To turn a blind eye to the hunger of the poor,
then raise for them luxurious temples
where they may kneel in complaint of hunger,
and whisper their prayers to poverty
on thresholds paved with gold.

Hold your secret, soft and deep,
While silent, watchful thoughts you keep.
A human ear, though kind and dear,
Might let your tender whisper hear.

Go to glass, so still and bright,
And pour your heart into its light.
It listens close with silent gaze,
Through all your hidden, winding ways.

No judging word, no sudden sting,
Just quiet truth the echoes bring.
If sorrow blooms from what you find,
That wound is only for your mind.

Inhale, beloved, inhale
the crystal pipe is a serpent’s throat,
its song coils in your lungs.
Inhale.
Spun is a secret name,
a name written on the ash of angels.
Inhale that name.
Inhale the mask they call sane,
and watch it fracture in your breath.
Inhale.
Let the calendar burn
forget the birthdate,
forget the ledger of the stars.
Inhale.
Unfasten the chain of purpose,
loosen the tongue of memory,
let your name fall silent
into the smoke.
Inhale.

You are my Favorite spoon.
Rascal said,
Words so wicked, sweet, and soon.
Rascal said,
With flaming fingers I’ll unroll your hidden pages.
Rascal said,
More, and more
yet some I cannot say.
And I
blushed like a peach split open by summer’s teeth.
Rascal said.

In your soft curves, my faith takes hold,
A prayer breathed low, a tale retold.
Your breath, a hymn both calm and deep,
Sings my weary soul to sleep.
Your nearness stills the storming sea,
Unchains my heart, and sets it free.
My heart’s a garden—your bloom is there,
Dispelling shadows, winter’s snare.
Where your kind feet in silence tread,
The barren earth grows green instead.
This quiet prayer, ten times a day,
To you, my love, my heart will say.

Eyes meet, shadows speak,  
questions coil in tender air,  
truth hides, sharp, unknown.  
Our silence—both wound and balm,  
bridging what we fear to say.

Famous without reason,
Poets without song,
Religious without virtue,
Lovers without marriage,
Marriages without love,
Friends without sincerity.

Appearances deceive
only the essence endures.

Do not be fooled by the paint:
it may please the eye for a moment,
but it can never hide the rust.