The pain of a heart is a steel string, connecting souls. The heat of love forges it into an unbreakable length. It slices our souls and we bleed out our mourning each time we try to break it.
It is a beautiful pain.

It hurts
If you are out of my life forever
Leave my head and heart
Let the lethe swallow me whole
Strip me bear, replace my soul
With a obsidian core
That falls swiftly into slumber's embrace

Why do I love thee? How do you so amaze
          a broken man and make him feel whole?
You quell the hunger inside; feed my ravenous soul.
I love the magnificent calm that sweeps through my life in your sway;
           the inspiring grace bestowed as your countenance bends my
                                    way.  
I love the charming smile that warms my world;
           the heartening glance that sets my heart a'whirl.
I love the enrapturing eyes that signal my salvation;
           the luscious lips I so long to finally kiss.
I love the lingering warmth of an embrace I constantly miss;
           the entirety of you brings a peace of completion.
Why do I love thee? I love the sum of you,
           heart + spirit + thoughts + strength + body + courage
You are the spark that sets my desire ablaze.

A melody of joy profound
A hymn that calls the heart
A chorus whose echoes resound
For a love that will never part

There once was a time when wooing women with carefully crafted words was a grand purpose. Significant sentiment, conveying desperate desire and intimate intent, were the staples of the ardent young man. His only recourse was to face the object of his affection, and, with tremulous tone and generous gesture, convey the earnestness of his cause from his heart to hers.
These matters of love should perfectly pierce her heart with incisive inflection and amorous articulation. Instead, our mobile, modulated, mute-able media turns awry this enterprise of great moment and dulls its course.
I now live in an age of digital despair where ghostly static and fast-food conversation are the new calamity of so-longed life. How much easier to bare the pangs of despised love when confronted by its whips and scorns, rather that face the eternal imagination of empty airwaves.

Waking wide-eyed, eyes a'glow
Before the dawn break nigh
A restless slumber - anticipation
Another Yule arrives

Father's love, the warmth of hearth
Curls 'round their heads a'new
Impatient joy and laughter fills the air
As youthful hope comes true

Magic time, this Christmas holds
Words crafted just for them
'Tis strange what peace this precious moment brings
My heart whispers Amen

Pride and Joy - My children dear
Each day you bring my world
Grand dreams and happiness, I wish for you
Move through life, sails unfurled.

To calm the storm just close your eyes
Drink deep the sorrow 'til you realize
Its bitter taste has a way
To keep darker demons at bay
Savor its sharpness, mote by mote
'Til it clears the palate for new hope

Then She Appeared
                                                                 (XTC)          
In a Lonely Place
                                           (The Smithereens)          
Holding Out for a Hero
                                                  (Bonnie Tyler)          
Heartbreak Girl
                                   (5 Seconds of Summer)        
I Will Follow You        
                                                           (RIVVRS)  
      
Talk to Me            
                                                   (Stevie Nicks)
Say You Like Me  
                                                 (We the Kings)
See A Little Light      
                                                     (Bob Mould)
Wherever We Are  
                                                     (Oh Gravity)
(I’ll) Take You Home
                                                    (Scars on 45)

Come to Me
                                                (Goo Goo Dolls)          
(I) Miss You Like Hell
                                                           (Nightly)          
(I Know I Can) Treat You Better
                                              (Shawn Mendes)          
(In a) New Light
                                                    (John Mayer)          
Unity
                                                     (Shinedown)          

Eyes on You  
                                                 (Kings of Leon)
Crazy Beautiful
                                             (Andy Grammer)
Something Good Can Work
                                      (2 Door Cinema Club)
Swimming in the Moonlight
                                                         (Bad Suns)
Overjoyed
                                         (Matchbox Twenty)

Time rewritten simply means twice bitten...

A careful caress down creamy curves,
A naughty neckline nibble,
A shy sideways glance from seductive eyes
They say patience, persistence, helps attain our goal
...
...
...
**** it ...
...
...
...
I can't wait for Chocolate Easter Bunnies! And none of this hollow crap ... solid, milk chocolate, and preferably larger than 8 oz. so it takes me more than 5 seconds to scarf one down!

Wanted:

A permanent partner, a fast friend,
A heartbreaking Harlow, a mystifying muse,
A goth girl, a Southern seductress

Must be:
     Someone who will call me up & call me
     out
     Someone who wakes my senses and keeps
     me in bed
     Someone strong enough to show me her
     faults and weak enough to cave to my
     cravings of
          intimacy in caffeine-driven crescendos
          of stimulating company & conversation
          as well as the spontaneous shenanigans
          of improvised encounters
     Someone to sow the seeds of new love in
     the furrowed field left by Life's scarring
     upon my heart.

Primal worship
Eyes dilate
Senses still
Time slows
Anticipation builds
(b---r---e---a---t---h---e)
Whispered prayers on the neck's nape
A pilgrim's trail
.d
...o
.....w
.......n
........t
.......o
.....t
....h
...­...e
Well of your soul
And hungrily consumed
Communion from your chalice
A spontaneous supplication at your sacred sacellum

The answer I wanted was "yes".
The answer I needed to hear was "no".
The answer you gave was "   ".
And the months of conversations that never happened filled my life with:

... love ... hate ... hope ... regret ... clarity ... confusion ... laughter ... tears

But saddest of all ... ambivalence.

There is something very intimate about the right coffee with the right person. While wine may be fine, it dulls the senses and mind. I'd rather enjoy the caffeine-driven crescendo of stimulating company and conversation.

Bacon sizzling crisp
Coffee steaming, fragrant brew
You under my sheets

There are noxious nights when the buried blade in my heart twists tight, driving me to despair.
I find myself at
- the ridges of reason
- the shoals of sorrow
- the heights of hope
  diving
              down
                         to
                             the depths of darkness
excavating every cadaverous corner of my mind.
I am searching for a beacon to guide me back to her. It is then that I realize the truth ...
🕯Appo Deepo Bhava 🕯

I hope those days
Of warm her embrace
Haven't strayed
Without a trace

The scars life allows on our hearts are furrows to sow new love

that long kiss goodnight
the one i wish i could take
is not mine to miss

You with him - hurts my head
You not wanting me - hurts my heart
Your distance from me - hurts my soul
So I stay away - so it won't hurt you

Each instance of abscence is an empty
     eternity. Sometimes I feel I only exist to
     remember why I love her.
My thoughts wander widely as each well-
     worn way I travel leads me past echoes of
     her. They deafen me.
Gilded memories with polished patinas from
     the fabric of my life. Their luster still
     illuminates the hope I hold.

shadows fall swiftly
years of dark pass into night
dawn swiftly finds us

The recipe called for a bitter herb
I thought of you - one tear will do
The recipe called for a salty note
I thought of you - two tears suffice
The recipe called for a sour squeeze
I thought of you - one tear is right
The recipe called for an umami tone
I thought of you - four tears stirred in
The recipe called for a touch of sweet
I thought of you - my recipe is incomplete.

Listen to my heart
Convincing is not its goal
Simply listen true

Our life intervenes
Somewhere betwixt and between
Simply existing

I find myself tugging on an akai ito and discovering, that either through my reluctance or its insistence, its measure endures endlessly. So I turn to Aoide, seeking to ease my mind.

     Everyday the thought of you still grasps my heart
          and will not release me.
     I am constantly searching for some sort of lyrical amnesia
          to ease this wanting.
     But each note, whether sad or sweet,
     Resonates with a hope born an eternity ago,
          for you to be endlessly entangled with my soul.

And yet again, I still ... everything.

A careful caress down creamy curves
A naughty neckline nibble
A shy sideways glance from seductive eyes
Be my personal Sibyl

     A patient persistence towards our goal
     A divine inspiration
     A rumpled blanket, hidden pleasure
     Causes our consummation

          A breathless moment, senses tingling
          A glistening moonlit glow
          A silent encore, the fates allow
          Sacred touch I'll never know

Entire lives encircle Sol believing that the ancient gods are a fiction.
These joyless sacks of empty flesh have never been graced with a moment in your presence. In that instant, all doubt is dispelled, for at your birth the Muses crafted their ultimate blessing to us mortals.

You embody the inspiration of Polyhymnia, Erato, and Calliope;
     sacred, epic, love poetry flows unbidden from even the most
     leaden of souls when you are near.
Dreams of grand comedies, heroic tragedies, and monumental
     histories spring forth in you wake; each worthy of the pens of
     Thalia, Melpomene, and Clio.
Your every sound and step cause Euterpe and Terpsichore to glow
     with pride.
But possibly the most magnificent caress cam from Urania; for you,
     my Love, are the incarnation of the naked stars in all their
     infinite beauty, enshrined on this unworthy Earth.

I wish I could let her know I still ... everything.

As long as there is breath in my bones
I promise you will never be alone
Whether at your side or from afar
I love you for who you are
Let me be your strength at night
Even when I'm out of sight
Let this thought aid in following through
My heart is always with you

We are entangled in the fabric woven from the warp and weft of Life's fibers.

We love the idea of escaping these threads of thought that restrain us; each seeking to find that quantum of solace that allows us to float free.

But there is an uncertainty inherent in finding ourselves. Breaking out of our shells to explore new possibilities poses as a forbidden pleasure to attain, and often the exertions required may seem to overwhelm the escape it offers.

But...

Those random rewards, those instantaneous attractions, those excited states, those resplendent resonances,

Form the bonds that keep us human.

It's been 30 years since I've had to think about these things.
A long time between lovers, infatuations, and flings.
While the players are new, their roles have stayed true.
(Yet I find myself lost; don't remember this cost!)
As I relearn the rules of woo.

Autumn is in the air and my memories are reeling during this, my
     favorite season.
I am overwhelmed by the vibrant patchwork woven together
     from my images of you.
          Each ruby red reminds me of your laughing lips.
          Muted oranges trigger tremendous thoughts of warmth
                     in your welcome.
          Golds brilliantly blaze with the fire of your encaptivating eyes.
               Rich browns swirl 'round as the creamy coffee of our
                     conversations.
          And,
               Gleaming, glistening, glowing greens are an everlasting
                     testimony to the life knowing you had renewed in me.
I was mistaken. You are my favorite season.

Seasons change and winter for my heart is on the horizon. Entanglements ensnare and crisp breezes burn to chill winds carrying her heart to another. I find myself ellipsing through angst and ache, profanity and pensiveness, anger and outrage, longing and loathing, recognition and regret.

     As I grow accustomed to the lengthening nights of discouraging
                                                         dark
                                              to the cruel chill of absent air
     You re-enter my life, Whirlwind,
                                              beautifully baffling my seasons of
                                                         sentiment
     An unnatural spring of hope withing the solstice of solitude
                                              for which I prepared
     How do I resist such a heavenly attraction, when all I wanted to
     be is the man who won your affection?

I need to release the who and why of my cause and fully immerse myself in the Lethe, lest I risk rambling recklessly down wrong roads. Unbroken activity and exertion act as anesthetics in almost all instances. But it is those quiet moments of seclusion that the sense of her hits hammer hard.

     My heart is haunted by ghosts of you everywhere I turn;
          The sense of you is still the backdrop to my world.
     I can almost touch you in the empty spaces around me;
          The sense of you is a palpable presence in my life.
     Even with everything I have, even with everything I know;
          The sense of you is still a sense of completeness.

If the thrill of the hunt sets you a'flame
I long to be the man to play your game
But I'm not a beast to be satisfied with a bone
No "here's a scrap" now go on alone

For me, it's your divine feminine I pursue
The gods felt like showing off when they crafted you
Your sense, so dark, so deep, is what I'll follow
Don't short-shrift my time and make my efforts hollow

I'm in need of a feast - your body, your mind
My cravings won't end with wrinkled sheets and a bottle of wine.
Your flesh on my tongue is what I will savor
I'll eat you alive, if you'll return the favor.

I want to devour you whole
Your spirit, your soul
And once I've stripped you down to your core,
Only then, my dear, will we start the chase once more.

I stand here, in a barren land with a mouth, useless, as if full of sand. A soul-weary beggar seeking to quench this thirst.

     Each night I speak to the heavens; a faint whisper of a prayer
     cast from parched lips that long for the tonic that is you.
     Their humble plea is for a grand celestial alignment, a
     quantum tunnel, an unbranched chain reaction, that leads me
     straight back to you.
     Every breath that passes through them infuses each cell of my
     being with air saturated by a craving for you.
     You are the only elixir that will satiate this emptiness.

My mind seems to wander in this limbo,
          Shifting between hope and bitter despair.
I search for you smile, Love, beauty a'glow,
          Without your light, my world is dark sans care.
What can I do to help you see the truth,
          Our lives so bare apart, are full when near.
We both are touched by choices in our youth,
          I long for the sweet day I call you Dear.
Let me relieve this deep desire we share,
          Each need, each want, together we complete.
To you my soul, my heart, my words lay bare,
          I hope you come to me with intent sweet.
And so I wait alone, my arms empty,
          Until the day, my Love, you come to me.

I also use "Poetizer". Not as easy to send messages or make collections, but there is a slightly better text editor. No sun's or heat index, just sharing this crazy craft with others who bleed in ink. I find it reliable and often compose there first before posting here.
If you know of other platforms, I'd love to know. And if any of my followers join or are already on, let me know we can match up there!

What dreams may come; they darken still
Memories tear at my weakened will
Your face, your joy, tell me true
You hold that he is the one for you
My heart, my soul, the constant ache
For opportune chances I did not take
Two years gone by since my confession
A scorched eternity of loving obsession
Each day regret for choices made
For vows I kept when I should have strayed
So I face love left unspoken
An empty pedestal reluctantly broken
Someday we'll stand eye-to-eye, toe-to-toe
With passion tempered, I'll need you to know
- My focus was clear, my intentions were true
- All said & done, I believe you were the one
- Because my life, my world, my soul
- Are nothing without you
.
.
.
I miss you, My Love.

The deepest beginnings start by wading through shallow waters

These dark days of emptiness frighten me
Your absence, this distance, stretches my once iron-clad sanity
     into the the thinnest metallic thread, causing it to burn and
     slice through my reality.
It is at times like these reminiscences of you are welcome wraiths,
     haunting me from shadows cast by your light.
They are conjured during moments of my deepest desperation.
All that is left to me is to embrace the bittersweet torture they bring.
I beg you, My Love!
Turn your glowing gaze directly on me and banish these shades
     before they are my ruin.

I see you everywhere in the voids between the seconds.
In solitude, in crowds, and I've grown
Reluctantly comfortable with the habit
Of ignoring your absence.
But there are inescapable moments
Doing life's most banal burdens
When I'm overcome
By a spectre of a sense that never was
And I drown in the sense that never will be.

Firelight, fire bright,
  Brilliant glow of Love's true might.
Warm her heart, give her sight,
  Let her dream of me tonight.
Be my mate, together by fate,
  Come to me, end this wait.
My true devotion you will have,
  This I promise to the stars.
Our lives together, as if as one,
  Then all happiness shall be ours.

- So mote it be.

Why is letting go so hard
Her touch found another
A warmth that's not mine
An absent breath
Empty arms
Sleepless
Why

You burn
I yearn
Wanting
A blaze
Wildfire
In the dry kindling
Of
My
Heart

Oh how I dream about that glowing gaze!
                                                           ­          You can't fathom the ways
                                                            ­                                       that gaze
                                                            ­                 cuts through the haze
                                                            ­           of my muddled existence.
        If only I could stand before her and lay testimony to its glory.
Surely then she would see how much a vision of her means to me.

Your eyes refract light as kaleidoscopes, scattering its rays into rich, bright hues. Their glow marks an event horizon from which my only escape is complete and utter surrender. Their inexorable hold draws me into a place where I find an eternity of peace in the briefest instant. My stretched soul welcomes their unrelenting attraction as they pull me in ever closer to you.