Slammed & Split

The Positive Poem

This
is the positive poem.
It's about living for the moments
like …

when a girl's eyes flash
and she bites her lip
and you know
that you're supposed to kiss her then.
Because that,
my friends,
is sharing a moment.

like knowing you nailed that poem
because the audience
is thinking too hard
to clap right away.

like the one dude coming over
after you completely bomb
just to tell you
that you didn't get 'em this time
but write to make them forget last time next time
because you're only as good
as you keep trying to be.

like being embarrassed
when something so good happens
that all anyone does anymore
is congratulate you
with a look
that lets you know
they're wishing that kind of luck for themselves
even as they forget
that you're wishing that for them, too.

like seeing phone numbers
you know you can call in a jam
and get a "How are you?"
before they ask, "What happened?"

like family reunions,
be they blood, friend or circumstantial
because they're one group
that will always have you.

like visiting old haunts
and remembering times spent,
thinking of the differences
and wondering where time went,
but knowing you're in a different place,
and those times you don't lament.

like hearing a song
that grabs you by the mind,
reminds you of the reason
you loved music all this time.

like when someone makes a comment
that expands on your horizons
because the perspective
they presented
forced you open-minded.

like making that catch
or that shot
or that goal
when you and your friends
are out playing ball,
and it's a little bit better
than you've managed in all
the years you've been playing
and it's worth it after all.

like nicknames you've got
other people don't get
because they don't know the story
that explains what it meant.

like having a beer
with your boys at the bar
and explaining again
how you got that scar
on the base of your arm
and how the chick that gave it
you brought home to mom.

like sharing a moment
with someone you love
and you stare in their eyes.
No words; just because.

These, my friends,
are just a few moments,
and I challenge you
to try and own 'em.
There's a time for hate
in this human race
But its place
isn't in
this poem.