dough in the oven
and a lover with their past
— these things won't rise if
you keep opening it up
digging it, calling them out

I was a dreamer
you, a wanderer — you left
                 while I was asleep

I was up, writing
my ink — cold and raven like
                               rain at 2 am

up at 2 am
— chasing after something lost
like I'm losing time

living alone, I
thought the sea was a distant
dream — 'til I cried one

if you're looking for
CONSISTENT, search no more — I'm
                                  consistently tired

they only see the
tiredness in your eyes when they're
mad at you for it

I
touch me
on my palm
like I'm a flower
you mean to open

II
touch me
between my fingers
like I'm a sea
you mean to part

III
touch me
in my arm
like I'm a sheep
you mean to guide

IV
touch me
on my shoulders
like I'm a wall
you mean to hold

V
touch me
on the nape
like I'm cards
you mean to shuffle

VI
touch me
on the side of my face
like I'm braille
you mean to read

VII
touch me
on the lips
like I'm cherries
you mean to pick

VIII
touch me
on my neck
like I'm a glass
you mean to drink

IX
touch me
on my chest
like I'm a drum
you mean to beat

X
touch me
like you mean it

if they find rest in
somebody else, does it mean
           it's you they're tired of

our love can take a
different shape, HISTORY
— the one we shared — won't

his LIPS — pressed to my
      nape — bear witness to    the SHAPE
                                        of my EXISTENCE

they say it's all in
my head — why do I feel it
in my LIMBS and CHEST

W,

I don't think I'll ever trust you with my heart again.

Love,
ML

treacherous are my
own thoughts — for they are daggers
I hold on the blade

the PARABLE of
the ALL-NIGHTER: "is sleep just . . ."

a SOCIAL CONSTRUCT

things I left unsaid
walks the plank that is my
tongue, but they won't jump
and now roam my mouth — ghosts with
a LIFE more DEAD than ALIVE

the earth was a wide
and blank canvas — now you're my
FAVORITE COLOR

the PARABLE of
the PLEASER:      "can you help with . . ."

YEAH
             SURE THING
                                       WHY NOT

fleeting orange sky
stop — before I sing sadly
through dark winter nights

keeping a secret
was a spark in my bare hands
'til it was  —  the SUN

we buy things with cash
to win people's hearts, kindness
is the ¢urrency

if you don't believe
in love at first sight then how
about now, baby

head on my chest, I
trace his curves with my fingers
like a book in ⠃⠗⠁⠊⠇⠇⠑‎

every time you get
your heart broken, gather the
pieces, collect each
tile — SHARP ENOUGH to CUT — and
make a beautiful mosaic

sleep came with a dream
heard a kid's laughter — wondered
was it mine, or my

does it keep you up
at night — waiting for the when
in WHEN I GROW UP . . .

I fall fast as if
a star from a dream, did you
see — the TRAIL of LIGHT

owning a pencil
must come with a sharpener
or skills, and a blade

remember, he who
turned the light on had to look
for it in the dark

I always liked storms
so I chased after you, and
danced under your rain

I'd like to take your
glasses off someday, and set
them on a table
then I'll lean forward, as slow
as the way
                        you
             stir
                        your
             cup

will you call my name
again, the one with double
letters where yours have

heaven's gate closes
the longer I keep you here
sunkissed, on my bed

To JC,

I had no one to tell these things before:

When I found myself lost in this world
because we weren't together,
I caught it wandering in another.

One where you walked on solid clouds,
and I left the comforts of a solid ground.

I didn't want to leave
because you were there
and we were together,

but bells ring, days end,
so I came down.

My feet touched the ground.

Love,
ML

even I can't tell
anymore, which of the things
                    I say are true / lies
but for some unknown reason
you're here, you know who I am

tell me a story
who, what, where, when, how and why
I'll always listen

I take this ring, a
sign of my folly — so I
can pretend I'm yours

look into my eyes
and you'll see how silently
I'm screaming right now

sun-kissed valley wind
train to Madrid's not here yet
— want a cerveza

sit in the shadow
look at those pale, lovely hills
— let's have anisette

isn't it lovely
the moon is afire — can I
hold your hand, and stay

though the night is deep
and the moon is alight — please
hold my hand, and stay

why does thunderclap
over a sunlit sky — feel
like an oath you'd break

but then the rain came
where each drop planted a kiss
on my skin — sweet, soft
and tender — exactly where
you promised each one will be

now each thunderclap
over a sunlit sky — is
hope I believe in

I am losing sleep
over the matter of why
I am losing sleep

I used to want to
have kids, but no, not in this
dire economy‎

I was up, thinking
were you ever woken by
                    rain, at 2 am?
then I wished I was there to
feel your arms wrapped around me

no one told me that
aching for someone, for love
would be this painful

who's to say my life
isn't full at twenty-nine
to each cup its own

it will all make sense
you can't tell that to someone
who is hurting NOW‎

microgravity
behold, this astronaut's set
to find V⊙YAGER

you took your shirt off
on your back was half a wing
inked — like my longing

your bare chest sculpted
my eyes — hammer and chisel
a thief you welcomed

your lips hugged the cig
tasting its soul — why am I
jealous of a stick

looking at your eyes
I welcome your gentle breath
warming both my cheeks