When the wind is blowing
with the voracity
of a hundred love songs
that tear flesh from bone,
You have to flow with the whirlwind.

Life doesn't wait for you.

When the earth is breaking
apart beneath your feet
with the fury
of a thousand guttural cries
that freeze the marrow in your spine,
You have to crawl through the gravel.

Life doesn't wait for you.

When the forest catches fire
all around you, burning
with the hunger
of a million weeping mouths,
You have to breathe through the smoke.

Life doesn't wait for you.

When the flood pulls you under
with the tentacled might
of all your failures and sorrows,
with the darkness
of a billion dead suns,
You have to be the light
that burns brightest.

Life doesn't wait for you.

I remember that day we met.

I remember that spark
that ignited the kindling
of my hollowbark heart.

I remember how much
your fire grew, engulfing
the forest in smoke.

I remember that forest fire.

I can see the thunderstorms
overhead, as your soul grew heavy,
ladened with all the sorrow and heartache.

I can see the rain drops
hit the burned leaves and ash.

I can see the storm darken the horizon.

I can see the stormlight
shine through the murk
of your weeping mind.

I can see the sparkling.

I remember that forest fire.

I remember when
you wanted to burn it all down,
all that we built in the forest.

Together.

I remember that first spark.

A taste in my mouth
that lingers on,
even though I have not
shared apricots with you.

A smell in my lungs
that soaks through,
touching my heart,
although I have not
shared hyacinth petals with you.

A tingling in my fingers
that radiates always,
in spite of the fact
I have not caressed your skin,
nor shared any pleasure with you.

A melody in my bones
that thrums in every part of me,
albeit I have not
shared any poems with you in decades.

A mirage in my soul
that dances forever,
yet I have not
shared my essence with you...

Chasing moonlight
On rainsoaked tiles
Of fired clay
And
Soot stained dreams.

Running barefoot
On late summer grasses
Burned yellow
By
A heavy sun.

Striding bravely
On sharp edges
Of crumbling mountains
And
Eroded eternity.

Embracing stillness
On snowcapped peaks
Made sanctuary
By
Ephemeral beauty.

Yours.

If I had never met you
Would my hands feel any different?
Would my lips whisper any softer?
Would my eyes turn a different shade of brown?

If I had never fallen in love with you
Would my fingers stretch any further?
Would my teeth bite any deeper?
Would my eyes swallow even more moonlight?

If I had never longed for you
Would my arms grow heavier?
Would my mouth speak any louder?
Would my eyes weep even more than they had?

If I had never lost you
Would my shoulders crack under the starlit sky?
Would my jaw shatter with every promise told?
Would my eyes search for you in every glimmering of womanhood?

who are you to dare stare back at me
on the loneliest of my days?

Don't pretend
to be good company.
I'm alone
because you
are unlovable.

who are you to dare cry with me
on the hardest night I've ever lived through?

Don't pretend
to care about my feelings.
I'm crying
because you
are unloving.

who are you to shatter beneath my rage
on the eve of my mind's utter ruin?

Don't pretend
to be in control.
I've struck the silver glass
because you
are undeserving.

I keep breathing
as the deepest blue
fills my lungs with
the fresh air
of salt and wonder.

I keep breathing
as the golden flames
roast the succulent morsels
that fill belly and soul
with pepper and joy.

I keep breathing
as the wind takes me
to new and exciting
places that fill out
the mind with memories.

I keep breathing
as the soil beneath
fills every oblivion
with the emerald
of hope and renewal.