once you’ve lived
with a cat or two
any item in the periphery -
a towel, a purse, a sock
becomes a still creature,
silently watching

Under the sea of stars
Lay remnants of departed days
From a past up in flames
And smoke transforms
Into clouds that armour your darkest nights

The hurt may go away
but your memory will
forever rest in my soul.

Until we feel the softest rains
And sand between our toes
Till we see our breath on morning days
Or taste the wind that gently blows

Until we smell the earthy dew
Or feel the pebbles in our grasp
Till the lightning flashes through
Till the leaves all fall at last

Until the sparrow sings its final song
Or the wisteria finally blooms
Until we face the moon for long
We shall be fearful of what looms

Fist-tight, it casts a shadow on pure white card -
I draw around it with a fine-black, cut it with a curved ten-blade.

The shadow-heart’s a gift. I keep the stencil.

She said "I'm falling in love."

I said "I'm falling apart."

You will meet
people
in life that
love to keep score.
"I've done this for you, so
you should do that for me."
They keep a mental ledger.
They're pathetic.
Nothing is ever done out of
the goodness of their heart.
Their mind clicks with
records and accounts.
They are slaves to the
almighty penny.
Nothing you do will
ever
count anyway.
You're always in
the red.

I reached my hand to lock fingers with yours
But your palms stayed face up as you lied on the floor
I realized then that I could never be yours
A love swayed by freedom, and you stayed still at the core

The allure of your spirit was the same dark hand
That pushed me away into a violent wind
As I cry for your name, you forgot who you are
Blissfully so, I can only watch from afar

I watch you fall for the endless sky
Wishing to see you come back to the ground
You loved not direction, for it was merely a tie
A loving soul like mine would only bring you down

I was on the inside, looking out
You were on the outside, never to be found