My dog Monkey don’t say much, But he knows the weight I clutch. With just one look, he reads my soul, And somehow makes the broken whole. He ain’t just fur and paws and bark, He's a steady light when nights get dark. He knows when grief has found my chest, And curls beside me, gives me rest. He’s chased my storms, outrun my pain, Stood with me in the falling rain. When silence hurt and people fled, It was my dog who stayed instead. He’s licked the tears I didn’t show, And taught me more than most will know. No preacher, poet, priest, or man Could heal me like that wagging fan. So if I rise, it’s not alone, Monkey walked me back home. No need for saints or shining skies, I see God’s grace in Monkey’s eyes. By Jason Strickland

Once we built with hands and mind, Sought the truth, the stars aligned. Now we scroll and click and swipe, Trading wisdom for the hype. Knowledge once was held with pride, Now it's drowned in fickle tides. Memes replace the books of old, Stories shrink to fit the fold. Logic’s tossed, who needs the facts? Echo chambers forge our acts. Critical thought? A dying art, Lost to those who play the part. We praise the loud, the brash, the fake, Mock the ones who dare to wake. Shout opinions, call them true, While reason rots beneath the view. Yet beneath this vacant haze, Some still seek the wiser ways. Few will rise and light the flame, To break the cycle, end the game. For minds can sharpen, eyes can see If only we would choose to be By Jason Strickland

The wounded mind walks silent streets, A war within it never beats. Scars unseen but cut so deep, Memories haunt, refuse to sleep. It builds a wall, it locks the door, Afraid to feel, to hurt once more. A whispered doubt, a ghostly call, Echoes rise, then start to fall. Yet cracks let in the faintest light, A flicker small, but still a fight. A voice, a touch, a gentle stare, Reminds the mind that hope is there. Not all wounds will bleed or show, Not all pain is loud to know. But in the dark where shadows creep, Even broken minds can heal, and leap. By Jason Strickland