Reassured

I was standing in the bar last night

mind astray

thanks to dark kisses & a lil bit of alcohol

and all of a sudden there was this

G
I
R
L

And through her eyes

her soul looked broken

and she watched me

w
a
t
c
h
i
n
g her

and smiled a tear-stained smile

reassuring me

So I smiled back shyly,

sipped my drink,

and danced another dance with my dark man.

-bj

[11/22/2001]

La Dolce Vita

I want to hold his hand

and climb to the top

of the highest...most

m
a
j
e
s
t
i
c

tree

...late at night

because that's our favorite time

and his eyes will light my way

and when we finally make it

I'll reach up to the sky

and borrow a star

and we'll play with magic

until the sun wakes up

and lends motivation

for the early-morning

joggers.

So we'll quietly put the star back

and he'll whisper in my ear

and I, of course, agree

and we tiptoe back to his house

to lose ourselves in each other.

-bj

[c. 2001]

speed is subjective [i.e. influenced by personal opinion].

What one might perceive as a 50-yard-dash, may in reality be a year-long marathon... As the finish line slowly comes into view, the tortoise - so to speak - the one who has maintained a slow, steady & reliable pace - with only the odd sprint, in order to preserve harmony & maintain the status quo - remains resolute and continues on. The competition is fierce; ego, ire, envy, confusion....these emotions have caused many a contestant to stumble.

The tortoise remains patient & steadfast. Pushing on toward the finish line, the tortoise watches as its competitors struggle, eluding themselves & each other, searching for short-cuts and un-deserved victory. The tortoise chuckles & maintains pace. The tortoise had prepared well for this marathon. The tortoise plays fairly. The tortoise ignores taunts & jeers from the stands & its competitors. The tortoise is determined, methodical. The tortoise knows that slow & steady wins the race.

However, the tortoise is disappointed that its competitors don't comprehend the notion of self-knowledge, self-worth -- and is crushed to see that the fans in the stands haven't even noticed its progress. They sit watching, while the other competitors trip over each other, run round in circles - their antics have turned the event into a circus-of-sorts. An entertainment venue.

Some people just don't understand personal achievement. Or what it takes to get there.

by bary alyssa johnson

11/26/08

She didn't entirely trust him. She didn't know why. She liked him, liked being around him, but something about him put her ill at ease. He was charismatic. Everybody agreed on that. Beloved, even. But beneath the confident exterior lay a darker side to the man. A greedy side. A side that looked before it leapt. A side that foresaw the potential future, but not necessarily an accurate portrayal of what was to come. Nobody knew yet what would occur in the following years.

He was very spiritually evolved. A soul like his should have been above such buffoonery. Unfortunately for us all, the ugliest part of his soul took power at the most inopportune of times.

-bary j.

03/08/09

He liked his hoodies like his liquor: dark. Dark was his life. He dressed in black mostly and most definitely preferred night to day time, cursing the daytime drivers. Most of his acquaintances assumed his look was comparable to his inner soul. 

 In reality, that couldn't be further from the truth. 

 Deep-down he was still a child. Naive in ways that didn't make any sense, given his unfortunate past. He very seldom let that part of his soul shine. It was easier for him to see fear in the eyes of his peers than to have to admit to himself that he must start trusting and start loving again. He didn't like that term - Love. It was so subjective. But he needed it in a way he himself didn't even fully understand. 

Would he ever give himself the chance to learn?

-bary j.

"Remember, it takes two to tango," [he said].

"Yeah," [Stephen] says, leaning in closer. "Except you're forgetting one thing."


"What's that?"

"No one's ever forced to dance...

are they?"


-james patterson-
You've Been Warned