I went on a nature walk
with no idea,
no preparation,
only to take some pictures.

At a certain point
I got lost
with no phone
no one but me,
my thoughts,
and the layers of
cold sunken through.

I had no idea where I was,
only faith that I would get out
at some point
if I kept going.

I forgot everything
except this poem, my camera, and my next step.

This is a portrait of abandoment:
rusty spokes, faulty breaks, and negligent owners.

(I'm still lying on the sidewalk too, waiting for a reason to shift gears.)

"I'm broken in places people don't even have names for. I'm sad. I'm nothing to romanticize. God, I'm falling apart, I'm in pieces, why can't you see?"

"You're beautiful, even when you're in pieces."

Outside: it is scary, mean and cruel,
but don't worry,

this is a safe place.

Outside: it can hurt, and bite, and fool,
but don't mind it because

this is a safe place.

under covers and warmth, you want to erase my nightmares for a while. let us kiss away fears.  take my demons. hide our bodies and whispered sweet nothings
dwell in this fort of blankets and sheets,
since

this is a safe place.

Bury our love here, let this be not a graveyard, but a garden to remember, a haven of our romance,
don't cry,
don't fret,

you're safe, this is a safe place.

I waited away
For that time of day
Where you would disappear from me
Be on your way
The feeling of Fall
The leaf on the branch
The gusts of wind
The fallen dance
When will you be back
Like a dream never ending

we are poems.
beautifully written,
wonderfully designed;
marvelous works of art.
we are written with
starlight and wonder,
with verses of beauty
written across our hearts.
we are walking rhymes,
walking wonders,
walking words that tell
stories of freedom
and redemption.
we are poetry,
we are songs,
we are melodies
that are sung on
bright days.
we are the words of grace,
we are the words unforgotten,
we are words that remain.

Dear flower
They were wrong about you
You didn't bloom
You didn't need to
you're still beautiful
but they've ruined your image
With opportunities you were never  given
"Maybe next spring"
You hear those words over and over
There would be no other option
They've planted seeds in your mind
Of everything you've done wrong
But what about everything you've done right?
In your short life
You never reached their standards
But you've reached mine