This disease struck me
Like a brick on pavement
Hard

Everything was
Perfect
Then that brick came along
And with the slightest movement
Destroyed everything

“Count it
Perfect it
Measure it
Clean it”
The voices say

Why can’t I let them go?
They keep repeating:

“Count it
Perfect it
Measure it
Clean it”
Why won’t they stop

“Count it
Perfect it
Measure it
Clean it”
I don’t understand

“Count it
Perfect it
Measure it
Clean it”
Someone just HELP me understand

This disease is about
Perfection
But it's the biggest
Imperfection about me

in December? Naked and
bare. No colors at all. Stripped of
everything. No one making their home
on your branches. No one climbing
your trunk. Cutting you into logs
to warm their ranches?

Do you want to be the trees
in June? Green! Green! Green! With
babies chirping away. Providing shade
on a lazy day?

Do you want to be the trees
in October in bright, bold colors? A
work of art, raining orange, red,
and gold. Creating a delicate quilt
that unfolds?

"I'm an open book"
She says

Written in
code.

For every
minute
you are angry,

you lose
60 seconds
of happiness.

Today the birds chose to sleep.
Today the sun began to cool.
Today I didn't feel the need to live.
And today my soldier came back.

There wasn't a single tear from the skies.
Silence. Second silence. Third silence.
But no silence could ever heal my heart.
So I cried for an eternity. Then two. Then three.

Waiting for him to calm me.
Waiting for someone to calm me.
Waiting for sleep to calm me.
Waiting in silence for an eternity.

I pretend to love him.
To love the game.
To love the
Fun.
But I'd rather be with you.
I'd rather find my
way on
the strings
of that
violin, than
to try and
keep up with
the beat
of the
Drums.

- August

I LIKE TO SAY YOUR NAME

I like to say
your name

when you're
not here

turn you
into sound

conjure you out of
thin air

so that you appear
before me

dressed in sound
only

memory sketching in
the rest of you

as if sound
was just an outline

and love
colours you in

adding the voice last
so I can hear you say.

"Hello you..!"
and there you are

as present
as present

can be.

I like to say
your name

when you're
not there.

They will tell you
All poetry has been written
There is nothing new
Under the moon
But let me tell you
They don’t know you
You are as unique
As the DNA that exists
Within your frame
The ripples on your thumbprint
No one ever had the same.

Listen...

You have something to say
Say it proudly
Say it boldly
Never let them scold you.

Never let them make you go away.