My father
gave up
half
his life
saving
his bother's
skin
protecting
his sister's
virtue
keeping
his father
rich
So
he never
understood
what
I had
become
and why
I'd
grown
unwilling
to do
anything
he had
done

Everybody
loses something -
keys
and
coins
and
letters
from
old lovers
It takes
nearly
a lifetime
to lose
these things
for good -
So
what is
the soul
allowed
to keep
I wonder?

Betrayal
disappointment
disrespect
they're
the prices
that
we pay
when
we
imagine
Eden

It's
easy
to get
tired
in
the middle
of
a battle
in
a war
you don't
expect
to win
but
try
to underestimate
me
and
it is
war
no more
it's
personal

I've
asked
for
forgiveness
and
I've
prayed
for
grace
I've
asked
God
to make
me
good -
just
not
right
away

Just as
close as
your heartbeat
as
the thoughts
inside
your head
I'm watching
and
I'm listening
to you breathe
and
I'll discover
every weakness -
shake all
your demons'
hands -
then
I'll
let you
know me
and
trust me
with your soul -
the moment
when that
happens
I'll  turn
you on
yourself

I wanted roots
so I invented them
from other people's stories
I wanted wings
so I made them
from paper scraps and string
I conjugated a million verbs
to tell my own life story
and I witnessed things that frighten you
especially when you dream
Now you want to be me
and it makes me laugh
I don't think you've saved enough
broken string
for that

Everybody
loses something  -
keys
and
coins
and
lovers
It takes
nearly
a lifetime
to lose
these things
for good -
So
what is
the soul
allowed
to keep
I wonder?

I
shoot dice
with
the sinners
and
extol
the souls
of the saints
and
I
arm wrestle
the devil
for pocket change
I smoke
too much
and
I drink
too much
and
I overeat
whenever
I can
Still
I'm  there
when you
need me
Always.
I am ...
After
I finish
this cigar

I'll
show
you
my collection
of
beautifully
broken
things -
A doll
with
one eye
missing
A half-shattered
porcelain
cup
A spoon
too bent
to sip
from
a disc
too scratched
to play -
I'll
show you
my collection
if
you
show me
yours

I
have been
the angel
of death
and a warrior
for life
I
have stood
on the edge
of nightfall
and kept
my balance
there
I've
believed in
the dreams
of thousands
who had
no faith
of their own
now
the journey
of my lifetime
has
brought me home
at last

by Pat Raia

I can
see it -
you've been
beaten
with a stick
and
kicked
in the belly
and
starved
of food
for days
you've been
stranded
in the cold
and
blistered
in the heat
and
finally
left
for dead -
So
have I
Let's go
home

A dozen
misunderstandings
at least
one hundred
slights
Thousands of
small indignities
that
can't  be
overlooked -
A million
brand new
chances
to get
to alright -
Your heart
is no
accountant -
but
mine
is

Let's
do something
you
can't do
like
lasso
the moon
like
paint
a mural
on
a snail's shell
like
make
a mute
bird
sing
Now
let's
do something
I
can't do
like
love you

Safety
is
a card trick
a slight of hand
a conjure
something
people
fabricate
to
help them
stay
alive -
We
are all
illusionists
at
one time
or
another -
Without
a little
magic
we
just
can't
survive

The
sky is
the kind
of gray
that
it
gets in
the fall –
even here
where
the temperature
barely changes
and
the trees
keep their leaves -
The sky
and
the air
and
the breeze
make me
ache –
like
I'm waiting
for something
that
never really
gets here –
like
I'm yearning
for something
that
I can
barely imagine.

I
only
agreed
  to visit
you
  to see
if
  you
could
  cook
never
did
I
  ever dream
you'd
  be
so good
  at
it