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Stephan Sep 2016
.
I drove the spike
that bent the spine,
the screaming left me
at the turnstile
without exact change
and late for the sunset

Slippery tracks added
to the conceit
while the homeless
decorate sidewalks
in spray paint Monets
leaking onto the curb

Cardboard memories
create hardships
in perforated nightmares,
paying cost for something broken
and calling it a bargain

When the conductor signals
a left turn on a straight run
creasing the
permanent press avenue

And billboards say “god is not dead”
until their contract runs out
and the labels
are peeled
for good

Still I stand here
holding the hammer,
swinging between the rafters
in this life after death
revelry

on any night
of the week
that brings each moment
to a dark conclusion
Stephan May 2016
.

Not knowing
chokes the imagination,
draining all common sense
Thoughts spin desperately
as vacuous emotions
paralyze actions,
restricting sensibility

Lethargic expressions
wander the mind
searching for answers
While minutes become
hours that never end
on days you wish
you didn’t exist

Pathways once trod
now retraced, examined
of every “what if”
step by agonizing step,
seeking breadcrumbs
leading back to a beginning
long before now

Darkness plays on sunny days,
every shadow startles
in breaths not taken
for fear that this is it,
falling on your knees,
pleading to the sky,
tell me
Stephan Sep 2016
.

I thought I could write it out of me,
but came to the conclusion today
that I won't live that long
Stephan Apr 2016
And if it needed to be
I would have done so
Regardless of obstacles
or another’s point of view

Locked doors matter not
Detours mean nothing
Armed guards, whatever

Opportunities ignored
out of respect for wishes,
happily

For me to dance
is to hear the music
playing inside of you
and I do because I listen
to yours

Do you ever listen to mine?
Stephan Apr 2016
Death
the final vacation,
destination unknown.
I just hope its all inclusive,
I left my wallet
in my other suit.
Stephan Jul 2016


The closest thing I know to love
Is something I am thinking of
In every sorted worry that my mind decides to share

While drinking heavy in the past
Inside the shadows I now cast
The bottom of the bottle lets me know I am aware

Collecting on a shouldered score
Finding it is nothing more
Than voiced in my confessions of imaginary scenes

Reaching for a photograph
Searching for its aftermath
Tuning off the station in the middle of my dreams

The fury of this drunken bliss
Reminds me of your tender kiss
And ever since I felt it, it is something that I long

For in the end this fairy tale
Reminds me of my quest to fail
Deep within the lyrics of some broken hearted song
Stephan Sep 2016
.
In a destined voice I shall speak my heart
beyond waning sunsets with colorful smiles
and fields of dancing sunflowers,
waving at me in the breeze like they know me

Standing here above all else,
feeling taller than I should
builds a certain strength in my soul,
energizes this tired, once worn out man with new life

Breathing the altitude’s wintered air,
a rush of splendor entices a gleam in my eye
For whatever beauty I may see, there is always her
and I can truly look nowhere else

I have climbed this peak, fought the terrain, the cold,
clawed and scraped on this day
so that the world below, humming autumn tunes,
meandering like ants performing their duties

Would know what I am about to say,
in this moment of peaceful serenity,
eyes wide open, conquering my fears,
pulse racing in fevered flow as anticipation swells, is true

Taking a deeper breath burns my lungs, but in a good way
as I move two steps closer to the edge, gather my balance
and shout from this apex of the world,
“I love you more than anything”
in hopes my desperate echoes find her listening
Stephan Aug 2016
.
Your dream that you just told me about,
where we went dancing on a frozen lake
in the middle of July
watching fireworks explode
beneath a canopy of linen scarves
raking leaves of orange and red
while new daisies bloomed
under the fresh fallen snow
coating the sandcastles we had built earlier in the day
beyond the dunes and circled in flip flop prints
in the fresh concrete sidewalk
poured outside of your neighbor’s house
on a Saturday in the rain,
catching candy thrown from a parade float
of paper flowers and moving dragonflies
parked along side the dinner
as we shared a chocolate milkshake
and a slice of pie?

Did we kiss at anytime during your dream?

If not, can we fall back asleep again?
Stephan May 2016
.

*I have written a dozen messages now
(probably more, no definitely more)
I word each one as carefully as I can,
telling you how much I miss you,
how lonely my days have been,
how I am doing ok (not really)
and I hope you are too,  
only to get to the bottom, the final line,
and typing out, I...well you know,
then stare at the screen and
think about it for a few minutes
before hitting delete…

wishing each time I did
it was me that disappeared
Stephan Sep 2016


“For in your light I dream, as evening takes my hand”

Silently I find my thoughts illumined by your beauty
In soft shimmers of dancing silhouettes
and patterns allowing breaths to sigh

Eyes peer into velvet skies,
visions set in motion eternally, find me
stranded within the confines of my heart, longing for you
Desperate for but a breeze, a movement of shadow,
a hope of wishes made upon the early arrival
of this crested view

Lonely among the maples, towering soldiers
lined at fielded boundaries, claiming wisdom
as they too reach for your smile

“And I yearn the knowledge of your distant view”

Do you think, do you feel, do you dream of me
from balconies high above hibiscus footpaths,
candle lit in passing moments which flicker, enchant

Drinking from a porcelain cup caressed by your hand,
a touch my body pleads, soft fingers on smooth surroundings,
ripples following moonlight sonatas,
days of spring blooms and whimsical showers,
flooding affections to wash over me,
carry me to you

This moon, suspended in charcoal heavens
upon a beaded blanket of perfect pearls,
beckons our dreams in simultaneous fashion

“Does your heart share this moon tonight, with me”
Stephan May 2016
.

Walking alone
in the heart of the city
Feeling the strain
as the skyscrapers wail
Wondering lost
like a dog with no owner
Broken apart
but still wagging my tail
Begging for scraps
in the alleys of sorrow
Chasing a cat
up a fictitious tree
Crossing the street
against oncoming traffic
Nothing to scratch
no not even a flea
Wondering if
some will reach down and pet me
Show me some love
that I’ve not felt in days
Give me a bite
of their ham and cheese sandwich
Maybe a chip
from that new bag of Lays
I know they won’t,
I can sense hesitation
It’s in their eyes
they can’t see in my heart
They’ll never know
it is shattered and broken
Nothing remains
every since we did part
So here I walk
with no leash tied to guide me
Grinding my teeth
on a discarded bone
A mangy old mutt
who has no one to love him
Roaming the streets
of this city, alone
Stephan Jul 2016


Don’t take for granted the love of this woman,
the wonderful one who has stolen your heart
Cherish your every moment together,
miss her the hours that you are apart

Stand and protect her in armor clad fashion,
show her the sun when there’s rain in the sky
Walk hand in hand down the path of affection,
take to the clouds as the two of you fly

Stay by her side when her worries start growing,
give her a hug just to show that you care
Tend to her dreams so her world can be magic,
hold her so close in these days that you share

Whisper soft lyrics as melodies linger,
paint her the sunset you see in her eyes
Promise her all she could ever imagine,
pen her a poem of romantic sighs

Conquer her fears when her teardrops are falling,
caress her skin that is soft to the touch
Kiss her with passion between those so tender,
prove to her always you love her so much

Tell her she's beautiful and you adore her,
now is the time, it’s not too late to start
Don’t take for granted the love of this woman,
the wonderful one who has stolen your heart
I hope you like this one, it kept me up half the night last night.
Stephan Jun 2016
.

Twisted vines of thorny fingers
Wrap the entrance to this place
Ripping flesh and bandaged whispers
Outlines dark of sadness trace

Carving names in weathered forecasts
Those who fall before it’s due
Leaning off to glimpse the future
Never once a grumbled clue

Placing frowns of lost persuasion
Drawing lines in charcoal sands
Daring one then yet another
Shouting out in loud demands

Gather here for time is wasting
At the edge where hearts now break
See the waves return to sender
Out beyond the landslide wake

Take your spot, a crowd is forming
Cloudy skies now call your name
Step up to the planned formation
Only you are now to blame

Spread your arms in bird-like fashion
Don’t forget that you can fly
As you find your destination
Following the tears you cry

You will reach the sorted bottom
Where the rocks predict your fate
Hurry now, the sun is setting
Doomed horizons will not wait
Stephan May 2016
.

Do unto others
as you’d have them do
Such an old saying
it’s not something new

Then why do we fight
calling each other names
Pointing our fingers
and casting the blame

Looking for wrong
when there is so much right
Walking in darkness
ignoring the light

Talking behind
somebody else’s back
Laughing at problems
or things that they lack

Making them feel
like they’re nothing at all
Hiding our hands
if they happen to fall

Locking the door
when they’re out in the rain
Wearing a smile
when they’re crying in pain

If we all try
we can turn this around
Open your heart
so the love can be found

It would be easy
you know that it’s true
Do unto others
as you’d have them do
Stephan Sep 2016
.

From up there

a flame comes,
burning through darkened skies

singeing thunderclouds
igniting mine

and their warmth
comforts me

down here
Stephan May 2016
.

I used to look forward to the sunrise,
soft watercolor whispers blushing
to the east in rose petal hues
on a perriwinkle sky
as I awoke each morning –



But now they are nothing more than
drab bookends to another day in my life
I wish had never been written



*– and I adored the vibrant sunset,
citrus splashed heavens shimmering
in tangerine and lemon zest
effervescence on the western horizon
as my day neared its end
Stephan Jul 2016



Drifting soft upon a cloud
Heading nowhere fast
All alone just you and me
Wishing it to last
Here below the skies of blue
Thankful for the day
Everywhere is something new
In its grand display
Reaching out to touch the wind
Flowing summer breeze
Gazing on a winding stream
There between the trees
Following a hummingbird
Quick as it can fly
Looking down upon the earth
Up here in the sky
Feeling warm beneath the sun
Sending forth a smile
Drifting soft upon a cloud
Dreaming for a while
Yeah, I know, another "dream" poem. What can I say, I'm a dreamer. :)
Stephan Sep 2016


Sending chills this tortured spine,
as aches precede the worded fiction
Sorted truth does rest sublime
beneath the light of benediction
Broken dreams of compass flair,
directions cast a blinded waning
Trusted roots abridge the square
of all that’s lost and is remaining

Washed along this fertile beach
of sanded hope and history
Tasting o’ thy patterned speech
as common phrases come to me
Desolate my cornered mind
of images I pray be true
Dangling the lost to find
retaliation in my view

Pray, oh be, as life does rattle
chains of only mist to turn
Laughter like some long fought battle,
in amongst we tend to learn
When the calling comes so random,
names are lost on open seas
One by one in columned tandem,
drenched of hell’s insanities

Take me to thy deepest haven,
so that I may find the end
Black as night o’ windswept raven,
come to me now once again
Razored claw and broken arrows,
filled with such, the violence
Playing through the endless narrows,
falling to my own expense

This, a life that's not worth living,
not this day, not anymore
Breaths so tethered in their giving,
pull the drapes and close the door
Take a seat your exits' waiting,
frozen hinges squeak in time
Find the map for navigating,
somehow through this wicked rhyme

Follow me, I know the heading,
down this staircase, up the hall
End those futile tears you're shedding,
she's not waiting for your call
Through this doorway stenciled broken,
toss your heart there on the floor
It is but a useless token,
you'll not need it anymore

You’re now privy to the meaning,
whether you do understand
Motioned light, this night is leaning,
let it take you by the hand
Now of time and missing portal,
through the lens of sights unknown
Nothing whispers you are mortal,
for this day you have been shown
Stephan Sep 2016
.
Like an answer it calls,
loud voices of the inspired,
sipping coffee cups
Picking moments like fresh corn,
hoping for the sweetest
Falling into space
in tiny squares of who we are
lost in words
Requested visits due in time
as the door opens,
the mat is clean…WELCOME

Breathing in search of dreams
Still dark outside as
bright light finds me
and I am here
Where I belong…mostly
Some love me, some don’t
some don’t care one way or the other,
but they are all poets,
sharing thoughts and ideas,
well wishes flourish
and sometimes anger, softly ranting

Adventures become lone wanderings,
lush floral habitats
with gardens of fragrant ideas
battling the weeds of yesterday,
still beautiful when woven
in the serendipity,
sown of long ago experiences
and tomorrow’s promises
for those eyes drifting
line to line from
time to time

Human beings, trapped in a world…
not trapped, (that was wrong) found living,
touching others and soothing hearts
Examining feelings with magnified senses
Skipping from here to there,
dressed up for an evening in
Finding direction and offering it
Poetry, it is our blood,
the rivers we float on hand in hand
till we reach the falls
and go headfirst into our own written paradise
Stephan Sep 2016
.
Vibrations loosen
the dust on my piano,
releasing tiny particles
into a rectangle sunbeam
dancing about the glass,
while I play sad love songs
on freeform keys,
fingered imagination
frantically moving
levers in never before
heard melodies
with a locked
sustain pedal
holding each note
to gradually
evanesce
into silence,
as the dust
once again
settles
Just a poem, not a state of mind.  :)
Stephan Jul 2016
.

It has been found that given enough time
failure will find this destined loser
lurking in gallery tints
and water color fault lines

semi gloss replaced by flat

Painting abstract nothings
on a canvas made of words
Broken brushes stain the existing
balance with a voice that collects the remnants

speaking tarnished silver when silence should be golden

Pop art wastelands of dotted balloons
float above the ground where his face falls,
shamed and hidden, in plain sight
with eyes holding quarters of bygone years

melting clocks keep time with his idiocy

Impressionists laugh at his existence
in muted tone chuckles and turpentine snickers
Stretched on easels of dislodged glances
with splattered smocks tied in double knots

one size fits all

This palette of mixed memories
resting on mainstream notions, waits
for the end is sure to come
finding him alone with an empty imagination

and nothing but drop cloth dreams
Stephan Jul 2016
.

I collected my fears in a jar,
set them on the window sill and
watched as the sun melted them
into a mass of gelatinous doubt

Then spread them on my toast
and consumed them -  
before they consumed me
Stephan Sep 2016
.

"So quiet that I might hear my own heart beat if it weren't broken"

Your silence wraps me like a worn blanket,
thin and frayed, providing no warmth,
no protection from the cold that invades
my every pore as I sit here
shivering with fear, questioning every
shadow moving outside of the window,
lurking, as if sneering
at this emptiness drenching my soul
with worry and doubt

Lost inside these four walls,
stained and patterned of past dreams,
folding within the plaster nightmares
and faded rectangles where
pictures of us once hung,
smiling faces, memories
I miss those times, our times,
God I miss you

My eyes wet, red and swollen,
nervously seeking any minute reassurance,
even the faintest of whispers
that you somehow still care
And as I listen, counting dust particles
in the muted sunlight,
cowering in this corner,
hearing only silence
echoing in the empty chambers
of my broken heart
Stephan May 2016
-

*Warmth does fall of wakened skies
Sunbeams frolic ‘pon this ground
Basking deep its soothing lull
Alone of wispy windswept sound

Young butterfly of colors rich
Pastel rainbows flit the wing
Blooms so full and fragrant filled
Affirm the charm this waited spring

Such the beauty ‘fore my eyes
Emerald shades abound this place
Hand in hand of dawn’s sweet kiss
Enchanted vistas to embrace

Along a path of bordered hedge
A’ winding soft yon golden view
My heartbeat sings in harmony
To spend this morn with only you
Stephan Jul 2016


A poet
without a heart
is merely a person
writing empty words
on a page…

I am that person
Stephan May 2016
.

Pacing backstage like a bull in the batter
Thrashing about as if china exists
Driven to drink by some wine on a platter
Blowing off steam for he could not resist

Snorting a scene when the lines are recited
Reading the script just a few seconds more
Up with the curtain by hands so excited
Wishing the winter had closed every door

Shoveling snow in a thong made of paper
Counting the flakes that attended his show
In the front row as the smiles did taper
Sat an old woman he knew long ago

She held a bag printed green with a flower
Wore her hair up and her underwear down
Gazed up at him as if she held the power
Reached in her satchel and pulled out a crown

Glistening gold trimmed in jewelry gleaming
Something indeed that was fit for a king
Pinching his skin just in case he was dreaming
Thinking it must be the silliest thing

Low went the lights with the audience hushing
Now was his time as he stood on the mark
Hoping that nobody noticed him blushing
The brightest of red in the darkest of dark

Then as he spoke in an accent so fitting
Words written out by some dude named Shakespeare
Looked to his feet where the crown was now sitting
An inscription inside “For a lousy King Lear”

He searched for the woman and noticed her leaving
Screaming out loud, “What’s the meaning of this?”
When she looked back, now his eyes not believing
She wore his face as she blew him a kiss

Had he gone mad as the world became hazy
Spinning in place, royalty gone insane
“Give me your praises,” he shouted like crazy
“Tell me you love me and tell me your name”

“I’m called Cordelia and I far from love you
Your acting *****, you’ve no talent at all
I’ll give you no praise, no that’s something I won’t do”

And there she stood as the curtain did fall

She started to laugh as the sirens were blaring
They carted him off on a stretcher of gold
To the asylum with everyone staring
Tossing the tickets that they had been sold

Then out of nowhere the crowd started cheering
She took his stage, now her kingdom, she swore
Taking a bow, the applause so endearing
She had no choice but to give an encore
Something I posted a few weeks ago but took down, giving it another try.
Stephan May 2016
.

*If by chance you see this,
and just in case you care
I will always love you,
this to you I swear

And if you come to notice,
please hear me as I say
My loves for you is endless,
forever and a day

As here I keep on writing
in hope that this you view
So you will know my feelings
undying love for you

For there won’t be a moment,
nor any time you see
I will not keep my promise to
love you eternally
I hope you see this.
Stephan May 2016
-
*Lying alone on a mattress of caverns
Pillow sham dreams only cool on one side
Twin fitted sheets in a queen-less adventure
Beneath a blanket of tears drops I hide

Headboard illusions cast vacancy shadows
Along the place where the bed is still made
Unruffled covers are lost in translation
LED numbers past midnight displayed

Caught in the silence so loud it is deafening
Even the moon cranks its volume too high
Shouted my prayer though there won’t be an answer
Folding away endless questions of why

Soon every star in the sky will be leaving
Shimmers will fade without even a care
Space quickly made for a hopeless sun rising
Another morning I won’t find you there
Stephan Aug 2016
.

Daydreaming of you
is the very best part of
my every day
Stephan Aug 2016
.

Beneath dark storm clouds,
graphic novels cried wholeheartedly
in pencil drawings competing
for front cover status
Asphalt collected mud
hoping shoe prints
formed in patterns like Dali
Wainscoting climbed walls,
chasing ivy vines
to crown molding heights
Kittens chased ***** of yarn
between grandma’s legs in
sagging stockings
on the front porch
And I counted rain drops,
wishing I had paid better
attention in algebra
Then you kissed me
and all became
everything under the sun
I was listening to "Eclipse" by Pink Floyd.
Stephan May 2016
.

*What ever happened to fairy tale endings
When did the sun bring the cold winter chill
Why are kind gesturers an act of  pretending
How did our heartbeats become ever still

Where is the joy that we found ourselves sharing
Happiness falling on much darker days
Meadows of flowers now weeds never caring
Blue skies are hidden behind sorrowed haze

Dreams slowly scattered on desolate oceans
Washed up on shore as the sandcastles die
Tossed overboard with the weakest emotions
Salt coated tears the horizon does cry

Once perfect mornings now afternoon weary
Gazing on edges cut sharp by the storm
Forecasts are sent in a poem that’s dreary
Standing afraid as the thunderclouds form

Hiding our eyes behind last April’s fashion
No cotton fabric for sale on the rack
Finding that drab is our lone source of passion
Marked down for clearance way out in the back

When did we give up on promises pending
Taking a place after push comes to shove
What ever happened to fairy tale endings
What ever happened to forever love
Stephan Apr 2016
^

Once king of the hill
now bottom of the heap
It doesn't feel good
but oh what the *bleep
Stephan Sep 2016
.

As we sit together

beneath a sprawling maple
amidst colorful leaves

floating to the ground
like painted snow flakes

I think that autumn
must be the season of my heart

because I am forever

falling for you
Compact Poem Series
Stephan Jun 2016
.

I saw her walking down the path,
then leaning on this tree
I wondered if she just might like
to be up here with me

I said, “come on, it’s nice up here”
She said, “I like the ground”
I yelled, “the view is very clear,
I can see for miles around”

She said, “but here the grass is green,
the flowers at my eye
I could not see these wondrous things
from up there in the sky”


“This tree is old, this branch is strong,
it easily holds the weight
I’ve been up here an hour or so
I’m sure that it won’t break”

“Oh that’s not it, my climbing friend,
that is not it at all
I do not think that branch is weak
and both of us would fall”


“Then what, if you will tell me please
keeps you so far below
For where I’m at, this highest peak
provides a perfect show”

“I just prefer the feeling of
the earth beneath my feet
The fragrance of the summer breeze
upon my face so sweet”


“But way up here the sky is blue,
like nothing that you’ve seen
The valley and the mountain side,
as if comes from a dream"

“Well, I’ll not climb this tree with you
and if a friend you be
Then you will slip down from that branch
and come down here with me”


I shimmied down the mighty oak
and staring in her eyes
I saw a view I’d never seen
on any morning skies

She said, “I’m glad you didn’t fall
from up there way above"

That’s when I thought, oh yes I did,
for I just fell in love

I found her to be beautiful
much more than any sights
And truth be known, I’m glad I’m down
for I’m afraid of heights

(But don't tell her)
: )
Stephan Apr 2016
standing in between dance steps
as my dizzying state of mind
fears the song playing
is merely a recorded message
that time forgot to validate

no stamp of approval
after the eject button is hit
and nothing comes out
but minor key accusations
in fast forward lies
Stephan Sep 2016


Somber brushes touch the canvas
Mystic in a timeless flow
Shadows cast of tinted pleasures
Mingled with a crimson glow

Strokes to tempt the lonely hearted
Framed in every passion’s plea
Bristles lightly dream emotions
Still an emptiness I see

Slowly found of definition
Sketching scenes in morning song
Palette fueled imagination
Blushing as the day is long

Feel the warmth of subtle colors
Cast your eyes so open wide
Drench yourself in vibrant reaches
Wander as you step inside

This design of love now crafted
Frantic with my own two hands
Desperately in light and texture
Created so you understand

Lines connect in patterns woven
Gathering as pastels show
Seeking but to feel your smile
Painting this so you will know
Stephan Sep 2016
.

Like crooked wheels our lives stumble
between the chapters we write
Corners seem dark and teeming with doubt,
alleyways call in echoes of our name,
as if tempting us to crawl when we cannot walk

“Fear begins the parade at our fragile hearts”

Fear begins as shades are drawn
and slotted with eyes watching,
voices ring the halls of the buildings looming large,
rumors of pointed fingers find our ears
in colander fashion, dripping fear at our feet

“We long to speak as waves conduct sound, crashing violently as we hear”

We long to speak but we cry,
hoping these tears will
somehow wash the pain,
fill the gutters and move out to sea,
casting waves upon unsuspecting shores

“Wishes, more waste than want at least of these eyes”

Wishes, more waste when
from the shadows a touch,
softly at first, then strong upon our shoulders fall,
comfort leaps to our hearts in sing song praise,
wishes become goals and finish line adventures

“What is this light, soft yet sure, found within?”

What is this, darkness hints at light
and skies blush among prism colors
and soft breezes collecting on our
damp cheeks and drying the aftermath
of our understanding of reality

“Dreams of these nightmares fade into happiness”

Dreams of footprints in the dirt,
two which are not our own, closely, affectionately
following our way and bringing direction
to our souls, yet the nightmares still flourish
but we do not feel so alone

“Fences built may keep us in yet, may keep us out”

Fences built fall, as this hand, from a distance,
climbing mountains and fording rivers
leads our hearts to the safety of love just beyond
the bricked wall, the ivy covered monolith,
the chain link disaster which once stood locked

“Finding that a breath may exhale peace, again”

Finding that a breath, neath arbors of hibiscus blooms
and teapot pourings, exhales open and
hopeful of the coming truth once lost beyond our dreams,
and we breathe for it feels right to breathe
while facing the darkness, no longer alone
Stephan Sep 2016
.

I was in a meeting, the boardroom was full
testosterone flowed everywhere
Dressed in a polo, but high dollar suits
were what the execs chose to wear

I sat at the end, with a chair next to me,
where no one decided to sit
Feeling quite weird, I was new to this place
and wondered if I’d be a fit

Them in their ties and me underdressed,
my khakis were old, kind of thin
Button down shirts and cuff links of gold
I guess there’s no chance I’ll fit in

A half hour gone, bored out of my mind,
when I couldn’t believe what I saw
A beautiful woman, a pant suit of silk,
came in from out there in the hall

Her hair chocolate brown with eyes just the same,
she rushed as she looked for a seat
Then sat in the chair, I was happy to share,
now this was a wonderful treat

She said, “**** I’m late, I forgot to stop
and look at my schedule last night”
I said, “That’s okay, they’ve not much to say
I’m sure that it will be alright”

We sat there a while, I stared at her smile,
just hoping she wouldn’t catch me
When then she stood up, it was her time to talk
my god, she was smart, I could see

A room full of men, one amazing woman
and she put them all in their place
Yes, she knew her stuff and I was impressed
but the board, oh the look on their face

They grumbled and groaned and snorted a bit,
but knew today something they learned
I laughed deep inside, when one then stood up
and said to us “meeting adjourned”

I said, “You were great, even though you were late,
and you look so good in that suit”
She said, “Thanks so much, I’m glad you approve
and by the way I think you’re cute”

I got up the nerve and asked her if she’d
like to join me for coffee or tea
She said, “That sounds nice, but I’d much prefer
a drink, sounds much better to me”

I said , “It’s a date and please don’t be late”
She giggled and flashed me a grin
It’s then that I knew, no worries at all,
this place I would surely fit in
Stephan Jul 2016
.

I don’t recognize my footprints anymore,
flashcubes and Kodak moments
distort my sight, blinding so  
I barely recognize my name,
as if anyone might call
on the gusts of barren life which hit me full force

Lost in a silent thought  
bouncing from shutter to shutter
blistering paint and chipping sorrows
outside the windows, smeared in tears
now resting on dampened sills
reflecting negative images, as I stare

Photographic headlines swing on wire fences
twisted around overexposed dreams,
rusting in the rain, falling piece by tiny piece
until words read like fragmented sentences
in amber speckles on the walk,  
asking me to believe

A three legged cat begs for a mouse,
yet the only thing held in this trap is me,
a rat in poetic clothing
as Tripod claws at my leathered skin
trying to erase the scars, captured in the lens
which mocks me – say cheese
A flashcube was an attachment used on a Kodak instamatic camera to create four consectutive flashes for photography. I'll tell you what an instamatic is next time. : )
And, the cat's name is Tripod because he only has three legs, duh. :)
Stephan Jun 2016
.
I have tasted tear drops
Acid from my eyes
Streaming under muted smiles
Cutting deep into my skin
Leaving trails of sadness
Glistening reminders
Along lonely cheeks
When damp expressions
Weren’t expecting rain
Stephan Mar 2016
Can’t relax in a forest of nightmares
with blankets of silence and
pillows folded neatly in the darkness
while down feather delusions suffer
anxiety in nightfall lulls –
Where the hell is the dawn
when you need it
Stephan Jun 2016


I looked inside my heart
and found her in the corner,
then asked her how long she had been in there

She said it’s seemed a while,
but she was disappointed,
to understand that I was not aware

I gazed into her eyes
and thought she looked familiar,
then wondered if she’d been there all along

She said almost forever
and that she had been singing,
just hoping I would hear her loving song

Did it go like this?
A hummed for her a stanza
and saw a smile turn up on her face

She said, yes that is it,
I guess you really heard it
the whole time I’ve been singing in this place

I really liked her song,
the beat was smooth and steady
It seemed that how I walked was like a dance

Just like a metronome,
clicking to a tempo,
hypnotically it put me in a trance

I buttoned up my chest,
real tight around the collar
to make sure that she would not run away

And listened to her song,
remembering her smile,
forever in my heart I know she’ll stay
Stephan Jun 2016

Sorrow now drizzles from lingering clouds,
drenching my life in despair
Dampening spirits a’ fall of the rain,
empty these puddles I stare

Drowning in loneliness filling the day,
void of the sun we adored
Flooding the vacancy found in my life,
steady the reasons now poured

Floating along every gutter of fear,
weathered my face of the storm
Crying as caverns appear in my heart,
gaping the holes that now form

If this shall be what my destiny brings,
slowly I take my last breath
For I am nothing at all without her,
drifting this current of death

Take me for I have no reason to be,
sink every dream I have known
Hiding from truth that I don’t want to hear,
forever lost and alone
Stephan Jul 2016
.

I don’t know if skies are blue
or if the lawn holds morning dew
I’ve not a thought of something new
or where the hummingbirds just flew

How sticky might just be that glue
or where’s the rose that I once grew
If shore leave can deplete a crew
or if we’re having homemade stew

It matters not if beer is brew
or if the day is almost through
If all I had was one black shoe
the other one a brownish hue

If there’s a lot or just a few
or if the mantle hides a flue
If lions live outside the zoo
or share their cages with a gnu

All I know is what I do
I spend my life just loving you
And if my nightly dream came true
then you’d love me forever too
Stephan Apr 2016
Chalked up to experience
erasers pounding in a sea of dust
white marks on black thoughts
over and under the text book meanings
torn pages litter lost feelings
and no one cares what the teacher’s name is
as the bell rings and hallways fill
with empty stares and blank expressions
dialing forgotten combinations
of locker stashed dreams
Stephan Apr 2016
leapt into a silver lining
clouding intentions
voicing a disdain
for thunderstorms
when thunder
is quieter than a library
throwing every book
at the innocent

sidestepping downpours
while dampened pages
stick together
concealing proof
that false judgment reigns
and sunny days
are written in another chapter
Stephan Jul 2016


Harmonies caressed my heart
in soft serenades of
whispering concertos
on the strings of my deepest desires

Acoustic symphonies,
performed on a cappella breezes
in perfectly tuned emotions,
echoed upon my longing skin

Piano compositions
sprinkled with stardust
shimmered before my enchanted eyes
in ivory colored wishes

As my mind thought back to
something I had recently read,
“A smile is worth a million melodies”
finally understanding its meaning ~

for when she smiled, there was music . . .
the most beautiful I have ever heard
Inspired by a comment recently left on one of my poems
Stephan Jul 2016


The sunrise smiles
from ear to ear,
a curved horizon grin

So when you open
up your eyes,
you too will smile again
Stephan Jul 2016
.

A simple line of tree top blush
on painted skies which now perform,
unfolding twilight’s majesty
in balanced view of moments born

~for lonely hearts a foot path makes,
in vision’s quest and sonnet breaks~


Beneath these branches draped of leaves
and cedar scents to fill the mind,
to cast a glance of northern flow
awaiting this which we do find

~a watch face offers in its stare,
a different look yet time to share~


How bright this crown does now appear
above the rim of lost regrets,
igniting lover’s wakened hopes
beyond the shadowed silhouettes

~anticipation breathes in flight,
awash in this sweet glow tonight~


For of this breeze, illumined love
in lighted bloomed chrysanthemum,
enchanted kisses destined flow  
on stardust highways formed as one

~so listen close on feelings meant
and hear these words of love now sent~


As on this night a light does see,
as two hearts dance the evening’s show,
reaching for that full moon waltz,
before our eyes, melodic glow

*~as I now whisper this to you,
forever will my heart be true~
Stephan Aug 2016


From slumber, kicking out the last of my dreams,
only to find that they do not end
For there to greet me, words on a page,
a welcome, a smile, waiting as I lift my eyes

Orange sherbet skies paint my windows
above yawning tree lines at the end of a dirt road
Persimmon outlined shadows
dance about my walls inviting me to look

I grab my cup, hot but needed, step into my shoes
passing through to morning, taking a sip
I find more beauty than my eyes have seen,
while birds flit from branch to branch

The air is cool, unusual but so very pleasant,
heated days form in my memories of yesterday,
when cool springs were no match for the flamed heavens
yet perfection now touches my skin

And I see, before me not a morning, not a brilliant sunrise
but you…your words, your touch, finding me at a distance,
telling me that this day is ours, beyond horizons
Gazing south to north, for the beauty of my day is always you
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