Ten Years Later

Our love is 

the last two matches 

lit in the darkness 

of a blizzard. 

Terrifyingly precious 

and fragile, 

and worth the risk 

of getting burned. 

We must protect 

this love 

with all we have.

Maybe

Maybe,

one day,

my words will come

unbidden 

to your mind. 

Maybe 

you will whisper them 

as a prayer against the darkness, 

or sing them 

to your sleeping child. 

Maybe,

one day,

my name will be 

the mantra that you exhale, 

or the echo that follows 

every heartbeat. 

Maybe 

you will hear my name 

in a crowded room, 

or in the absence 

after a book has closed. 

Maybe. 

Manifest Destiny

Manifest destiny, density's tears,

martyred by destiny, lost all those years.

Singed by the flames that were born of desire-

that's what you get when you play with the fire.

Written in stars, then the stars they got crossed.

Searching for home, but resigned to be lost.

Waiting for history, lesson unlearned;

begging for change that has yet to be earned.

Two Years

Two years of giggles by day, cries at night,

months of no sleeping at all.

Two years of pleading with heavens and man,

waiting for footsteps to fall. 

Two years of rationing rational thought,

hoping that surplus will grow;

two years of baby steps, bargains with God,

resigning myself to the slow.

Two years of leaving my heart in your hands,

and wearing your scent in my hair.

Two years of listening hard for your breath, 

not breathing myself till it's there.

Compass Rose

Somehow, it doesn't matter which way I turn,

Whether the sun is on my face or at my back,

No matter the coast or shoreline I'm seeing

Every direction points me to You.

My BFF (Best Former Friend)

In my version of the story,

I'm still wrong. 

Half-truths were your first language,

and I believed them all.

Well Armed

Fashion yourself 

a blade 

from my love, 

and use it 

to cut down 

the demons 

that whisper 

your insecurities 

in stereo.

Inconceivable

Some things that shouldn't be, 

inexplicably are. 

It shouldn't snow in April,

we should never lose our children,

and phrases like "on fleek" should not exist.

Some things that ought to be,

inconceivably aren't.

Innocence should last longer than a decade,

shoes should be fashionable and stylish,

and I should be with you. 

Some things that shouldn't be,

inexplicably are:

Christmases should never be green,

we should never lose our wonder at this wide world,

and nobody should have to live in fear of violence.  

Some things that ought to be

inconceivably aren't.

Coffee should be both hot and palatable, 

tears should never come unbidden, 

and you should be with me. 

Sleepy

Home is where I sleep:

A full night's rest, undisturbed,

Nestled next to you. 

Epilogue

The story is over, 

but that doesn't mean 

I have stopped reading it. 

I have whispered each sentence 

into the night, 

until they were tattooed 

on my soul. 

You told me once 

that the greatest love stories 

will never end. 

I believed you. 

Where's the epilogue? 

Oxygen

I admit it, 

Love,

it is growing 

more difficult 

to hold my 

breath.

But having 

inhaled you, 

I cannot 

let you go. 

Whatever the Weather

Sometimes days are dark as night, 

and nights refuse to end.

Some roads traveled seem so smooth,

until you round the bend. 

Sometimes sweet, it masks the bitter,

sometimes the bitter wins.

Some days grace is overflowing,

some days are marked by sins. 

Some times clouds blot out the sunshine,

some days sun breaks through.

But every day, in every moment,

I'll be loving you. 

A Mess and A Masterpiece

You 

are a lovely mess 

and masterpiece 

all in one.

Do not expect your fellow man 

to be without flaws, 

and do not despair when he discovers 

the chinks in your own 

carefully coordinated armor.

But do not settle for a man 

who holds the door open behind him, 

rather than in front of him. 

Do not settle for a twenty-first century relationship 

when you deserve an everlasting love. 

Don't settle for a honk from the driveway;

wait for the doorbell to ring, 

for the flowers held in outstretched arms. 

One day you will find someone 

who looks at you in a way 

you never knew possible. 

Find that man, 

that laugh that creates harmony 

when it joins your own. 

Because my darling, 

you are a mess, 

and a beautiful masterpiece 

all in one. 

And you deserve the best.  

Secondhand Shine

You said my eyes were 

brighter than the stars, 

but I looked at you and knew 

you were only seeing your reflection. 

And even if I never have 

another speck of luck,

you loved me once,

and that is enough. 

Do We Not?

And do we not live in 

dreams?

For you 

are the blurred line between 

awake 

and asleep. 

You 

are the exquisite bliss 

that tempts me 

from slumber into morning, 

and beckons me, 

once again, 

to bed. 

Haiku for You

And I am always

warmer under your shadow

than in my sunshine.

For Amelia

The scientists tell us:

every seven years 

our bodies destroy 

and regenerate each cell. 

I have known you in many lives, 

each piece of me has loved 

each piece of you. 

But.  

In a few years, my darling, 

I will have shed every part of me 

that you have touched. 

I will be completely new- 

someone you have never known. 

I wonder, 

will these new cells be oblivious 

to your absence? 

Or will they too learn to ache 

with your loss- 

the void they have never 

seen filled?
I cannot imagine a life
spent not missing
You.

So Long Ago, And Still

I, 

even now, growing fat with love

remember the day we met: 

new to this world 

and rudderless in the storm.

Love, 

you were so sure- 

so confident of yourself, 

begging classroom answers 

off of straight A girls. 

You, 

even now, so many years' 

gray in your hair, 

make me believe that 

you know what you're doing. 

Reflex

I held your hand the way babies grasp fingers-

like it was a reflex,

like it was all I knew how to do. 

You held my hand the way bachelors hold babies,

like I was fragile,

like you might someday break me.

Walker

Sometimes I'm a walker,

sometimes I start running;

sometimes I'm a shadow,

some days find me sunning.

Some nights I'm a sleeper

other nights I dream;

some days I'm a fixer,

sometimes I rip seams.

Mornings, I drink coffee

unless I'm drinking tea:

a slice of pie for breakfast,

or nothing else for me. 

Sometimes I go flying,

occasionally I'll swim.

These days find me losing-

eventually I'll win. 

in a Dark World, Be the Light

Burn so bright, darling, you freckle the sun,

Cast shadows on stars in the sky.

Let your light shine so that blind men can feel it,

And think that they've opened their eyes.

Begging for Change

I emptied my pockets this morning 

for a man on the corner

with a cardboard story. 

I didn't know him, 

but I can bet that we share a few chapters: 

nights spent hollowing out bottles 

searching for messages at the bottom. 

They are in there somewhere,

if you look hard enough. 

Maybe it says 

I'm sorry. 

I could be wrong, of course. 

He could be nothing like me. 

Maybe I'll never know what it is to be 

homeless, 

but I know what it is to lose a home- 

to beg for compassion and second chances.

I gave him everything I had. 

What Does It Mean?

that I still talk to your ghost every day, 

knowing full well that you will never hear me?  

What does it mean

that I cannot watch football 

without feeling your hands in my hair,

and I can't cut a pineapple 

without feeling your fingers on the knife? 

What does it mean

that I comb old photographs searching for you, 

ever elusive, 

always on the other side of the lens?

When I can't find anyone to fill your shirts, 

much less your shoes,

and when each ice cube only reminds me 

of how cold my hands are now 

without yours to warm them? 

Our love is-

was-

the kind that painted blue the gray 

and turned dandelions to roses.

But what does that all mean, 

now that you are gone? 

Confession

Sometimes I borrow a wiser man's words, 

turning his phrase into mine.

They echo with honesty, vibrating truth,

and tell me- can truth be a crime?

Once in a while the lines that I craft

sound hollow and vapid and weak,

It's then that I look to a stronger man's voice-

his tones are the lines that I seek. 

WWJD

Give that man a hand to shake 

and hand him help,
he needs it. 

You would want the same, 

would need the same, 

if you were bleeding.

Teach with actions not with words, 

kindness breeds 

so be a breeder.

If she's hungry 

and you have food 

who are you then, not to feed her?

I wish we had listened closer 

when He spoke, 

for then we'd thrive.

Please remember 

hate brings death, friend,

It is love that keeps us alive. 

All I Want

I don't need a mansion, a yacht or a Rolls,

Fifteen carat diamonds, or platinum or gold.

I don't need vacations to tropical sand,

globetrotting adventures in some distant land.

I don't need stilettos or big ermine coats,

solid gold toilets or 50 foot boats;

I don't need a villa outside of Nice...

I just want to shower in peace. 

City of Lights Now Darkened

My bones ache 
with the thought of you.

We are separated by so little:

an ocean, a language, 

yet tonight

different tongues cry 

over the same blood. 

A city gone dark,

and we who are light 

left in silence. 

Quest

We find ourselves 
searching for the things
they told us did not exist. 
Hidden under rocks 
or behind the sun's glare, 
tucked into trees 
and buried deep into black dirt, 
there are secrets 
waiting to be discovered. 
I will never stop looking.

Sit Down (Sit Down)

I won't rock 

the boat, 

baby.

But I cannot 

promise you 

that I won't 

sink the ship, 

if it becomes 

necessary. 

Railway Romance

We may 
never 
cross paths, 
but I will 
never 
stop looking 
for your tracks. 
I will 
love you, 
until all my bones 
are brittle 
and love 
is all 
that I have 
left.

Knight

Knights 
in shining armor 
have yet to see a battle. 
They remain 
unsullied and 
untested. 
Find a man 
with dirt 
under his fingernails 
and sorrow 
behind his smile. 
He knows 
what it is 
to fight. 
And darling, 
scars 
are proof of 
strength. 

Dream

Dream 

the sort of dreams 

that keep you company 

whether you are awake 

or asleep. 

Wish 

the sort of wishes 

that require magic 

to come true. 

Believe 

in things 

you cannot, 

try though you might, 

ever prove. 

The Reformation of Saints

I'll start once again, 

yes I swear I'll reform. 

Nothing haunting me now, 

for I've been reborn. 

All the ghosts of my past, 

once again laid to rest; 

by all of the saints, 

I will give it my best. 

95 changes, 

and I'll make them all.

Maybe this time I will end

standing tall. 

Homesick

You make me homesick 

for a home I've never seen. 

When can I come home? 

Boy

Snips and snails and puppy dog tails,

They tell me these things make a boy.

But what about mud, and frogs in his pocket,

And painting his face with pure joy? 

I have known sugar, I have seen spice,

Girls are so sweet and genteel.

But I am excited to see what boys bring,

Besides just a stick and a reel. 

Castle on a Cloud

Kingly advances,

A princely love ransomed

King me- no queen me-

Lay hold of my passions.

No time for a jester,

No room for a court

No water, no drawbridge,

No moat for this fort. 

Just king of my heart,

And me, queen of his,

Surrounded by walls

As strong as love is.

Home Again

Let me build a home out of this house, 

each window, 

every wall, 

a testament to our love. 

Let me shut the gate, 

leave the wolves howling for blood in the dark. 

Let me find the warmth in your skin against mine, 

let me heat myself with your smile. 

Hold out your hands and let me 

pour out my love.