The Letter Wearing Oath

Some say it's time to start over.
But without a moment's hesitation
others are saying
that it's time to reveal
your true colors for once,
to admit which side you're on.

We hear some men say
that their hearts are aglow
in rose & green, others cardinal,
others still bordeaux & silver,
yet others cardinal & straw yellow...
& the list goes on.
But do they truly mean
every word that they said
out of the goodness of their hearts?

It's hard to say; I'm not so sure
sometimes if they meant
a single word that they said all along.
True, they might mean well,
their intentions may be good -
saying the right things & such -
but when the day of reckoning
arrives unexpectedly,
when they must decide whom
their first love really is,
it's anyone's guess
just who those lucky ladies are.

That's right: what then? what then?
At that point in time the masks
which they wore shall come off;
the masquerading will soon be over
for those men who paid nothing
but lip service to their favorite colors
of choice...They were doomed
from the start by living a lie,
not sticking to their corner unswervingly.
They can boast of their prowess
with the bottle & with partying
all they want but the ladies
whom they should've been supporting
actively, with dedication
like none other before or since -
they're not interested in how much
one man can drink,
how many friends & connections he can make
or how much he can live life on the weekends.
What matters is this: to so much wear
the letters of their counterparts,
to guard & wear these colors in good faith,
any man with a heart, a conscience to spare
must earn them in all sincerity.

These letters & these colors won't just fall
into one's lap overnight or by default:
courtesy & respect are two things
which are needed just to prove
one is worthy of donning these letters
to begin with. Keep this in mind, duders:
certain letters don't get worn by just anyone
& with good reason so if you can't
truly show love, respect, appreciation
for your favorite ladies chances are
you won't be decked out like their sweethearts.

For those duders who stuck to their guns,
stayed their own unswerving course
in supporting their favorite ladies,
much love & praises be given to them.
They actually got it right: they know
just how much their counterparts' letters
are truly worth not in meaning alone
but also in value so through thick & thin,
come what may, they wear these letters
& colors boldly: It's not for show,
not for special occasions & it most
certainly is not out of convenience
that you see them all suited up;
it is because they wholeheartedly care
that they have the right to reveal their
respective letters in the first place.
It is because they truly believe
when no others seem to care or give
two hoots about their favorite sorority
that you see them dressed up stylishly,
bearing a mark of recognition
that so many other men wished they
could have (but cannot, that chance
being denied a long time ago).
It is something exclusive,
a sign of distinction that makes some men
stand out above all the others
in more ways than one.

And when all is said & done,
such duders will be left standing,
still the pride & joy
of the respective chapters
whom they've taken the time
& made the effort to represent for an eternity.
What's more, their true colors will remain aglow;
look no further than the letters
on their sleeves to find what side
their hearts are truly on when in doubt.

The Handshake

Back to the world our hero goes:
from the first moment he returns
to his familiar confines
he knows that his life
will never be the same:
always on the go, always struggling
to get his work done.

Whether it's the completion
of a transaction or the closing of
some deal, you can just sense
that history is going to be made.
Just one look into his eyes
reveals all: that singleness of purpose
which defines the man himself
takes over there & then,
however relentless it might appear.
But to truly know our hero in person,
you have to witness one other aspect
of his at work
& that is the handshake.

This task is not saved for last
because he wants to create a sense
of anxiety & fear in his clientele
nor is it saved for last
just as ornamentation.
In the same way, it isn't saved
for last because it seems like
the thing to do, to make himself
stand out -
the handshake is a notification
which lets others know
about his dedication to his life's work,
about his honesty on the job
(something which, we must admit,
is in short supply these days).

If that's not enough, such a gesture
lets others know that he is for real,
that he can be counted on
when all other alternatives fail.
So once the deal has been done,
the business at hand completed,
there can be no denying
how committed he is to
every detail of his job description.

There can be no denying that
he is the man of our times,
with a singleness of purpose,
a singleness of heart
which defines all that he does,
for now & always.

Burlington Route

Everywhere west:
this is the motto you lived by
& to this day your ancestors
have stood by your words
without many signs of wavering.
As one of your iron horses
crosses over this district line,
emitting one of its most
vocal laments known to man,
as it weaves & winds its way
over unchartered terrain,
you know that your work
is never done, never fully complete.
Sure, it lives on by another name
but in the end it is all you:
there is no mistaking your mission
from anyone else's.

Over hills, valleys, rivers,
cutting across the open prairies,
the journey westward for you
was sometimes a stretch,
sometimes a struggle
but when all was said & done
you answered the call
& delivered like none other.
Your namesakes feel for you
as much as they have
who knows how many good things
to say about your legacy,
the history you made on this route:
no doubt, you have endured
& your work still lives on,
finding ways to continue despite,
in spite of the worst that might
come your way.

As your Zephyrs on the Transcon
crossed the Great River
you knew you were destined
for great things & to this day
your route has taken on
a life of its own,
which no other could compare to.
Of all the iron highways
anyone could travel, yours alone
in the end was worth each mile,
each crossing, each climb
or descent into unchartered territory.
And for that your name
should never be discredited.

In Their Own Words

"If there is no mystery
to these stories we tell,
nothing new
for us to say or hear about
what have we gained?
& what have we lost?"

Daily we hear the unceasing
cacophony of storytellers
at cross purposes with one another,
folks scrambling around just for
a crumb of truth,
something of reality to make their own.

This is the story so far:
one report here, another over there
but the tenor of this tale
- the very truth behind
any given event of note -
remains untold, unheard,
unwritten. Only later,
once the storm clouds break
does the truth finally discover
the front page, but even then
we're hearing nothing but versions
of truth, truth as seen
in different shades & colors.
Everything else is only details,
a frame to hold our story in place.

So the story goes on
without interruption, without conclusion:
tell me then, where can I find
some honesty in your words?
Where can I find sincerity
in your voice?
Most of all, do you have truth?

All we hear are versions,
differing interpretations of honesty,
sincerity, truthfulness.
What more can be said
that hasn't been said already?
In the end, only one take on this story
will win out & that'll be
the one which had facts, information
which was never written down
for us to read.
Then & only then will we know
what we never knew before
& wish we'd known from day one:
more about ourselves,
our expectations, plans & dreams.

Field Music

Today is the day to
get out, see the world -
who knows,
revisit the sounds
& echoes of another time!!
At any rate, it's now time
to step on outdoors
& face the day courageously.

In a matter of time
the sounds & echoes of
our past will return
with a passion:
chants, incantations, cheers -
whatever name you want
to give this music of our hearts -
they're all here in full force,
bursting forth
in joyous celebration.

Undeniable, irresistible:
yet these aren't the only tags
which could best describe this occasion.
This is heartfelt music
which we're listening to,
heartfelt songs we are singing:
sounds & echoes which still speak
volumes from the soul.

Nothing compares
to the beauty created
by who knows how many voices
singing as one,
to relay a message of love,
friendship & so much more.
You just have to be there
to believe every word I'm saying.

And All That Could Have Been

For love
some have left behind their hometowns,
all of their comforts
& it is for love
that they return.
For some, it's the start of something,
they say;
it's time to start anew.

For love
some have fought their daily battles,
struggled against the enemy
& it was for love
that some were defeated.
Only one winner emerged from the frontline
unscathed, unshaken
while the loser could only think
of what might have been.

For love
some went their separate ways,
began life with a clean slate
but it was also for love
that they found hope,
reassurance which only their
significant others could give
out of the goodness of their hearts.

For love
& for no other choice alone
they came back to familiar
neighborhoods, traveled familiar streets,
fought the good fights
which they could win with gusto:
otherwise they would rue
the day when they never
would get a chance to
right their ships, find happiness once more.

Those who won the best things
in life for love
didn't want to make the mistake
of hesitating, stalling for time:
else they'd be like all the others
wondering about all
that could have been.

The Homestretch

With banners held high,
their messages still clear as day
as they hang suspended
from the balconies above,
life will soon resume
its routine of normalcy around here.
Life will once more find
the sparks & luster which it lost
after three months of hibernation.

Life will go on,
picking up where it left off
three months earlier,
when we said our last goodbyes
to this place, to this very scene
or at least swore we did -
if only for a whole season.

Some of us couldn't help
but drop by over the summer:
Even though there was nothing doing
we were still drawn back
to this city like filings to a magnet.
Into its arms we returned
for the time being
but then we got rather homesick
& decided to say our farewells silently.

Now we will soon return:
this time our stay will be indefinite.
A part of us still survives,
keeps on as it does back here.
Soon the start of something greater
is about to begin
& life along these empty streets
will resume its sprightly bounce,
regain its former vibrancy.

Please believe it:
life will soon go on as usual:
with its share of good times,
its crazier moments
& most of it all its occasional randomness.

Window Sill

Step out into the light:
the sights of the world
are there for you
to see at last,

the horizons
have now opened up
their gateways
for you to gaze at.

Welcome to the fold,
some will say
yet others will tell you
that you've arrived

at long last.
But you haven't arrived;
you still have miles
to travel, so much work

in progress left to do...
This is only the start
of a brand new journey
for you.

Some will say
that your travels to
get this far have ended
but in reality

they've just begun.
Let's not forget that
as long as you guard
these letters well.

Your quest isn't over;
there's still so much
you have to strive for
along the way.

Take this advice to heart,
take it from one who knows:
I've walked in your shoes,
I've been on the same quest

as you & to this day I still am.
Without question
this is just the start
of a whole new chapter

in the story of your life
up to this point.
Are you willing
to make the most of it?

Adore Y Las Rosas

Wherever you go
the words "love" & "roses"
resound through the air,
unforgettable
in their scope & grandeur,
beautiful & heartfelt.

Love, roses:
these words taken together
are a mark of distinction,
a special sign of honor
not to be found
anywhere else but right here.

You can hear these words still,
their beauty continuing to endure
& hold fast.
They were meant to be
for a lifetime.

Known by many -
& yet only a select bunch can say
these words with confidence,
write them down & truly mean it.
When written or spoken together,
there can be no doubt
about how special such a connection
of this magnitude has always been.

These words
unlike any others before or since
are two of the most heartfelt,
two of the most beautiful
ever heard.
How they echo still,
unwavering at times
like these.

Next Day

Early August, Frog Pond:
a sense of peace & quiet fills the air
unlike any other at this time
of year or even today for that matter.
But this is only the calm before
the oncoming storm: a short while
from now, the whole neighborhood
will be charged up once more,
its electricity too much to withstand
once the sparks begin flying
their way onto campus.

Soon this place will spring back
to life again, the whole scene once more
fair game for one & all. In the meantime
all is quiet, all is serene -
who would want this picturesque moment
any other way? History is already
being made as we speak, documented
& recorded for our own eyes to view
intently.

Welcome home,
the townsfolk say silently, for another year
of making history, making memories
despite & in spite of all the bedlam
& craziness which comes with life
'round here. If that's not enough,
welcome back for another year of
buckling down to find your voice,
your true calling in life.

And yet we ask, will we get the chance
to make history in our own way,
on our own terms?
Will we have the chance to find
our true callings,
leave a lasting mark
on the lives of others?
Is honesty what you truly want?
Well, we will answer with honesty:
around here we will make our marks,
make a name for ourselves.
A short while from now,
that's exactly what we're planning to
go ahead & do. Others tried
to leave a legacy of some kind
but failed miserably in the attempt
to blaze a trail worth following:
it wasn't that their aims were
short of the mark but that their judgment
was wrong to begin with -
beginning & end of story.
As the pied pipers of our day,
we're seeing to it that we don't make
the same mistakes as our imitators.

The moment of truth will soon
arrive at long last, & reality is about
to set in: we will find home once more,
where the heart has always longed
to be from the get-go
& we will get the chance
to make history like none other.

Question & Answer

Which side are you on?
someone asked me the other day,
who do you love above all
the others?

Though I carry a vast assortment
of paints around with me
- let's not forget my canvas & easel -
may I make one thing
perfectly clear:
from the heart of me
my favorite colors are blue, gold
& here's something for the ladies
to love: cardinal red.

Some disbelieve my words
but what I tell you is the truth:
I wouldn't have it any other way,
to walk through this neighborhood
in any other colors besides these.

I know what side I'm on,
who I love above all the rest:
no words needed to be said
but I spoke my mind
so there you go.
Any more questions?

But no, only silence filled the air:
what words I said were enough
to reveal my honesty.
So I responded in kind,
closed this dialogue accordingly:

Not only can others know
my true colors when I wear them
on my sleeves
but they can also see them
worn on my heart as well.
For a painter whose mission
is heartfelt beyond compare,
that's truly saying something.
I wish countless others would
step forward & do the same
for once.

And so the stranger left,
taking in every word I spoke
for she realized
that when I wear my true colors
on any given day
they're not solely on display
out of convenience or
because of special occasions:
as you can see,
these colors are worn daily,
no questions asked. For when
you first receive these colors,
they were meant to be worn
on one's sleeve for life.

New Colors

All aglow
the painter's canvas greets us with a smile,
with an undeniable assurance
in its demeanor, as if to say
that its landscape will soon be
altered drastically,
colored over for the thousandth time.

Yesterday all we could see
was green & rose
sharing space. Today our painter
is bringing out the blue & gold
he was raised on:
you know,
those colors are what has always
made his life's work worthwhile
& memorable.
To tell you the truth,
pretty much every day of his life
has been spent breathing & living
those colors of blue & gold.

However, come tomorrow,
when he picks up his easel again
& decides which color scheme
is worth trying out,
it'll be cardinal. He said it himself:
cardinal is the purest color
out there & one of the most beautiful
as well, if you stop to think about it.
He told us he'd live for the day
when he painted a masterpiece
in nothing but cardinal but oh,
how striking it would be
once his work was over & done with.
To our favorite painter,
cardinal is his other favorite color
& he wears it well on his sleeve
just as much as his easel
chock full of pastel paints.

The day after that, he asks himself
silently: how about some straw yellow?
So he finds a corner of the canvas
in which he can work some of that
trademark magic of his. And yet
he still feels his work is not yet complete,
that there is still unfinished business
which needs to be taken care of
so next day he gets back to basics:
red, green, buff yellow. How can I
go wrong now? he says,
as we watch him take off once more
on a flight of creative improvisation
unlike anything we've seen before.

At the last minute, he throws splashes
of bordeaux & silver into what empty space
is left on this canvas;
then & only then, after some debating,
he feels that his work is done.

But we've always known for a fact
that his life's work is truly realized,
that his true colors are always shining
most brightly
when he's out there decked out
in the colors which he loves above all
the others:
blue, gold, & cardinal.

Part Two

Another day:
the flames keep feeding off the fire
from which they arose,
the flames feed off of the one small spark
which gave them life
& the unflinching confidence to burn
vehemently.

Only some time ago
I thought that this fire had gone out
for good. If this
wasn't enough bad news,
I thought that my love, my desire
just to keep this fire aflame
had been lost, never again
to be regained.

But no more.
As anyone worth their salt knows,
there is always hope:
it was the one small spark
which I needed to bring back
this fire & the flames
I felt I almost lost forever.

Hope was the one small spark
I couldn't have done without:
when my will to stay the course
had almost dwindled to nothing,
when my will to fight
the good fight was seen
as nothing more than a
distant dream,
hope stepped in
to give me renewed purpose,
renewed faith to take on anything.

Now look at this fire:
the flames are still feeding off the
one small spark
which gave them the power
to keep on unimpeded;
these flames will go on burning
but now
with more heartfelt commitment
than ever.

Folk Tale

One story is being shared,
one cheer is being chanted out,
one song is being sung
as we speak

but each subsequent time
this tale is being told,
these esoteric songs are being sung
a new interpretation emerges,
a new cast of characters
makes its appearance.

Still the theme remains unshaken:
it tells of love, of friendship,
of joy, of a lifelong commitment
which to this day
remains unsurpassable.

Truth is,
only a select bunch
know the whole story by heart
& only a select bunch
can sing these songs connected to
this story by heart
as well.

But when
we hear this beautiful music
for ourselves
if only for the first time
its echoes leave a mark
which cannot be denied,

as this tale tells us
of love, of joy, of friendship,
one bond & singleness of heart
which to this day
remain unshaken.

Credo

Never forget
where you came from,
some will say
with pure sincerity;
never forget
these letters
which you wear boldly
on your sleeve.

Never forget
who you're truly
representing
even now,
even though you're
out there
in the real world.

Never forget
your roots,
what made you
the person you are
& never forget
what drew you here
in the first place.

Never forget
who gave you the strength
to make it this far
& never forget
how you earned this strength:

your arrival to this plateau
of life
didn't happen out of the blue
& neither did the chance
to wear these letters with pride,
with all your heart
as long as you live.

Never forget
where you came from,
I hear them saying;
never forget
the very things
which made you
all that you are now.

This & That

These letters
aren't strong enough to hold you,
some have said;
they'll let you go
if you choose not to
remain unswerving
in your love for her.

And these letters
which you wear boldly
as you walk in lockstep
to class -
they're not enough
to articulate with clarity
just how much you value
the love of your life.

With loyalty like
none other,
a loyalty which cannot be surpassed:
these letters were meant to be
displayed for a lifetime,
not when the occasion presents itself.

These letters weren't meant to be
thrown on & off like a dirty shirt
nor were they meant to be worn
out of convenience:
because once you've got them,
you're representing those letters for life.

Just know this much
because what I've been saying is true:
these letters will pass you by
if you choose not to
wear them faithfully,
with heartfelt dedication,
supportively at all times.

These letters
will let you go if your love for her
is all for show,
all a front you managed to put on.

First Break

Looking out the window
one sees,
one senses how much times
around here have changed
since the last visit:

new paint on the walls, new carpet
& with it new tiles on the floor...
oh, if only they could see
from outside these walls
just how much
a life can change
after one or two years leave.

To some, I am a fresh face,
a newcomer on the scene -
who am I? where am I from?
Still others, though they know
my name & have heard
about my accomplishments,
remain in wonderment
as if they haven't heard
the whole story about me so far.
"How are you faring?"

Others see my face
& in an instant the whole room
lights up (if only for a short while):
they take what time they can spare
& it's just like old times all over again -
we're talking about not only
the glory days I know too well
but also the here & now;
I've still got lots of catching up
to do, it seems.

When all is said & done,
my departure will not be made in haste;
my exit will not be done with fanfare either.
I will say my piece humbly,
knowing that this meeting
after such a lenghty hiatus
was worth everyone's time
& not just mine alone.

Looking out the window
once more one sees,
one knows that a beacon light
always is shining with each of us
& it refuses to be snuffed out.
I am one of those beacon lights,
leading the way when all seems lost,
in an otherwise dark time.
And for that my arrival -
the very premise for why
I returned to this room -
can never be discounted.