Time reveals
written May 25th, 2021

Time gradually reveals
treasures dear
lines of poetry
flows of water
buds on the tree

they feed the soul
if patience perseveres
polishing
raw painful shards
until they crack open
revealing glorious brilliance
that shines briefly

time dearest
just another day
another second
hold on
for time to reveal
her treasures.

That year
we met
watching you smile
from afar
i dared not look back
that month
we started getting used to texting
on a daily basis
exchanging stories and banters
encouraging each other to go through
things we had to go through
that day
you said out of the blue
you decided to stop talking to me
cold turkey
i could not
that night
i saw some of ourselves
in some Makoto Shinkai movies
you and i
we could not go back it seemed
that moment
i let it happen
you and i became sudden
strangers.

his leather palms grip the line
as the tuna fights for life.
it sings in psalms,
stinging strong,
shining in his eyes.

what use have you for words, o' fish?
o' tyrant of the sea?
your royal hues
of palace blues
defy all eulogy.

that string of silver, slicing fast
across his arching back
rends slivers til
the swells go still
or coils run out of slack.

and when that sun, that burning eye
sinks beneath the waves,
your wild run
of songs unsung
sets memories ablaze.

at last you rest, o' king of kings,
and glide toward the sky.
your final test
at his behest;
he's weeping as you die.

As my hair grows grey
As i age like wine
And my heart grows vine
My mouth speaks of history
The past and my empathy
Will cry with melancholy
Will my mind write poetry?
Or will it grow in poverty
Will my feet crush the patriarchy?
Or will my arms hug all the mothers that raised me,

Oh, what an irony!
There is to be in peace
When vultures want nothing but to feast
I cant be confined inside these walls
I was born to be one with the wind,
Where there is no beginning or end

As the nights grows dark
My inside’s naked
When my heart gives out a yawn
When my soul is forsaken
Then I will be reborn
Only then i will rejoice

Dreams that rattle in chains of stone,
Loneliness corrodes when it overshadows,
Destiny bound to the same old road
And the same old road is a double edge sword
Littered with bones and broken barrows
A slave to the devil in of a world devils
Stringing us up, feeling hope unravel.

Master, come a little closer to my breath,
Spill blood, spill death, Spill fear, unrest
But leave a little violence for the rest of us
As above, doubt below
Sleepwalk with lust.

Here I lay, empty-hearted.

My hustle has turned me into husk
This husk is filled with the sin of lust
Draining my values, morals, ethics
White liquor leaking
Time freezing

A hustle for no greater purpose
What am I to do with it

I need a goal, a purpose to live like this...

i’m not alone in being sad.
that’s the worst part about it .
no matter how much i try,
everyone else will think they understand.
i’m not sure if i want them to.
not sure if i want to be alone in this feeling.
or if i’d rather have a companion.

The love stayed
But the tone changed
I loved you anyways
I just loved you anyways

I used to read your poems
but lately you don't write
you're silent and aloof
you know that isn't right.
You can't close a door once opened
you can't abolish all your dreams
you're a poet of the heart
mustn't fall apart at the seams.
Say what you can in words
they speak the message true
spoken from the heart
the poems will see you through.
A hermit's not your style
a recluse, you are not
never give up writing
of things that you've been taught.
I used to read your poems
I'd read them once again
if you would send them out
(this one's from a poet friend)

You’re the type of person
Who can make rain into a rainbow
And darkness into light
But you can also turn tears into a flood
And here I am drowning

if ever

you don’t

feel

like you have a home,

pull me close,

wrap your arms around me,

rest your head on my chest,

close your eyes,

and feel the warmth of the fireplace

resonating from within my heart.

you gave me a word to hold onto
it got me through the night
felt nice for a while
but we both know this isn't right
keeping your distance is a crime
I know this by the hurt in my chest
someone's placed you here in front of
me as a torturing test
you've put a gun to my head and I'm asking to die
for the sake of being dead
what I would do for you to crawl out of her
and into my bed

They told me
“If I change,
The world changes”.
Well, I did.
But it didn’t
Or maybe it did.
Well, I don’t know.

They said,
"The most beautiful art is
looking into someone's eyes
when they talk about the
things they love."
And I said,
"Or looking at someone you love.
Or maybe, just maybe,
by looking at the mirror
is the most beautiful art
anyone should appreciate."

Wrap me up in your words
Bury me in the warmth of you
Until I’m left with your scent for days
As I fall in love with you all over again

I broke too much
of myself
thinking someone
could fix me.

I should have not
turned myself
to pieces
in the first place.

Because no one
would ever keep
a broken mirror
in their pockets.

She said "I'm falling in love."

I said "I'm falling apart."

I am darkness.
I wear the mask of sunny mornings
But dark shadows seep around the edges.

I am storm clouds.
I masquerade as blue sky days
But the cows out in the fields lay down.

I am a somber dirge
Though my speakers play a happy song
It’s always in a minor key.

I am tomorrow.
While I can’t untangle from today
I waft the scent of yesterday.
                     ljm

Burning love
Make me numb
I'm sick of the lies
We keep telling ourselves

my room that's the backup plan if nothing i will at least always have a room

You're not a figment
in my mind, or
a shriveled leaf
on the tree of life.

You're not the faded
hues in my memory,
But you're the warmth,
delicate balance,
You're alive in every
breath and heartbeat.

I love him
I tell myself
I know that
We will be together forever
I don’t believe that
We could be separated
My thoughts tell me that
He’s the love of my life
Sometimes my heart lies and says
I could live an eternity
Without him
Like my friends say
“We’re perfect for each other”
And you can’t tell me
He’s not the one.

Now read from bottom to top.

Simplicity
20 June 2021

Enough.
Give me the simple life.
No more can I handle.
Complexity and strife.
That is your beauty,
My wife.

your name is
forbidden in
my mouth
or in my heart
because when
i think about
you;

i'll cry a little more,
hurt a little stronger
love a little softer
because you no longer
make me feel sober

i'm drunk on the
memory of you

A stickler for rules,
he lived his life
drawing brave lines
and let his light hold sway
to keep the dark away

But when his calm
met her storm
& blurred his lines
of right n wrong,
he bent his rules
to bask in her sin
and turned off
his specious lights
to embrace her darkness within

Try finding just one
thing to be happy about
every single day.

The poet lives two lives.
One on the outside,
And one in their mind.

When you look in their eyes
You could see an abyss.

If you looked long enough
You could sink into it.

But most people don’t see it.

Take the time to read the words, though,
And you would know for sure.

The poet lives in two different worlds.

i do not believe in god
but i do believe in poetry
and for me
maybe poetry is prayer
and the universe
is an unwavering ear
in the shape of a god

i caught a glimpse of her once,
just as she was leaving.
the sunlight cut her face
like a scalpel, and she flinched.
in the doorway, the dogs
barking at her feet, the day's
bags suspended from her frame.

the one with her wallet, her phone.
her purse pinched in the crook of her elbow.
the one with her lunch, also there.
the backpack with her water bottle
and planner riding high on her
trapezius muscles. the ones holding
last night's tears still hovering above her
cheeks.

and she isn't wearing the necklace
i gave her last year on her birthday,
i can see the pale line on her collarbone
where it lived. but why would she?
the ring i bought fits perfectly
in the kitchen junk drawer,
she is unadorned.

i tried calling out to her, but the dogs,
and she didn't have the time. the earth shakes
and the world sharpens it's blade
again. she turns toward her car in the driveway
and melts back into routine.
a piece of blue-black hair falls across
her face, and i am in love with her again.
but things change, and look how naturally
she goes.

Beware the Quiet Ones.

The Quiet Ones are the Thinkers
The Quiet Ones are the Dreamers
They’re the heart seekers, thrill lovers, and love givers
They’re the heart breakers, story makers, and life changers
The best heroes, the worst villains, the most notorious saints and sinners
Their hearts and minds are largest of all (But they’ll never control them)

Beware the Quiet Ones, because it’s Always the Quiet Ones.

The Quiet Ones will always listen, even when you won’t do the same
They’ll break your comfort zone, just to make you comfortable
They’ll never ask for favors or a shoulder to cry on
But they will always be there, hanging on every word and tear
They’ll sell their souls to save yours, sacrifice their minds to break yours
They’re the strongest, and the most broken.

The Quiet Ones don’t like to harm you, because they know too well how it feels... but don’t you hurt them.
They’ll always forgive and never forget, and they know how to aim for the heart
All they know is the past, and vengeance is their greatest weapon.
That’s why it’s always the Quiet Ones.
Whether the key to your heart or your greatest fear? The Quiet Ones will find it – Beware the Quiet Ones.

The Quiet Ones are the first to stand up, and the last to point the finger
They’ll stand up for anything, because they have nothing to lose.
They are the champions of love and hate, and if you hate to love them, or love to hate them?
That was their plan all along.
Your deepest plots or darkest secrets? The Quiet Ones knew all along. They’re four steps ahead of you – Beware the Quiet Ones.

They’ll never put you down, but believe they know how, because the Quiet Ones see EVERYTHING
They know what you did, they heard what you said - they were there
Their depth knows no end, yet they’re so empty inside

Their curses bring power, their strengths bring weaknesses
They’ll control you, even when they can’t control themselves
That’s why it’s always the Quiet Ones

Beware the Quiet Ones.