Junious ‘Jay’ Ward – An Ode to What the Divorce Didn’t Take

Curated By Ralph

"The Road Not Taken" is a source of inspiration for me, because it encourages me to seize opportunities and chart my own course in life.

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Junious ‘Jay’ Ward, performing at IWPS 2019 in San Diego, CA.

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An ode To what the divorce didn't take Picture me a starfish in a souvenir shop Dried out and stiff posing for a woman Who thinks i'm perfect just like this Praise her for refusing to believe i am Already dead Praise this white-knuckled love this Calcified and armor-plated love give Praise to the remnant on the beach the Scattered debris after the storm all the Tearing down that makes room to rebuild Did you know a starfish can regenerate Lost appendages to look exactly like the Old It's not a blessing it's mastering the Art of moving on without you it's Replacing the thought of you with the Body of someone else it's learning to Amputate my own indiscretions only to Watch them grow back to be divorced is To be born again but not in a religious Way so when i say i know i didn't do Everything right but i also know i Didn't do everything wrong what i'm Saying is i'm coming to grips with the Push and the pull the memories like Tidewater the push love can be so hard Example see how i still hold your salt The pull i still choose to believe in Love example see how my arms are still Outstretched praise to this tide water That brings us places we never thought We'd have to go glory to the undertow

And the way new love will dance in it The chain that brings everything to Surface shout for the resilience of Everything we had to go through to bring Us here make a joyful noise that we are Here we didn't capsize when we thought We would we didn't drown when we thought We would we didn't give up when we Thought we already had when you pick up A starfish you should know that the Mouth is actually on the underside and The anus is on top I'm not an you just didn't know How to hold me I can accept that now praise to Everything that holds me now and accepts Me now prays to new love and praise to Being born again [Applause]

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