I'm nervous
I feel the butterflies fluttering around 
Sh, don't make a sound 
I need to keep them down 
My pores are oozing with everything but confidence 
My heart is telling me to dance 
But my feet continue stumbling 
The words tug at the tip of my tongue 
Refusing to exit my mouth
And float around in the air 
And into your ear 
So I guess they'll just stay where they are 
I hope you can't tell 
But my heart is trying to escape my chest 
My mind is racing by its side 
But in the opposite direction of the finish line 
My lungs are fighting for oxygen 
But my mouth is glued shut and won't let it in 
I'm falling apart 
And yet I can't help but wish 
That everyday felt exactly like this 

How arrogant am I
to think that anybody should care
about what I have to say.

As if my opinions
belong atop a pedestal
in the middle of the kingdom
for all of the world to read
as I scream,
"Everybody, look at me!"

We all have thoughts and ideas
and hopes and dreams
and desires large enough to burn
the world to a crisp
and yet I am selfish enough
to think
I am the only one who dreams.

I put on this pretentious cape
as if I'm the only one who has
ever uttered the words
"I want to change the world."

I brag about accomplishments
I have yet to achieve
as if speaking them
were enough.

How arrogant am I
to ask you to spend your time
reading my scribbled thoughts.

I write poems and stories
about broken dreams
and expect you to relate
to things that matter
to nobody, but me.

How arrogant am I
to think that I am the only one who
breathes the air floating
in the atmosphere.

I walk around like the sun
revolves only around me
and that the rest of you
are nothing more than puzzle pieces
I can use to create my bigger picture.

How arrogant am I
to think that I can breathe change
into the world with nothing more
than some written words
and shouted prayers.

How arrogant am I.

I wonder how it would feel
to be comfortable in my own skin
and to love who I am
instead of hiding in shame.

I wonder how it would feel
to not be alone in the world
and knowing that somebody
cared.

I wonder how it would feel
to be hugged
and loved
​and kissed.

I have spent hours
staring at a blank page
trying to find the perfect words
to describe you.

I have flipped and turned
every page written and typed
two or three time and have yet
to find the right combination of letters.

Like us to the glory of God
the written language we have constructed
has fallen miles short
of the glory of you.

Words like ravishing and exquisite 
have attempted to climb your mountain
but ran out of air
far before your peak ever came into view.

I have written novels upon novels,
dried out every pen within reach,
and have yet to describe
a percentage of the masterpiece that is you.

I don't know about you, but my parents always taught me to love
And never judge a book by its cover
Or a man by his turban
I was taught that gay or straight
Never hate a man for who he was born to be
I was taught that just because one dog bites your neck
Doesn't mean the entire dog species is evil
I was taught to lend a helping hand when I saw somebody in need
I wasn't taught about religion or nationalities
But rather I was taught about humanity
And how no matter the size or color of skin
We all have a heart that beats in the same way
And desires in the same way
And a soul that is longing for love in the same way
I was taught not to hate, but rather to understand
I was taught to yearn to learn
I was taught to speak with love
And keep hate far from my tongue
I wasn't taught to be American or Christian
I was taught to be human
And I was taught that it doesn't matter where you were born
Or who you bow your head down to at night
We are all one and the same
Human