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aj heatherly Jul 2016
1
Citrus hues and cerulean blues
The question was never why we were here.
The sound and the sky palleted one another,
paint brushes older than time itself.
The people elated with the sense of the place,
Pulses bumping, in line with the tempo.
Through our translucent flesh, the feeling flowed;
We were one; then, in a moment, we were gone.
aj heatherly May 2013
In my mind I see beauty,
Priceless imaginations and fantasies,
Still so many pass by,
Never to have truly lived;

A Spalsh of water,
Dozens of droplets left
To hang in suspension,
Temporarily weightless;

A hillside ablaze, tragic
As it might be, as the tress
A hundred feet tall fall,
Yet life will renew one day;

Two bodies lie together,
One wrapped by the arms
Of another, in silence,
Motionless, in love;

Standing on the shore,
Waves thrashing about ankles,
The sunset so still,
Sleepy above the horizon;

Summer rains
Drench our clothes,
As thunder and lightning
Storm and rumble our hearts;

Laying in the grass,
Warm and dry and green,
Watching from above,
As clouds pass below;

Lengthy moments, with
Another, and you see
Behind those eyes,
The discorded truth;

The capricious life,
Led when one finds
Adventure - finally,
Air that gives breath;

Trees in a forest,
Shuddering in wind
Prepared to die,
To serve others always;

The dance of a flame,
Lit upon a candle,
As if it was such a stage,
Of respect and acclimation,

The embrace of friends,
Love, new and old,
Kinship undying,
Future unnerving;

An infant child,
Held in arms built of
Love and other fine things,
Spoken to in honest tongue;

An evening in the yard,
A ball tossed about,
Suns set each time,
Times long since past;

The will to live,
Truly a special gift,
That which not all ascertain,
Not granted to all alive;

The symphony made up,
From tiny noises does it emanate,
Strong, resolute, with finesse
Collectively, in cooperation;

From atop the highest peaks,
On mountain tops abroad,
The world sprawled out
In utterly perfect disarray;

Passion for Love and Living,
For oneself and for others,
For the tradition and routine,
For the surprise and serendipitous;

Crystal clear waters,
Amply temperate air,
Sunlight broken intermittently,
By green trees and foliage abound;

The propensity to change,
To mold, shape, to evolve,
In fear out of the light,
Found within everything.
From a late night after seeing a beautiful girl for the first time in 6 months, to asking my friends to tell me what beauty they had seen in their lives. It's been by far the most fun I have had with one of my poetic projects.

Definitely open to adding more, if you have any "beautiful" things from life to share, please do!  I would love to hear about them!

To those who helped me by sharing, thank you, and enjoy!  This one goes out to my beautiful friends!
aj heatherly Sep 2014
When we chase the sun,
Perhaps we are only evading,
Attempting to elude our shadows,
Our effervescent friends.
Why would we run,
From such,
...Comradery...
...Consistency...
A unique, eternal moment,
Unconditional affection.
aj heatherly Oct 2014
Wild winds blow,
Steadfast and forceful,
The sun stands still
All the while, despite
Green grass and
Branch-bent trees.
The warmth is stronger
Than gusts, unlike us
Fickle living things

I will fall in time,
     Into oceans and
   Into dust and
You will fall in space
     Into lakes and
   Into earth and
We will be different
We will be similar.

Neither of us will survive
The sun's burial,
Content with such, since
Funerals - not for me;
Fickle and ****** we may be,
But lived and loved (Yes!) have we.
aj heatherly May 2013
Sitting in my room,
Boxing up my life,
Sorting photos and tickets,
Newspapers,
Trinkets,
Tokens of all sorts of yesterdays.

Do you remember when we turned a GA at MUN
Into that silly sci-fi universe,
And do you remember those stupid montages,
I showed in class so proudly,
And that trip to San Francisco,
When we probably passed each other's cars.

What about before those days,
When I was still in to planes and history and other's lives,
Curious if I could ever live one as fully.
Those 2 summers I spent on little league,
When I learned no matter how hard you try,
Sometimes you don't get better.

Do you remember the dream you told me about,
When we were left alone and all we need was us.
What about when I had my first kiss,
Or that time the beach lit up like a nightlight.
Then there was that night when we starred up at that sky,
All those nights with our backs on that cold stone.

Then there were those drives,
Those movie nights,
Those dance parties,
Those birthdays.
Those conversations,
That always carried us through the twilight.

So many sunsets,
From my roof and the hill
The milkshakes after midnight,
The board games, and cards,
The trees and the trails,
The ocean's cool waters.

For a long time I thought it was beyond help,
Trying to hold on to all those things,
I surprised myself today,
See, when you throw out a picture, a poster, a page,
You'll never have to say goodbye,
Oh, what a beautiful mind indeed.
Moving from my childhood home in a few weeks. Inspired by the contents of a keepsake bin. Enjoy =)
aj heatherly May 2014
I just want to write
All day, and dance all **** night
Forever, with You
aj heatherly Apr 2017
a tacky canvas that
pitcher-dribble reaped,
like an infant in the highchair,
no cherrios to eat.

mundane messes like
blood on your knee,
gravel in between;
bend, but grit your teeth.

white was so boring, though
color cannot be undone,
until a final draw ends,
and entropy starts to run.

watercolor, was it?
the dye won’t wash away.
don’t you see me,
****** by graffiti

like the coffee stains on
my tie, the ink at the
top of my naked sleeve;
leading edges that bleed.

if you shudder at the unholy
messes, the incongruent seams,
i took too much of your time
already, ask once, i’ll let you be.
aj heatherly May 2013
Falling in love with the night,
How I miss her so,
When she goes,
While she's gone.
I love you dear, more than you know.
aj heatherly Jun 2014
I am Glass, fractured,
Perhaps everything short of shattered.

Blinded by the color of this world.
Even when purples and reds and oranges swirl,
Greens and blues stand apart in their light.

When the crisp yellow notes tremble,
And the warm red droplets splash,
     Crashing like the glass,

I will not be the same;
Nor will any other.
Summer is coming, expect more to come your way. The last term has been spent preparing myself to hone this amateur craft of mine.

Thanks for reading!
aj heatherly Jan 2013
Someone save me,
Please, someone, fast.
I need stitches on stitches,
All these cuts, I can't last.
Too old
          Too deep
                    Too tender
                              Too tainted
                                     burning
                                     infected

Just inside this body,
this bony, stony shell.
a heart's fire is burning out,
Life's but a walking,
                      breathing
                        ­  living
                              Hell

You walk for so long,
You love so many, so well;
But it's the loyal, ardent folk,
     who temper adversity with acumen,
That one may not expect to have fell.

I'll stand back up on these worn down soles,
Because I look around and no one offers a hand;
The only faces I see for miles around,
Are the faces of my new companions,
                                             laying on the sand.

You see, you can throw us all out,
Tell us were no good to you;
But when we wake up and look to our sides,
We see one another, hearts ripped right through,

They say there is strength in numbers,
And now I know this to be true;
A broken heart alone is somber,
Yet great joy can come from merely a few.

Hereupon I join these crestfallen denizens,
That we might serve as better lovers and friends,
For what you saw as weakness, our love?
Our weaknesses love now and always mends.
*
You know not yet, I fell for you,
     And all your imperfect beauty.
          You told me you tell no one your story;
               Even in your dreams, no one understands.

But I woke up on that beach,
     And you didn't know my story,
          Yet you held out your gracious hand,
               And you lifted my spirits high like yours,

Now I can do anything;
     Now my heart can  heal;
          Now I know where home is;
               Now, now I once again can feel.
This one might end up with some more work being done. But I thought it was ready for some critiquing. It's a little, all over the place...Hope you enjoy =)
____________________
My 10th unofficially published poem. I'm so grateful I found this place to write, and that I realized poetry as my best form of expression.
☮❤☼ ~ Anthony
aj heatherly Feb 2017
here is one possibility -
the adoration is rooted
in your fresh quality.
i've never met any one
quite like you before.
that novelty is inspired,
held internally; hopeful.
aj heatherly Dec 2012
Give me a good book,
And a *** of warm tea,
And you won't see me
Anywhere but down by the brook.
Peace in the flow,
Of the water on the rocks
On the soil on the blocks
Of earth down below....
aj heatherly Mar 2014
The day I stop growing
Will surely be the day I die,
For otherwise I'll have not lived
A life worth all this time.
aj heatherly Oct 2013
And you're a liar,
But then again really everyone here is.
The words spoken,
Always sound so dull,
When we sit in this room,
And mindless words float around.

I've seen you all lie,
For me,
     For friends,
          For yourself,
And we will all lie, to
Save lives,
     Save thought,
          Save even face,

People will tell tiny white kinds,
Others will tell the blackest of all,
All in the name of trying to be cool,
All in the name, they say, of kindness and love.

I'm a liar too,
To friends or my mother,
To strangers or a lover,
But it's in this silence,
I have to be honest,
Sincere, not withholding.

In stillness, the faintest,
Sound of beating chests,
Breathing lungs,
Trembling souls,
Zephyrs come howling,
While trees stand and whisper.

Sick and tired of the daily lies,
Fall into each others love,
Trusting silence to
Finally speak honest words,
For the first time in days,
Maybe months, even years.

A heartbeat cannot lie,
With sanity on the line,
And it's a sure step up,
From that sneaky little muscle,
Slipping in our mouths;
They say it's called a "tongue."

Let these untruths of yours
Be set free unto the sea,
Cease this fabrication,
Of stories told to me;
Pergure yourself no more,
Drop down your defenses;
Show the world what you have,
Show everyone your heart.

Nothing left to be said,
Can be the greatest gift;
I write these words unto,
To attest to you to sift,
Through all the words you hear,
Because words are left to  
You to read and perceive,

They  might call us fools,
But I'll tell of how I,
Loved more, this way than that,
Saved and spent my sweet time,
The right way,
The honest way.

I've lived ways most have not,
And if anything more tragic
Than a lie doth exist,
It has to be the story,
Of the souls who know not,
Honesty, but prefer lies,
How they have been bound at the wrists
And ankles, blindfolded at the eyes.
aj heatherly Jan 2014
The cloak of darkness washes out the color,
So the browns and greens and grays can blend together,
Dull the gleam and vibrancy,
Shapes are now all that remain,
Silhouettes of the features of this forest.
A fractured perception of life,
A pretense believed I'd rather be withheld,
For despite lacking a central palette,
Perfection still lies in wait of the next light,
The next rise of the Chariot of Apollo.
You don't need to know everything. Sometimes we lose ourselves in the details, and we forget that they oft are not what cause us to fall in love.
aj heatherly Dec 2016
and the echo you called out
(we lied to ourselves the first six weeks;)
had the whole town irked;
(spending time in an alley's shadow)
an honest tongue only after you won.
(your sophomoric soul and my reflective streets.)
see the photos: https://www.instagram.com/ajheatherly/

Copyright 2016 Anthony Heatherly
aj heatherly Nov 2016
the chains of our
youth did not exist
as you may recall;
decisions made by
the flip of a switch,
seconds before hands
rose towards the sky.

novel textures fit
between fingers; smooth,
crisp – colors perfected by the
unwieldy and wild.
all a respite for
a world upon which hands
lay straight lines.
see the photos: https://www.instagram.com/ajheatherly/

Copyright 2016 Anthony Heatherly
aj heatherly Dec 2012
Blood pumping, heart racing
Nerves jumping, mind's now facing
What's real, what's not,
Open eyes, whatcha spot?
Ugly truth, pretty sight?

These aren't the little wonders,
The little moments of life;
This is anxiety, the memories that stick,
The good, the bad; plain, simple life,
Up above the surface,
Hanging over your head.

This just might be your very last breath.

But you have to let go.

Just.
Breathe.
Have you ever noticed the similarity in the anxieties of fear and love? Confront a father, show love to friend, but at the end of the day, it still gets your heart racing.
aj heatherly Nov 2012
This boy's got a heavy weight;
Dangling 'round his neck,
Hanging 'pon his chest

Don't know where to go
                    what to wear
                    who he'll meet

Well maybe,
it's his time to wait on mystery.



One evening far from now
Forget 'bout father
Learn what true love is

Don't know how to touch
                    what to say
                    who to be

Well maybe,
it's time to leave independence bay.



A guitar once said, "you can't start a fire,
you can't start a fire
[not] without a spark"

Don't know how to live
                    how to love
                    or give faith

Well maybe,
time has come to give that heart away.




*This was inspired in part by thoughts from the day and in part to listening to my all time favorite cover, Mat Kearney's rendition of Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark." Enjoy
The lyrics in quotations are NOT original and are the property of Mr. Springsteen's estate.
All other material, ©Anthony Heatherly , 2012
aj heatherly Dec 2012
I never know when it will come.
Is it today?...
I can't hope to know.
Only feel.
Feel that it's today.
Feel that it's right.
I don't know that feeling though.
My only hope?
That I can feel that feeling when it comes,
For I fear it may come, and then pass,
And I,
Will never know the difference.
What tragedy that would be,
                    unknown,
                                        unheard.....
aj heatherly Nov 2013
Life
Ends with
Decaying flesh,
Of a corpse, so fresh;
Fell right outside of the door,
Gliding,
Diving,
Crashing swiftly to the floor,
Nothing left, at least not of worth,
Save a far-off, long-ago memory of a
Bright
Colored
Youth, and now this rotting, fruitless corpse,
Which will give life to its new, youthful brothers,
But only after Death's season has passed us all by.
A sacrifice,
Bitterly made,
Every year,
Silently paid;
You don't notice it when you mindlessly walk over all their small bodies, ground beneath your foot.
In case I don't have something new, ready to share in 5 days, I want to celebrate my 1 year anniversary on Hello Poetry and more importantly, writing my very own material. So this [dark-ish] poem goes out to all of you wonderfully supportive readers. Without the support, I would have stopped writing before I ever began. Thanks  so much!
aj heatherly Jan 2014
Sometimes
           In the early morn
      I can feel your presence,
    From the other side of the
     door, more like a world
       away. A rush of pure
          ecstasy overcomes
                  me, from
                who, I know.
                  When I feel you,
                     Warming my body,
                        Your breath on my neck,
                           Then a touch behind my ear
                              A caress across my shoulders,
                                 Slowly rolls off down my back.
I turn to stand face to face with you and I succumb to absolute awe, a beaming radiance and a

hearth of heat unlike any fire before.
Impeccable beauty,
Incredulous silence,
Infinite beauty,
     in any shade.
This is how I know.
I am at long last in love.
aj heatherly May 2013
I wish I had roots
For as a tree, I could be
More sure of myself
Had this one for a while in my notebook - didn't realize it was 5-7-5 till tonight!
aj heatherly Sep 2014
Do you ever stroll into the woods,
Wander and wonder and speak with the trees?
Wind whips up and whispers words in you ears;
Close your eyes till they open,
and then you stand still.
You have lost yourself to the world.
Can you be found?
Do you need to be?
aj heatherly Nov 2012
Only in my dreams,
where the butterflies are aflutter,
Can I find the warm, smooth surface,
to something so much grander than I could ever imagine.

Your hills,
your valleys,
your rivers,
your lightning,
the beauty unsurpassed.

The glow of the lights,
down the street corridor,
flakes falling, sticking,
straight to your hair.

Wrapped in my warmth,
I hold on tight,
To what I know,
the only truth in this world.

Every moment,
two beats,
fresh again,
and together in time.
I want this moment to last forever.
This moment, I not yet know.
Will I ever know you...
Could I ever find you, see you, feel you, my truth.

*I don't know who you are.

But I love you. More than you yet know...<3
©Anthony Heatherly, 2012
aj heatherly Dec 2012
It's dark here now,
So what if I just left?
Got in the car,
Drove until daybreak.
Where would it lead me, leave me?
Where would I land?
Would I be back here,
In this place I call home,
or perhaps, far away.

I want to explore, endeavor, adventure.
That night isn't tonight though.
And that isn't right; it should be.
I can feel it in my heart.

Maybe Tomorrow.
aj heatherly Mar 2014
You are the most extraordinary person I know,
Because when you dream so big,
It might just happen.
But you have to start now,
In this moment,
Don't hesitate.
It's time to sail.
Inspired by The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and my own vicarious adventures.
aj heatherly May 2013
When things aren't perfect,
Music makes life just a little bit better than it was,
An immeasurably small difference,
Makes an immeasurably large impact;
So with gratitude,
I listen on, in the temperate evening breeze....
aj heatherly Jul 2016
Were we lost?
How much time did we have?
An ounce of hope on the horizon ( the only thing i worship)

There was temptation,
There was friendship,
There was modesty - or was it self doubt?

We listened for answers;
In whispers on the wind,
and clatter in the waves.

The trail was warn near the edge,
But there was no fear,
Only Life.
This is the next chapter.

IG: @ajheatherly
aj heatherly Mar 2017
tea-cream earth underoak
lying drenched in sun gleam
streams, a sky in between
the green sheets laid upon
and the beamyblues

breezes blew past
our post-modern monument,
and I shuddered like the towers,
as i was amply leafed.
strong winds knocked

branches loose, falling from
seventy-four inches up in the air.
a logjam tore a hole
inside my artesian mouth.
still, fresh spring water

found a way out,
taking a ride in a turnstile
cycling through
riffle and pool
all the way to its end.

clothes soaked, made holey,
by rain no righteous men know;
I tried my hand with a needle and thread
still trying to forgive,
a soft fabric to sow.
thanks for 5 years hellopoetry. this was the first place i felt safe sharing my work. an incubator.  so happy to be a part of it

see the photos:
https://www.instagram.com/ajheatherly/
copyright 2017 aj heatherly
aj heatherly Mar 2014
To my dear friend,
     Maybe you never heard, since we weren't that great of friends back then, not until after graduation. Had we known each other better before you left for college, you'd know that almost every teacher, instructor, and friend, as well as nearly everyone I grew up with, up till and even through high school, has at one time or another told me that I was going to do great things. Friends, family, acquaintances, parent's coworkers. Now that I myself have gone off to university, I still hear it, from professors, graduates, even the folks I work with in the research lab. It's like a sempiternal memory.
     For a long time I just thought everyone said that to one another.
     "You are going to be a star."
     "You'll change the world one day."
     Senior year it was clear that wasn't the case, and it became lucid just how much belief so many had in me.
     It was, and still is, one of the most genuinely sickening feelings I experience; like vertigo, it causes my stomach to flip and demands that I run. I know that sounds ungrateful. I love all the people who have such faith in me. Letting down so many people scares me to near death though. I never made the ivy league, I didn't graduate valedictorian, I gave up on the career I wanted as a child, I haven't received a single scholarship, despite my "over-qualifications," and I honestly no longer wish to be here at school.
     When I look back on it all, all I see is a two decade long timeline in which I have yet to do something worthy of note; worthy of saying hey, that young man has left his mark. I never made the news, I didn't win a trophy for an athletic team or club. I can't play music and my youthful creativity has drained out of my mind.
     I have done nothing spectacular or out of the ordinary in my life.
     The only thing I can lay claim to in this life is being the kindest, most loving person I can be, working towards a greater capacity for compassion and understanding on the daily - and in this world, those things are hardly ever appreciated or recognized.

     My point, and I promise there is one, is that it doesn't matter that anyone remembers me in history books, or that I have some theory or technology or technique named after me, or a monument or museum in my honor. Helping other people stick it out on this planet is the most valuable asset I can have. I don't say this because I see slivers of it in me - I don't, despite what so many might say. I say it because that's what makes someone different than every other person in this world who is focusing on the progress of themselves and those which they selectively choose to assist in moving forward.
     And let me tell you - I have NEVER known of a more concentrated group of individuals who has these invaluable and critical characteristics. These qualities are what make us so great with one another. It is precisely why even though we feel lost more often than others we know, this core group of friends has become a family, loving and supporting one another, demanding that we stand and fight, shoulder to shoulder, so that we all might have a brighter tomorrow.

     A last thought : that uncertainty? Not knowing what it is you want to do, where you want to be, how you can possibly get to your goals - it's always there, and there is a reason for that! It means you are thinking about things. It's terrifying and nerve racking, not knowing where you are headed, but its probably one of the best positions you can be in. I wouldn't trade it for picking and sticking with the wrong tracks of life. When the right choice presents itself, you might not be ready, but I guarantee you'll know its happening,  you just need to observe, and when you recognize, you need action. You're a stargazer, and you see the important stuff you need to, when you need to.

With Love Eternal,
     The Hipster
This started as a note for a friend, but grew afterwards into to a work of prose I wanted to share. While it lost some accuracy, it's still a strong piece I think. Let me know what you think or if you have any thoughts about these values!
As such, this poem is dedicated to the incredible people I have in my life. <3
aj heatherly Aug 2014
I rifle through the contents of the room,
Searching for secret words,
Hidden in gloomed ink
On shreds of yellowed paper;
No, antiquated shrapnel,
Plain scrawling on the side.

Now they seem mythic,
These syllables tightly joined,
Hidden in books and under shoe boxes,
Paperclipped to the pages of my past,
Leave me only these remnants,
Still I will cling steadfast.

The burns, they will last,
Rope slipping in tight hands.
My feeble grasp shan't release,
Feeble hands of a feeble mind,
For love is a fool's errand, (hush!)
Or so at least says the cynic.
aj heatherly© 2014
aj heatherly Jan 2014
You once proclaimed to me
That you knew the stories
Of all the trees around,
And at first I must admit
I could not come to believe.
But I can hear the wind,
And now it all makes sense;
I am the Yew as you
Darling, you are the Zephyr,
Who eases my limbs,
In the absence of the storm.
We can hear each other clearly,
As you bristle through,
All my branches and lengths.
So too, the light breaks
The light bends, around me,
Yet glows and shines
Through you, for you and I
To share in embrace.
The pseudo-sequel to "Soul of a Zephyr"
aj heatherly Jan 2014
You once confessed,
That you could talk to trees,
And that makes sense,
Since you can talk to me.
I've wished I was a tree,
Since the first day I could think,
Be steady and sure of myself,
With roots from which I drink.

I never noticed, until we met,
That wind so often spoke to me.
And I know now why it was so;
With the language of the winds,
Someone can final speak to you,
A zephyr, my love.
aj heatherly Oct 2013
Pies can get you lots of things,
Pies can get you through your day,
Some use pies to get place to place,
While others use pies to stand and stay,
Pies can help you when you are flat on your back,
Pies can not help you to know, I confess,
The difference between the the English word "pīz"
and the Spanish word "pē-es"
I want to add more to this, clean it up. But it was something funny I wanted to share, and it's been awhile since I put anything new out.
aj heatherly Dec 2016
at season's ending
thank the sage man who inspires
not once; forever.
aj heatherly Apr 2013
Do you remember that summer,
We rolled in the grass,
Washing in the sunlight,
Listening to the finches sing their song,
     to the trees rustle as the wind pushed the cars along.
All I could smell were the plants,
And all I could see was you,
     the shine of a brilliant grin.

Do you remember two summers past,
We laid on that couch,
For hours that seemed like days,
Yet still felt everything but long enough;
     I held you in my embrace with intent to never let go.
All I could smell was your hair,
And all I could see were dreams,
     visions in my mind, now distant.

Do you remember the summer last,
We started as less than friends;
You took me places I'd never been,
Showed me the world's beauty,
     how it is held within the simplest of things.
All I could smell was the salty sea breeze,
And all I could see was the golden threads,
     and the ruby, oh so red,
     within the brightest light I have ever come to love.

Will you remember the summer next,
And all our traverses through reality;
Stand by my side and I by yours,
Just like when I woke up on that beach,
     and you held out your gracious hand
Who am I to say which way this river might flow.
If you know it will separate us, please,
     tell me now. Stay here, with me, in this sand.
So, not much of a rhyme scheme. And when I wrote it in the park the other day, It didn't have meter on the page. As I wrote it ere it worked itself out though. Enjoy =]
aj heatherly Nov 2012
When those old memories fade,
To a far off, misbegotten past;
And those long forgotten dreams,
Reconceived,
Turn to light
And to dark;

By the light that guides you home,
May you gain
Courage,
Wisdom,
Love;

Let the darkness wear burdens -
Your troubles,
Your worries,
Your fears;
- and be cast out,
unto that lightless, ****** fire,
with the past and all its dread.

Let them burn,
the darkness,
the past,
in that lifeless flame;

Stay your heart,
And hold steadfast,
And let the light
*Guide you,
Your dreams,
The rest.
©Anthony Heatherly
aj heatherly Aug 2013
Standing alone,
On this great rock,
Back to how it was again,
Hoping for change,
Instead of still winds.
Moonlight shone for every step here,
But still, the path is obscured,
Unknown;
Undiscovered or unsolvable?
What least I can hope,
Is it resolvable,
Before the end of my rope?
aj heatherly Jun 2013
Move me as water erodes sand,
And lie me down where I shall rest;
Cast me off and pressure will befall
I'll turn to rock,  
With layers of memories,
Of life and love and you.
aj heatherly Nov 2016
pouring sazerac at sunrise,
while the echoes fall in the west;
your demeanor was cliff side (disorder)
scrambling like the ocean tide
all was hidden, through day's light
a shadow's play, a lover's disrepair
aj heatherly Aug 2014
It's spinning,
Faster, I'll try to keep pace.
I'm falling,
Faster now, within this space.
I'm hiding now,
I will hide from what I know,
And the world stops
I hope, or at least it slows.
Some times, the world just moves too fast. So much beauty, but so much pain...... Loves the only way through I think.....That, and ignorance.
aj heatherly Feb 2014
I was nearly there.
I just had to jump.
Everything was in disarray.
In this moment,
I was older than I had ever been before.
But impossibly,
I felt the youngest I could remember.

The wind pushed me toward flight
The water called like a siren,
And I stood on the edge,
Scared, but not as I am next to you.
With you nothing is certain,
And I have no choice like I do here.

You came in with the summer wind,
And you disappear but never leave.
You pushed me around without
So much as a shove;
You ruined me.

In that moment,
I knew what we were;
Perpetual and persistent,
Kinetic, and infinite.

You never leave and are often found,
An enigma, ravishing,
Daydreaming in air,

Red skies and gold sand on the shore,
Are the unspoken words we share,

And in that moment, you are my life.
aj heatherly Jan 2014
Smokestacks        
    with a
conscience;
Never      
have
  I
seen  a  more
startlingsight.
The  bane  of
creation,      a
weapon      of
consumption,
The  sickle  of
This   broken
world.    The
smokestacks
atomize  and
scorch     and
gnash, machines of flesh, tools for Eris and destruction,
with flues left back from 75 years of decimation and sin.
aj heatherly Apr 2017
grey-blue
my day’s first sight.
the chest lid opens
for a moment;
through my ungilded pane,
golden light.

covers not of cotton
hold me in a sleepy state;
alarming sounds outside,
mechanical monsters
speeding by - i should
charge a different rate.

washed and dressed,
the coffee steeped.
brown stains spatter
the porcelain platter;
a tacky canvas that
pitcher-dribble reaped.

your scent-leavened my room;
now i’m just citrus and oak.
(a lonesome, near empty glass,
speckled by dried bubbles)
like spindrift from waves,
hazy memories, smoke –

i return to the edge of my bed
rain filling the gutter,
sounding the roof
pans of metal, mossy
cakes softening the tap-tap- tap.
– lightheaded, I shudder

what were the last words
you wept? a final stinging truth.
filling the void of a clear-cut
heart is now overnight trick;
succession may give me roots,
like my hemlock and alder youth.
aj heatherly Dec 2013
I was once lost
I met others
All lost as well
We found each other
We found ourselves
Apart, we stand
But together
Ready to love
Ready to live
aj heatherly Nov 2012
The red gems,
They would gleam,
And they would weep;
And they always came to gleam again,
As they always come to weep again.

Each cycle, stronger than the last,
Each tear brought with it a new fracture,
But every red gem,
Every single one,
Held together, shattered but strong.
Broken hearts can so easily shatter others.....amazing.
aj heatherly Nov 2016
bones of a body
are not meant to stand strong like
long spanning bridges
aj heatherly Sep 2014
Perhaps stronger waves lie in the ocean,
Inconsequential on any other day;
In need of a shock,
A cold on you skin,
The sea breeze just isn’t enough.
Depart your shroud, your husk,
Become a shadow of the day,
Fall, downcast, in fluid motion.
Give yourself over to absolute absence,
Swallowed by the depthiest  of bays.
aj heatherly Sep 2016
its a matter of time,
but you can't stay here
who do you wanna be
what do you have to fear

is this reality
only mine to wear
shedding light is a crime
shed a tear, i cant bear

and when time, is running out
well who will you will me to be?

do you remember the night
back when we first met.
fires turned to hot ash
then firefly silhouettes

used the car, burned our cash
glowing sand, naked feet
silent howls; moonlight
then my heart skipped a beat

but when time, was running out
were you the one here to see me?
check out the photos on IG: @ajheatherly
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