Penning Freedom

Perhaps the greatest story ever penned—

The first American dream;

On this day in 1776 a brash declaration,

Was made against a power of great esteem...

A nation longing for independence,

Wanting desperately to change its stripes—

Stars that dotted the sky in the distance,

The horizon to which we set our ambitious sights,

Would be seen as none other than providence—

Proof that God would be in the midst of the ensuing fight.

However, after the gravamen was expressed,

Other brave souls readied their aim,

When it was evident Britain wasn't impressed,

And saw us as wild animals further needed to be tamed;

Thus our desire to be free would be put to the test—

It'd take more than just words to loosen those chains.

And so we fought on,

With faith as our guide,

Our leader, intrepid George Washington;

Across the Delaware, and alow rockets...

Whose red glare was like a bolide,

Nothing could deter us from our ambition—

Who can be against you when God is on your side?

There was many a Pyhrric victory,

And, conversely, many setbacks—

In an instance of irony, even, they captured the city,

Philadelphia, thinking the words echoed therefrom we'd retract!—

But even then, we fancied American apple, not humble pie,

For an appetite for appeasement we've forever lacked...

America—she was not contrite,
Nor did nary patriots' lips quiver,
Trembling words wrought of fright,
Reneging the promise they sought to deliver;
It was evident that Time for all men is finite—
We knew we just had to win that war!

Finally came the Brits' surrender,
Their redcoats aglow,
Under the vermilion sky of October—
And to each man's broken ego stood a gallow,
To forever stand erect so he'll always remember:
Never underestimate the little man's thew,
When he's a stake in the outcome of his own endeavor—
He'll give you his word and never disavow...

That's the spirit of America!


- Kevin B. Waring

Our Story

I've known you since,

After change was wrought,

By a sweeping, new presence,

Qua the joy to my life you brought,

That early December...

Like an early Christmas present,

Adorned as though given meticulous thought.

But I didn't know what was placed before me,

Until Time's hands slowly removed the wrapping,

From that which induced my reverie,

And from my forward trek sent me backpedaling;

To not explore you would've been to leave treasure at sea,

So I let you melt my heart like fallen snow in Spring.

Abdicating convention,

I went about my love in a new way;

The core tenets, however, saw its retention,

As I honed the message I was trying to convey

—

But not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined

I'd ever be so gravely mistaken;

I knew the place I'd fallen to I couldn't any longer stay...

Thus 'twas sunset at sunrise,

And light was supplanted by total darkness,

Whilst I stood

—

still taken aback by the surprise,

You divulged that smote me with unchecked force;

I just couldn't bring myself to realize,

Much less make sense of the morass,

So I turned with tears in my eyes,

And a surrender therein that'd appease the pacifist.

You made my heart race,

And all but made it stop when the moment passed;

Though your touch, Love, was more like a graze,

Upon my life, I knew then it'd last

—

Even unto a different time and place,

Your memory wouldn't ever release its grasp,

Forever wringing a smile upon my face,

As though each time I'd take you in from handy flask.

Per your request,

I left you alone,

Tried to rid myself of the feeling you'd impressed,

Dim the light I'd proudly upon you shone;

From me, it was obvious you needed a rest,

And distance between us spanning from here to Rome

—

Yet Fate

—

Fate...wasn't as eager as we were to deep-six,

Reuniting us before Autumn saw streets with fallen leaves strewn.

Yes, together we stand once more,
Now that the storm has passed over,
And should Life have for us something similar in store,
We know now the futility in running for cover—
Especially when problems are of our bosoms borne,

When resolutions thereof we fail to proffer;

Let's resolve to keep the peace and avoid another war,

Because what we already have...

Is more than enough worth fighting for.

I love you...

- Kevin B. Waring

Tatazumai

I can blend in,

Yet stand out, like a conspicuous spy,

Let love into your heart once again—

Tatazumai...

Beside love that burgeoned,

And embers from flames that slowly died,

It'd be an honor to stand,

Overt yet concealed...as though hidden—

Tatazumai...

I won't be of bother,

If in your heart I'm blessed to reside,

From me you'll hear neither peep nor murmur,

In spite of the joy I feel inside—

Like a child that knows the answer,

But won't allow for his hand to arise,

To avoid looking superior in his classmates' eyes—

So, too, am I willing to oblige—

Tatazumai...

Yes, I can fit like I belong,

With that you've allowed to pass by,

Amassing into a cacophonous throng,

That, out of discord, belies its actual harmony;

Allow me to add a new voice to your heart's song,

Without detracting from what was and will forever be,

Just like an old psalm...

Tatazumai...

- Kevin B. Waring

The Closer

I've seen happy people,

And others they've made smile;

Looking back, I lament how I was unable,

To make my love for you worth your while.

Looking back...I think of what could've been,

My mind ravaged by 'What If's',

Words said that maybe I ought to rescind,

If words between us nearly caused a rift—

I never meant to writhe any unasked tension;

All I wanted was for History to note—if only for a second—

You were one person I was blessed to spend time with.

I've seen happy people,

And others they've made smile,

Still I hear the verdict...

And smack of the gavel,

From when my love brought me to trial.

And upon issuing your verdict, I stood incredulous,

My head hung low;

I knew we'd never embrace, much less share a kiss,

Once I heard you say, "No,"—

Even without handcuffs slapped upon these two wrists,

A life spent without you is like life in prison without parole...

I've seen people hurt,

Their hearts torn by those cared for,

Yet, with heads burrowed in hooded shirts,

In the rain they stand, waiting, once more,

Hoping for light to stream through cracked door.

It hurts—but you're not to blame;

Taking a chance is the chance you take,

When you play this unpredictable game,

Malleable to an unjust fate—

Despite the outcome, I don't regret the simple fact I came;

Loving you, Dear, was never a mistake...

Yet, still, I dream,

Of the unlikely scenario,

Where we dance Bachata in the umber light that streams,

Through our foggy bedroom window;

Your eyes are alive with that seraphic sheen,

As we dine by coralline candles—

Each moment with you is a ceaseless symphony

Of somnolent strings,

Forever transporting me where in only dreams I can go.

You are beautiful—

More than you want to believe,

Which is why, in light of eve's glow,

To be with you, I pray my Maariv...

I know what I want you to be,

But won't ever take for granted what you are—

You know you mean the world to me?

That, to me, your life shines brighter than alabaster?

With these analogies you may not agree,

For of your peers, you've always been the humbler...

A love for you in my heart I will always carry,

Right alongside that for my father and mother...

I've seen myself happy,

And it's because I'd made you smile,

If loving you makes me guilty,

Then may I forever stand trial...

- Kevin B. Waring

Espiritu de Uriangato

Feliz cumpleaños,
A la chica,
Tan bella como Uriangato,
Yo se, porque veia ella,
The smitten who, at her feet,
Can't help but themselves to throw,
Just to be cast in the coolness of her shadow...

You are that beautiful,
Such that the haphephobic overcomes his fear,
Only so your touch he can feel,
Too, the sensation of having you near;
Your light is the warmth people seek from the cold,
The reassuring voice friends long to hear.

Y eres inteligente,
Trabajadora,
Byproduct of a people
Whose creed is "Si se puede"—
No sabes vuestro tiempo esta ahora?
The land is yours for as far as the eye can see—
Stake out your territory now, conquistadora!

For twenty-two years you've been alive,
And I'm sure in that time you've been through,
Things that broke your heart if not thereupon
Morbid etchings writhed...
Things that strengthened your resolve to survive,
All of which made for a stronger you;
Through all things, good and bad, may you continue to thrive,
May every dream you dream come true.

Feliz cumpleanos,
Una vez mas, a ti,
El espiritu de Uriangato,
Vigilante,
Someone's secret hero,
You've stood strong like a lighthouse
Keeps watch over the sea;
And despite the ebb and flow,
Thereof, yourself you always manage to buoy.

P.S. Since you are someone's secret hero,

Your secret admirer must be...


- Kevin Waring

Paradise

The rainfall,
It's soon to begin,
Would you be at my beck and call,
If, like rain, I could sink beneath your skin?


Alone on this here island,
The trees swaying frantically,
Say you'll hold my hand,
As we stroll where the beach meets the sea—
Whatever you want to do, I'm sure, together, we can,
If you forsake that which inhibits & let your spirit linger free.


It's gotten dark,
The wind, knifing with saber's edge,
In the midst of the shadows that lurk,
To love and protect you is my eternal pledge.


Through the break, a faint light gleams upon your face,
We stop walking; you turn to me and say,
"From here to the distance, let us race,"
As though some voiceless decree stemmed from that very ray—
Surely from here to wherever your hale bounty I'll chase;
Lead me to your love, Dear, show me the way...


Rain has begun to cascade,
Whatever light that was,

Has further begun to fade,

While we, alow, celebrate simply because.



Again we stop, drenched, barefooted in the sand,

Looking at each other, we know,
The grains on the argentiferous shore, even,
Won't equate to the number of miles we ran,
On the crazy world below,
As, once more, we take each other's hand,
And I thumb a rain bead from your brow.


Come rain or shine, no matter where we go,
We'll always have shelter in each other's shadow...


You're beautiful in the mist,
Body glistening like the sun sparkles upon the bluest ocean—
Every pore begging for my kiss,
My only quandary not knowing where to begin,
It's hard to believe...
My star fell from the sky before I was able to make a wish,
And now I sing to her—to you my paean.


The rainfall,
It's about to end,

I will be at your beck and call,

For, like rain, I've sunken beneath your skin.



Though the storm is over,

The S.O.S. sent,
Let the helicopters above us hover,
As for my repeat transgressions I continuously repent...


(Let's stay in Paradise...forever.)


- Kevin B. Waring

Faith

I've never been lucky,

The beneficiary of good fortune,

But when things don't go my way,

I look to He...

Through whom I've already won.

It seems the light shines on everyone,

In every city,

Whether it be the moon or sun,

Neither of which has yet shone on me...

Yet I know another Son,

Who is the light and the way,

By whose hand I'm lifted from the depths of my depravity.

Buried beneath it all,

I am my own treasure;

Sometimes my own name I must call,

And rescue myself from misadventure;

I'll excavate the crawl space and once again stand tall,

Forsaking the pain that won't plague me anymore.

I've never been lucky,

The beneficiary of good fortune,

Impoverishment is a malady,

Away from which I've sought repeatedly to run,

But I must have faith in those things I cannot see,

Believing God will deliver me in the midst of my situation.

So I live...for a better tomorrow,

In spite of what I feel,

Now's not the time to consummate my sorrow,

But instead letting go thereof, allowing myself to finally heal,

Hope lives in He that is able,

Extending to the horizon, past the foothills;

Before He can take control, you must first let go,

Prostrate your life...when before Him you kneel.

I've never been lucky,

The beneficiary of good fortune,

But I believe things will soon go my way—

As it is in Heaven, let His will be done.

- Kevin B. Waring