hi

Hi.
Hey, hello, yo, whassup, greetings, salutations, good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good night
Greetings seemingly without meaning,
the ask and answer by rote
but that awkward little head nod
meeting of the eyes accompanied by a smile
stay and talk just a while
because that's the start of it all
it doesn't have to be a fall but a fly,
an answer to our simplest wish
and that is this:
the acknowledgement that we exist.

Every word we say is a mark
some light to guide us when it's dark
outside is something new and old,
wonderful and mundane, different and ordinary
plant our feet down with intent
moving to do something extraordinary
because we're all extra ordinary
more than just an individual we are
part of something more because LIFE
is meant to be capitalized and underscored
with everything its been through and
everything we'll go through.

With our words using our voice
to proclaim our choice
we are here, we are now, we are present
knowing that A is A
and the sum of our parts will always be greater
than our every imperfect flaw that
we come to love as part of us because
no matter how much we'll want to 'fit in'
we'll always want to 'stand out'
when what's wrong feels so right
like a song with a forgotten name
but indelible tune telling us 'soon'.

Loaning our voice to the masses let us rejoice
in the tapestry we’re weaving when
we are doing more than just surviving we are
dreaming trying striving
we are more than alive we are living because
screw the cynics and the naysayers
we are daydreamers and life-givers we are
breathing out life and thoughts and feelings
emotion finally defined by words
put into action by a body catalogued by every stranger it first meets
black hair, brown eyes, tan skin, pink lips
small feet, big hips, whatever

We know that whoever said
"sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me"
was an optimistic liar
with words scratching out not skin but soul
taking a part of the whole and
pretending that's all they see
what they say is just jealousy
forcing themselves to fit in
when all they want is to be more;
without anyone to slam the door
can you and I and we and they
proclaim that we are the core

We are an amalgamation of our imagination
thoughts and feelings, ideas and emotion
coming together from the past
shifting us into the present
our memories not reminders we should live
but that we were once alive to do more than just survive
we breathe in and breathe out more than air
but we are breathing in and breathing out
words are what it's all about
the start and end
The hello
and then
the good bye.