Memorial Day

Her heart was still wild,

The kind of girl boys fight for,

Haunting old men's dreams.

My Good Friend Loneliness and I

I know about loneliness, 

know the catch in an unused voice, 

know the weight of each second unshared. 

I know about single shadows stretching long 

across fire-warm rooms, 

and cups of tea grown cold. 

I know about loneliness, 

know sheets that smell of no one but me, 

know stories sitting untold on the shelves of memory. 

I know about loneliness,

and I do not fear her. 

We are old friends, 

we have survived together.

Metamorphosis

We breathe recycled air- 

our neighbor's breath, 

once as dear to this stranger as his blood, 

now pinks the blue in our veins. 

We sit at attention, 

clutching magazines 

and greasy fast food bags, 

fussing with gum wrappers 

and someone else's headphones,

staring at our future. 

Our cocoon, 

400 tons of metal, 

wraps around us:

a newborn tightly swaddled. 

When we emerge 

we will be new creatures

in a new place, 

with someone else's oxygen 

in our lungs. 

Children of the Jacandara Tree: A Found Poem

Surrounded by their happiness, 

she forgot about everything. 

She was filled with a feeling 

so empowering, 

so unwavering, 

that it could only be called love. 

Life was different now. 

It was about a child. 

I Will Love You

I will love you 

when you break the silence 

with your wordless call. 

I will love you 

in endless messes cleaned, 

in sticky kisses and fingerprinted windows. 

I will love you 

in your search for comfort on my lap, 

wet lashes thick with sorrow. 

I will love you 

in defiance: little hands 

clinging to a new independence. 

I will love you 

when you grow too large for me to hold, 

when the mere presence of me 

is not enough to fix your hurts. 

I will love you 

in cereal bowls and casserole dishes, 

cups of milk and mugs of hot chocolate. 

I will love you 

through the fights: 

the not-fairs, the you-nevers, 

the accusations that will sit heavy on your tongue 

and even heavier on my ears. 

I will love you 

when you leave me, 

will love the small of your back 

that has grown stronger than my own. 

I will love you 

in your quest to find the knowledge 

that I do not already possess, 

and 

I will love you 

when that knowledge eludes you. 

I will love you 

when you call for me, 

voice small and distant, 

heavy with homesickness. 

I will love you 

when I give you away, 

suspicious that your new family 

will not love you as well as I have, 

hopeful that they will prove me wrong. 

I will love you 

in every sunrise and every star-freckled twilight, 

in every snowstorm and every bonfire, 

in each and every moment of 

each and every day. 

I will love you. 

Grow

So I planted kisses 
like seeds 
on your tear-watered face, 
and I prayed 
that you would grow 
to love yourself 
as much as 
I love you.

It's Tuesday, I'm in Love

Somebody give me a hand, I need hope-

Learning to climb, at the end of my rope.

Mechanics of living, I'm trying to cope, 

Start at the bottom, it's all uphill slope.

I promise, it's more than an everyday trope:

If we weren't married, I'd say let's elope. 

A Billion Stars

Wrap yourself in dusk, 
my darling. 
Squeeze every last ray of light 
from the sun, 
and coat yourself in warmth. 
The darkness is growing nearer, 
my love, 
and the chill whispers 
threats into your perfect ear, 
but do not be afraid. 
In the day, 
we live with one sun, 
but at night- 
oh my love! 
in the blackest night 
we see a billion stars. 

August Mornings

It starts in the morning, 

the promise of heat, heavy 

even before the sunrise. 

There are no pillows of white 

when the sky fades, 

black to blue, 

no potential for a parade 

of light and shadow, 

no respite from the sun's blaze.

We wake, 

already wet with warmth 

that colors our cheeks 

and throws blankets 

from our sleepy bodies. 

The birds call out their protests 

as worms burrow deeper 

into the black earth.

Cinco de Mayo

But if you were here
I wouldn't give a damn a-
-bout the tequila.

Sanctification

So you'll keep my heart soft, 

like so much red clay, 

something that isn't quite done yet, 

something you have only just begun molding. 

And I will keep getting better, 

until you are finished with me, 

until my edges are no longer jagged,

until I am almost worthy to be called Your own.