Your ghost glides past me,
translucent and light
The details in your face,
a transient blur at the sight

A white veil clings to your streak
as I remember the journey,
Linking lifelong to your palms would have been unpleasant,
Surely

An unmistakable specter,
You, drifting through walls,
Each glance from your apparition
Gives your spirit new call

A time when clouds ruled over clear
the pull was steady and growing stronger,
Now, your ghost passes by
With my bound to you, no longer

it's hard to believe
this
is created,
seeing you, see me
across the lake
years ago,
in another life,
with the faintest light,
the moon made us glow,
when our breaths locked
and our eyes shifted upward,
in perfect unison

I know we can’t,
but do you think we could,
stay here for a while longer?

The hand ticks past the six,
Past the years I knew you
I'm not the same person, you know?

The past six,
Were used to reform
Shape and shade my feelings to something real
Someone,
Authentic and bold

Six times I looked back
'Watched as my reflection changed
Shrewd and concise hands on the clock
With passing ticks that led me here, now
Waiting to look back again after the next pass
Until at last, another six

Sometimes the “write” is all I’ve got,
The world’s bag of groceries, can be too heavy for my brawn
My eyes are hard but my heart is a fawn
So what’s it worth?
All these puzzles missing pieces,
A thesis with no reason
Perhaps a shot of guilt to go along with your weak knees and late night teases at a shady Four Seasons?

Sure, I’ll share my Reese’s

I’ve studied long and hard at how these food stamps of adversity come with
Hidden treasure,
A nursery,
A quick back scratch, and occasional open heart surgery
So work with me.

The next time you wonder
“What kind of spell is he under?”
Just know there’s energy,
Thunder,
Mixed with a lack of patience to ask for your number
A kid, now adult who isn't phased by how much you're praised
People these days are lackadaisical,
Life seems more about being acknowledged and more fake than a fable
A poet, mildly unstable
Never told to fold
Always taught the value of the message,
Holds more than it’s weight in gold

What appears pleasing to the eye,
Seldom satisfy's the soul
What breaks when the spirit tries,
A wretched lesson, needed once told

A hand that reaches towards the sky,
Embraced with authentic love’s bold
Mends a life-long curse,
A fragmented trust, reformed whole

I'm unhinged
But pleasantly refined,
Transforming you into a
More interesting version of yourself
But I'll do damage

Your friends will look at you different,
Family too,
Watch, as you stumble and bumble about
Making claims with your filter-less freedom
I've seen it with all of them,
You are all the same

You'll laugh and play,
While I saturate your soul
Until, like the rest,
You'll forget
We know each other

Automatic fingers,
Robust and tracking wild
Ready to fill and flutter with the rush of caffeine
A sip starts a spiral,
A spiral starts a cascade
Of feelings and rapid thoughts, erratic as flies
They tell stories as chicken-scratch letters,
Fragmented, but conjoined,
Portraying tales as slides in an old projector movie
Or an old orchestra of nostalgia
From a set list of what once was,
and certainly no longer is in sight nor sound
A sip starts a spiral,
A spiral starts a cascade
While the morning sun continues to rise

There's a party over there that never ends,
Be happy, if you're not invited
Over there,
They slowly wilt away
and fester at each others shortcomings
Competitions are held daily to see whose anguishes hold more weight,
Over there,
You'll find nothing but doubt,
Filled with long sullen stares of lamentation
Couples routed,
Family's torn,
A circus of comparison, sorrow, and further scorn
There's a party over there that never ends,
If you have to visit, go,
Just don't stay long

I see you,
Resting in the bed,
Laying on your stomach
Longing eyes glued to me,
Glued to you,
There is a game I play
Trying to read your thoughts,
Studying your lips
Wondering,
Do we know each other?

She looks at me
Eyes glowing with relief
A grin, stretching to tomorrow
She looks at me
Touching her eye's with mine
As I,
Warmly invite my lips to hers
For a minute
It seems possible
That she,
and me
Might form we again
Just as she looks at me

Was the eight after the four?
Perhaps the three past the seven?
I take it time has changed,
Along with my memory

An encryption of numbers
Outlines a path of old feelings,
Leaving me wilted like a flower
With no sun

And if by chance,
The digits align
Would your tone lift up,
Or would I find a stranger, as perplexed as I?

Two,
No, Three
It has to be the pattern,
The right collection of numbers this time

Dandelions
he looks for them,
scouring the fields all day in the spotlight of the sun
searching amidst the sun flowers and lawn weeds
careful not to step on them,
their bodies, flimsy noodles rooted in a crowded world
each clothed in simple beauty
he counts them,
he counts their pedals,
measures their heights,
compares their contrasts
all without picking them
he remembers the ones from before,
where they grew and lived
even when they turned to seeds and flew away
the field plotted with tags
a memorial and a birthing place
for memories gone and those still yet to be

Everyday
The clouds bunch up
Glue themselves in place
and sit with the sun buried infinitely beyond

There I wait,
Staring sorely at the dial
Crawling it's way
Towards the end of the day

In dreams, it seems
That sky latches to the earth
When in morning's thought,
Branches outward toward rebirth

An idea is loosened,
While untold stories are shared,
A naked conscious once stowed,
And troubles told, now lay bare

As the day, the shade waves
As a blink, your hand in mine,
The dream's shied is stronger
Like an intense kiss wrapped in time

Until the next eves reserve,
For new stories yet to come
Always
In dreams, it seems

I'd shatter the mirror,
if I knew it would release your gaze.
The lock keeps your brain racing relentless
as your eyes hold the whip
and mascara, like an addict
Fortifying the belief that the real you
Isn't beautiful enough

Those eyes I see
Starring back at me,
Can't be weathered by the sun,
From the impression, indeed

Test and trial,
Can and will sear with light
Yet, none seem to scar those eyes,
Let alone damage their sight

Someday we'll go
One and all, we'll know
Where fall jades meet garden spades
And luster leaves with orange glow

And through your eyes
A resting soul,
At last on these grounds
Where heaven's sold

A pillow for your heart,
And sweater for cold
Casting dreams to the stars,
As our lives unfold

As jade turns to bronze,
And finally bronze to gold,
The *****, laid down
As we lie on a blankets fold

The book will cast meaning,
With ours fingers linked bare,
Someday we'll go
One and all, we'll know

The window cracked open
Enough to hear rain meeting grass
He sits,
Nested between a pillow and the glass
Gazing out into the gray
The smell of fall holding his body in place,
As he ventures into his thoughts,
to distant places and memories
A gentle storm wrestles above him,
Opening a portal to another time,
When he first discovered his love for solitude
Often,
It was easier to day dream about the world,
rather than to be apart of it

kissing you eyes closed, or open
wondering where my feelings are,
floating around
aimlessly
tossing aside vulnerability,
all while dreaming somewhere real

whose face is it?
kissing eyes closed, or open
casting care into the soul
meeting touch with lasting sensation
stretching to the stomach,
tingling with lifting infatuation,
and carrying forward,
flowing down stream

I can feel my eyes weighing down
Twisting and fluttering in stasis
Like being lost in a maze of rapid, never ending turns
All while traveling to a destination unknown
And I miss you
I miss you like I've never known
My hard-worn wings,
Confused and without a purpose
Waiting for the task of knowing
Dreaming of the day,
When we trace the outline of our own song
The weight
Sinking in my chest,
Bringing me to gravity's mercy
It's been years,
As I've been a lost leaf scattered amongst the wind and trees
Flowing through the air,
Refusing to land

Wind bends the tips of grass
All down up and down the plain today
At twilight we dance,
Smiling to keep the rain away

You and I, alone at last
A caring mouth to take the pain away,
A warmth reluctant to pass
Together's end, never leads astray

Your eyes grow tired fast
Our blanket crafts a trusty place to stay
Before a few last laughs,
Starlight guides the dreary castaway

I'm still out there with you now,
Though, the years out lasted May
Those rolling hills, forever ours
Even with you gone and passed away

A small island town,
off the coast of Saint Ignace,
Is home to a memory called Forever
Quaint walls line much of the infrastructure and interior,
leaving the scent of mahogany sprawling out of great history

The roads are paved, but with no cars to drive them
Forever rides an old rusty bicycle with soft magenta trim
Lush maple trees are plentiful here,
With fall dyeing their leaves a brilliant red and apricot orange

Sounds of  horseshoes clapping to meeting cement are
everywhere, as their carriages glide behind them
Yet, their faint accents are masked in Forever's peace,
Quiet rests in her arms at all times

This is her home,
Where other memories come only to pass through
Forever always resides here
Here, where the crystal tide of Lake Huron, brushes up upon her shores

Cast your fears into me
Blaze with uncertainty
Fall apart,
As the world shreds around you  
But hold fast,
With resilient hope,
As my hand's steady yours
For I am always here,
For you
For you

I hate that I've become so strong,
It relieves me when I can cry
To feel tears is to breath air,
It reminds me that I'm alive
I smile as much as I can,
I spread love as it's rare to come by
Yet, my brow lowers in a stoic tense,
As hard is deep in my eye

she was there but somewhere else
eyes down
in love
with each note she sat, strumming
casting her into motion
continuously
transporting her
to each secret location
her heart chose to take her

I see your flower has grown tired
Wilting slightly under your hand's weight,
Time has stretched its pedals,
and moisture left its stem

I see it dreams of youth,
It clings to the memories of the suns drink
Thirsting, it stays dormant
resting,
Under the shade of your palm

Cold hands with a warm honeyed kiss,
A greeting he's conditioned to miss
Like a star itching for an appearance through a cloud
She wonders,
Digging through layers of knitted blankets
After celebrations and tangled banquets
Was there ever a time when her touch wasn't found?

Can it be so simple,
Or, is it simply meant to scar?
For so many of us romantics,
Wishing upon oh so many stars
Day in,
Night out,
A hopeful shimmer in loves eye,
Before the hearts ripped out,
Another romantic left to die

"Good night"
I should say,
But I can't,
Dream with
Lights and
Sounds
Blaring in my head
Until dawn
Breaks
Her breath's muse

A gentle melody carries in
a lifting calm from the middle of the field's embrace
This pause,
in which I briefly catch your glance
Assures in that moment,
I know I am exactly where I need to be

This leaf's life cycle is much like our own
it grows from a much more mature tree
blossoms and ages,
changes with the seasons,
explores and fly's with the wind,
and eventually,
withers into bits before it's absorbed back into the earth

I brought it to you
so you always know where to find me,
beyond the pines,
waiting to grow,
change,
fly,
and wither
with you

I hear a gentle tune
sweeping across the plain
With wind, carries the song of friendship from afar
I see such beauty in the green vastness in front of me,
Sun peering down through the window of blue sky

A shadowy dread clouds my thoughts
For the bond that was created so long ago
Still, I remember
When you passed through my arms
Down into the earth's hands
Your eyes faded to forever

The tune calls me back to you,
To remember what was lost,
To accept this reality
Of sun covered in smoke
harrowing over a war torn land

I hear a gentile tune, but lose sight of you now
As your face distorts over time
I can't picture your complexity,
But remember this melody
Sweeping into my skin as I drift off to sleep,
Hoping that when I wake,
I wake up home again

Toss in a locket,
A felt pen
A straw hat with a feather
To the pile of possessions gathered  
Some cards,
A snare drum,
A photo of a dog
Who shared an love equal to his owner
Toss in this pile, the items that smile
The pointless and priceless alike
For each one's random scrap,
Fuels the spirit in another one's life

You're smart like that
Making me feel bad to give you treats
Sheltered in a dark corner
Your eyes glowing with fear,
or so you would have me think
Are you afraid?
Or just fishing?
Waiting for me to sit down next to you
Sweetening my voice
Hand out with one of your favorites
Is this your way of getting your way?
After you come out,
you act as if nothing happened
Your tail coiled up with confidence
Is that a smirk?
Perhaps I've been outsmarted again

We'll never know each other
In touch, nor in thought
Our words won't reach
To greet our ears

When the night begs for company,
And lonely is our bond
Our eyes won't lead us to link

We won't hear,
But our soul's will whine and yearn,
When we think of things that can't be

When the unknown is as vast as the infinite,
Yet circumstance writes lines to a script

We won't know what it's like,
But in a different life perhaps,
As time records,
Etching it's marks upon our faces

Perhaps, we'd laugh,
Maybe we'd love,
We'll never know
Estranged,
As if having once met

Sitting on the shoreline,
Feet dangling free
Watching the loons fly
Their call echos to me  

Surrounded by Foliage
Covered in vast trees
The years gone by fast
As chipmunks come and flee

Woodpeckers rattle
Bonfires crackle and blaze
Mosquito zips past
Reminding of passing day

Water kissed,
Burnt, until orange bursts
How soft, the hue of purple is
Caressing the waters thirst

Life is drawn here
Right in fresh air breeze
So heavy, it acts as sedation
One to guide tired eyes to sleep

Sitting on the shoreline
Soul rested for the week
Caressed by nature’s touch
Until back home, I’m rushed to see

A reflection shows
A face which I chose,
To make-shift grins
and tiny innuendos

But behind the veil,
Lies a face more pale
And oh so much more visceral

It's those moon-gazers,
Those bright, piercing shape-makers,
Those weather-watching,
Baby-cradling, care-crazy goggles

It's those note-leaving,
Never-deceiving, truth-takers
Those willfully-warm,
Quick-to-scorn, lie detectors

Those green, sometimes blue,
Those humble, see-right-through,
It's those eyes, love
Those eyes are my problem with you

One and two,
Sure, it felt true

Three and four,
The heart can restore

Five and six
Scars start to itch

Seven and eight
Pain is tied with fate

Nine...
Please don't make me count to ten

I still feel your eyes locked to me
Imprinted, and stained behind the veil of years

More than the memory of  forgotten scents
More than time stacked upon
More than the sun and moon,
Dipping and flipping day after day

You could never know,
As the fading eye's light grows,
and at most trust's
as the chill brushes the cheek

So here, an Ode to you,
Once, more as a toast to the past
Where the light in my fading eyes grows,
and at most trust's
as the chill brushes the cheek

Said "goodbye"
A thousand times
Tears long dried,
And lost in rhyme
Back to think if smoke could see
A blink sowed shut, that memory
But yet you linger,
A haunting float
I've cursed once over,
Once more than most
To accept the blame
A lost love friend
To taste the sour,
Never feeling again

Your words
Stick like dried glue
Held in my head,
I felt your hands without ever touching them

I miss the vision of what those words
Led me to believe
About you,
And the way your eyes matched with forest green

We talked briefly,
But a lifetime was told
Like an infinite book written with no pages

Your words stay as a reminder, though
Of the notes between the lines
Encased in a deep well within,
Where the water permeates my soul
And never dissolves the feeling shared in that moment

I've dug you up again,
and I'm so tired of doing so
I've grabbed,
hand over fist at the dirt I've already laid, too
Shoes ruined and hands masked with black filth,
full of broken earth
Finger nails worn down to the pads of my finger tips from scratching to the depths of your roots
Every time I finally permeate the yards of disturbed soil
I see you,
Same clean face,
Confident and assured,
With fresh hair that smells of lavender
As always, you smile and thank me,
Just before you yawn of boredom and request I bury you all over again

There's a song that I know,
When I hear it, my soul speaks
Like a whisper in the woods,
That grows beyond boundless reach

The sound lifts to the clouds,
It speaks more than just truth
Though, not a word is uttered,
Not a note left uncouth

I wrote the name down
On my skin with a needle,
To speak with my soul often,
Or, during a position gone fetal

A connection that explains all ties,
That won't compromise works with wager,
A reminder of self love,
Sewn to the softer angels of my nature