The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Raising the White Flag On Love I personalize you gifts, Listen to everything you have to say, Send you thoughtful e-mails, Think about you night and day, I do everything in my power to see you, Even if it’s miles out of the way, Do everything I can to make you feel special, To place a smile upon your face, Always striving to make you laugh, To make you content, It’s my top priority, Instilling in you happiness, But your shell is difficult to crack, Yet stubbornly I continue to try, With mixed signals coming my way, I refuse to give up the fight, The time consumed to make you believe, The energy exerted to make you feel comfort, The effort given to evolve our relationship, Exhausting myself in the process, Taking a step forward and two back is a common trend, Rarely ever meeting me half way, Leaving me dancing by myself, Nearly falling due to your charades, I finally raise the white flag, On you and your love, Leaving the impenetrable shell behind, As ...

Inhaling Life A hot shower on a cold winter day, Receiving a phone call from an old friend, A home-cooked meal at mom’s, A surprise visit from a girlfriend, A small gift on a random day, Being let over during rush hour, Having the doors opened for me, Being happily greeted by my dogs, Catching up with family, Complimented by a stranger, Seeing the joy on a child’s face, Reading a book when the power’s out, Hearing an elder’s stories, Feeling the sun’s presence, Working out early in the morning, Gazing up into infiniteness, Seeing a couple in love, Helping those in need, Learning more about myself, Watching a favorite movie, The little things in life, Always placing a smile on my face, The little things in life, I vow to never take for granted, As I awake in the morning, I fully breathe life in, Appreciating the day ahead of me, Cherishing all of the little things.

Emotion Abbreviated No tone in your voice, No words to be heard, No emotions to be felt, No gestures to be observed, Attention fleeting, Time condensed, Easily distracted, Seemingly entranced, You scan and stare, Unable to look away, Hypnotized by the light, Addicted to the immediacy, When I call your name, You irritatingly look up, With a deer-in-the-headlights stare, Robotic in your emotions, Not knowing how to act, Clueless on what to say, Feeling extreme discomfort, Wanting me to walk away, Hypnotized by the screen, Abbreviated and constant, Unable to speak to me in person, Like the device you hold - emotionless.

I just received a book review for The Kind-Hearted Smartass (uncensored version) . The reader gave it 5 out of 5 stars and had this to say: "L.O.V.E.D this book...great if, like me, you're a Smartass In Training (Kind-Hearted or Otherwise)...and in need of some inspirational reading material. Craig "Craigy" Rozniecki is the Anthony "Tony" Robbins of Smartass Life Coaches! Thank you, Craig, for teaching me everything that I shouldn't do on a date, everyone I shouldn't agree to go out with on a date, and...how to answer when repeatedly asked about being gay! Those smartass comments aside...FANTASTIC, ENTERTAINING, and MIND ALTERING read... BUY...THIS...BOOK!" There's also a 15% off discount for this book (and others) through September 30th by using the coupon code AWESOME305 at the following site: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/thetaoofroz I'd first try the coupon code 2011SURVEY if it's still available, as that...

The Shadow One foot in front of the other, Speed continually increasing, Reluctant to look back, Indifferent to pushing and shoving, With no definite destination, You continue to run, No care about fatigue, No worry of dehydration, Not knowing when to stop, If the end is near, Not knowing if you should go back, To conquer that fear, Others watch and shake their heads, Having been there before, Until they learned there was no finish, It did them no good, Running at full speed, The shadow always follows, Until you finally have to stop, And deal with life’s problems, To outrun the shadow, Is to outrun life, To escape reality, Until you finally wake up.

Innocence Lost Trusting of your protection, Trusting of your care, There to look after me, When my parents are away, There to make sure I’m safe, Make sure I eat, Make sure I do my homework, Make sure I sleep, My friend, My guardian, My neighbor, My babysitter, Silence then fills the room, A bitter cold enters, Darkness rapidly pervades, About to lose my innocence, Your voice is raised, More violent in action, Instructions are given, Feeling queasy and frightened, A knife against my throat, As I begin to tremble, Told to never tell a soul, Or my life would cease to be, Forever feeling guilty, For not fighting back, Thinking I could have done more, To have prevented the attack, Years have passed me by, Yet the memory still lingers, Wanting so desperately to go back, And see how life could’ve been different.

A Temporary Vegetative State A sudden fear comes over me, A knot forms in my stomach, My eyes then close, As I know what’s coming, A head sensation unlike the rest, Fear being prevalent, Thoughts seemingly slow down, Continually becoming more intense, Praying the sensations will dissipate, That it’s only a dream, Until I feel them evolve, No longer do I feel free, I stare straight into nothingness, Unable to speak or move, Words non-comprehendible, To others just appearing spaced, Cognizant of what’s occurring, Yet unable to act, Helpless to others, Helpless to myself, I scream for the world to hear me, But not a word is uttered, In a temporary vegetative state, Trapped in myself, Paranoid others will notice, That it will forever remain this way, Terrified of this out-of-body experience, Until the seizure finally fades.

Priceless Beauty Glamorous and appealing, Cameras flashed in their direction, Followed about wherever they travel, Always the center of attention, Outfits pricier than cars, Ubiquitous stories and pictures, Labeled the most beautiful in the world, Males’ jaws dropping in unison, More money spent on their appearance, Than most make in a lifetime, Plastic surgery and Botox, Hours and hours in the makeup room, Artificial in their beauty, Masks constantly worn, Never seeing when their heads hit the pillow, Never seeing when the cameras aren’t on, They may make more headlines, May make more money, May hold more recognition, But will never have your beauty, Beautiful to my eyes, Beautiful to my heart, Beautiful to my mind, Beautiful to my soul, Not artificial and wax-like, But natural and real, Making all of Hollywood green with envy, Being the most beautiful woman in the world.

Against All Odds Laying in a hospital bed, Fighting to stay alive, Friends and family preparing for the worst, Odds against me to survive, My eyes close, Images then appear, A multitude of memories, As I hear my mother in tears, Obstacles presented everyday, One hurdle after another, Tripping and falling to the ground, Scraped, bloodied, but refusing to lie down, From complications at birth, To epilepsy at 4, A man stealing my innocence, A grand mal and brain tumor, Surgery to fix the seizures, An unknown illness of two years, Deceived into a nightmare, Desensitized to fear, I open my eyes, A smile comes across my face, Strength re-instilled, From my mouth, laughter emanates, The odds have always been against me, From birth until now, I know I’ll get through this, Scraped, bloodied, and never lying down.

The Mirror of Life I stand before the mirror, Barely able to see my face, My whole life in front of me, Hopes and dreams to embrace, I stand before the mirror, Not liking what I see, Small for my age, Changes occurring constantly, I stand before the mirror, Excited about my future, Lofty goals still I hold, Naively full of optimism, I stand before the mirror, Uncertain of what’s to come, Full of dedication and determination, As I’m still young, I stand before the mirror, My dreams slowly slipping away, Doubts make their presence known, Reality finally dawning on me, I stand before the mirror, Remembering all that was, Wondering where the time went, Fearful of what’s to come.

Ignored Is My Love Opening up to you, Placing my heart in your grasp, Firmly implanted, Confident of your care and love, My feelings bottled up for so long, A weight is finally released, Slowly floating to the clouds, Feeling light again, Happiness comes upon me, Anxious to hear your response, With a bounce in my step, A sparkle in my eyes, Not having felt this way in so long, Being fearful of love, I long for your acceptance, Long for your love, Not a word is uttered, Not a sound is made, Unaware of my heart’s standing, As you quickly walk away, A sadness dawns upon me, Confusion runs rampant, Not knowing what to think, At the sound of silence, Ignored are my thoughts, Ignored are my feelings, Ignored is my heart, Ignored is my being, Ignored from your life, Pushed far away, Whether out of fear or being “nice,” I’m ignored all the same.

LETTING-ambivalence-GO Water fills my eyes, As I know it’s not to be, That I can do better, That this is best for me, Your flaws spring to mind, Of what I didn’t care for, Distorting my image of you, Denying my true feelings, The self-persuasion fails, As tears begin to run down my cheeks, Knowing it’s best to part ways, Yet wishing that wasn’t to be, The distorted image unravels, As I dream of you at night, Good memories abound, As I again begin to cry, Constantly running through my mind, You never fatigue, Wanting the marathon to finally conclude, Erase you from my memory, Holding your hand, Squeezing it tightly, Not wanting to let go, Even though it’s best for me.

The Neverending Nightmare Trusting of your words, Believing in the ultimate good of people, Forgiving of your lies, Since you admitted them to me, Perfect timing, Like a romance novel, Desperate for affection, Desperate for love, To deny the inevitable, I seek a companion, To set at ease my fears, As nearing is the operation, Trusting of your eyes, As they stare deeply into mine, Illustrating certitude with your claims, Never suspecting them to be lies, Pulled up beside me, Flashing lights all around, Ignorant of the situation, Ignorant that something’s wrong, Taken away are you, Taken away am I, You back to your home, Me anywhere but, Slowly unraveling the truth, Constant questions approach me, Discovering your words to be lies, Not being who you claimed to be, Locked into a dungeon, Secluded and speechless, Awaiting the nightmare to conclude, But soon realizing it’s no dream, Trusting of your love, I shall never trust again, The nightmare l...

The Wait The question proposed, Tests conducted, Application filled, Interview given, Hypotheticals abound, Preparing for the best and worst, Cautiously confident, Yet doubts persist, The phone sits beside me, My eyes focused on it, As I nibble on my nails, Rock on my chair, The minutes become hours, Hours become days, Thoughts racing upstairs, Being unable to sleep, Paranoia sweeps over me, Optimism all but extinct, Headaches becoming more frequent, From the continual increase in tension, The phone never rings, The wait seemingly permanent, Answers and reasons not provided, Forever being a mystery.

Solitary Confinement Cold and dark, Surrounded by silence, My eyes wander, Heart’s pounding, A whisper in the distance, My ears perk, Desperate for a sound, For an interaction, My eyes close tightly, Concentrating on nothing, Hoping for signs of life, Hoping for something, The whisper begins to fade, As my mouth shuts, No longer feeling the need to speak, To deny myself of reality, I pray for a voice, Pray for a face, Pray for human contact, Pray for anything but this, Surrounded by the bars, Unable to be free, In solitary confinement I am, As I walk about the streets.

I wrote a poem a couple weeks back, entitled "Beat". Since then, it has generated the most hits and comments of any writing of mine. The comments have all been very positive and the poem was even declared the winner of a contest. What I've especially found fascinating are the different interpretations of the poem. As it was intended upon writing the piece, I did want to integrate ambiguity as I often times do, so I'm not at all surprised with the different interpretations. However, none of the interpretations have coincided with what my main vision was. The poem reads as follows: Beat Sheltered from this world, Protected from potential harm, Fearful of being released, Wanting to maintain its innocence, As it begins to mature, Innocence slowly fades, Longing for a sense of freedom, To make its own decisions, Finally out in the world, Released to the masses, Curiosity at its peak, Expanding with every experience, Handed to another, Trusting of thei...

Dreaming Myself To Sleep So distant a memory, The images are blurred, Events discontinuous, Details forgotten, Time has lapsed in such great quantity, It shall be like a first once again, Quivering at the very thought, Yet desirous for it to happen, To feel her lips upon mine, Feel her warm breath, Wake up to her smile, Feel my heart pound in her presence, To trust her with my thoughts, Trust her with my secrets, Trust her with my heart, Trust her with my feelings, Tempted through the years, To experience pleasure void of love, Never giving in, Even as I sit and cry alone, Will it be worth the wait? Will it be worth the isolation? Love being absent from my life, Uncertain of its re-emergence, I fall asleep at night, The images become clear, Events continuous, Wishing my dreams were real, I awaken the next morning, Let out a heavy sigh, Realizing the clear images were that of fiction, As I look forward to sleeping again that night.

Rain In My Eyes When I awake in the morning, Whether the skies be clear or clouded, A smile comes across my face, As I hope to be a ray of sunshine to others, Helping an elderly woman with groceries, A blind man reach his destination, A friend in need, A child find his parents, Never expecting the kind gestures, Speech minimal in response, Uncertain of what to do, The lone word emanating from their mouths is thanks, Not expecting anything in return, I still cling to hope, That another voluntarily does similar for me, Reaching out without my asking, I look back for help, But find no one, All looking after themselves, As I stand alone, I walk the streets with my head sunken, The clouds plentiful and ominous, A few sprinkles are then felt, Before a pouring rain comes crashing down, I gaze up at the sky, Looking for that ray of sunshine, My eyes begin to burn from the downpour, Coalescing with the tears in my eyes.

Yoda Wannabes An answer to all, The question of no relevance, Speaking with the utmost certitude, Nevermind their lack of maturity or intelligence, With black-and-white lenses, Dissenters shall be dismissed, Gray being absent, Conflicting logic and numbers useless, Speaking from the top of a tower, Preparing to make a speech, Looking down at a host of dots, At all those deemed destitute and weak, With a microphone in hand, Speakers surrounding the city, Knowing all should hear him, They not being given a chance to speak, As his voice begins to emerge, All other sounds are drowned out, Preferable to him, As he falls in love with himself, Please spread about your infinite wisdom, Utilizing a thesaurus and dictionary - enlighten me, Attempting to fool the masses of your intelligence, Being nothing but a Yoda wannabe.

In light of my poem (and myself) being attacked mostly due to a misinterpretation of it and a friend of mine being told that her poem wasn't actually a poem, I wrote a blog and posted it on that site, which reads as follows:  It seems that some people like to believe they have the answers to all of life's questions, that the grey matter in others' eyes is black and white to them. There is no uncertainty in their minds. If another disagrees with their opinion (fact according to them), it's inevitable that the other individual is mistaken. There are certain scenarios where this is understandable, I suppose. If Person A contends that 4 + 4 = 7, Person B can speak matter-of-factly that Person A is incorrect. However, I don't understand how that black-and-white form of thinking can be directly applied to the world of art, which I (and others I know) have run into recently. In recent days, I have been witness to two people (there are many others, I'm su...