Stopped in at NYHRC to start my membership before our enrollment period ends tomorrow. It's a great gym that I'll never be able to use even half of but the fact that it's right across the street leaves me no excuses for not going and getting back in shape. You'd think I was the one that had two kids! They've got a pool, racquetball, squash & basketball courts, all the equipment you can think of and a Chinese menu of classes! I'd really like to get back into boxing as that's one of the best overall workouts you can get but they don't offer it at this location. They do have something called Boxerobics that I might give a try once I get into the flow.

They also give you one personal training session to start you off, which should be interesting. Like an idiot, I scheduled it for Friday, the day after I get three of my wisdom teeth pulled out! The dentist claims I'll be just fine and can even go to work right after but I still remember the disclosure they gave me in the Army that scared me out of doing it back in '92! With the top two cracked, I have no choice now.

Went to get a manicure and pedicure afterwards (for the second time ever!) and felt like Annika Sorenstam on the PGA tour! The only man there, I kept catching these odd glances in my direction, like someone in a restaurant trying to figure out if that's a roach or just a stain on the wall. There wasn't even a men's restroom, just one, marked "Women." Nothing like a regular barbershop, either, as it was dead quiet in there. The workers go about their business, ask one-word questions and the customers stare into space or read magazines. Weird.

My feet look much better now. After Isaac, a couple of months back, looked at them and said "Yucky," I knew it was time to do something! My fingernails are all shiny and feel strange, almost heavy. I can't really tell if I let them dry long enough or not but I was getting anxious about taking such a long lunch after coming in late thanks to something happening on the 4/5 line that kept me between stations for nearly an hour this morning. Ended up walking from City Hall and getting in at nearly 10am!

The foot and hand massages were amazing and much needed after the past week of lifting and building and general soreness. The, um...not sure what you call her as manicurist seems so limiting but, she had these powerful little thumbs that dug right in and loosened me up. I heartily recommend it to all men and I'm going to try and do it once a month. Okay, every other month!

Today's web site: http://www.innergeek.us/geek.html I got a 30.17751% - Total Geek!

Woah! Midtown Comics is scary cool!

They sell EVERYTHING. They even had a lot of Moon Knight, though I'm glad I changed my mind about him before I went in there.

Spent my whole gift certificate (not as easily as I expected, either) and got a few more of the Loeb/Lee Batmans I wanted, all four of the Baron Karza mini, the latest Micronauts, couple of the new Titans series and the new New Mutants. Also grabbed a Batman graphic novel, The Long Halloween (good looking out, Oscar!) which just happens to pick up from the Batman: Year One storyline! Gotta love synergy.

Salomé came with me and, while it wasn't quite as bad as when Lynne went with Eric and I to the Planet of the Apes marathon (all five movies, in Ape chronological order!) and was the ONLY woman there, it was close. Of course, nothing can top the dork at the theater walking around like an ape. Priceless.

Felt like the proverbial kid in the candy store, going through boxes of comics, remembering issues I used to have as a kid, trying to find something new. The new stuff is the hardest part. I don't want to just stick with the titles I remember as a kid but I don't know enough yet to comfortably experiment. Forgot most of the stuff I'd seen in Wizard that had intrigued me, too. Early post-high school, when I was reading a novel a week, I'd just randomly pick something and give it a chance. Came across some great books that way, including Fool on the Hill and The Roaches Have No King. Have to do that with comics so I can find some off-the-beaten path stuff.

Need to pick up some comic bags and a box, too. Don't want to "collect," per se, but I do want to take care of them after I read them.

So I guess it's official. I'm really buying comics again. Lord help me!

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.
Henry David Thoreau

Father's Day was surely the best yet. The fact that we were busy all day unpacking and shopping (after spending all day Saturday moving our clothes and miscellaneous stuff) and didn't get to bed until midnight was actually the best part of it. I didn't even blink at how much money we spent at Pathmark. That's how much I love this apartment and am relieved to finally be back in our own space.

I've got two of the most beautiful kids in the world, a ridiculously sexy wife, a job I like, and I'm finally living back in the Bronx. Does it get any better than this? I'll never write another poem now! ;-)

PS: Salomé gave me a $50 gift certificate to Midtown Comics yesterday. Bad news. Gonna have to take a long lunch today to use it!

Today's CD: Unstoppable 90's: Hip-Hop

Today is the the first anniversary of my official appointment as a financial advisor with American Express. What a difference a year makes! Swung by the office on Saturday night while we were in Virginia, fully expecting to see at least one poor soul still working but, to my surprise, everyone was gone. They finally disabled my access to the Market Group web site so I can't check who's still there and how everyone's doing any more. The only two people I'm still in touch with left before me and moved out of the area. Guess that chapter is now officially closed.

The quality of American life must keep pace with the quantity of American goods. This country cannot afford to be materially rich and spiritually poor.
John F. Kennedy

I realized this morning that we've gone over six months without the majority of our material possessions. Furniture, electronics, DVDs, CDs, books...you name it, it's all been in storage. All of our clothes, a few of the kids' toys and the computer are all we've really had with us since we've been back. As Eric and I were loading the truck, I noticed I'd even forgotten about some of the things we owned. It's nice to have all of it back but, at the same time, it's nice to know we could live without it if necessary.

Looks like my cousin will be moving into our new building pretty soon. They looked at two apartments and have put in their application. Maybe as early as July 1! It'll be nice to have family in the building, especially with their two kids. Growing up as an only child [my brother and sister weren't born til I was 12 or 13], my cousins were like my brothers and sisters and I saw them pretty often. I'm still close to a few of them - they all live in the Bronx! - and would love to have Isaac and India grow up with a similar closeness to theirs. Alternating babysitting will be nice for both of us, too!

Today's web site: http://www.mushroomvillage.com/smurfs-tv.html
[I missed the premiere episode of the Smurfs because that was the day we moved from Manhattan to Mt. Vernon. I held it against my mother for months as I missed the origin of Smurfette. I've forgiven, but never forgotten!]

It's been a hectic week since last I checked in and I'm tired and sore as hell.

The move is pretty much done. Painted and assembled on Friday; drove to Virginia through steady rain on Saturday; hung out in Norfolk on Saturday night; loaded the truck and drove back on Sunday; moved it all in on Monday; did more assembling and started unpacking on Tuesday. Should actually sleep in the apartment for the first time this coming Saturday. Woo-hoo!!!

Saturday night in Norfolk was fun, if unexpected. The hotel in Virginia Beach was a waste of driving as the rain made it impossible to hang out there. Ended up at Jillian's in Waterside (in the middle of Harborfest) where we caught game six of the NHL playoffs and the Gatti-Ward rematch. Haven't watched boxing in ages and it's a fascinating mix of revulsion and awe seeing two guys pound the hell out of each other for sport. Think I'll stick to the overly stage-managed WWE for my occasional testosterone fix.

[NOTE: Spike TV debuts June 16th! Spike LEE is an idiot!]

Went head-to-head with Eric in air hockey and got my ass kicked. Brutally: 7-6, 2-7, 2-7, 1-7, 1-7. Afterwards, he's like, "You know I had one of these in my house when I was growing up, right?" Fucker! We had a bumper pool table when I was growing up. Yes, BUMPER POOL, the short bus of pool tables! With the reversible table top that could be a regular table or a card table. It was nice, for a bumper pool table, but it was a bumper pool table nevertheless. I hated that thing. Got pretty good at it but so what? It's like being good at shuffleboard and bocce ball, skills that do you no good before you turn 70!

Anyway...

Moving in on Monday was smooth - what a difference an elevator makes! - even though it was just Roger and I. We still got it done in a little over two hours. Not sure how we accumulated so much stuff in Virginia but, barring a court order or something, I can't imagine moving again for a looooong time. Knock wood.

Crazy busy at work playing catch-up. I'll check back in on Friday.

Web site of the day: http://home.attbi.com/~bernhard36/honda-ad.html

Hello. My name is Guy and I buy comic books.

I was clean for over 10 years but I've recently relapsed. I'm not quite ready to admit that I'm powerless or that my life has become unmanageable, but the potential is there. Comics are like $3 each these days! Damn Omar. I told you he was evil, didn't I? I haven't gotten crazy yet, but it's enough to necessitate an adjustment to my lunch menu. Hot dogs and knishes, like back in the day!

Sunday, I had to return a movie to Blockbuster (Ghost Ship: disappointingly blah, not even Julianna Margulies could make it worth it. Think Event Horizon and Titanic without any of what made either of those good.) and decided I'd run into the comic book store next door to grab a couple of Batman back issues from the current Loeb/Lee run but it was closed. There's at least two on Central Avenue, though, and the other one I know of was on the way back to Hartsdale so I stopped on in. Didn't have any old Batman but I did pick up two more issues of the new Micronauts run plus issue 35 of the original Marvel series which has the origin of the Microverse. It was weird digging through the boxes of old comics and recognizing all of the random titles I used to buy: Dazzler, ROM, Groo. Still no Moon Knight, though! Captain Carrot: yes. Moon Knight: no. What the hell is that about?!?!

Anyway, I felt a little guilty after I bought them and was figuring out how I was going to sneak them in the house. Felt like a crackhead! In the end, I showed Salomé because I was so excited that I got the Micronauts back issue for only $1.00.

Next thing you know, I'll be playing Dungeons & Dragons again...

Nihilist Bear


Which Dysfunctional Care Bear Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

We've said it before but I really think THIS TIME, we've found a place we'll be staying in for a while. Stopped in on Saturday to take measurements and they were almost finished with everything. The master bedroom and living room are bigger than we've ever had, plus the separate dining room is a nice extra. Hardwood floors throughout, lots of closet space, lots of sunlight. Going to paint on Friday, head down to VA to get our stuff out of storage over the weekend and move in on Monday morning. Can't wait!

If there's any store that I should own a piece of by now, it's IKEA. The Elizabeth, NJ one, to be specific. I've furnished some portion of every apartment I've lived in since 1995 with IKEA products. This weekend, we went a little crazy with new bedroom and living room sets, plus a few rugs and other knick-knacks. Got the kids the coolest little picnic table ever. Then, we hit Home Depot and dropped stupid money on paint. Paint is expensive. Custom colors are ridiculously expensive. I'm convinced it's not included in the redesign budgets on Trading Spaces. No way they do what they do with only $1000 AND pay for paint. Definitely not the brushes and stuff!

Only got into one argument over how much everything cost! Go ahead, call me cheap. It's true. I can take it.

Note to the world: I hate Verizon. Shady bastards and their "Freedom Package!" Any coincidence that the voice of Darth Vader is their pitchman? All they did was jack the prices up on individual services, making it cost-prohibitive to get anything other than the full deal. On top of all that, they can't get us service until JULY 17th?!?! If cable internet were available in our building, I'd go with that and not even get a phone, just stick with our cells. At least in Virginia there was an alternative provider (Cavalier) that was pretty good and much cheaper. Of course, there's no alternative to Cablevision, either, so it's not like the cable route is that much better.

In other news, I'm going to 13 tonight, unexpectedly, as I won't be able to make Acentos next week because of the move. Want to catch Bonafide while he's in town and it's the only option. The collective meeting was this weekend (no, I didn't go) and I was a little annoyed to find out that the June 23rd reading - Mara's feature - got turned into a womanNOISE instead of letting me host it like I'd asked when I stepped down. Most annoyed that I found out by checking the schedule instead of being told first. Whatever. Curious to see if they'll pull off the women's organization-collaboration that I'd insisted on if the format continued, or if it's just back to the usual unadorned pseudo-womancentric read. House of Woman was great in the beginning when we were evolving from the male-dominated Nuyorican scene but I think we've come way beyond that as female voices have been one of our strong suits from early on.

Whatever. I need to learn to stop saying "we."

...

Hold the phone! Decided to call Cablevision to confirm our lack of internet options and it turns out that it IS available in our building. Ironically, they just haven't updated THEIR web site. Screw Verizon, then! We'll stick with our cell phones for now. Which happens to be Verizon Wireless... Bastards!

I love New York. Now, more than ever.

Really. It's more than just some marketing slogan for me. The good, bad and ugly; I can't imagine living anywhere else.

Went for a walk at lunch today, up Water Street to the South Street Seaport, walked the pier, then went across on Fulton Street to Nassau Street and headed back south to the office. The weather outside is beautiful - finally! - not too warm, nice and breezy. The Seaport was bustling with NYers and tourists alike. I picked up a Mango Italian Ice for a little childhood flashback. (Only partial, though, as I don't remember mango being an option back then.) Fulton Street and Nassau were almost exactly as I remembered from back in '89 when I worked on Maiden Lane for the Federal Reserve as a Currency Verification Clerk. It's the place that gets robbed in the last Die Hard.

My second "real" job (back in '88, I was a teller at the Bank of New York for a year), we processed, or verified, huge trays of money every night, discarding worn bills and IDing counterfeits. It paid $19k/yr, including a bonus for working the 4-Midnight shift. High-security, four of us worked in a room with windows on three sides and three cameras monitoring our every move. There were two known blind spots and we were all expected to watch each other as well. We handled a shitload of money and I was really tempted at times to steal some, but never did. Anytime someone came up short, the whole floor got locked down and no one left until it was reconciled. Got out of there at 3am once. Can't imagine what the security must be like now. I lasted nine months before disappearing for a week without notice. Decided to move to Miami and made up a story to cover my absence [and short-notice resignation] about Jehovah's Witnesses trying to take me back to Westchester and needing to get away. Was hoping to pave the way for a transfer to the Miami branch but, in the end, didn't have the one year of service needed.

Anyway, there's some new stores and new storefronts, but it's the same low-end, rip-off atmosphere that it always had. Bought a handful of things back then, usually electronics, that were always overpriced and, judging from the game store I went in to, nothing's changed. Grabbed a slice of pizza from the pizzeria I used to always eat at (corner of Nassau and Maiden) before heading in to work and it was as good as I remember it.

Didn't realize Nassau became Broad Street and walked past the NY Stock Exchange for the first time. Ridiculous security in front of that place. More than around City Hall or the Empire State Building!

The walk was great exercise, physical and mental, and reminded me why I've never been able to move away from here for long. There's not too many places in NY that you can walk through and not fall in love. Even the bad areas have their appeal, gritty and disturbing as it might be. If we luck into nice weather tomorrow, I want to take a walk through our new neighborhood after we check out the apartment again. Time to measure things and start figuring out what's going where and what we need to buy.

Today's web site: http://www.ilovethebronx.com

I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. -Thomas Jefferson

Some would say - and have, at times - that I've always lived something of a charmed life, had luck on my side, a guardian angel watching over me. I'll be the first to admit that there's been times when things have inexplicably gone my way but I like to think it's more about karma than luck. Both good and bad, of course. That whole circles thing. After a hellacious 2002, when it seemed all the calls were going against me, 2003 has been slowly shaping into a rebound year.

Latest evidence: we got the apartment! [uncrossing aching fingers...]

Picked up the lease last night and should be moving in by the 15th of June, at the latest. They're replacing the kitchen floor and bathroom sink and giving us three new air conditioners, plus the usual clean-up and detailing. Turns out it's a rent-stabilized building, too. With some creative planning, there's no reason we couldn't live there for at least three years, at which point Isaac and India will need a bigger room, if not rooms of their own. That would be a record for us as we haven't stayed anywhere for more than a year and a half since we got married. Before that, my two years in Ft. Campbell ranks as the longest I've lived somewhere since high school in Mt. Vernon.

Next up, getting our stuff out of storage in VA and not killing each other over decorating the house. Even with the Trading Spaces/While You Were Out influence, I hate spending money on big-ticket items. I don't know why I find it so much easier to spend $500 on a bunch of little things than on one big thing, no matter how necessary. And we do need a few big-ticket things, especially now that our bedroom will be a decent size again. IKEA calls this weekend. Wish we had Amy Wynn or Ty in the backyard to just build shit for us!

In other news, the article I mentioned a while back for the new spoken word magazine that's in the works is going to be a critical essay on the relevance of slam, or lack thereof. I see it as something of a follow-up to the piece I wrote for Poets & Writers Magazine back in 1999, coincidentally the last time the Nationals were in Chicago. That piece concluded with: << On the verge of its 10th-Anniversary, the National Poetry Slam will return to its birthplace in Chicago, bigger than ever, and Smith is preparing a homecoming that will further imprint his vision on the slam. "Every revolution becomes an institution. Though it's being adopted in academia, the main movement is still very radical. It's still fresh and evolving. The mission isn't anywhere near completed." >> Marc stepped down from PSI after that Nationals and has since returned to his President for Life position. After some of my comments earlier this year, I wonder if he'd even grant me an interview again!

Did some e-surfing on Friday, itching to find something spontaneous that we could do for the holiday weekend as the combination of no news about the apartment, bad weather and being in Hartsdale were quite depressing. Checked Yahoo! Travel for last-minute deals, Googled "family friendly bed breakfast," and scoured bedandbreakfast.com for kid-friendly accomodations, mostly to no avail. Came across one interesting B&B in Providence but they didn't have any rooms for Saturday AND Sunday. Picked through a ton of cheesy Poconos web sites before I finally found what I was looking for: Rimrock Cottages. Reasonable rates, kid-friendly, less than a two hour drive away and they had some vacancies. Priceless!

Despite the weather, it was exactly what we needed. The cabin was cozy and the sleeping arrangements worked out perfectly as Isaac and India crashed on the pullout and we finally slept alone for the first time since last October! We drove around a little bit, hitting a couple of crafty-type places for some cool homey stuff, as well as a used bookstore where I found copies of Fool on the Hill and Usher's Passing that I've wanted to pick up for a while now. Salomé snagged a copy of Tar Baby and we got her father a bunch of Dr. Who paperbacks. Isaac got his first copy of Where the Wild Things Are. Mostly, we chilled in the cabin, hanging out and watching videos, both those we rented (Men In Black 2: light fun; Minority Report: much better than expected; and Full Frontal: annoyingly pretentious, we didn't finish watching it) and Isaac's Sesame Street, Dr. Seuss, Dora the Explorer and Blue's Clues, all of which I practically know by heart now!

I haven't been this rested in a while. Mentally, I mean. Everybody should have a weekend away at least twice a year. I'd vote for anyone for President that ran on that platform. I think it would be a government program even the Republicans could get behind!

Picked up Batman: Year One this weekend and I think I'm going with him over Moon Knight for this fanfic project. Batman's always been my favorite anyway and it's clear to me now that MK was a pale (no pun intended) imitation. Might as well go with the real thing. It'll be more of a challenge, too.

Still haven't heard back about the apartment and I'm starting to feel a little antsy about it. We haven't looked at anything else and have no other prospects pending at this point. If it doesn't come through, it'll likely be July 1 before we move, which would suck badly. Keeping my fingers crossed but they're starting to get numb. :-(

Interesting article from Mother Jones: Forgetting Private Lynch.

Ack! I was really disappointed in my reading last night. Came off really flat, zero energy. Got thrown a little by the need to pick my last piece ahead of time for the light cues. I usually like to flow with what comes before me, finalizing what I'll read based on what's already come. Between that, wanting to read something relatively new, and squeezing it all into 7 minutes, I felt like some stereotypical academic that's never read out loud before. :-(

The show itself was cool, a diverse lineup with poets, dancers, theatre excerpts and a singer. Got to chat with some people I hadn't seen in a while, like Flaco Navaja (still skinny and talented as hell), John Rodriguez (who's working on his PhD) and Steven Sapp (talking about Universes, Def Poetry and balancing children with a career) and met some new ones. The Mad Promoters, Oscar & Fish were there, flyers in hand! I missed the last two performers thanks to an E-X-T-E-N-D-E-D Dr. Seussian piece about flushing the toilet that ran longer than I expected and Salome was downstairs in the car waiting for me for 20 minutes at that point.

This living in Hartsdale is REALLY starting to wear on me, making every night out a transportation nightmare, and last night it just put me in a foul mood. Fish dropped me off one night and was like "why do you want to move from here?" Because I HATE the suburbs, for one! And our current living conditions are nothing to rave about, either. None of us are getting enough sleep and I think it's really starting to have an effect on Isaac. He's always cranky, his fits are getting worse and I can't help but think the tension of the past year or so has gotten to him. Between the moving around - he's moved four times already, with a fifth around the corner - and the stress of the past six months, I'm surprised he's not worse off. Hell, I know it's gotten to me! I'm moodier than usual and have felt close to losing my temper a number of times recently. We're supposed to hear back about the apartment today. Good news there will go a long way towards easing some of the stress for all of us.

Been busy actually working today, forgot how much time I'd been wasting on personal stuff the past few weeks!

Tonight's the Pepátian: Jump It Up reading in the Bronx and I'm really looking forward to it. There's apparently 14 different artists on the bill and I've got 7 minutes to perform! What do you read for 7 minutes, especially when you're in the midst of a bunch of poets, singers and dancers?!?! It's a showcase for Bronx Artists so it's a no-brainer that I'll read one of my Bronx poems. Which one, though? And what else with it? Can really only fit 2-3 poems into a 7-minute slot. Guess I'll figure it out on the train ride up there.

[NOTE TO SELF: Write something funny before the end of the summer. You need an ice-breaker you depressing mofo!]

Checked out the space online and it seems like a cool venue. Hope they get a good turnout for the show. Curious to see what the mix of Bronxites vs. scenesters is. Getting people out of Manhattan can be a bitch sometimes.

RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUBEN!!!!!!!!! America got it right! 50.24% of them anyway.

Apartment update: Talked to the super this afternoon and he says the owner was happy with our application and that they'll be meeting tomorrow to discuss it. He thinks the apartment is ours. Judging from the fact that it's been empty for five months (!) and there's not a single latino name on the doorbell list, I'm not jumping for joy just yet. Cross your fingers...

It's official. I've stepped down from the louderARTS Project and from running a little bit louder.

Writing the email was one of the toughest things I've done in a while, not for any second-guessing but for getting it right. No bitterness, no anger, no potshots. No need for any of that. I did ask that I still be able to host two of the upcoming shows - Mara's feature and Maria Mazziotti Gillan's - as I feel like I should be out front on those two. Some administrative loose ends to wrap up but, for the most part, it's a closed chapter. And a weight off my shoulders.

The trick now is to actually recapture the energy that went into all of that and redirect it into new pursuits. I'll still be on the scene, without question, but I want to get back to being a writer again, first and foremost. I remember my boss at the Academy of American Poets and his most blatant regret was choosing the administrative path over the creative one. It ate at him every day and, in drunken moments, he'd confide that he wished he'd made a different choice. I refuse to end up like that.

With regrets, I mean. No matter how messed up some of my choices have been in the past - and trust me, I've messed up bad! - I don't believe in regret. It's paralyzing and it's also a cop-out. Live by your choices and deal with their consequences.

It's a brand new day.

Last night was a lot of fun. A bit too much, maybe, as my hungover ass stayed home today! Shappy beat me 3-2 in the head-to-head. I won the Star Wars round (!) and the imitation round, he took the other three. Every round was split 3-2 except for the imitation where I won all 5 judges over! Quacky was probably the most fun I've ever had on stage. I need to write funny stuff!

The Anything Goes round went really well (despite losing to Shappy's musical lambasting of the Matrix Reloaded) as Sabrina's edits made the piece flow nicely. Keith Roach was in the house and I brought him on stage to do the Prince section in the very beginning. Talk about coming full circle! The piece follows. I'm going back to sleep now.

This is Not Goodbye
a love letter in five parts…

I.
I drank too much last night, got bills to pay,
my head just feels in pain
I missed the bus and there'll be hell today,
I'm late for work again and even if I'm there,
they'll all imply that I might not last the day
and then you call me

dearly beloved ..
we are gathered here today
to get through this thing called LIFE.

electric word "life", it means forever
and that's a mighty long time
but I'm here to tell you
there's something else ..

and it's not so bad,
it's not so bad

II.
This is sacred ground.

Step up humble
to make your offering
someone is always listening.

Remember when the words came
because they had to
when we believed every one
gave them the breath of life
like our lives depended on it.

And I want to thank you for giving me
the best day of my life
ohh, just to be with you is having
the best day of my life.

When we hit open mics like AA meetings
two or three a day
to get our fix.

Before the applause and the scores
and the slamming of doors.

Before poetry went Def
dumb and blind.

There is a beauty here
that shines through it all
like the glowing faces of pregnant women
nurturing the future.

and it's not so bad,
it's not so bad

III.
And I want to thank you for giving me
the best day of my life
ohh, just to be with you is having
the best day of my life.

Eight poets stuffed into a car
high on poetry and tequila
saved my life one night
taught me the importance
of action equaling word
of word secondary to truth.

I have carried that lesson
in my left shoe ever since
each step I take reminds me
of why I’m still here.

IV.
This is not a poem.

It is a love letter.
a thank you note.
a reminder.

We are here
because of those that came before us.

We will endure
because of those that come after us.

V.
Push the door, I'm home at last and I'm soaking
through and through then you handed me a towel
and all I see is you, and even if my house falls
down now, I wouldn't have a clue because you're
near me

This is not goodbye.
This is not the end.
It is simply the prelude
to a new beginning.