The Generation Gap

 

 "The Generation Gap" - Bahamas AI Art

 ⒸA. Derek Catalano

 

 

The Generation Gap

They say we live in different worlds,
But sleep beneath the same blue sky.
You tap a screen to chase your dreams,
I built mine brick by brick, by try.

You speak in gifs, in memes, in snaps,
I wrote in cursive, mailed with stamps.
You stream your music from the clouds—
We spun it slow on vinyl clamps.

We watched the clock; you watch your feed.
We mowed the lawn; you plant a seed—
A digital one, that blooms in likes,
While we were told to “earn our stripes.”

Grits in da Mornin'

 

 "Grits in da Mornin'" - Bahamas AI Art

 ⒸA. Derek Catalano

 

 

Grits in da Mornin'

Rise and shine

A new day is dawnin',
Bahamians love dey
Grits in da mornin'.

Made from corn
Grin' up dead small,
Grits for da whole family
One an all.

Gatta know how to cook it
Don't rush da pot,

Use da right amount a water
Man dat hit da spot.

Give Peace and Love

 

"Peace and Love" - Bahamas AI Art

 ⒸA. Derek Catalano

 

 

 Give Peace and Love

The world is heavy with the weight of pain,
Skies thick with smoke, hearts soaked in rain.
Each headline screams, each screen explodes
With anger, loss, and narrow roads.

We walk through days of sharpened tongues,
Of closed-off minds and loaded lungs.
A thousand ways we’ve drawn the line,
As if to hate is by design.

But here we are—awake, aware,
Still breathing in this battered air.
And in this hour, raw and real,
We face the truth we used to seal.

You Live What You've Learned

 

 "You Live What You've Learned" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

You Live What You've Learned

In the cradle of dawn, where the first lessons bloom,
A child’s wide eyes drink the world’s costume.
The hum of a lullaby, soft whispers of care,
Plants seeds of love in the heart’s tender lair.
Each stumble, each giggle, each tear-streaked face,
Carves pathways of knowing, a map of life’s grace.
For you live what you’ve learned, in the marrow, the bone,
Your soul’s quiet compass, through fields yet unknown.
 
The schoolyard’s rough edges, where friendships are forged,
Teach trust and betrayal, where young hearts are gorged.
A teacher’s stern voice, or a book’s open gate,
Unfurls the mind’s sails to navigate fate.
Arithmetic’s logic, the poet’s sweet rhyme,
Build scaffolds of thought that endure through all time.
Yet beyond the chalk dust, life’s lessons unfold—
The sting of a slight, or a kindness retold.

We Are Not Perfect

 

 "We Are Not Perfect" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

 

We Are Not Perfect

We are not perfect—
not the saints we post online,
not the curated smiles
behind which we hide the mess.
We break things.
We forget birthdays,
hold grudges too long,
and sometimes say things
we wish we never thought.

We are not made of marble.
We are chipped stone,
worn by years of trying,
patched over with second chances
and half-meant apologies.

Nothing Lasts Forever

 

 "Nothing Lasts Forever" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

 

Nothing Lasts Forever

The tide will rise, the tide will fall,
Soft waves erase our footprints all.
The sun that blazes high at noon
Will bow beneath the silver moon.

A flower blooms in morning light,
By dusk, its petals fade from sight.
A fire roars in winter’s breath,
Then crumbles down to ash and death.

The echo fades, the voice is still,
A silent house upon the hill.
The stars that burn in endless skies
Are doomed to fall, though gods they rise.

Believe Nothing Without Proof

 

 "Seek Proof" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

 

Believe Nothing Without Proof

They tell you the sky is endless blue,
A vast expanse, serene and true.
Yet look beyond with eyes that pry—
A storm may gather, shadows lie.

They swear the earth is steady ground,
Unshaken stone, firm and sound.
But faults may crack, and quakes may birth
A rupture deep beneath the earth.

They teach the past as written lore,
Bound in books forevermore.
Yet victors pen the tales we read,
And truth is bent by power’s need.

Play the Hand You're Dealt

 

 "Bad Hand" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

 

 Play the Hand You're Dealt

The cards are shuffled, the dealer calls,
No second chances, no curtain falls.
The hand you hold is yours alone,
No trading fate for the unknown.

Some sit with aces, kings in tow,
Life’s golden road laid out below.
Others grasp at tattered twos,
A losing game, it seems, to lose.

But fortune’s not in what you start,
Nor gilded luck or easy part.
The strength to stand, the will to fight,
Defines the play, not black or white.

Walk with Confidence

 

 "Confident Walk" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

 

Walk with Confidence

Walk with confidence, let your stride be bold,
Through every shadow, through every fold.
Not a step in doubt, nor a glance in fear,
But forward, steadfast, with vision clear.

The path may twist, the road may bend,
But your will is strong, and it shall not end.
You’ve known the weight of falling down,
Yet rise again, and wear your crown.

With every step, know who you are,
A light that flickers, yet still a star.
You’re more than struggles, more than tears,
More than the echo of past years.

Humble Yourself

 

 "Be Humble" - Bahamas AI Art

  ©A. Derek Catalano

 

 

 Humble Yourself

Walk steady, but not too tall,
For pride will rise before the fall.
A fleeting crown, a hollow throne,
What good is power when you're alone?

Humble yourself, bow your head,
Remember where your journey led.
The hands that lifted, words that healed,
The unseen forces fate concealed.

The seed does not demand the sky,
It waits in patience, buried dry.
Through storms and seasons, heat and cold,
It finds its strength, it breaks the mold.

The Evil Spirit of Suicide

 

 "Angel of Darkness" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

 

The Evil Spirit of Suicide

It whispers in the dead of night,
A voice so soft, yet sharp as knives,
A shadow slinking through the mind,
A serpent coiling, seeking lives.

No face, no form, yet always near,
It slithers through the cracks of thought,
A parasite that feeds on fear,
A demon from the depths distraught.

It speaks in echoes, dark, profound,
In syllables of poisoned lies,
It weaves its web where hope once bloomed,
And blinds the soul with hollow eyes.

Continue to Learn

 

 "Grammy Reading Tablet" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

 

Continue to Learn

When morning breaks with golden light,
And fresh winds whisper soft and bright,
A call resounds in air so clear—
A simple truth, both loud and near.

The mind must stretch, the soul must grow,
Through highs and lows, through ebb and flow.
For knowledge waits in hidden space,
A boundless sea we dare to chase.

Not just in books with pages worn,
Or halls where robes of wisdom form,
But in the hands that shape the clay,
In trials met along the way.

Science is Everywhere

 

"Spirograph Atom" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

This poem conveys the idea that science is woven into every part of our lives and should be embraced rather than ignored.

 

 

Science is Everywhere

From atoms small to planets grand,
Through sky and sea and shifting sand,
In every breath, in every spark,
Science whispers, leaves its mark.

It lights the sun, it forms the rain,
It beats within your very veins.
The air you breathe, the food you taste,
All crafted through its boundless grace.

The wheel that rolls, the plane that soars,
The towering bridge, the open doors.
Each cure that heals, each tool we wield,
By science forged, by knowledge sealed.

Spring is Here

Today is the first day of Spring.

 

"Spring is Here" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

 

Spring is Here

The whisper of the ocean shifts,
soft and warm against the shore,
a breath of salt and golden mist
as winter fades to be no more.
Sunrise stretches, pink and bold,
spilling light across the seas,
palm fronds rustle, bright and gold,
in the hush of island breeze.

Spring is here, and life awakens,
in a paradise so fair—
where bougainvillea blush the hills,
and mangoes sweeten air.
Flamingoes wade in shallows deep,
rosy-hued against the tide,
while turtles glide and dolphins leap
in waters clear and wide.

Don't Fear the Future

 

"Future Change" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

This poem captures the spirit of progress, encouraging openness to change and new technology while warning against clinging to outdated ideas.

 

 

Don't Fear the Future

The past was built with fire and stone,
A world once small, a world once known.
But time moves on with steady hands,
Unfolding futures vast and grand.

The stars we mapped were myths before,
The earth was flat—or so we swore.
Yet minds unchained, with vision bright,
Unraveled truth and birthed new light.

The wheel, the press, the iron steam,
The spark of code—a silicon dream.
Each step they feared, yet none could halt
The march of time, the lightning’s vault.

The Stage of Life

 

"The Stage of Life" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

This poem captures the essence of life as a grand stage, where all play their parts, both noble and corrupt. It offers the possibility of change and redemption, with the ultimate hope of a better world.

 

 

 The Stage of Life

The curtain rises, lights burn bright,
A world emerges from the night.
A stage immense, both vast and grand,
Where all must play the roles at hand.

Some walk with honor, heads held high,
Their voices calm, their hearts belie
A kindness deep, a strength untold,
They shape the world in hands of gold.

They speak of love, they act with grace,
They mend the wounds, the fears erase.
Their scripts are writ with selfless care,
They light the dark, they breathe the air.

Skeletons in the Closet

 "Hidden Secrets" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

This poem explores guilt, hidden secrets, and the inevitability of truth resurfacing.

 

 

Skeletons in the Closet

They rattle when the house is still,
whispers scraping through the night.
Behind the oak doors, locked and shut,
they stir where shadows choke the light.

I hear them shift, I feel them grin,
their hollow laughter calls my name.
A chorus born of buried sins,
each syllable a hiss of blame.

I swore I'd leave them in the dark,
sealed beneath the weight of years.
But ghosts have ways of finding cracks,
of seeping through my brittle fears.

Judge Not

 

 "Judgement Mirror" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

This poem emphasizes the dangers of passing judgment on others and the inevitability of being judged in return.

 

 

Judge Not

You sit so high on judgment’s throne,
A heart of stone, a voice of scorn.
You cast your verdicts, sharp and swift,
As if your soul has never slipped.

You weigh their sins, yet blind to yours,
With scales unbalanced at their core.
You count their flaws like grains of sand,
Yet wipe your own with careless hands.

You scoff at those who walk astray,
But who are you to mark the way?
Have you not wandered? Have you not erred?
Have you not known the weight of fear?

Beware the Green-Eyed Monster

 

 "Jealousy" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

This poem captures the creeping, consuming nature of jealousy and serves as a warning about its destructive power.

 

 

Beware the Green-Eyed Monster

Beware the beast with whispering breath,
A shadow lurking, sharp as death.
It slithers near with poisoned tongue,
A song of doubt so softly sung.

It creeps behind your closest friend,
Turns laughter bitter, love to end.
It twists their joy into a slight,
And makes the day dissolve to night.

It wears a mask of reason's face,
Yet sets your steady heart to race.
It feeds on glances, words unspoken,
On shattered trust and bonds left broken.

Don’t Lower Your Standards

 

"Don’t Lower Your Standards" - Bahamas AI Art

 ©A. Derek Catalano

 

This poem is a powerful reminder to hold firm to your values, dreams, and self-worth, regardless of external pressures.

 

 Don’t Lower Your Standards

Don’t lower your standards for fleeting applause,
For whispers of praise wrapped in counterfeit cause.
The world will entice with its glitter and gold,
But treasures untested will tarnish when sold.

Stand firm in your values, let dignity shine,
Your worth isn't measured by trend or design.
The hollow approval of those who deceive,
Is fleeting as echoes the moment they leave.

They’ll tell you to bend, to shrink or conform,
To soften your fire, to weather their storm.
But storms teach resilience, and tempests reveal,
The strength of convictions that time cannot steal.