POETRY: Fisher of Men (Hooked)

I can only hope you approve
Since you are constantly telling me of all the great things I can do
I wait under your canoe
For nuggets of wisdom to come floating down into the ocean
And I remember every last word
I even remember taking flight
In airplane window seats,
then being asleep in hammocks,
then sitting front row
As the finals stage beckoned our next project
You forced me to project
My goals and dreams
for the sons and daughters of my new community
I will eject antiquated ideals of surrender and replace them with spirituality and self-discovery

Because of you
I can imagine a world where everyone has mastered self-confidence
Filled with emotions that are heaven sent
I can soar over those assumed prisons
Running to catch the wind under wings you have tailored personally
Waiting in line is no longer an option for me
so I just keep swimming

I am happy to get caught in your hooks
Tangled up in spoken word
It has transitioned and shifted my whole world
I’m glad you don’t catfish anymore
You have bashed in and broken doors
Although I’m not sure if they even existed at this point
Imaginary boundaries surrounded me every day of the week
Except for Saturday
The day I met you
And the first day I said I love you
This make for the 101^st

So When you are at your worst
Don’t say a word
You don’t have to

I learned the summer after my senior year
That staining your papers in blood doesn’t make you a poet
And I had to experience it just to know it
That crying in public will not always yield healing


My elder
I feel sheltered
In our early mornings and late nights
I am no longer oblivious to the signs
Our paths have crossed and aligned 
perfectly
And in all due time
You swing and cast out your line
Dripping stardust as bait
Warm endings await


I’m glad you don’t catfish anymore