Loss lingers in the souls of the living
Sorrow's travails endless and unceasing
The sad anguished heart needing easement
From the pain that is so unkind of feel  
Time's hand of comforting shall start to heal
Our beloved quickly taken away
In our worlds they leave the dimmest of ray
Their existence lies in our bereavement
Yet they'd wish for us to not keep stinging  
So we'll recover from our suffering
Cherished memories of them shall stay
As we look to the heavens up above
They'll be smiling down upon us with love
Though our hearts will be adrift in the grey

Where are the outreaching hands today
Where are the smiling faces
Where are the steady feet and the bright eyes

I dream to dream today
I dare to believe in happiness
I will sing today, one note higher
I will touch hearts and mold memories to be thankful for

Where are the kind words
Where lie the poems of beauty and nature, nurture and soul

I promise light today
A sliver of hope across a sea of dreary stillness
Today, I draw a new breath, fill my lungs with joyful whispers

And your ears are the target

I love you all

my voice has no freedom
thoughts rammed down
a lion's throat, my
roars rattle like a spoon
in the garbage disposal

not every poem is about beauty
too caught we are in the moment to write about it
that is what makes it beautiful
pain clings long beyond instants
prolongs and window reflections
engulfing our bones
masticating our stomachs
from slow drip bile coffeemakers in our chest
the line from that one song starts the burning
and the eyes of a stranger flavored with reminders
i wish i could tell him i finally got to ____
my blood is chunked with tomato slices
acidic clots and stagnant passions
float me in melancholy perplexities
a minute of oddity where emotions
are unidentifiable

The jungle of green betwixt our houses
Pulse with crickets lush with lullabies
I lie awake wondering why I lie awake
The gravel in my eyes beg for dreaming
At my feet, the body of my feline
Warm and purring, weighty
In this light my mind sails to places
Of dark skies
Those with blackness so heavy
You cannot feel your equilibrium
I hear thundering waves licking the skyline
Bold stars lunging towards me
The only hope that I will not be swallowed whole
I have hands to pull plastic bags off faces
That didn't even know they were there
I am convinced that my cat is bilingual
Recurring existentialism
Gives me reasons to awaken

I could feel the blood running down my arms.
My legs.
My chest.
My back.

These old wounds were starting to bleed again.
-----
And it was when I thought of you.