Below you will find the poet's explanation of his/her own poem. Several people have asked the meaning of my poems so I figured I would just post them instead of constantly answering that question.
"Interconnected/Unconnected Thoughts"
This poem was written one night while I was attending the Baptist Student Union at the University of Georgia. Looking around the room, I saw several different types of people and personalities. I suddenly started to realize that I was not being the real me that I wanted to be. I had allowed all of the outside world to influence me too much. I discovered that I could start over with myself and to do that I had to find what "me" really was. Several of the items listed in the poem are random thoughts jumbled together that seemingly relate together.
"Fate's Cruel Humor"
I wrote this poem while I was dating a girl. When I was with her, I would find small things that would make my mind jump back to another girl that I tried to date at one point. This poem is written to tell the world that Fate has a weird sense of humor. It creates these paradoxes of emotion just to watch us squirm. Most people believe this poem is only about one person, but there are two girls described in it. If you look hard enough, you can see it quite easily.
"Bumps In The Road"
It is about all of the stuff that holds you back and keeps you from moving on.
"Understanding and Knowing"
I was in a fit of rage when I wrote this poem...I was so frustrated because I began to realize that some people who I have been around for years didn't understand me...they might know me and yet still they didn't actually get me...and it only infuriated me more because seldom do people ever try to get past the surface of a person...they see one thing and come to a different conclusion...and because they know a little something they think that gives them the right to pass judgment or make accusations, but how can you make accusations if you don't understand the reasoning behind something? That is the question that my poem wants the reader to think about after it's finished venting! People are so distracted thinking that if they find out every detail then the puzzle will somehow fit, but if they don't understand how the puzzle fits, have they actually gained any knowledge at all?
"Broken Promises And Lonely Nights"
This poem was written from several real conversations during one week of my life. I listed all of the promises I made but basically did not keep. I tried to group the promises by their importance. I placed the every day type promises first and then slowly moved to the more serious or deeper ones. The conclusion of the poem just shows that I don't believe I'm being true to myself by letting down all of those people with broken promises.
"A Hero's Downfall"
This is probably my darkest poem written so far, but several people seem to enjoy it the most. I think it might come from the raw emotions produced. Anyway, I wrote this poem during one of my "depression" episodes. The poem starts with the younger Ben Trice view on life. I then move into the present Ben Trice view of life. The two views are drastically different with the newest one being so pessimistic. However, the poem takes a sharp turn by changing its subject. Near the end, the poem changes from being about life to being about a girl. It just seems that no matter what I do, I constantly return to the search for that one girl. Maybe the lack of this girl causes my unhappiness. The poem does not provide a solution or an answer. It is just stating the facts and starting the cycle of life back over again.
"Times Like These"
This poem is named after the song I was listening to while writing it. "Times Like These" is a Foo Fighters song. This poem is very close to "Interconnected/Unconnected Thoughts" and "Broken Promises and Lonely Nights." This poem incorporates random thoughts with real life conversations I have had with people. I guess I'm trying to explain to someone what my life really is like instead of what I allow people to believe it is. The only problem is that most poems explaining life require a lesson or moral at the end for the reader to learn from the poet's mistakes. I tried to provide a lesson through an Ataris' song lyric, but I just ended up telling another lie in the process.
"Emaline"
Emaline...ah yes. The only name that can pretty much calm me down in any situation. Emaline is not a real girl that I know or have known. She simply only exists in the back of my mind. The Counting Crows created the figment of Maria so I created the figment of Emaline. Emaline is basically my dream girl. She has every trait and characteristic I could ever want in a girl. She is the girl next door with dark skin, hair, and blue eyes. She makes me laugh, smile and feel loved. She is just perfect in every way. I know that I would be the happiest guy in the world if I were with her, but the only problem is that I believe I am not good enough for her. I would cause her too much pain. I would not be the perfect guy to add to her perfect life. She deserves better. I'm hoping to fix my lack of confidence in myself with her, but I will never regret my love for her.
"Requiem For A Dream"
This poem could have been titled "Emaline Part 2" but I decided to stay clear of that idea. I had originally called it "Her Return," but I believed this title fit the best. I wrote this poem after watching an amazing lightening show outside of my house. I just felt inspired to write about her, or Emaline. I'm slowly realizing that my life is revolving around the search for her. I will not be happy or complete until I find her. I love her for the abnormal reasons seldom given by a guy when he is asked why he is in love with some girl. The main quality in Emaline that I love is the curse that she has on haunting my heart. It is almost like I can't live without her. This poem is one of my favorites due to the great single lines that I wrote, if I do say so myself.
"Happiness (Population Few)"
I wrote this poem basically as a response to all my other poems. I was and am tired of writing only about Emaline. I needed something else. I need a new direction. I chose to write based on what I've seen myself do lately, drive. This poem follows me in the car to my destination of Happiness. I wrote it as if Happiness was a city you could get to off of some mental highway. Traffic is terrible along the way with even a few passengers turning around and heading home. I chose to carry forward. I know what lies ahead for those who are persistent.
"Motion"
Well, I wanted another natural poem that wasn't about a girl and I got one. Of course, I don't think this one is any where near my best ones, but it is still mine no matter what. I mainly think this poem formed out of two big lines, "Falling, floating, living" and "Hearing my life screamed away." The first part of the poem is my everyday life and it seems that I'm not doing what I fully can or what I really want. The ending of the poem seems to be headed towards death due to the leap of faith, but it is what sparks life.
"Autumn Rain"
It is how you cope with missing someone that was around.
"The Smile Inside"
The Smile Inside is named after the final line of the poem. I first created this poem idea based off of a feeling that a girl created in me. Most people have felt this feeling before, but they may not realize it. The feeling is almost pure joy or happiness. It creates a smile inside, and sometimes outside, that cannot be rivaled or created at any other thought other than that one of that person. It has taken me a few weeks to write this poem as I have only had a few lines come to me at a time. I'm not sure if it is finished, but it is far enough along to be posted at this time. Most of the poem is blatant concepts that anyone can see from their first reading. The only part that might be sketchy to some is the use of Chris and what he tells me. "Chris" is Chris Carrabba from Dashboard Confessionals. The fortune is from the song "Hands Down," where he says "My hopes are so high/that your kiss might kill me/So won't you kill me/So I die happy."
"Passion Prayer"
The title of this poem comes partly due to its main subject, passion, and the other part comes from the meaning of prayer as a request. The prayer does not pertain to a religious meaning. The poem is mainly about what passion is to me and what it should be to everyone else. The real portion of the poem is in the last section where it talks about me personally. You can take what you want out of the last line, but I'm not revealing the truth. The "you" could refer to someone or something. Overall, I just want people to realize that they need a passion and they need to find it to fully succeed in life.