My generation

I'm talking about my generation
who grew up playing with legos
because they wanted to know what it was like
to build up something bigger than themselves
who has GPS on their phones
but no idea where they're going
who can raise the roof
but don't know how to raise expectations

I'm talking about my generation
The young girls who will become the mothers of the future
the boys who carry their ambition on strong shoulders
perfectly poised on the precipice of making a difference
cradling our fate in their fingertips
singing it to sleep with linguistic lullabies
promises of tomorrow that are just sweet sounding lies
because we can't go forward
if we don't know what's behind us

I'm talking about my generation
the ones who learn from their own mistakes
but don't take advantage of the lessons of our parents
We should know by now
that victors of brawls over resources only end up with
oppressive guilt, damaged psyches, and trembling bloody hands

I'm talking about my generation,
growing up in the shadow of destruction
that's actually bloodstains in the sand
sending soldiers off to an unknown cause
because digging holes is good for finding oil and for making graves
Where are the marches, the protests, the resounding voice of youths
that know we've got our guns pointed in the wrong direction?

I would talk to my generation,
but I don't think they're listening
the volume on their ipods is too high
blaring out the fact that
my generation wakes up in the morning
to brush their teeth with a bottle of jack
so that the taste of last night's regret is fresh on their tongues.

I'm talking about my generation
who needs to take a physics lesson
to understand how to turn their potential into kinetic energy
how to get this revolutionary ball rolling

I'm talking about my generation
who binges on role models
eating up the images and ideas
that we have supposedly chosen to define success
media men with mass produced metal spoons that have been feeding us since day 1
but we can't get any nourishment from
stick thin models with hollowed out eyes who see the rest of the world as extra calories
and juiced up guidos that waste ink on their skin
don't understand why it's a bad thing that the number of chin ups they can do is higher than their IQ

I'm talking about my generation
who have closed the blinds on their windows to the world
and have become blinded
to all the people that need help
to all the problems that are about to fall into our unsteady hands
to all the facts that tell us that we are killing ourselves slowly

I'm talking about my generation
who's dying for change
but can't find a cause worth dying for
who will never see tomorrow cast in granite
because the future isn't set in stone.
who can look up destiny in the dictionary
only to see that our fate isn't defined

I'm talking about my generation
I'm talking about achieving greatness
about the next leaders
about the impact we will have
I'm talking about today
about right now
about quitting
the apathetic lazy lifestyles that has infected us faster than a disease

I'm talking about our generation
but actions speak louder than words
so i'm taking a stand
right here, in front of you
asking what you're willing to do
asking
how many voices will raise up
how many sparks of passion will blaze up
because the timer's counting down till our days're up
I'm gonna lift the bar until it stays up
to make a better society
enlist in an alternate reality
where we choose empathy over apathy
Change is now. the future is ours.
whatever we decide
we'll make it to be.

Baby

Baby,
I kept you close and warm; I protected you with myself.
I felt you grow and turn and kick
with tiny little feet that danced on the inside of my belly
I wish that I could keep your little eyes closed
so that you wouldn't have to look upon the pain in this world.
I wish that you could wrap your hand around my pinky finger
so that you always have someone to hold on to.
I wish that I could always sing lullabies into your tiny ears
so that you won't have to hear any of the lies
that so many people will whisper to you
I wish that I could hold you close
so that you would know the rhythm of my body
the beat that you were born from
the baseline underneath your eyelids
the soft thump thump thump that you danced your little feet to on the inside of my belly.

I wish I could take all your innocence and tie it to your ring finger so that you could promise not to lose it.
I wish that you would understand that I will always be here
I'll be your rock to cling to when the tsunami waves rise
when the ocean tries to claim you
remind it that you're a child of the earth
I'll be your good morning kiss
the first thing that you feel
so that you can remember me the whole day
I'll be the string to your kite
letting you soar on the passing breezes
but keeping you tied to the ground

I would apologize for this world, but you wouldn't understand.
I wish I could phrase the lessons I've learned so that you wouldn't make my mistakes
but you are just as unique as I was
and if you're anything like me
you're not going to listen, anyway.

I'll leave you with this:
don't be afraid to stand up for yourself or speak out for what you love.
Falling in love is just that- falling. You don't do it on purpose, and once you do, you hope to hell that you don't hit the ground.
If you lose yourself, remember that you just have to go through the maze of your mind to find your way back to your center.
And that I will always be a warm hug on a cold january night.
I'll pull you close to me, stroke your hair, and say that I love you.