Love

When You Were Here

/ Amanda N. Young / Leave a comment

When you were here
I could speak without words
When you were here
I could listen without sound
A kiss for hello
A touch for your mine
This is language of our old life

I miss your hands on my neck
And your body on mine
I miss your laugh and your moods
And the way we’d fight

It seems I’ve discovered a new way to cry
I was single before you
But now I’m empty inside

When you were here
I could feel all that you said
Each kiss was a promise
Each touch was a pledge
Tell me I get you
Tell me I’m here
Tell me I’m worth it
I wont disappear

Without you the chorus is humming a lie
The kisses are gone
The touch says goodbye
I wake from a dream
And the pillow is cold
The memory fades
And now I don’t know

Was it all make believe
Was it all in my head
You can blame it on me
We can both fantasize
But did I dream your I love yous
Did I dream all your smiles
Did I dream how you held me
In our old life

When you were here

I could speak without words

Hate is the Demon in the Dark, Creeping in to the Light. Disguised as Safety and Might.

/ Amanda N. Young / Leave a comment

Hate is the thing that thrives in disguise

Hidden behind righteousness

The cloak is Justice but it’s true face is Vengeance

Hate is the Boogeyman in the closet

The gun that thinks it’s name is protection

Familiarity may be a comfort

But it’s dark side is fear of what we don’t understand

Fear of the other

Bravery is not taking up arms against this other

But opening up our doors and taking a chance

Step outside with me and help me hold the torch

The most dangerous threat to society is not the stranger from outside

It’s the voice within ourselves that wants to build a wall

To guard against the Boogeyman

The other isn’t a demon. Or a thug. She is us. She may speak another language, know another world. She is alien and yet…ours. She is human. Her heart beats like mine. She is flawed like me. Beautiful.

Turn on the light. Open your eyes and our arms and see…

Hate is the thing that makes us harm ourselves.

The Daily Edit

/ Amanda N. Young / Leave a comment
SAM.jpg

Sam Yribe. Mirror Lake, CA. November 2016

This woman never ceases to amaze me. So brave, wild, wonderful. Born three days apart from me, she is a great love of mine that I am so happy to have in my life. She is crazy courageous, strong, and kind. She makes me smile, laugh, pushes my limits, often injures me (okay, only sometimes). I want to be as truly loving and full of life as she is. Now that we’re back in the same time zone, I look forward to more adventures with my cousin Sam. We shall continue to make our parents cringe in fear for our safety and our families shake their heads at our antics. Thank you, my partner in crime, for 31 years of love and genuine exploration of the world we live to explore and make a better place. I love you.