Do Not Fear Flowers

Do not fear the flowers 

fraught with thorns.

It is better to bleed 

for something beautiful 

than to safely sit, 

empty-handed.

More than Skin Deep

You are more than skin deep in me. 

I might break, bleed, fall, fail, 

but you were given to me,

picked for me to love.

Your hand fits so perfectly,

so easily, into my own,

and your eyes reflect all the good

I wish to see in my own heart. 

I was born with you imbedded 

in my flesh and in my soul. 

A Eulogy for a Prince

Purple has perished,

the Reds are all faded, 

Blue's losing steam and

the Greens are all jaded. 

Yellow's a coward 

and Gray's a bit shady,

Black is morose and 

White's always lazy. 

Pink lost her glasses

And Tan just got burned,

Brown has it bad,

Green's still not been earned. 

Disjointed rainbow,

the colors all dim

I guess this is life

in a world without him. 

Shadow People

It's so easy, 
on dark days, 
to see nothing 
but the shadows. 
It's so easy 
to find the faults, 
and imagine the worst, 
and forget the rest. 
Resist this trap. 
Resist it and remember- 
shadows are only cast 
when light spills 
into the world. 
There will always 
be darkness, 
darling, 
but I promise you, 
there will also 
always be light. 

My Wyatt

I do not know 
how I love you best:

wide awake or 
wrapped in slumber.

I only know 
that I miss the weight of you 

in my arms when, 

in the darkness, 

you are not beside me. 

My life is filled with you, 
my love, 

and your absence 
makes it harder to breathe. 

Stretch your sleepy smile 
across your face, 

and know that I 
will make a memory of it. 

24

Can you hear them,
my love: 
the silent shouts of 
my heart? 
Whether it's in sorrow 
or jubilation, 
I can't stop calling 
your name.

The Trophy

Where have you kept my heart, 
since you stole it from my 
sleeve? Is it hidden, 
dark and quiet, 
caged in 
bone or 
steel? 
Or do you 
keep it on your 
mantel for everyone 
to see- a conversation piece 
for dinner parties that I won't be invited to?

Forget the Moon

I do not see your face now,

it is not framed 

amid the blackness 

of my eyelids.

You do not linger 

as a scent 

on an old t-shirt, 

but you are here, 

still.

You color my world 

in your hue,

saturating it 

with longing and regret.

That's the thing about love: 

the sun can never 

forget the moon. 

April Showers

Do not weep for too long, 
darling. 
What was lost 
will once again 
be found, 
but it will not be conjured 
by the torrent of your tears. 
Do not hide yourself away, 
folded small by sorrow. 
Let the sun coax you 
back to life, 
green leaves 
from black dirt. 
You will flower 
once again. 

Tat(you)

I have found nothing
to etch on my skin: 

no motto or slogan,
no creed to begin. 

My body: a canvas
still lacking the hue, 

no image adorns me,
no script I Love Yous. 

I'm missing a scripture,
a star or a cross, 

no dates mark the people
I've loved and I've lost. 

The truth is my heart
tends to be inconsistent, 

and permanent markings
are rather persistent. 

They tell me that beauty
is only skin deep, 

so forgive me if I refuse
to be other than me. 

The Promise

I can't promise you the world. 

I don't know the answers 

to the questions hiding behind your eyes. 

There are things my ears haven't heard, 

vistas my eyes haven't seen, 

valleys of darkness yet unwalked, 

and highest heights not yet reached. 

I cannot promise you the world. 

But,

If you'll let me, 

I will search for answers with you. 

We can listen to the symphony of the summer wind, 

and watch our yard turn Midas-dipped each evening. 

We can travel by the light of the stars in your eyes, 

and reach for the moon from any altitude. 

I cannot promise you the world, my love, 

but I can promise you that my world will never be 

without you. 

Pas(t)sed [Death]

Despair in the morning,

no hope springs eternal;

just hearts still so broken, 

demolished, infernal.

Internal struggle, 

my heart ripped in two;

no shortage of longing, 

no me without you.

The silver is missing, 

I just see the clouds.

An ocean of faces, 

your's not in the crowd.

How can we smile, 

your absence still fresh?

Just know this, my darling:

I love you past death.