Courtship

What do you see
When you close your eyes
Small rings of green
Or a familiar face

What do you hear
In a noisy crowd
An incessant cacophony of things
Or your own heartbeat

What do you taste
When eating with friends
A juicy steak
Or the sweet warmth of fellowship

What do you smell
In a Louis Vuitton store
The scent of wealth
Or the sweat trickling down your neck

This is not a cosmo quiz
No scores for a or b
If you know the answers (whatever they are)
You have a friend in you

If, however,
You’re not sure at all
Keep having fun
The courtship is still on

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Smiling within

What’s more charming
Than feeling happy
For someone else’s happiness

What satisfies as much
As praising someone
With no vested interest

What satiates the soul
More than seeing the success
Of someone you love (for no reason)

What brings more content
Than witnessing special efforts
Eventually rewarded

If you looked for answers
Or, even better, found them
I wish you well

If you were nodding
With a smile on your face
I wish you more such moments

You’re alone

I have bad news
For those of you
Who think of others
And empathize

Those of you
Whose hearts sink
When you hear of misery
Your soul cries

When you read of rape
Your blood boils
You clench your fist
Not rationalize

A million kids – homeless
Still walking, wearing a smile
Watching it on the news
A part of you dies

Peaceful protesters
Accused of causing violence
But you don’t believe
The official lies

The bad news is
That you’re all alone
The hashtags on Twitter
Just deceive your eyes

The core of our world
Is made of cold stone
It cares a damn
About their tears, about your sighs