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.