043/365

Stay humble...

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Stand tall even when they make you feel small
You are bigger than what you’re perceived to be
An ant carrying ten times its weight
An unstoppable force to be reckoned with
People will try and diminish your strength
Your power making them feel weak
Insecurities seeping from their pores
Leaking a most unwelcoming stench
Forcing fake smiles to conceal the bitterness
Envy taking precedence and consuming joy
Slowly rotting from the inside out
Reaching desperately for a quick fix
Only seeking relief when joined in sadness
The misery loving the company
Don’t be tempted to join them
It’s far easier to be angry than have compassion
But the backlash only justifies their jealousy
Try telling them that you’re sorry instead
You’re sorry they feel less-than
That your success makes them feel like failures
And that they don’t have the skills to cope
But never apologize for being great
It is not a crime to be your best self
Whether people can handle it or not
Continue growing and showing them
You are far greater than the trivial travesties
They try so hard to attach to you

042/365

It's a Gemini thing...or it could be psychosis depending on who's looking at it. Either way, the struggle is real...

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The push and pull are constant

Continuously dragged in different directions

No concept of just how far off I’ll end up

It’s scary sometimes, the inner battle

The struggle to remain consistent

The insistent running commentary

Replaying contradictions in my stinking thinking

White noise in my head, filling me with dread

Failed attempts at silencing the storm

Forever raging, my contemplation wages war

Two sides of the same coin collide

Sharp points from either side

Making the divide stronger

A persistent struggle to keep the peace

Wanting neither to win or lose

For both represent pieces of me

So, if one has lost then I am incomplete

041/365

Before you use the mouth, you might want to work the brain.

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But?
But, what?
Stop contradicting yourself and say what you mean.
And mean what you say.
And don’t be mean when you say it.
It’s really not that complicated, but I guess some people just never learn.
Ahh, there goes that but again.
Scratch that.
I take that but back.
It’s simple.
Quite simple.
Think before you speak.
Ask yourself the right questions.
Play your own devil’s advocate.
Check your logic before your madness dribbles out like word vomit,
Asinine acid melting the brains of bystanders susceptible to your babble.
Make sense.
Address and assess your thoughts. Put them in alphabetical order.
Arrange them from big to small, or most to least vibrant.
Become familiar with them so that they are not strangers.
And the feelings associated with them not foreign.
So that when you introduce them to someone else,
You are confident in your expression.
Because you’ve done the work to understand what they are
And what they mean. So, you know how to articulate.
The frustration of being misunderstood eliminated by careful communication.
So that you may say what you mean, no hesitation.
And mean what you say; self-affirmation.
And not be mean when you say it: peace preservation.

040/365

Sadly so... -VQ

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Restless feet dig into the underbrush, thick thorns biting bitterly at the soles. Sacrificing skin for the intrusion of nature’s home bartering blood for the business of greed. A stake is driven into the heart of a sweet maple, an innocent victim to a most monstrous being. Draining it of its precious milk, suckling savagely from the spout before letting the rest of its life force pour onto the forest floor.

The sweet aroma attracts a hungry mother followed closely by her cub. She nuzzles it forward to fill its belly, instincts to nurture her kin kicking in. Standing guard until it’s her turn for a taste. A massive creature with a beautiful chestnut coat. She takes another glance at her baby before crouching down for a drink. A metal click resounds through the trees, a sharp shrill as it slices rapidly through the air.

A bone crushing thud as a heavy body slams onto the wet soil. Terrified shrieks of grief and panic as a scared and motherless cub scurries off into the woods, defenseless to the wild. The sound of footsteps as a shadow emerges from the bushes. The monster has returned for its kill. An insatiable appetite for murder in its gut. Senseless and relentless, it takes yet another precious life. Claiming dominance over all creatures, falsely believing it is the superior race. Sadly, such is human nature.

039/365

Checklists are helpful due to their simplicity when managing tasks not when deciphering love. Love is too complex for checklists....

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Sure, she meets a lot of the points on your “ideal wife checklist” but does she truly make your heart happy? She looks good on paper but in person she falls short of satisfying your needs. The need to be supported, unconditionally loved and motivated, to be met in the middle with effort and dedication, and most importantly of loyalty. Who then are you doing it for? To appease the people around you? To avoid judgement? What about how YOU feel? What about what YOU truly want? Suppression births depression. The doubt and regret will eat away at your soul until there is nothing left but emptiness. True fulfilment comes from being authentic to self. From not being ashamed to express one’s inner desires and set forth the motion to obtain them.

Know what you will and will not accept from others, but do not place people in boxes. You will only end up limiting your choices and suffocating them with your rigid expectations before they’re even given the opportunity to open up. You can’t pick apart a human being and only keep the good pieces. We must be acknowledged as whole packages made up of…

038/365

It’s the subtle things I see that make me question your character

Should we be straight up now or should we simply wait ‘til after 

Hearts are broken, hateful words are spoken, spitting jokes and throwing jabs devoid of laughter

Now I won’t say I’m not a sinner but I don’t repent for envy

To live in lust for worthless stuff is to always come up empty 

So if you’re comprehending I suggest you don’t offend me

My bark, my bite, my spite are savage far from friendly

I don’t do well with condescending 

When I love its trust that I’m lending, personal laws and built up walls that I’m bending to let you in on a whim praying it doesn’t lead to a painful ending 

My word is my bond, made strong from enduring plenty of wrongs for too long from suitors I was fond of

So I’ll be damned to let a man throw up his hands to demand a piece of me, or reprimand for me for indecency

I used to hold on until the love was gone which meant war was inevitable

Forced to make choices that were vicious, vile, and regrettable

But it was all for the good because the lessons I learned were incredible

Made a promise to God engrain it in my brain: make the pain unforgettable.

037/365

Get busy loving yourself. Put in the work so that you may reap the rewards...

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I call upon you Mother Earth

To help me nurture my self-worth

To prove to me I’m more than flesh

That I’ve more than grown and deserve the best

I call upon you Spirit of Air

To teach me diligence with my own self-care

Give me the strength to look within

To forgive myself and push past sin

I call upon you Water Witch

To heal my wounds without a stitch

Give me the power to accept my scars

For our flaws are what make us who we are

I call upon you Femme of Fire

To burn self-doubt and ignite desire

Remind me of my magic, may it guide me on my quest

For inner peace and love, and eternal self-respect

Blessed be the Goddess in me

036/365

Haiku's on a hot day...

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Soft soil hugs bare feet

Skipping through happy meadows

Lush with love and life

Vibrant is her smile

Illuminating the space

Making spirits soar

Kisses like candy

Sweet sensations when lips meet

Caramel cream dreams

035/365

When people try so hard to convince you that the problem is you when really the issue is that being in the presence of greatness makes them feel insecure and dim. Just keep on shining, someone will appreciate your glow. 

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They say I’m just too difficult because I’m much too opinionated. Every comment they state contradicted, every stance they take debated. They think I’m just too headstrong, that I find kindness overrated. I merely wear the truth, their disdain stays masqueraded. It’s too hard to break through my stronghold to take control. The attacks take their toll, but I do not fold, disappointment getting old very quickly. So, I’m shifty because I’m suspicious of their intentions. I’m the one with incomprehensible apprehensions, yet they run swiftly at the mention of responsibility for their actions.

Only pointing at my reactions; an easy target for their blame. Refusing to play their game they assault my “too-strong” sense of self. Forever feeling inferior, my words inciting their fury as they are dealt. My confrontations strike at insecurities unbeknownst to me. Irrationality driving the brutality against my personality as if I can see what lies beneath. They fix the masks upon their worried faces, afraid that they may fall. I say come at me correct or don’t come at me at all. It only feels like I’m too much because their standards are too small.

034/365

There is nothing like a Puerto Rican party...

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Gaudy gatherings where generous sounds of guitarras

Permeate the air and are paraded by proud people

Pleased to be in the presence of such passion

Thick hips sway to the tempo of tambourines

Merriment melting into the melody of maracas

The guiro guides eager feet into a most glorious gait

The tunes tempting even the most timid to join in

On the titillating vibrations. Encouraging all bodies

To move and twirl to the timing of the trompetas

No one is exempt from picking up the pace,

Old Puerto Rican faces light up with pride at the sight

Of joyous souls moved by the magic of our music

033/365

It’s rude to not close the door behind you, especially when you were so graciously invited in. -VQ

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I poured my whole soul onto the paper

Used up the very last bit of ink

Now my vessel is running on empty

I have no power left to think

I filled the lines with passion

Stained white pages with my pain

You crumpled my convictions

Tossed to the side by your disdain

You took what you wanted from it

And discarded all the rest

Your words were never good enough

So you stripped me of my best

I exerted so much energy

Into making you feel fulfilled

Never noticed I was draining out

Didn’t feel my insides spill

Now I’m left alone repairing the disaster

When all you had to do to avoid this mess was simply close the chapter

032/365

All it takes is one small act of kindness to change a person's day for the better....

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The rain pounds the pavement, followed by a guttural roar from the pale sky above. The trees, thick and luscious, crouch over under the weight of the raindrops bending from the pressure the same way she was. She didn’t even bother with the umbrella tucked neatly into the side pocket of her backpack, patiently waiting to fulfill its purpose. Her head hangs low, neck arched in the same sad shape of her forgotten companion. Tired eyes fixate on restless feet. Her body speaking a different language from her face entirely. Eager legs carrying a heavy heart.

The rain is relentless now, picking up it’s pace falling faster and harder than before. It shows no mercy as it slaps at the back of her neck almost taunting her in her pitiful state. She doesn’t look up but even through the downpour the glisten of tears shine. They sparkle with their…

031/365

False advertisement is the foundation on which this country was built upon. Lies upon filthy lies...

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God Bless America she’s desperately in need
Morality and compassion slacking,
Lady justice blindsided by her greed
She roars empty promises of liberation,
“Give me your tired and your poor,”
Yet she sends them packing when they
Reach our shallow shores
Extinguishing the flames of freedom,
Her master permitting no such peace
Doing his dirty bidding since he
Grabbed hold and won’t release
Mistaken for his mistress, he gets
His jollies from this whore
Sole purpose to profit from her power;
A straight-up pimp and nothing more
Nobility doesn’t exist here, our leaders
Lack in taste and tact
We had everything to fear when
Orange turned to the new black

030/365

Out with the old, in with the new...

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The Golden Rule is for fools too self-involved to consider how other people wish to be treated. You can’t love someone how you want to be loved. In a world full of distinct individuals how can it be safely asserted that everyone is going to want to receive love the way you do? The positive principle is there, but the message is murky nonetheless. It teaches people to be selfish and oblivious to the needs of others. The philosophy fails to teach empathy; a necessary ability in the manifestation of honest human connection.

Empathy is very simply taking a walk in someone else’s shoes, not to be mistaken with sympathy which involves feelings of pity. See, while sympathy takes sides empathy doesn’t. To show empathy towards another person does not mean you have to agree with their opinion or situation. It doesn’t mean that you must like what they are saying or doing. At the end of the day after you’ve tried those shoes on, they’re going right back on the feet of the person you borrowed them from. What matters most is that you tried.

And in trying maybe you discover that they’re uncomfortable. That maybe they’re just too big or too small. Are tattered with holes and scuffmarks, have little support, and are literally falling apart. It is quite possible that in this discovery you will gain some understanding of this individual’s perspective and hopefully be a little more sensitive to their frame of reference. Each person’s experiences are unique, therefore; a great deal of knowledge can be gained by choosing to view the world from different angles.

 One of the most profound things to say is: “I never looked at it that way”. It infers inner growth and wisdom. It shows that not only did you open your mind’s eye to the other’s perception, but also that you are consciously expanding on your own. And perception is everything so, the more it is expanded upon the greater power you will have, the greater love you will be able to give, the greatest love you will then be able to receive. Look deep within yourself to find out who you are, how you wish to be loved, and then reciprocate the process for your loved ones. Scratch the ‘Golden Rule’ that’s the olden rule. Empathy rules now.

029/365

Sometimes I don't have an audience in mind, sometimes I just write for me...

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I write to give my thoughts freedom

A fighting chance in the vocal world

I write so that I don’t implode with

words unspoken, feelings unsaid, or

opinions unheard. I put my pen to

paper to give my ideas the same neat

order the lines on the pages provide

To gain some sort of clarity from the

madness in my mind. For relief.

To silence the many voices echoing

off the skeletal walls in my head

All shouting, all at once, begging for

an opportunity to be let out.

027/365

Money problems...

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Money is sin. Money is corruption. Money motivates murders, wars, heists, extortion, prostitution, destruction, deception, choices, and even character. Money changes lives, for better or for worse. Money has power imprinted on its skin. Tattooed faces taunting the underprivileged. Breadcrumbs for the have-nots who never get to experience the fullness of consuming a whole loaf. Money easily manipulates the masses, driven by their hunger, empty bellies filled with nothing but a lust for the dough. Money is a dangerous necessity, people constantly trading currency for standards. Some things worth being put to the side for the prospect of profit. Morality is a poor person’s problem after all.

026/365

High on my list of pet peeves: liars! - VQ

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Frustration is the manifestation of the accumulation of impatience

Desire burning, insistent yearning, for equal dedication and constant adoration

When people retract-- pull back their participation, I lose the inclination to be patient

Irate in contemplation, fuming, the fakeness fueling the intensification of my aggravation

Temptation causing the creation of two faces, deception to gain domination of our relations

The relationship ending in devastation upon detonation and revelation of the truth

Blaming my imagination when in actualization it so vividly paints the illustration of you

025/365

Keep your eyes on the prize and let nothing get in the way of your success...

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Ambition is the mission…I’m just tired of it missing

They say follow intuition, but my conscience doesn’t listen

Strolling through quicksand, I sink fast, in a state of chronic avolition

I bring my own demise into fruition when success starts to feel so distant

That I give myself permission to be beat down and choked out into submission

We’ve all been in this position of constant contradiction

Too young to wear our frowns, too old for indecision

Doubt decaying dreams, too blurry to envision

I’m not sure of my ailment, but I’m searching for the remedy

That thing that I need to achieve, to cleanse me of my obscenities

Just when I thought I’ve let it go, on replay, it relays my pain just like a melody

Earworms of diffidence I can’t seem to dissect

Because of energy that I lack, that I can’t seem to erect

And so, I fall…

But no matter how hard that wall is in front of me I somehow slip through

And I guilt trip too, but there’s not much I won’t do to flip the script on what’s written, contradict premonition, and put an end to this feud

I know what I’m risking… I know what it takes to be great: generate distance and create

Annihilate all obstacles put in my way…put a pounding to the pavement, push hard to get pay

Don’t apologize for time lost with friends because they’re not the ones who can provide a means to your ends and they’ll be there when you come back again…doing the same old spin…into the same old trends

Regret and hesitation: enemies in my war making sure I’m not complacent but I’m steadily chasing while you’re steady pacing, wasting your time

I’m not very patient, I want first in this race and I’ll do anything to get what is mine

I know it sounds selfish but listen,

There’s no need for competition when ambition is the mission.

024/365

I believe in Faith in God, not fear of God....

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Am I a God-fearing woman?
Of that I am not, nor do I wish to be
God does not instill fear in this heart
God guided me with gentle hands to heal
the broken parts of me. He picked up the
trampled pieces and dusted them off,
mending them together with loving patience
and care. He showed me mercy unlike no other
being, the light of his love warming my soul
and making me feel whole again. Fear is not
associated with my relationship with God for
He fills me up with courage making my faith
indestructible. Terror is the devil’s work and
even then I choose to save face knowing that
when I walk with God by my side, I have nothing
to be fearful of. He quiets my mind; a forever
raging storm and silences the doubt shouting to
get out. I trust in Him more than I’ve ever relied
on anyone. Blindly, I follow in his footsteps doing
His bidding, spreading knowledge and fulfilling
my destiny. With conviction I believe that He will
never steer me wrong.  Am I a God-fearing woman?
Of that I am not, nor do I wish to be.