Huh? What? Ohh Yeah.

Poems about life, and joy and whatnot.

By: Barley Lewis-McCabe

The Insiders The beauty of a flower isn't in its attire or hue, but its nature. A wondrous yet temporary object, an emotion evoked in a way plastic could never.

The most beautiful thing in the sky changes by the second, gone as soon as they appear.

An unending sunset turns stale and predictable eventually. It's in the lack of picture that we find true passion, true joy. it's in the moments of weakness that we find ourselves.

How is one supposed to feel their highest high, without the lowest low.

But moving forward can be daunting, your clothes will never fit like yesterday, your food will never taste the same, you’ll feel a twang in a different place, and that's ok.

1

The scariest thing in the world “What's up?” he asked me. I was sitting on the curb, lovestruck and concussed.

Tired and sore, broken down and hungry, feeling more lost than ever before.

“Barley, how are you doing?!” she asked me with an enthusiasm she doesn’t often wear on her sleeve. I sat in the front seat of her car-still wet from the rain. My stomach was empty and the only thing on my mind was a hot cup of coffee.

“Hey, are you ok?” she asked me. My head held beneath my legs, about to vomit. My only wish was to go home.

There's never a right answer, it’s either a lie or labor. The next time i’m asked, my go-to answer will be the truth.

“I'm alright.”

2

Lodi My head fell against the cold window, I felt it gently buckle as the bay air ran up my neck.

Lodi was in my earbuds, loud enough to drown out the next man's mariachi fixation. A bumpy ride to conclude a strangely-gentle night out.

There's so much love in this world, as hidden as it may feel, it's there. Every person in each of the plastic seats has someone who they’d do anything for.

As I walked home I felt safe, comfortable, warm.

I listened to the birds and crickets chirp, the stirring of nocturnals, and the slow wind of the cars.

Stars peeked through the light pollution. I greeted the bedtime smoker as I finished my stroll, the comfort of the nightly chill becomes a warm bed.

3

A Normal Ferry Ride We sat next to each other on the ferry, tired from a day out, dripping wet from the downpour. There they sat, across the aisle-2 people who we’ll never know.

They talked like old friends yet asked for each other's name. One wore a puffer jacket and the other a yellow raincoat.

I was fixated on my book but I couldn't help but hear them. They talked about their days, told stories, asked questions. 2 total strangers that simply sat next to each other on the boat home.

She got off a stop before him, and they said goodbye.

My friend and I got off together, we hugged and said goodbye. We both went on to live our lives like normal, yet in a way that would be alien to one and other.

4

The Best Day Of My Life.

“Every story about addictions has already been told.”

Everyone's experience is, at its base, the same.

Details change, names and faces, locations, and styles but there's always a loser.

Someone down on their luck and a way to make the time go faster.

Concerned friends and family, lost nights that turned into lost days, and then-the end.

Getting better’s never as simple as it feels.

We forget the small victories and the setbacks, the trades and the fear.

5

I was scared when my friend held my shoulder, looked me in the eyes and comforted me, said the same thing everyone says about “staying strong, and staying on the path of recovery” It has to end at some point, but life goes on.

There's a time when it’s served its purpose, when you’ve just.

Recovered.

I didn’t know it happened until it did, and that was the best day of my life.

6

Beastie boys song about milk When read imagine its being rapped

by Mike D, Ad-Rock, and MCA Hop in the car gonna hit up the pasture Pedal to the floor make that thing go FASTER Big white creatures like to frolic and roam Made this grassy green hill their home Hit up the farmer say WHAT'S UP Gotta ask him if i can fill up my cup Tug on that utter and you know what's in store When you start drinking it you want some more MILK

7

Bird on a wire.

It can feel impossible to find beauty in the urban space.

Compared to the open valleys, and sprawling hills the city streets can feel like a disappointment.

It’s land that's become warped and vague, the streams have been filled and the mountains leveled.

Freedoms stolen, and promises broken, an ever changing world and a dangerous path.

In spite of it all one of the most beautiful sunrises ive ever seen was from a window in the oakland amtrak station.

I still wake up to the sounds of raccoons stirring and crows cooing.

Birds will still build nests on the powerlines, and rats will always find a home.

8

Sunny Winter Morning I sat in the park, languishing in my morning and drinking my coffee, a truly human moment.

Hearing the ambient conversations and rustling of the footsteps inspires someone in a way nothing else can. enjoying the singular asset from bureaucracy: a simplistic miracle that belongs to us all.

Does the rich man who lives in the big house across the street appreciate the park, Does he drink his drink and enjoy what he has, or does it become a set piece in an impatient life, Does he enjoy the air he breathes as he destroys it with his job, does he mow the lawn on a land that's cracking?

Will he ever understand and appreciate the greatest, the simplest pleasure one can have?

9

New years night Ends are often seen with fear and met with a sort of rationalization to appease the uneasy. but every end doesn’t have to be a new beginning, it may just mean something’s over.

And that can be the most beautiful thing in the world.

10

barley.lewismccabe@gmail.com