I made friends with the darkness
on the night the stars refused to shine
and the Moon hid her face from the Earth
Shadows took my hand
gifting me with lunar eyes
as a nocturnal wonderland
was unveiled before me
in all its darkened splendor
I walked the sleepy midnight pastures
under a black naked sky
a newly born creature of the night

I watched my neighborhood park
undergo a transformation
on a warm autumn morning
that carried the smell of dew and maple
the sun peeked through the trees
reflecting off the yellows reds and oranges
illuminating them
till you could swear they had caught fire
crisp air threw amber leaves skyward
raining down like golden confetti
to be collected for jumping into
by the laughing children

Nighttime spills over the horizon
staining the land with shadows
its blackness deep and unyielding
but soon arrives a tide of constellations
glistening with the brilliance
of stars unnumbered
they wash over the Earth
bathing all in soft starlight and
cleansing the darkness

I have never stuttered in pen
misspoken in ink
or choked in my writing
the way I do
whenever I speak
my fingertips always know
the right words to say
my tongue is still learning

The mirror is lying
as it reflects
a confident looking man
instead of the nervous wreck
who has a half baked plan
with a limited time
to construct the jumbled speech
in his head
and end the ceremony
before the vows are said

Staring up at the ceiling
From his spot on the floor
His worried friends
Keep calling
He keeps pressing ignore
Surrounded by empty bottles
And a fancy invitation
That contains
His ex’s name in calligraphy
With a date and location

I dreamed up a world
Where reality had tilted
And the sky traded places
With the sea
We walked on streets
Of fluffy clouds
Caught stars in fishing nets
While gazing up at celestial waters
Making wishes on flying whales

Stars burst and fell to Earth
I caught the droplets on my tongue
Felt them seep deep beneath my skin
Filling my veins with constellations

Waters still in slumber
The wind gives a gentle snore
As a man rows his tiny raft
Towards a far away shore

Towards a little cottage
Lantern glowing in the windowsill
And a lonely heart
That keeps waiting still

I sat down in the grass
With my headphones on
And listened
As the wind awakened from sleep
And rushed to play in the leaves
Turning the trees into
An orchestra of chimes
I heard the early birds
Up with the dawn
Join together in harmonious song
I heard flutters of feathered wings
And the song the cricket sings
Then I realized that during this concert
Of this brand new day
On my iPad I had yet to hit play

The color grey
Was born to unify
With black or white
It does not ally
The place where
Light and shadow dwell
In harmony
The bridge linking
Ebony to Ivory
In grey yin and yang merge
Without release
Grey is the color of love and peace

Last night I heard the ocean
Serenade the moon
A song sung on lips of salty waves
Accompanied by the breath of
Soprano winds
A song of cerulean nights
And silver clouds
That crescendos with every
Crash of endless tides
And sounds like the cleansing
Of the Earth

Stars gather
In a sky nocturnal
Observing the deeds of  
We creatures infernal
Might it be…
We’re the ones on display
For the universe to discuss
Perhaps it is the stars
That are watching us

The stage has been set
Nature anxiously waits to see
How the Earth intends
To transform a seed into a tree

Cloaked beneath the soil
Hidden far from sight
Strengthened by the rains
Nourished by the light

And perhaps magic does exist
Just undetected to the human eye
Because that tiny little seed
Has now risen to the sky

Walk with me through the storm beloved
Walk this long winding trail
Accompany me through the tempest
Through the onslaught of rain and hail

When thunder tries to shake us apart beloved
Let’s hold each other near
With you by my side when the lightning strikes
There is nothing I have to fear

The downpour is picking up beloved
But I know we will be fine
There is no storm I cannot face
As long as your hand is in mine

Like clockwork each day
Near the edge
Of the bay
A little old man arrives
He sits down in the grass
Watches boaters fly past
And fishers go on
With their lives

All around the people
Rush about in a hurry
Without a word or even
A stare
To a man with scarred skin
Papered over weak bone
Deep wrinkles
And snowy white hair

His name is James
Though I’m sure you don’t care
But once was a time it meant something
Somewhere
The war has been won
History left it behind
Yet it continues to play
Inside of James’ mind

Take it from me
There’s not much to see
In this garden with few sunny days

No prize winning flowers
Sprouting upward like towers
For invited guests to amaze

But when I come home
To a house all alone
I’m glad that my yard goes

To humble blossoms
Daffodils lined in rows
And a spot where tulips have arose

It's where I go to unwind
Achieve peace of mind
And escape a day of lows

So I’m sure you’ll agree
There’s not much to see
In this garden for guests to amaze

But this garden is fine
Because it is mine
Where I happily spend all my days

You wanted to leave
My heart started yearning
But I could not stop
This bridge of ours from burning
Now I can hear our song play
In reverse
To the slow destruction
Of my universe

The parking lot
Is empty
The ballroom is a mess
There’s an untouched
Cake next to
An unworn dress
Today should have
Dawned a perfect new start
Now the champagne is nursing
A broken heart

Lips make the sweetest promises
That could hook me like a lure

Lips make the dearest promises
That I am loved and cared for

Lips make the kindest promises
That I won’t be lonely anymore

Lips make the greatest promises
But…
I’ve heard them all before

A stolen glance a
Playful wink
Love eternal sworn in ink
Teacher confiscates the letters
Forced to read
Out loud
Beautiful sonnets that would
Make Shakespeare proud

Shadows flee
Under Sun’s brilliant light
To be exiled
Back to the confines of night
Darkness‘s prisoners are
Released its hold
To bask in the freedom
Of sunny Gold

The fast tempo of hummingbirds in flower buds
Loud repetition of woodpecker thuds

Buzzing hum from hardworking bees
While robins sing in synchronized keys
All accompanied by the swishing of leaves in the trees

There is no better symphony
Than that of nature working in harmony

Darkness swirls in blackened night
That might have left me without light
Yet with me are fireflies
That gift sight for my eyes

Like a waltz they sway my lovely vision enhancers
Not to mention they are amazing dancers

Darkness ate up the sky
Concealing the stars from sight
My anticipation rose like waves
And then there was light

Fireworks burst in the heavens
A thundering serenade
Reds blues yellows purples
Joined in an explosive parade

They caused the night to sparkle and gleam
The beauty struck deep in my heart
In my amazement I realized the glittering sky
Resembled a work of art

I love villains in fiction
The ones that captivate you
From the moment they strut onto the scene
Who drives the plot better than the hero
The type of villain that can turn the story on its head
And shamelessly hurl it into chaos

Villains who are smarter deadlier yet somehow
More charming than the main character
Making you feel guilty for loving them
Their electricity surges through you  
Their presence echoes long after the story has left them
Searing your memory and leaving you begging for their return

Her baby walks
She looks on proudly
One foot then the other
Step by step
Across the stage

His eyes find hers
Arms thrown high in victory
Diploma in hand
“Mommy look at me”
Her baby walks

When reading a juicy book
Don’t rush

Take a moment to sample the plot
Allowing it to saturate your imagination

Contemplate the tasteful expressions
That spice up the story

Notice how the vivid imagery
Blends beautifully with the conveyed emotions

Of course the main ingredients are the delicious characters
Turning an otherwise average read into a satisfying experience

Allow it all to settle in your mind
Savoring the message it imparts

And once you’ve reached your fill
Turn the page for another serving

The clock resets its days to start over
As we all wait in anticipation for
A cake inflamed by party colored candles
Promising a clean slate
365 days begin anew
Full of promises and experience
A breath exhales
Flames go out  
Its zero hour once again

Story after story
Displayed on stories upon stories
Of multiple library floors
In large spacious rooms

Levels of fiction
Nonfiction
Mystery
Poetry

On and on they go
Lined on shelves dauntingly high
Or Child-level low
Artful as featured works in museums

We congregate with hushed voices in examination
Yet we can touch them
We are invited to
We can reach out and remove a piece of history

From the ancient days of scrolls
To the modern pages
We pull them from their places
To discover the wonders within

Sharing in the joy that emanates
From the joining of imaginations
A connection so powerful
It unites the hearts of strangers

We lose ourselves for hours
In our favorite chapters
With our beloved characters
Whom we come to love as precious friends

Reading ignites the imaginative powers of the self
And it all begins by pulling a book off of a shelf

I brought your favorite flowers again
Tulips blue and yellow
Laid them down before you
Adding to all the rest

You’re running out of room
It’s starting to look more like a garden
Than a grave

I would stop bringing them
But I don’t feel that they are enough
They don’t convey the amount of how much I love you
And that you are missed

I would love someone to send me a letter
Be it cyber or by post
It could be typed or handwritten
With a Dear and Yours Truly
I’d frame it up on my wall
So I could read it at the start of my day
And before I would lie down to sleep
To recall their words when I’m stressed or lonely
Remembering that someone is thinking about me

I loved my best friend and the hair atop her head
So I mimicked her style
Hoping it would suit me instead
My cousin has great green eyes
Thus I got contacts to match
My colleague has the fullest lips
Prompting me to buy a batch
I envied my neighbor’s glorious waistline
Then I gathered up my money
To take surgical knives to mine

I doubt it could have been good
It smelled like fruit set on fire
With a crunch I don’t think was intended
And the conflicting taste had me unsure what I was eating

But love is a strong flavor
That makes burnt air smell like vanilla
Ashes taste like cinnamon
And make me say “I love it”

I’m sending all the letters that I wrote to you.
Each on paper; plain, lined or scrap,
in pencil or pen with misspelled letters
and scratched out words.

A text would have been faster
a tweet would have been easier
but I can’t tell you I love you
in any less than 3 pages.

So I’ll take them to the post office
and send them out today
they’ll make it to you first
but I’ll be on my way.