War is inspirational proudly patriotic necessary until you find out how mothers have the best battle cries when a sun dies not enough of him left to ship home a blackhole created in parents hearts believing war is necessary to bring peace is thinking drowning necessary to breathe air we teach our children to solve problems and misunderstandings through dialogue compromise the sacrifice of pride but as adults we send the same children to wars we built them weapons to fight for ideals we all don't really believe in a last resort? No other way? Self defense? Freedom? This is just how it is? the greatest untold battles have been fought in our hearts and minds and not taking the time to truly apply a new solution has become a tired tale we no longer fall asleep to we have practiced more patience to hate ourselves in war than develop love for someone else which we can change like rearranging our priorities of which book we want to read first from off our shelves: the Book of Last Resorts is better to read if we plan vacations the Book of No Other Way is really a lazy read for not trying harder the Book of Self Defense has been more of a stubborn belief that our life is more important than another because “they” have a different culture we don't fully understand and this book is not based on a true story historically I see the last book we often read the Book of Freedom …this old shelf holding this old story… we thought these were self help books but in fact they turned out to be self hurt, establishing freedom by killing in wars is arranged marriage thinking hoping what we put in place is the best for both parties without hardly knowing who and what they want within we can begin to stop these wars A war can't be fought if there are no soldiers on either side when soldiers decide is it better to live for their ideals than die for their country who made the same ideals so dying for their country is in fact hurting their country by taking away their precious life fracturing their lovely family minusing a father or mother sister brother all the same in the name of “honor” but not in integrity to know why you fight to know the history of who we are find out what it means before the end of this book to know what it is to be only human we can choose to help our human leaders who make mistakes like the rest of us figure things out by standing down sitting down and enjoying a show together make some art that will heal wounds so much sooner than making new ones believe me it works. I've seen it heard it, felt it read it the works of people war torn who mend themselves in the silence and peace of reading, understanding poetry peace on a canvas peace on that big screen peace in creating a theater scene peace in writing a story peace in making laughter peace in making peace inside putting together pieces that we thought we could hide with bombs and bullets thought we could stuff good intentions inside ammunition but really inside us inside all of us that believe in war there is a bomb we can dismantle there is a bullet we don't need to fire there is a fire we don't ever need to set I don't know exactly what will happen if we push reset but I do know it will be the best step towards the direction of love real love for each other and ourselves real self reflection of the complaints we are tired of saying and realistic world peace that will be ours for the making and finally put an end to creating black holes in hearts we can start keeping our suns burning their light lovely fully alive ~

I’m Only Human ~ I'm only human I'm only infinite. I'm only connected to a collective consciousness of an entire species who thrives to exist I'm only connected to a source known and unknown that is forever, creates and answers us is mysterious and all loving I'm only human. I'm only a single part of a whole I'm only a single universe of atoms I'm only DNA directly affected culminating to the current combination of chromosomes, testosterone, estrogen, H2O and more I'm only human having a consciousness as large as my imagination creating illusions as real as blueprints to buildings until manifested as constructed concepts made tangible My imagination is impossibly perfect Designed to envision I have visions that can give me stress or give me alternate scenarios to test while calling my body to react like imagining drowning could make me short of breath while the image of myself in bed with a love that has the self confidence of a lion with the heart of a penguin could make my heart skip a beat, a lung, or a decade I'm only human. With a capacity to love that can make each breath I take feel like it matters and to make matters worse it makes it feel like I matter to someone else with a wealth inside that feels like diamonds died compared to a feeling of bliss from a kiss that was free to give to receive honestly Human from pangea to now we are one with determination discipline and infinite gifts to confront our grief, ignorance & suffering to completely face the worst in ourselves throughout our history and still see through any misery beyond bending reality confidently connecting new synapses creating new habits to progress and change to process and remain together unified to keep going on as lovingly as possible through all previous obstacles It seems like being human is the best thing we could ever say we are ~

Will donate ALL of the proceeds to www.doctorswithoutborders.org From the website: "Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organization created by doctors and journalists in France in 1971. Today, MSF provides independent, impartial assistance in more than 60 countries to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from health care, or natural disasters. MSF provides independent, impartial assistance to those most in need. MSF also reserves the right to speak out to bring attention to neglected crises, challenge inadequacies or abuse of the aid system, and to advocate for improved medical treatments and protocols." I've read articles about them and sometimes the hospitals are simply overcrowded in the country they visit, so they will set up a small mini hospital/clinic from the ground up to help in however they can with the resources they have. This is a second draft of a poem I continue to develop to give fresh perspective to the concept of war/violence and how we can begin a new era of acceptance, solutions, peace, and co-existence that works. Today. Now. I am not "anti" war, I am pro peace. Pro understanding Pro dialogue Pro collaboration Pro remembering we die on both sides of war Pro loving all people Pro working through conflict with other effective means Pro being firm in goals but bendable in solutions Pro knowing my way isn't the only way/best way Pro learning and evolving my way of thinking about war/life/culture Pro finding peace Pro universal love Much respect and thank you for reading/listening/purchasing/being.

ONE dream One love One world One day One night One dark One bright One lives One breathes One wonders One dies One people One life One peace One sky To feel To Touch Together Two minds Two hearts To find Two others Too blind To be Too free To hope To dream Two arms Two legs Two eyes To cry To rise To fall To laugh To let be To live Two times Too much To live To breathe To sigh To light To truth Today To care For others For mothers For fathers For sisters For brothers For nature For love for US ~