The Last Place You Go

You are gathered here today to say the last good things

And isn’t that the worst part

That on a day like today

We want you to say good things.

The Last Fall

Perhaps you only find out at the end of your life that happy is as good as it gets.

And there’s nothing that lasts that can be anything more.

Maybe looking for more is like going to the edge of a cliff, and walking into the beautiful view.

The Moments That Matter

Remember the person that you are, in the moments that you aren't.

The Hard Way

If you want good things, don't get distracted by easy things.

The Light Of All Stars

Follow your star.

Because yours is the only star that you can follow.

Everyone else’s stars might shine brighter or sit higher in the sky.

But do not get distracted or try to follow stars that aren't your own.

They will lead you places but they will not be the places you’re meant to go.

Only your star will take you where you’re meant to go.

If your star takes you through a storm, then go through the storm.

If your star takes you into the deepest ocean - then swim.

Because only your star knows where it must go.

And how it must get there.

The night is long and sometimes, your star will be hard to see.

Be patient and close your eyes.

It is always there.

It is waiting for you to follow it.

The Ocean Of Noise

I'm worried that if I suddenly disappeared, no one would know.

Their expectations of me have become a shell and so it doesn't matter whether I'm really here or not, a shell can be empty inside

So if you know that I'm here.

If you can see me.

Here's to you.

The Place The Light Strikes Red

I write down every reason to be afraid on your wrists, and below my eyelids, where the light strikes red.

You might get addicted to someone. 

You might get addicted to being alone.

You might get your heart broken. 

You might have to mend it yourself. 

You might die.

You might live.

Even though it’s dangerous to live.

The Strange Reflections

You'll see. Sometimes, the answer to the question, “What’s the worst that could happen?”

Is both, “Seeing them again,” and “Never seeing them ever again.”

The Only Thing Keeping Me Together

You are in these threads of light.

Because I am held together by my weaknesses.

The Echoes In My Skull

After everything, you will discover that loneliness is just not finding yourself, because there’s no one around to find yourself in.

(You will discover: we need someone else to see us, to be able to see ourselves.)

The Quiet Room

One day, they will make a public holiday called The Day Of Saying Things You Did Not Say.

On that day, you will walk into a quiet room and discover someone waiting for you who you have not seen in a long time, and you will be given the chance to say things you did not say during time you knew them.

It will be more popular than Christmas.

The Bodies In My Wake

I am kept awake not only by the people that I hurt, whether on purpose or accidently, I am kept awake by everyone I hurt unknowingly, who might still be hurt.

This is the hardest thing: You can never know how many people you hurt, just by being you.

The Anchors I Found In Others

Remember: You’re never "just holding my hand."

You’re keeping me on Earth.

Don’t let go.

The Problem With What Matters

Things matter even when you think they don't.

They matter when you’re thinking about something else.

Things are important when they’re not obvious, when they’re subtle, like the curve of a lip.

They’re important in the spaces that most of us miss.

Because we don't know what matters until it passes us by.

Until it's too late to grab it, hold it and say,

"I'm sorry, I didn't know this mattered.

I didn't know it was important."

The Dark Cloud Of Hate

You will say that the time for anger is now, that we have not been angry enough, that not being angry enough is the problem, and I understand that you have every right to be angry and I am angry for you.

And yet somehow, you and I must turn the anger into love. We must turn the black cloud of hate into light. We must turn war into peace. We must turn clenched fists into open hands.

We must only perform miracles.

The World Will End On A Pleasant Day

You will be wondering why no one picked up the paper next to the bin, when the missile breaks through the atmosphere, and whines through the air on its way down.

You will be swimming with friends when the Earth rips itself open to show the stars its beating heart.

You will be returning something at the store when the men in lab coats make a terrible mistake with a deadly virus.

You will be looking into the eyes of someone you love and you will marvel at how the simple act of looking at them makes you happy and so when the world ends, you will be ok with it ending.

The Remaining You

Someone knows the you that goes to bed early because you can’t talk.

Or the you that doesn’t stop talking when they’re excited.

I’m sure someone knows the you that stays up late because your head is too busy, no matter what you tell it to settle down.

There must be many, who know the you that you wish other people thought you were. And more that know the you that other people actually think you are.

And perhaps a few know you, at least, know the you that you think you are.

But only I know the you that’s left, when the rest of you has gone away.

The Fearful Planet

Here’s the thing you need to remember: People talk about what they fear.

They’re afraid you think that they don’t make enough money, so they talk about expensive things they’ve bought or want to buy.

They’re afraid you think they’re uncultured, so they talk about where they’ve travelled or show you pictures of the places they’ve been or want to go, or obscure books they’ve read, movies they’ve seen or music they listen to. The important thing here is not that -they- enjoy it, but that -they- know about it and -you- don’t.

They’re afraid, and so they roll their eyes at the simple things that make other people happy.

They’re afraid of what people think of them and so they’re afraid of who they’re seen talking to.

They’re afraid you think they’re out of touch and so they absolutely must talk about every new thing they find, as soon as possible.

They’re afraid you think they haven’t accomplished anything, so they talk about what they’re busy with in detail, every chance they get.

They’re afraid you think they’re ugly and that their life is a mess, so they show you as many photos of themselves looking calm and beautiful as they can.

These are not the actions of brave people.

These are the things you do, when you’re afraid.

Somehow Real

Because of you, this book became real and available out in the world. You're amazing and sincerely appreciated for your support because without it, nothing I do would be real. The universe which made you as wonderful as you are, and me, love you. I hope you know that.

P.S. - if you were lucky enough to get a free copy last year, please take the time to leave a review on amazon.

The Atoms On The Edge

They asked me to point to where it hurt, and so I pointed at you.

The Day You Stood On Your Own Shoulders

You are not empty.

There has to be a part of you left, even if it's just the part that says, "I am empty."

Stand on top of that part of yourself and reach up. Reach out.

Because you are not empty.

The Gentlest Reminders Dropped From Passing Planes

You were not put here to impress others, to be better than others or to beat others at all costs.

You were not put here to compare yourself to others and your success is not dependent on someone else's failure.

You were not put here to put others in their place, to teach them a lesson or lecture them about who they are. You can and should help others but don't treat others like they're broken just because they're not who you think they should be - You were not put here to fix others.

You were not put here to rise above others. You are unique but not special and that's not a bad thing because it means all of us can achieve some kind of greatness.

You were not put here to be against others.

You were put here with others.

The Notes Before Now

The Longest Distance To Others

The Counterpoint

The End Of Fire

分かち合うこころ

 

あなたが傷つくたびに私は血を流すのです。

(Original entry.)

The Leaving Song

The Way Forward

ファー

柔らかくなって。世界にあなたを固くさせないで。痛みに憎しみをを起こさせないで。苦々しさに優しさを奪わせないで。他の誰もそうだと思わなくても世界はまだ美しいんだと信じることを誇って。

(Click to see the original)

The Away Team

The Best Reason For A Fight

Life isn't fair - not because that's the nature of life but because too many people have looked at life and said, "Well, it's just unfair, that's just the way it is," and then done absolutely nothing to change it.

If you want life to stop being unfair, punch the thing that's being unfair in the stomach, drag it into the light and then kick it in the ribs repeatedly while you yell at everyone around you, "Hey! This thing is really unfair." Get them to kick it in the ribs too.

No matter how big or small you are, be brave. Have a fight.

That's how things change.

The Turning Of A Sphere

Who could I love now?

Surely, you are both the start and the end of the world.

The Rain Of Black Umbrellas

I'm not saying I know you better than anyone else.

I'm saying I know better than anyone else what it's like to miss you.

The Fight Eternal

You would destroy us, for something as useless as being right.

The Terrible Inadequacy Of An Entire Life

All I can do is talk to you while we cook and listen to old jazz records in the kitchen.
All I can do is remember your birthday and our anniversary and the days special things happened.
All I can do is touch your hand lightly when something happens in the movie on the couch.
All I can do, is make love to you, kiss you, grow old with you and then die with you.
But the light in me will still want to touch the light in you and while all of these things are beautiful and good, none of them are that.

It is all, incredibly unfair.

The Patient Spirit Of Forgetfullness

Do you remember when I woke up in that memory?

I remember you, waking up in a memory.

The Dream Of Trees

Everyone forgets how to fall asleep sometimes.

You just put your head on the pillow, and breathe out like you're giving up.

The Nothings We Made From Somethings

You don't know?

We were all told we’d be something and some of us believed it, and we believed it so much, we did nothing, and so we never became anything.

The Instructions

You kick every car with a car alarm.

You let me pick the lock on your heart and write secrets on it.

You put a white porcelain shotgun against my coal black heart and pull the trigger.

The Church Of Broken Things

I want to break the things you're worried about breaking.

Because I want you to see that broken things are nothing to worry about.

The Impressions On Snow

It's can be hard to convince yourself that the things you feel aren't real. But in order to actually interact with the world, sometimes you must act as if you don't feel them, at all.

The Spider Silk

Choose good friends if you want to stop growing old. 

Whenever they see you, no matter how many years it’s been, they will look at your face and say,

“Look at all the things you’ve done.
Look how beautiful you’ve become.”

The Blind Loving The Blind

I'm sorry.

I was looking at you.

I just couldn't see you.

I was staring into the light.

The Stupid Things I Need To Hear

Sometimes people who you like, won’t like you.

That’s ok.

Sometimes, everyone around you will talk about all the incredibly cool things they’re busy doing and you will have very little to talk about yourself.

That’s ok.

Sometimes, you will wake up and you’ll just be sore for no real reason.

That’s ok.

Sometimes, you won’t know what to do and people will say, “I’d kill to have your problems!” and that won’t magically and suddenly stop them from being problems.

That’s ok.

Sometimes, I’m saying it to you because I hope that one day, you’ll be able to say it to me.

That’s ok.

The Failure Of Prayer

I tried to tell you how much you mean to me.

How every part of you is made of the dark side of light.

How seconds hit like glass hammers.

How every millimeter of your skin softly sings a song only it knows.

I tried to tell you how much you mean to me.

How a billion black oceans float between the things you say.

How shadows chase shadows.

How low the birds fly when I blink. 

I tried to tell you how much you mean to me.

How this house becomes church light in autumn.

How we can be, and be, and be, and be again.

How a porcelain heart can beat so hard it breaks itself.

I tried to tell you how much you mean to me.

But all that came out was poetry.

The God At The Station

Isn't love just a kind of God that stops existing when you stop believing?

Who could believe in that?

And yet, people do.

The Slow, Gentle Continental Drift

I stayed because you were the only one who thought I could be better.

I stayed so that you could get better.

I stayed.

The Bottom Of The Dark

Everyone's got someone, deep in their lungs, that they need to breathe out, before they can sink.

Is that why you're trying to breathe me out, darling, while I'm still trying to breathe you in?

The Light Leaving Machines

I will record it, and when the time comes for me to die, I, or the nurse, will put the headphones in and I will hear:

"You have a name but soon you will not.
You loved everyone you could as much as you could.
You are only doing the most natural thing in the world.
Everything, is fine."