Lines and marks
Angled, straight, curved
Sharp

I read the words
They are just pixels
On a screen
Arranged in a pattern

But they pierce
You wrote “I love you”
To someone else

Like the ring on my finger
You are familiar to me
But today we met somewhere unfamiliar
A little cafe in the middle of town
And it felt like meeting someone new

Sitting across from you
I felt a nervous tingle

I made a joke
And your laugh sounded
Like a forgotten melody
I had been yearning to hear

As we parted, you kissed me
And I said “I love you”
And I felt feeling in those words
Like a flash of lightning
On a rainy summer night
Throwing off the blanket of darkness
Jolting me back to life

On a muggy moonlit stroll our love began to grow
On a park bench we embraced, no other souls in sight
Just us, the stars, three homeless cats, and our hearts aglow
What I’d give now to have another minute of that night

Walking beneath a weeping tree, you offered me your heart
I, the fool, knew not how to cradle this precious gift
You, the pure, knew not how to recover from this smart
We, the young, knew not that our silence would cause a rift

You drew your heart back closer to your breast by and by
Now I, in love, in vain, I fear, must dry my wetted eye

I've been reflecting lately

I usually do this in the bathroom
because there's a big mirror there
that reflects me pretty well

Some days,
life is like holding
an overflowing chest
of diamonds, rubies, and sapphires.  

Other days, I have the same chest,
but I just feel the weight
of a heavy box of rocks.

From the cupboard two mugs are brought
Grounds are measured, water hot
The drips fill up the coffee ***

From the spout the bold brew streams
One sweet with sugar, rich with cream
The other black, reflection gleams
Both give rise to wisps of steam

Anticipation piqued
Each unique 

At first, slow sips with careful words
Not too much, don’t get burned

Pleasure comes with each sip
The words caressing from your lip
Drinks become deeper, feelings slip

My cup’s now empty, but my heart is lit

She gives me color
So special that everything meaningless fades
I feel real
Even if I’m in some dark patch that sun forgot
I know that light exists
And that is enough

That something so beautiful
And meaningful
Should be part of this world
Makes me want to thank God I’m alive

I have this ray of hope
I don’t feel the warmth of the sun
By my heart gravitates toward it

Even with a rainbow
Of green jungle trees, purple sunsets
Orange flower blossoms in the spring rain
And rosy marble sculptures

I see a single white dove
Flying through the middle of it all
And subtly, powerfully
It makes all the other beauty
A mere background
For its own magnificence

I reach for a feather that drifts
Down from its wing
Knowing that I cannot hope
To take hold of the whole bird
Because to do so would steal its beauty

I just want to provide
A safe haven of happiness
For this bird to rest in
If it ever tires of flight

You don't cut me
but I bleed
You don't hit me
but I bruise
You don't bend me
but I break
because you don't love me anymore