I shed the mask I wore so long—
A thousand roles, all played, now gone.
Silence hums where noise once thrived.

No more the need to win or prove.
The mirror cracks; my hands go still.
No shield, no sword—just open skies.

When I let go, the fog withdrew.
Less of “me” made space for “we.”
Love rose where pride and fear once lay.

Old battles fade like distant storms.
The fire within now gently warms.
I become the peace I once feared.

In place of shadows
sunspots and creases
an embankment the gray of day seizes
      nailed to peril as a savior
      pushes out all traces in its labor

Dust and smoke
--the heartless void
above the faded ring of hope
      say a sated prayer
      for your fellow wayfarer

I'll shield your body between
the rays and surface
I'll be your dark clouded step
     when your own feet fail to purchase
     into the ground they sink

I moved it off the porch today,
where sun falls hard and wide.
The *** is cracked, the roots are weak.
Still, something waits inside.

The blooms were bruised, a weathered pink,
like lips that lost their say.
Still, one had cupped the morning rain
and hadn’t looked away.

My back cried out. I crouched and worked,
Hard knuckles in the dirt.
I cut the dead, I turned the soil,
poured water where it hurt.

I set it by the cedar rail,
where shade and heat align.
Still stiff. Still sore. You’re gone. That holds.
It’s standing. So am I.

Dream it,
Plan it,
Do it
.
.
Marriage
If you are lucky,
Stay blessed,
If you are unlucky
Regret it.
19/7/2025