I am a wilted rose.
I am what once was beauty.
I am trust smothered by deception.
I am purity destroyed by hatred.

I am a sunken ship.
I am what once was safety.
I am comfort infected with lies.
I am a good intention on the way to hell.

I am spilled blood.
I am what once was honor.
I am innocence, murdered by anger.
I am friendship, stolen by prejudice.

I am the nightmare.
I am what once was hope.
I am a dream, invaded by darkness.
I am the childish wish, defeated by reality.

Do not stand at my grave and weep..
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awake in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft star-shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry..
I am not there. I did not die.

I wish I could write him a letter
just to ask how he was doing.

If the food tastes different there
if the sky is bluer at 10 AM
if he can see the moon from his window

But really, all I want to know
is if he loves the crinkle of written-on paper
as much as I do

and if sometime, he might
want to write me back
just to feel the paper between his fingers
and the words beneath his palms?

silver kiss
silent kiss
kisses in the dark

no cinnamon burn
      on my lips
no fireworks

nothing special.

it wasn't special
until the next day.

the special hit
with the force of a firework
        inside my chest
with the burn of cinnamon
        in my brain, in my mouth, in my heart.

it hit when I realized
that little kisses
sweet kisses
silver kisses
slow, gentle kisses

make you greedy.

worldly belongings
paper pencils pillows pretzels

bedtime things
blankets pillows secrets sighs

shuddering words
chill moist blossom cinder

seashell emptiness
can you hear the ocean?

There is a little box of windy things
sitting in the shadows

a whisper sits at the bottom
smiling slightly

a few drops of blood aimlessly wander

words drift slowly
stained with mascara

pieces of paper
with memory words
stinging with tears, and a lingering smile

and a birdsong floats from the lid
softfly, ever so softly,
but childishly sweet.

stroke. skin. eyes. heat. mascara stains. wishes. stardust. wonder. answers.
sing. torn. give. want. fly. run. shine. burn. bloom. blossom. sunlight.
remember. desire. jealousy. anger. alone. taken. see. beautiful.
rescue. trust. hope. destiny. childish. dream. time. golden.
lace. cinnamon. frustration. forbidden. betrayal. fit.
decision. understanding. words. flowers. hold.
strength. soft. burst. hands. tears. love.
grief. moonlight. fairies. joy. strike.
games.  voices. natural. season.
useless. pride. change.
simplicity. fire.
freedom.