i met you in my dreams
somewhere
between my drunk
universes that i believe
you and i are alive and together
we chase each other through
sunrises above shots of tequlia
and raindrops searching for a glass
of promise to hold.
i am only dreaming of you
and i hope you only dream of me.

Most days I peek out through the
Kissing black curtains
And death is there
She's always there
Definite and gleaming
Lying in wait
A calm river
Glassy and sparkling
Burning beneath moonlight
What should I do?
What can I do?
To wait seems too foolish
Can't you escape it?
I suppose you can
Immortality
Painting lines on the pages
Of forever.

I love you for all your petals
That shared a different scent
No matter how the skies bent
I love you for all that settles.
Each stones, each pebbles
Built a bridge with dents
And soon all of it went
away.

I love you beyond my understanding
And as long as you are happy
I can gaze at the stars dancing
And know that I have loved you correctly
Without ever needing your love
In return.

Across the dung smell
I pick the fungus
She taunts me,
Yet I only want a snack.
As the reddish horizon sets, far away in the distance, I shine…
This mildew infiltrates-
Sets its sites on my stomach
Oh, my intestines
My eyes
Widen
Heaviness ventures fourth-
This burden I carry,
Shares the land among us.
The complexity of nature calls to
Me.
Only because I found her…
My eyes now see the stars,
Glowing, shifting, & reminding me,
Of what it’s like being one.

for me, you are
the brightest star
I've been wishing upon
to fall

People, you are pots of paint for my canvass.
With all your quirks and foibles,
And wonderful ways.
The world indeed is crowded
With many pots of paint:
Glorious views.

My brushes are all aquiver,
Inspired by everything.
From India to Iceland,
Russia to sunny Spain.
You folk, I love to paint you,
Though never your actual words.

The universe, a marvel,
Flying through the heavens.
Swirling spiral galaxies,
Pallets for my verse.

Paul Butters