I thought love would be tall, dark, and handsome
I thought he would wear glasses and read Sherlock Holmes
I thought he would be listening to alternative music
I thought he would wear blue Vans and play the acoustic guitar
I thought he would be driving a black sedan in the afternoon
I thought he would have the gentlest fingers

Instead, love is tall, dark, and rugged
Love wears glasses from the 90s and reads politics
Love listens to songs I had laughed at and to songs I keep close to my heart
Love owns no Vans but has plenty of worn-out faded jeans
Love rides a motorcycle and, more often than not, the public train
Love's fingers are stuffy, if that is even an accurate term

But love has a gentle heart
He speaks no sweet words but his songs are poetry
He is patient and unyielding and stubborn at times
He is funny and crude and full of life
He lives and writes his existence into my being

But love only comes to me with no intention to stay
Love passes me by without meaning to
Love gives me the chance to love, though perhaps he cannot see me as love
Love had looked me in the eyes years ago, but only now did he truly come to my life
Love came to me when I was ready to welcome him
Love arrived when my heart was full of life for him
And now, love leaves when my heart understands
Love departs with a piece of me that I have given him, willingly and wholeheartedly
Love, too, is finding his own way to let go of love
One fine day, you will find her and I will find you

The sun would not shine upon us
But the cold of my hands was met
With the warmth of his embrace

I thought you were asleep,
He said as he played with my fingers
Little did he know that I was thinking
Somehow he found me and I am safe

He is a dream and I am his lullaby
I do not know if it was him or me
That fell deeper with each song
But this is my goodnight to him

This is the me that I am
Lipstick and mascara on
Flirting and giggling
Eating soft ice cream
The world in my hands
The laughter is my song

This is the me that I am
Tangled up between the sheets
No words spoken
Just voices and silent screams
Crazy and desperate
For a little bit of hope

This is the me that I am
Smiling and singing my sorrows
While tending to others' wounds
Praying that somehow
When they get better
I will get better, too

To love you is to forget the pain
And to just enjoy the memories
Through rosy-tinted glasses

It will be easy, no?

Too young to know when to fold 'em
Too old to make one mistake at a time
The children born to hard workers
And the lovers made of electric glass
We are everything you wanted us to be
We are everything you could never be

Your story is not mine
This I cannot deny
Your burden is not mine
This you will not share
Your heart is not mine
This I will not force
But do tell me, love
That your warmth
Will always be mine

Take your time slowly and surely, my love
Your open arms may one day be my home
Allow me some time, too, to fit into your frame
I am not used to be told that I will be safe

Sink into me deeper and ever so gently, my love
We are a hundred stories wrapped into one
I have long let go of my childhood dreams
Yet your grasp made me believe in fairy tales once more

Pull me close and take me away, my love
Today you may be a part of one sonnet in my book
Take a day, a fortnight, or a moon’s time
And may you become the word to every story

Keep your eyes on me, my love
The way I always find you in the crowded room
I have come to know the way you love someone
And you have seen what breaks me apart
It is only natural that your fingers reach for mine
While my words become your safety blanket
Have you not found me waiting for you all along?
Have I not found my strength in your arms?

Your heart is full of fire
Coal black but gentle as the moon
Your sun is fierce and full of grace
Are you mad at the way
The earth revolves around them?
Or is your soul yearning
For the stars that give life
To the endless summers?

Easy rider, steady yourself
If you drive too fast
You may catch the changing storms

Have a cigarette or two
If you are cunning enough
You may slay the beasts of tomorrow

I welcome you to the new age
Where the angels carry razors
And the demons scream for help

You are so full of life
With a fire within your soul
And desire in your eyes
You are meant to live
A hundred lives
And tell a thousand tales
So do not leave so soon, my love

Queen of the night
Calling for her prey
While drinking her sorrows
Sweet words and kisses
She will make you sing
Like you never before
Did she teach you well?
Have you learned your lesson?

She sings for love and excitement
Adventures and truth-or-dares
They are her playthings for the weekend
To see her is to watch a burning star

She will tell you her deepest secrets
Perhaps an hour after the happy hour
In her company you will finally understand
How to be bright and dark at the same time

For, after all, she is the moon

It is one thing for you
To take away my pride
But do you not know
What a horrific crime it is
To take away my words?

I am used to everything being difficult. For quite a while, I have accepted that I am not like others who find it easy to find love here and there. The people that I had fallen for were so good, so electrifying, but never quite right for me. Still, falling under difficult circumstances was the only thing I knew; winning the affection and approval of someone who does not love you back felt like the only way to go.

That is why when you came into my world, it felt like a beautiful, terrifying surprise.

For the first time in a long time, there are no worries and fears. At least, there are no real fears. For the first time, I did not enter someone's life with fears of being uninvited. You reached out for me, arms stretched wide and open I was beginning to wonder if they were arms or gates to the home I had never known before. For the first time, I do not want to speak in the language of flowers filled with poetry; I am scared that immortalizing you in exaggerated love sonnets would make you only a figment of my imagination. Your laughter and jokes and the way you wrap me in your warmth are far better than any poetry I have ever read; I do not need them anymore because for the first time, what I am experiencing is real.

You are not making me fall in love with you. Falling means landing on the cold ground, bruises and wounds all over me. Instead, I feel like I am walking into you, perhaps even crawling, in a slow and careful but steady motion. You do not make me feel like I am flying; I am standing on solid ground with my heart flying into the skies and my head blissfully resting on your shoulder. You make me happy, far happier than I thought I could be, but I do not feel like I would lose myself without you.

You found me and for the first time, I am not falling. I am walking.

One day you will be a lovely memory of a period in my life.
One day I will wake to the sun smiling upon my face, knowing that the end is mine.
One day my songs will cease to be about you.
One day I will read your words out loud painlessly.
One day your smile will bring me bliss.
One day I will laugh with you at the we that we were.
One day your fingers will no longer make my heart stop.
One day I will not need to hide, for there is nothing to hide.
One day I will cherish all of this.
One day love will find me, as it will you.
One day, just not today.

Wounded birds
And broken angels
Are your favorite lovers
But my dear,
We are not objects
To be fixed

She goes to parties
All dressed up
With her lipstick on

There she is
All smiles and laughter
Saying hello to the boys
And giggling with the girls

One kiss, one look
And off she goes
To wherever the night
Will take her

She turns the keys
And takes off her shoes
On the mattress she lies
Her mascara no longer a lie

Once upon a time
A father loved his daughter
A mother fed her child
A writer recited his poetry
A musician wrote a song
A doctor saved a life
A singer healed broken hearts

Now those were no more
Than tales of a distant yesterday
Amidst smoke and ash
Buried under the sea of the dead

Sweet, gentle soul
Be not worried
Storms come and go
Journeys have their ends
What you seek
May not be seen now
But what is loved
May never be lost
For the steps you take
Will take you to
Exactly where you need to be

In front of the flashing lights
We were arm in arm
Your boyish grin and my bashful blush
Perfectly frozen for everyone to see
It matters not what will happen
To the people that we are
As long as this becomes
My memory of you and I

What you want is a broken girl
Whose scattered pieces you want to reassemble
So here's my task for you
Let's see if you can collect the shards
Without getting cut and bleeding here and there

If you look at me like that
I think you should say something
Like a nice little hello from an old friend
Or a nod or a smile from an old flame
I did not ask much and you know I never did
Only a time of your day for us to be at ease
And say the things that are better left unsaid
For we would rather be regretful than left wondering
Of a time and love that could have been
But simply never meant to be
If this is the game you want to play
Then count me in and I will play by your rules
Watch me as I spin and dance in disgrace
If I fall I will rise again from the ashes
I am more than the love you had for the sun

Promise me that you will build me
A sandcastle by the crashing blue
The way I promise you that I will
Kiss you amidst the clouds in the sky

Promise me that you will take me
To your parents' house on your birthday
The way I promise you that I will
Take you to my grandmother's grave

Promise me that you will keep your promises
Your fingers slowly undoing my mistakes
My prayers overcoming your false steps
This is my promise to you, I promise

The suns of morning
And storms of yesterday
Are chasing me down
Into the edge of unknown

Are you ready for me, love?
I heard you were the dawn
A universe of your own
Come at me, then

You are within my sight
But this is my dream
So play by my rules
I am the queen of the Ivory Tower

All it takes
Is a look from you
To undo all the hard work
That I have carefully built

I would give you anything
As sweet as your heart's desire
But darling, please be gentle
And do not take my words
For they are all that I want
To keep as my own

I could sing you a love song
About the way you say my name
Or the day you told me everything
I never knew I needed to know

There is no fun in that, though
So run your mouth all over me
Till we get lost in each other's rhythm
We have until dawn to work it out

Devour me like your guiltless pleasure
Do I fill up your energy like nothing else?
Head straight to the midlands now
If you have what it takes to take the wheel
Then break the boundaries that you made
Aren’t you a man of pride and dignity?
Prove your worth to the passers-by
Tell the kings and queens of old
We are not meant for swan songs

You will always rise
Fall you may, once in a while
The ground is cold and hard
So is the heart of the mountain
Unyielding but a home to thousands
Is not your heart the same, love?
How many have you kept within yours?
Have you not given them strength?
Your tears are not the ocean
But your spirit is
Come back to where you belong
The world and its circus
This is your playground, your stage
Put on your show and take a bow
All you need to do is rise

If only you knew
That I say your name
Over and over again
Because I want you
To be my safe haven

Sing her body electric
Write her love letters
Take her downtown
Bring her fresh flowers
Ride her to the seaside

Keep her awake all night long
Watch as the stars turn into her eyes
The sound of her breath growing dim
Her words, disheveled and unruly, all yours

Fall asleep next to her
Better yet, let her dream in your arms
She is the one you have chosen
So why are your fingers reaching for mine
Every night in your dreams?

I cannot write anything at all.

When spoken words can no longer
Bear witness to the fire within me
Let the screaming silence be my ally
For it is a truer friend to a wounded soul
Than any whisper made at the devil's hour

Someday is but another day to come
He has seen enough of the world
To become the man of the hour
Have you found your muse, love?
The night falls when the ghosts arrive
Slowly but ever so surely
Your fingers, entwined with mine
Your laughter, in sync with my songs
Well-played and well-versed
For the eyes we are strangers to
And your face, my love
Holds the promise of something new
Someday is only another day to come

Had you been born as another
We would have gone to buy
Expensive coffee in the afternoon
We would have sit and talked
About the cyber crime
Or the new capitalism

Had you been born as another
We would have spent anniversaries
On vacations by the beach
We would have let the sun watch
As we kiss in an endless summer
Crashes of blue all ignored by us

Had you been born as another
We would have become liberals
Seeking the comfort of the Ivory Tower
We would have left the city
And let the stars be our guides
There is nothing money cannot buy

Had you been born as another
Would you have been just as unattainable
As you are now?

Had you been born as another
Would you have become the beautiful man
That I fell in love with?

Do you listen to my songs
And hope that one day
I will sing your body electric?

Do you listen to my songs
And imagine my voice
Saying your name again and again?

Do you listen to my songs
Because my soul speaks to yours
Or am I just another one-hit wonder?

Gentle souls have their own way
Of recognizing each other's existence
Under the burning, unforgiving sun
Expect none from him and you may find
A thousand wonders and surprises
He is not a poet and neither are you
But none of it matters, truly
For yours is the only song he wants to sing

Do souls recognize each other
And yearn for kisses
The way our hearts do?

All you have is a kiss you have yet to give
Your memories are black and cold as ice
There was a time of bliss and love within
Now you can only see the void unfulfilled
Let your lips curse at the storms
They came when he left without a goodbye
Somehow your silence holds the answers
Learn how to breathe fire into your lungs
One day you will learn old songs the new way

A million dollar smile
Means it takes a hundred
Worldly, superficial things
To give the world
The smile that you must show
As a person of privilege

Smiles
Laughter
Joy
Love
Kindness
Bliss
Warmth
Hugs
Kisses
Embrac­es
Flowers
Chocolates
Sunshine
Drizzle
Coffee
Tea
Touches
Whisper­s
Hope

There is so much for you to be grateful about.
Even if survival is your only goal today, pride yourself on that.
At the very least, you are strong enough to hold on.

"Thank you," you whispered to me
"This," I said to you with a smile
"This is love, isn't it?"

This boy is special
If only you would show him
All the wonders you have ever seen
This boy is special
If only you would look at him
The way you are supposed to look at him
This boy is special
If only you knew the man that he'd become
And if only you knew
What you know now

You stood by the gates, with eyes wild like a lion's and a smile as gentle as a purr. There was never any deception, lies, or mess between us. You are crystal clear, and so am I.

We said our hellos and by the next minute, we were laughing as we are: old friends, long separated. You are the brightest, the dearest. Ease and tenderness, jokes and flirtations and laughter.

The years, apparently, have changed us into the version of ourselves that we need to be for each other. What a blessed, blissful time.

Sometimes you kiss him well into the night
And sometimes when he holds you
You feel as if you are a memory
That he desperately wants to keep

He will never call you the love of his life
But when he makes you face the crashing waves
With his hand firmly holding yours
You know he will never need to

Eyes glimmering between the haze
Your name on the tip of my tongue
The crowds cheering out for you
As if the world, for a moment, is all yours
The man of the hour under the moonlight
One look at you and I know
That this is it, this is enough

I am not your muse
Do you know what that means?
I am not the one
You dream of at night
I am not the one
You seek in your distress
I am not the one
You yearn for in loneliness

I am not your muse
Do you know what that means?
I am not a part of you

Has she had a taste
Of your bloodstained lies?
Does she keep herself
Fresh-kissed and ready for you?
Is she a magical creature
With eyes and heart full of wonder?
My darling, I am sorry to tell you
But she is nothing more
Than a calm before the storm

Maybe the next time I see you
I will put some lipstick on
And your fingers will find me
The way nobody ever will

Maybe the next time I see you
We can sit next to each other
And your hand could rest
Somewhere no one should know

Maybe the next time I see you
I can rest my head on your chest
As you rest your heart into me
With the world fading into oblivion