I walked away

I burnt us to the ground

and salted the earth

for good measure.

I did it gladly

and it brings me a smile to know

you haven’t moved on...

the way your scent lingers on my pillow

or will rise from the shower

with the steam.

You really should get over me, dear

it isn’t healthy to keep coming back

every morning when I awake

to find I’ve set out two cups...

Surely the neighbors will talk,

if you keep lurking in

the corners of my flat

wasting your time pining

for what is no longer yours,

leaving little hints

that remind me I once loved you.

I think it’s time you stopped.

There was a picture
you once took
of the moment
that forever changed my life

Of the virtual you
and the virtual me
becoming virtual we
on a chaise-longue in paradise

You showed it me later
though I never had a copy
now the evidence is gone
yet the image remains

It's etched there forever
in the centre of me
and you once wondered
if it was just about the chase

But those doubts were misplaced
it was never the chaise
for me you see
it was all about the longue

Cynthia Pauline Jones, 30/8/13

And if love could talk,
express its thoughts,
it would tell you
it doesn't care about gender,
it would advise you to remember,
that it cannot be planned,
despite your demands,
and that the holding of hands
between two women from Venus
or two men with a *****,
is exactly the same,
as that shared between
a girl and boys frame.

You know I’ll always want you,
We both know, I will never have you,
The night draws in, all is growing dark,
Dusk closing down the spring day,
Chasing away May’s subtle warmth.

I chase your image through my mind,
Laughter trills over your shoulder,
Your smile lights me up inside,
I reach, always reaching, always,
Until we connect, mind to mind,
Thoughts spiralling upward, rising,
Twisting as we gaze into each other,
Drinking the soul, feasting on flesh,
Tasting fresh, so vibrant, so rich,
Akin to vampires quenching lust.

We need love, a rare creature,
Elusive cat dancing within shadows,
How I want to know you,
Yes, really know you, love you,
Hold you, oh, so, so, tight.

Do you lie awake at night, thinking on me?
Do you hold yourself extra tight: do you?

So, let me know you, let me near you,
You know I want to feel you, touch you,
The night draws in, all is growing dark,
We both know I will never have you,
You know, I’ll always want you.

©Paul Chafer 2014

Take countless photos, when the mood so inspires.
You may as well have not even thrown the shutter.
For the things that move you right in this moment,
Will not adhere to the chemistry of film
Will not flip one single electronic switch
Cannot be stored, except in the mind,
(A shoddy storage medium)
For the sight of your face,
Your beautiful otherness
Mingling with me in the air in between us-
( As you try to pick my nose… )
Your head is on my shoulder,
Heavy with sleep
And trust, always growing,
As your eyelids drop lower
My arm, sore, bends to raise you up.
I’m relishing the time
To be quiet, close, and still.
When I can find, in my heart,
All the words that mean something,
Not tossed about casually, in the noise of the day.