them all, and encourage more.
Be too creative to get bored,
And too involved for the other to feel ignored.
That way, whether it's random or implored,
You'll always have plenty in store for the person you adore.

-A. Lewis

The Quarter-life - 6/4/14

Thoughts of the quarter-life.
Working hard to avoid that "may I take your order" life,
Working hard to live that "beyond the border" life.
Life isn't worth living if it isn't beyond borders, right?
That's in reference to the comfort zone.
We're all trying to step out of it,
Yet we're trying to feel at home.
Working hard to set up a future,
Yet trying to enjoy our youth before it's gone.
Trying.
A word that comes up often.
Paying it forward without having what it's costing.
To cope,
We shell out cake just to taste the frosting.
See...
We all have goals and dreams,
But reality can be a bit much.
While we're trying to figure out what it all means,
We tend to end up a bit out of touch...
And that's when we come back to Earth.
Spending our very last on "first things first."
Feels like building an empire out of pennies.
A tiresome task of tremendous tedium.
If there are truly many ways to achieve success,
Struggle seems to be the most common medium.
No one's complaining though.
Not when we have instagram days,
Twitter nights,
And tumblr mornings.
Commenting, liking, reblogging, and tweeting.
Socially involved and aware.
To post is to live, to share is to care.
We vent, we laugh.
We pass around images of things we can't have.
We discuss net worth, we discuss rap.
We skate around being cash-strapped,
Encumbered by student loans,
Blaring reality TV and hip-hop over the groans,
Call it "griping" when someone moans,
Although it's a travesty that mainly debt is what our generation owns.
Such is the quarter-life.
The "although I have two degrees, may I take your order" life.
The "I need good vibes, so I'm a movie and music hoarder" life.
Rambling until four in the AM.
Thinking of dream positions and how no one would pay them.
Meditating on obstacles to our success and how to slay them.
Contemplating life decisions and party attendance.
Relationships teetering because of dependence and persistence,
Friendships swaying because of distance and insistence,
Dating seems to be a mix of maybes and misfits.
Everything seems to be happening all at once,
Happening quickly.
Yet progress is moving both slowly and gently.
Still making moves intently.
In an age where digital and instant are the new waves,
We know there's more to life.
We may be the last to be about that "brick and mortar" life.
Much love to us all,
As we live through the quarter-life.

-A. Lewis