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This poem forms part of my Aftermath collection, poetry written after meeting Jenn, where love, reflection, and emotional clarity began to replace chaos. There are moments in every new relationship where the past quietly finds its way into the present. Not because those feelings still exist, but because our history does. This poem came from one of those moments. When Jenn and I met through poetry, she wasn't just getting to know me; she was getting to know years of my writing. Years of poems about previous relationships, heartbreak, confusion, hope, and loss. Those poems eventually became Out of the Shadows, but before they were ever a book, they were simply honest snapshots of different moments in my life. And that made me nervous. Not because those poems reflected how I still felt... ...but because they reflected how I once felt. As poets, we don't write history books; we write emotion. A poem captures exactly how your heart felt in a single moment. That moment may last an hour, a day, or a season, but once it's written, it becomes permanent even though the emotion itself has long since passed. That's the strange thing about creative writing. Words stay still, but people generally do not. I found myself wondering how Jenn would feel reading poems written years before we had ever met. Would she understand that those emotions belonged to another version of me? Would she see them simply as chapters in a much bigger story? Or would they create doubts that never needed to exist? Those thoughts eventually became this piece, Judgement. Looking back today, I realize the irony. If those earlier poems had never existed... Jenn may never have discovered me on Instagram. Those poems were the very reason our paths crossed in the first place. The past wasn't something working against us but something that had quietly brought us together. Jenn understands this better than most because she's a poet too. She also has shelves of old notebooks and years of writing born from different chapters of her own life. Occasionally an old piece can still make either of us pause for a moment. That's only human, but poetry isn't a declaration of who we are forever. Poetry is a record of who we were when the words arrived. There's a huge difference. Over time I've come to believe something quite simple. Our past explains us. It doesn't imprison us. Every relationship, every mistake, every heartbreak, and every lesson quietly shapes the person standing in front of you today. Without those experiences... ...there is no present version of us. As I've explored throughout Out of the Shadows, growth has never been about pretending the past didn't happen. It's about understanding it, learning from it, appreciating it for what it taught us, and then choosing to keep walking forward. No judgement. Join the Conversation Every one of us carries a history. Some chapters are beautiful. Some we'd rather forget. But none of them automatically define the person we've become. Do you think someone's past should influence a new relationship? Are there things you believe should stay in the past, or are there experiences that would genuinely change how you see someone? I'd genuinely love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation: More From Leon... Reborn Written just days after meeting Jenn, this poem captures the exact moment everything changed: when love helped me become 'reborn.' About Leon Gregori I've been writing poetry since my mid-teens and find it natural to express myself through words. My long-form content focuses on themes of heartbreak and life. ⪢ Explore the Aftermath collection Discover more poems written after meeting Jenn, with reflections on love, trust, personal growth, creativity, and finding peace after life's darkest chapters. → View all Aftermath poems Poetry Resources

This poem forms part of my Aftermath collection, poetry written after meeting Jenn, where love, reflection, and emotional clarity began to replace chaos. Sadness can feel like an overwhelming force, consuming and unrelenting. But as a poet and creator, I see it as a canvas—a space to pour emotion, process pain, and create meaning. The Artist reflects my journey through those dark moments, painting feelings from the canvas of my mind. We are all artists, painting our lives upon the canvas of reality. Mix the colors your own way and apply emotion liberally. Don't be afraid to let your brushstrokes show, and above all else, make sure your art has soul - Cristen Rodgers Join the Conversation How do you process sadness or loss? Do you turn to creativity, or do you find solace in other ways? I'd genuinely love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation: More From Leon The Game This thought piece tackles the cyclical nature of repetitive modern life, eat, work, sleep, repeat, and how this relentless rhythm has shaped our humanity. About Leon Gregori I've been writing poetry since my mid-teens and find it natural to express myself through words. My long-form content focuses on themes of heartbreak and life. ⪢ Explore the Aftermath collection Discover more poems written after meeting Jenn. My reflections on love, connection, creativity, and emotional clarity. → View all Aftermath poems Poetry Resources

Who else remembers the old magazines that promised you could learn how to lose 15 pounds in 5 days, become sexier in 5 days, cook a meal, and all the old-school how-tos that were aimed at superficialities (and for women to be ‘better’ for men)!? I certainly do. And who else tried and failed and felt like a failure because of it? Don’t be superficial. Don’t believe everything you read. And don’t judge a book by its cover! Search for truth, depth, and meaning in all things. Use your judgment and trust your intuition. Step into your power, but don’t abuse it. Join the Conversation Please leave a like or comment if you enjoyed this piece, and let me know your thoughts on this subject... Have you ever felt similar pressures? If so, how have you dealt with them? I'd genuinely love to hear your story. Come join the conversation: More from Jenn Grey Hair Blog Follow an empowering journey of going grey and choosing authenticity over approval. A celebration of aging boldly and embracing the silver within. About Jennifer David Writer, traveler, coach, and voice behind “A Broad Perspective.” Explore her journey through grey hair, self-expression, full-time travel, and radical authenticity. Poetry Resources

This poem forms part of my Aftermath collection, poetry written after meeting Jenn, where love, reflection, and emotional clarity began to replace chaos. In June 2020, Jenn gave me one of the most unforgettable birthday surprises of my life: an all-expenses-paid weekend at a 5-star hotel in Montreal. From incredible food to countless moments of laughter and love, it was a celebration that I will never forget. Inspired by that weekend, I wrote What She Means to Me as a tribute to her, to us, and to the love we share. It was a special surprise, and I will never forget it. I can only hope my words can do justice to the love I feel, to the love we have, and to the love we will have forevermore! Sorry for the sap, but I can't help it! Jenn in Cyprus, where we got engaged! "The only thing we never get enough of is love; and the only thing we never give enough of is love." - Henry Miller These words perfectly encapsulate how I feel about Jenn and our journey together! Join the Conversation Have you ever felt this way about someone? I certainly hope so! I'd genuinely love to hear your story. Come join the conversation: More From Leon Rise: Redefining Falling in Love Reimagine love in Rise. Explore the transformative journey of love as an ascent to new heights, breaking free from the gravity of past hurts. About Leon Gregori I've been writing poetry since my mid-teens and find it natural to express myself through words. My long-form content focuses on themes of heartbreak and life. ⪢ Explore the Aftermath collection Discover more poems written after meeting Jenn. My reflections on love, connection, creativity, and emotional clarity. → View all Aftermath poems Poetry Resources

This poem forms part of my Out of the Shadows collection. It was written before I met Jenn and is shaped by searching, heartbreak, identity, and survival. Have you ever looked at the marvels of ancient civilizations and wondered, ‘How did they do it?’ From the precision of the pyramids to the cosmic alignment of ancient wells, our ancestors achieved feats that still leave us in awe. But have we, in the age of technology, lost something profound in ourselves? These questions form the core of De-evolution—a reflection on humanity’s journey, our potential, and the powers within us. All the while I marvel at the brilliance of our ancestors and all they achieved, from the Sumerians to the Egyptians and all of the other civilizations that have advanced humanity. How did they achieve the things they did? Did they have help from the outside? Or did they tap into their INSIDE and use abilities we don't even know we have? Jenn and I have talked at length many times about these so-called 'abilities.' From manifestation to energy to vibes, there are just so many ways we can change our realities without any dependence on others. We are fooled into the notion that we need our governments and society to flourish, but the truth is that as a collective, we favor the few on behalf of the many. Yet there is something that can change the game. Something innate inside of us that, once tapped into, can LITERALLY change, shape, and mold our lives into whatever we desire. Now THAT is something that the 'few' have learned how to suppress in us. From the outside! The Baalbek Stone [Photo credit - middleeasteye.net ] Is it possible to carve, lift, and shift a giant rock that weighs 300 tonnes like at Baalbek (Lebanon) as part of a construction project? Thousands of years ago? Could it be possible? Maybe the question is not HOW they moved it. More like why. For example, 3000 years ago, people constructed a well at Santa Cristina that is aligned with a solar event that occurs once every 18 and a half years. The Santa Cristina Well, Sardinia, Italy When the moon is at its highest point in orbit, it does so directly above this place, shining through a 2 ft hole to illuminate a perfectly cylindrical well into a glowing white magical chamber. There are so many questions attached to the reasons this place exists, but back to my point. Like damn, they were using their MINDS to do all this stuff I could barely even do in my dreams. I can just about remember my PIN, and that's only 4 digits! Me? Move a rock? Manifest my desires? Somehow figure out how to build a place that could do who knows what? Well, that's a fantasy, a movie, a pipe dream. So they say. But perhaps there was once a time when these powers were unimpeded... Life begets life. Energy becomes energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich - Sarah Bernhardt So this piece is about the connection to our past, our connection with technology today, and how we can change our realities in the future. We have the power within us, and even if modern living does not encourage that, we can still find it if we search deeply enough! I hope you enjoy the read! I believe we have powers beyond our wildest dreams that are vulnerable to being suppressed and dumbed down. I know that is no groundbreaking notion, but that's where the poem went towards the end! Tech, fluoride, haircuts, food, and water... so many channels into us that can dampen our powers (so I am told). Yet I have come to truly believe in manifestation and positive energy, and I genuinely feel desires coming into being every day. I am no expert, and I credit these discoveries entirely to Jenn! I love her even more (if that were possible) for it. Learning to understand is the translation for POTENTIAL. Potential, because every moment has potential. I should have the desire to activate and uncover it. The process is only hard until it isn't! To this day, I often struggle to believe I have the life I do. Waking up to new vibes every day with the love of my life is a path I imagined in the far reaches of my mind when I was younger. A place like the Wizard of Oz, walking hand in hand with my true love down some sort of yellow brick road with birds fluttering and crisscrossing above our heads as the clouds part to reveal a rainbow! That was some dream, but now it IS my reality with Jenn, and what's more, our traveling and path IS the yellow brick road! The more we reduce ourselves to machines in the lower things, the more force we shall set free to use in the higher - Anna C Brackett Join the Conversation What do you think? Have we traded too much of our humanity for modern convenience, or does technology simply amplify what’s already within us? I'd genuinely love to hear your story. Come join the conversation: More From Leon Conscience Explore the inner workings of the conscience. Delve into the balance between morality, instinct, and self-awareness captured through poetry. About Leon Gregori I've been writing poetry since my mid-teens and find it natural to express myself through words. My long-form content focuses on themes of heartbreak and life. ⪢ Explore the Out of the Shadows collection Read more poems from an earlier era of writing shaped by searching, heartbreak, identity, and survival. → View all Out of the Shadows poems Poetry Resources

This poem forms part of my Aftermath collection, poetry written after meeting Jenn, where love, reflection, and emotional clarity began to replace chaos. Inspired by the transformative power of love, this piece looks at the way it rebuilds, renews, and elevates us. It's a tribute to the connection that can transcend stress, distance, and darkness, leaving us fused as one. Fusion explores the way love rebuilds us, piece by piece. It's a reflection of how, even in moments of chaos or darkness, love can be the light that carries us forward. "He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking." - Leo Tolstoy. Love always manages to find its way, even when you're feeling down. It's like a little pick-me-up that brings good vibes into your life. Whether you've met your soulmate or not, there's someone out there meant for you. Love has a funny way of showing up when you least expect it; no need to go hunting for it. That's just what I think! Join the Conversation What does love mean to you? Have you experienced a connection so powerful it felt like fusion? I'd genuinely love to hear your story. Come join the conversation: More From Leon Conscience Explore the inner workings of the conscience. Delve into the balance between morality, instinct, and self-awareness captured through poetry. About Leon Gregori I've been writing poetry since my mid-teens and find it natural to express myself through words. My long-form content focuses on themes of heartbreak and life. ⪢ Explore the Aftermath collection Discover more poems written after meeting Jenn. My reflections on love, connection, creativity, and emotional clarity. → View all Aftermath poems Poetry Resources