he'd always been a sleeper
to that he would admit
never less than 8 a night
and then he'd snooze a bit

his love of sleep found him sleeping more
9, 10, 11
the alarm was useless to him
his dreams were that of heaven

but his health began to suffer
his weight began to slip
napping more, eating less
his mind had lost it's grip

he checked in with his doctor
then a sleep disorder shrink
they gave him meds and special beds
useless
so he began to drink

11 turned to 12
and twelve to 17
he only woke to have a drink
in the wasted time between

tuesdays were quickly fridays
just blurs when he awoke
catch his ghostly figure
in the bathroom as he'd choke

the gap was slowly closing
the last stitch in the seam
he'd stepped into his perfect story
his neverending dream

they found him with a book of poems
and a grin though he'd been taken
he'd circled in ink the final passage
'never to awaken'

and there you are
walking into another lost dream
your whispers and gentle smile
touching the memories  
I hold dear

like the dream
our time was brief
you turn and walk away as you did
40 years ago
you wanted more from me
another day
another week
and perhaps I would have realized
that I truly loved you
but we know how cruel time can be
and I let you go

I awaken to your image
fading quickly
and I decide to find you
maybe to ask forgiveness
maybe to beg

but I am too late
and you have left me
only to be found
in my dreams
in my sorrow

I remember you with every drop of rain.
Under my umbrella,
asking for another chance,
a remedy to our mistake.
Rejection was shot out of me.
it was a downpour of emotion,
and your tears were heavier than the rain.

Hope:
“a desire for a certain thing to happen”, according to the dictionary.
And yet Hope grants no wishes.
He pushes the doubt to the back of your mind.
Until you’re fully convinced nothing bad will ever happen.

Hope hurts, I’ve learned.
He betrays the most innocent.
He beats you up and shoves you to the ground.
Why?
Because why not.

Hope is like that ex that turns up just to spite you.
Hope is that guy you were in a serious relationship with, then suddenly cheated on you with your sister.
He brings your spirits up just to smash them back into the cold, hard, ground.

His enemy is Disappointment.
He’ll try so hard to keep you away from her.
He’ll say “I’m protecting you from her”.

When you meet Disappointment, however, it’s somewhat of a relief.
She welcomes you with open arms.
She’ll hug you tight, until you’ve melted into her embrace.

But now you’re stuck with her.
She’s a little rude, definitely honest, and sad.
Really sad.
And yet she’s better than being with Hope, even though she coaxes the tears from your eyes so they flow like a river.

But Hope seems so much worse. Because Hope makes everything better before he destroys it.
Disappointment, at least, you know what you’re getting into.

You brace yourself for her.
You know she’s coming.
Hope is the unexpected one.
The surprise you never wanted.
The surprise you never needed.

Two lovers on opposite sides of the world.
Lover one sleeps while the other is awake,
Lover two dreams while the other works


Although they are different,
Although they are far far apart,
All they know is their love for each other.


Two lovers on opposite sides of the world.
Lover one has found out where lover two is,
Lover two has always known where the other is.


Although they have not met,
Although they have yet to talk,
All they know is their love is forever.

Two lovers on opposite sides of the world.
Lover one walks towards lover two,
Lover two follows his heart towards the other.

Although they are tired,
Although they seem to have walked forever,
All they know is their need to be together.


Two lovers on opposite sides of the world.
Lover one finds themselves alone where the other was,
Lover two is still missing a half where lover one once stood.


Although they walked towards each other,
Although they followed their hearts,
All they know is they walked different paths,
And never met along the way.


Two lovers, again on opposite sides of the world.
Lover one sobs silently into the shoulder of their invisible other,
Lover two cries silently at the absence of a lover.


Although they are missing a half,
Although they are hurting,
All they know is their love for each other.

My mother is a piano
A little out of tune
Dusty keys
That play with ease
Ivory as the moon

Sometimes I’ll touch the wood
And admire its antiquity
Think of all the things that it
Ever dreamed to be

Sometimes when my fingers
Fly through a song
I wonder how this piano
Ever got so strong.

My mother is a piano,
She makes music out of air,
She answers each finger
With an embrace, with care

Her legs planted firmly
in the ground
How much I love to hear
her deep, rich sound.