World Poetry Day

It cam to my attention that today (21st March) is World Poetry Day and in honour of such a day, I decided to share a couple of poems. It is very rare that I ever share my writing because I don't really write poetry in a critically respectable way, I write it with emotion. But in the spirit of putting myself out there (the whole idea of this blog) I kinda though well why the chuffing heck not? So here I go...

My mask:

On the outside

I am a fierce warrior

A force with which to be reckoned

When it comes to the crunch 

My mask is my sword and shield and

Allows my strength to be beckoned

But underneath I am a frightened chid

A pushover, like the scarecrow amidst the storm

When faced with a fight 

My only defence is my ability to hide

And run from my fears, whatever their form

God's Own Country:

Eyup! By gum and bloody hell

These are the sounds where the Yorkshire folk dwell

Proud are we, emblazoned with the white rose

Flat caps and wellies are our kind of clothes

There's a lot about which we could boast

For we are the home of the Sunday roast

You may thank us for Thorntons, Bassett's and Rowntree's

As well as for rhubarb and Wensleydale cheese

Nowhere else to folk talk so humbly

So welcome, all to God's own country

Thank you for visiting my blog and have a great day! And be kind!

What is life really about though?

For some, life is about going through the motions; you grow up, work hard and get on with whatever ideal has been force fed to you. Be it by the media, your parents or school or whoever else. There is always someone there pulling the strings on your puppet body until you're thrown into the cold, naked and alone. Conformity seems to be equal to normality for some. The saddest thing (in my opinion) is that the majority of humans accept this form of existence.

Here's how life goes for most people:

• Go to school
• Achieve high grades by working hard
• Go to university to study the subject you do best at
• Find a post-graduate job
• Find a wife
• Have kids
• Climb the corporate ladder
• Live your life and become an alcoholic
• Have a midlife crisis
• Die early from a mixture of stress, depression an the abuse you put your body through

Growing up I thought I would do the same and I would live a "normal" life and that would make me happy. How delusional I was. Having gone through a lot of self-discovery and some minor form of enlightenment I am able to say that I'm no longer a sheep, a slave to the system. I say fuck the system.

Okay sure, I'm going to college right now so I can go to university and I'm working in retail. The difference is that I waited until I figured out what I WANTED to do, not what I though I should do. I'm pursuing a dream. I am pursuing happiness. 

So back to the title of this post: What is life really about, though?

Well I can't answer that question for anyone but myself. And for me life is about being happy and doing that which brings me fulfilment. I went through most of my life up to now trying my best to please everyone else and forget to please myself, as it were. And now I'm in a place where I can love myself and put myself first. I do what I do because it makes me happy, regardless of what anyone else thinks. For me life is about taking risks because you just cannot know until you find out. Simple right? But people are so scared of what they don't know and will end up missing out on so much. I take every day as it comes and I do my fucking best to make it worth while.

I have accepted myself for who I am. I am different to anyone else. I am unique and I am a special person. I am smart, creative and funny. I have a self-found purpose and I will fulfil it because that's what my soul wants. 

So what is life really about for you? Are you just another cog in the machine? Or are you going to be your own, self-functioning wonder? Whatever you do, make sure to make yourself happy. you're the one you'll be spending the rest of your life with after all.