-

A springtime Sunday evening
Twilight filters in
The setting sun has made its run
Then disappears again

Crickets sing their melody
Scattered by the breeze
Their song does flow, soft and slow
Through branches in the trees

A scent so pure and fragrant
Sweetly comes your way
Staring high, the moon lit sky
Your mind begins to stray

The grass is so inviting
Soft against your feet
You wear no shoes, this you choose
In this night time retreat

Stars like gemstones twinkle
Patterns up above
True designs so you may find
This one that you do love

Your dreams are freely flowing
When on this evening new
A smiling face, you long to trace
Whispers I love you

You wonder how this happens
For he is not so near
How from above, he sends his love
To calm your every fear

The answer finds your smile
And of this you are sure
The words he writes, you every night
*Proves you he does adore

.

Lush surroundings of
emerald nightscape valleys
upon moonrise silhouettes,
play my imagination
in f-sharp compositions
and bar chord desires
as I slip off into
the soft acoustic melodies of
another mesmerizing evening
*lost within the concerto of our love

I found within the shattered pieces
of this broken heart
a glowing golden orb
emitting an enchanting light,
soft and soothing
A calm swept over me
like a warm gentle breeze
on the most beautiful spring day
of which I had never felt before

My eyes were wide
as a smile found my face, lifting corners
where only a downturned
form had rested before
Sadness seemed a cloud
that was quickly moving away
from the visions I had lived
Once my eyes adjusted
to their new surroundings I saw

It was you, this glow, it always had been you
Lingering long before we met,
before we fell in love, then sadly fell apart
Yet where others would have ended,
we began again, together
walking out of this darkness
hand in hand, within a different kind of love
as we began our new journey
basking in the glow of friendship

~

*Why is it every thought
I have is of you?

Waking this morning
you were there
lying next to me,
your smile starting my day,
when I was the only one there.

My first cup of coffee
I shared with you,
on the patio as
bird song filled the air,
and I was alone.

The sunrise, beautiful
pastel ribbons painting
the northern horizon
I pointed out to you,
but you were a thousand
miles away.

And even now as
I write this poem,
I do so because like
every other moment
of my life, you are with me
even though you are not.

Why is it every thought
I have is of you?

Because I love you

-

Behind the thick crimson and gold thread curtains
he stands listening to the din of the audience
searching their seats for popcorn crumbs
while roaming hands brush against the legs
of those sitting closest

The young girls get the winks
and free drinks as the old men
vie for position, straightening their hair
and flashing thick wallets
from stretched out back pockets

He peeks through the slit in the
fancy brocade drapes to find a full house,
everyone is here, the self imposed mayor
wearing a handmade campaign button
shakes hands and seeks signatures

Mrs. Broadmore assigns seats in her row
as the little people gather around, telling her
how beautiful she is while hoping for a glimpse
of the diamond crusted gin filled flask she keeps
tucked away in her left garter

The lights dim as the depressed sulk to their seats in the balcony,
broken hearts fill the back rows closest to the bar,
cheerleaders in pink lipstick and short skirts, the football team
all ****** out of their minds and the debate club collect in the center
while the pretty people, the wealthy pose in the front rows

He gets the signal as the curtain slowly lifts
to the ceiling on well oiled pulleys
There is not a sound as he makes his way
to the microphone at center stage, dead silence
but he reads his poem anyway

It is obvious he is no Leonard Cohen
but he does his best as he recites the verses
he has penned especially for this evening
Upon finishing he stares out as two people
clap their approval and the others whisper and look away

His shoulders drop as he leaves the stage,
head hung low, crumbling the paper he had read from
and tossing it in the trash as he wonders aloud, “why, why do I do it?”
A janitor sweeping near the exit door hears him
and shaking his head replies, “Because you’re a poet, that’s why”

~

She reached for the ribbons of her gown
not knowing why, but she held them in her hand
as she floated through the ever changing mist,
whites and grays in a swirling pattern,
mesmerizing in blends and shifts,
blurred yet possessing a clarity she could not explain
or cared to think about right now

She looked down on herself in her bed sobbing,
clutching tightly a dampened pillow, lonely, missing…
now confused as a peaceful awareness
wrapped about her warmly,
caressing her spirit, washing away the pain,
the sadness, the torment which she fought now to remember
as it drifted below, creating new shadows about her feet
but distant, never forgotten, she couldn’t, it was promised…

Once more the satin ribbons were pulled gently, guided
as if a feather laced kite on a silver string embracing blue skies,
dancing about in the slow rhythm, spun in clouded dreams,
breathless she soars higher, it seems towards the sun
or perhaps a light of a different source, it felt soft, cool
beckoning her and she yearned for it…
for some reason it felt right

Stars swept past her in wiry glistening designs
like a sparkler at a summer cookout waved through the air
in abstract lemonade glowings and apple pie tickles  
and she smiled, for the first time in a long time as the 
moon disappeared on the horizon, embracing this experience
She continued allowing the tender tugs on her ribbons to
move her freely, when she felt something, it was a hand on
hers, helping her hold the ribbons, it felt familiar,
safe, comforting

When she saw his eyes, as clear as she had ever seen anything,
deep and friendly, soothing
just as she had remembered…remembered?
He took her by the hands and he came even more into focus
“Hi there, I have missed you,”  he sighed and she knew it was him
He was here, wherever here was, holding her now as he said,
“I promised I would love you eternally, I couldn't have you then,
so I have waited for you"    
She cried , happy tears as she whispered. “You did, you did, is this…”

“Shhh,” he placed a caring finger to her lips…
*”This is our eternity my love”

^

and the child of wind born innocence
chases butterflies to the edge,
gathering whispered weeds
of golden sheen,
singing in a lone sparrow’s sonnet,
soaring beyond the cliff,
sending silver lined
cloud bound wishes
to earth…below

~

*Even the
   tiniest show
  of affection
    from her
   is always
      the biggest
     part of
        my day

-

If I bleed alone,
is it really blood
or is it just words,
droplets of phrases,
splattered feelings
of this love coursing
through my veins for you,
coagulating into meanings
on pale parchment skin
leaving behind
heart shaped scars
that no one
will ever see?

-

I draped your moonbeam heart
in a misty clouded veil
and sat on the dark side
keeping all of it its light to myself

Happily I waited for the stars to take notice
as I gazed out across the ebony skies
that now stared back in an empty silence…
suddenly I felt all alone

But I had the light, this beautiful,
loving, warming and enchanting glow all to myself
How could I feel alone, I had you,
what more could I need

Then I saw you were crying but I didn’t know why…
The light became dimmer with each tear that flowed
until it was now so dark I could barely see
“Please tell me why you are so sad?”

“My darling, it is true, the light of my heart
shines brightest for you, but there are others
who need its light as well and without it
their sadness becomes my sadness”

A chill ran across my skin at a speed not previously known
My heart began to break as I realized my error…
I felt selfish and ashamed, so I quickly lifted the veil
to share her wondrous light once again

When there before my eyes a billion stars began to glow
and so did her heart, brighter than before
We were contented as the universe rejoiced
for finally I could see…the dark side all along was me

~

The days pass by
as I sit and watch
No longer counting them
for it matters not,
they are going to wave goodbye
regardless of what I do

I think back on all
I have seen
Moments of joy and sadness,
people I have met,
some I have lost
and those I will miss

Hard times, rough times,
good times
Things I wish I could take back,
do over again
and others I wish I would
have had the courage to try

I wonder why about many things,
it seems I often wonder why
and even though
the answers don’t always come,
(I never expect them to,)
I still keep asking

But one thing I know for sure
is that my past
is merely that, my past
and my future, no matter
how short it might be,
is bright

Because at this late stage
of my life I have found you,
and I no longer care
about what happened before,
I can only see what
is happening now

So as these days
dwindle before me,
and the end creeps nearer
I know it was worth the wait,
worth the struggles and
the obstacles I faced

For in none of my dreams,
even the wildest I could imagine,
did I ever dream
I would be loved
by a woman like you

~

She sat in a
  lonely field crying
    amidst daises wishing
  for her smile,
      when along crawled
         a green caterpillar
    She cradled it
        tenderly
          in her hands
  
and between
      tear drops
        made a wish…

The caterpillar
  glistened
    as she suddenly
  sprouted
      colorful wings
    and happily flew
        away from the
    cocoon of sadness
      that had held her,
       
 with her new
       found friend
          *by her side

It was a chance meeting,
we took a chance
knowing chances were
there was a chance
we’d fall in love,
if given half a chance
and if by some slim chance
I may take this chance to ask

Please allow me another

chance

-

Amidst the changing scenery
as faces come and go
Names reflect the differences
of those we’ve come to know

Along a winding avenue
where store fronts sell their wares
Traffic lights of red and green
change too among the stares

Where sunshine breaks the foggy mist
and clear as any bell
A ringing forms about my ears,
a song I know so well

I look around and hope I see
this beauty I desire
A butterfly upon the wind
keeps soaring ever higher

And as I reach to grab a hold
with wings of pastel gleam
She flutters just beyond my reach
as if some kind of dream

I hang my head in misery,
another wasted day
The love that I was longing for
has somehow got away

Clouds now build in grey design
my smile has run aground
Happiness is not on sale
not anywhere I’ve found  

Now trudging narrow sidewalks
quite keen to every crack
My focus finds a forward view
I just can not look back

When there upon the door step
these tear filled eyes they spy
Waiting near the welcome mat
my perfect butterfly

And suddenly the bluest skies
appear high up above
This day might not be bad at all
*I’ve found my one true love

_

That **** alarm again,
I roll out of bed
not wanting to wake you
it was a late night,
you need the rest

I shower and get
dressed for work
then make my way
through the dark
into the kitchen

As quietly as I can
I pour the flakes
into a bowl
add milk and sugar,
yep, breakfast

I turn and am startled
you are smiling at me,
then kiss me with so much passion
It would burn my toast,
had been making some

Then you whisper in my ear
so soft and sensual,
“Couldn’t you be a little late today?”
I smile and follow you back to bed
No alarm needed now….

-

I'm sitting here in my office
watching steam rise in cursive swirls
from the black coffee in front of me
on this stormy Friday morning

Staring at nothing in particular,
I allow my thoughts to linger,
becoming completely lost in another
beautiful daydream of you and me

      we walk along a secluded beach,
         palm tree shadows sway,
     sand between our toes,
        a sunrise surf lulls hypnotically
          in rhythmic tempo whispers as I peer
       deeply into your maple syrup eyes,
    falling deeper in love with you
          with each longing glance
      We kiss and my heart melts
        at the feel of your sweet lips
      pressed tightly against mine…

A loud clap of thunder wakes me
as I once again realize where I am,
sitting behind a desk covered in paperwork
and another now cold cup of coffee, but…

There are many more daydreams where
that one came from that will always include
you because… they all originate in my heart
and there’s still hot coffee in the ***

-

I’ve collected words my entire life,
a little here and a little there
Kept them grouped in files
in my already congested mind,
just in case I ever needed them

Some files contain long words
and some shorter varieties
I have a flowery group, a rhyming group
and a very sad group
(which I hope to never have to use)

The large file is my connection collection,
Words like a, as, the, and, so, they, if, of, etc.
You know, those tiny words we use
everyday without really thinking about them,
yep, I keep those too

There’s an angry collection (including cuss words)
which happily is much smaller than
the cheerful collection,
Humor is in there as well,
along with apologetic words

And then there is the smallest file
I kept in a very special place
This file contained only
three words which I saved
for that special day when I met you

And now that I have, they have been used
over and over and over again
so that you know exactly how I feel
Those words are…
I love you

~

Just a shell
is all that remains
Hollow and lifeless
of thread and thoughts
Fraying slowly in
lost dreams and
unfulfilled wishes

Falling into the shadows of
fractured promises
and the passage of time
when winds will disperse
the memories of what
he once was

scattering them as they
disappear on the horizons
beyond the distant sunset
he so enjoyed sharing,
now colorless,
as he stares blankly

just a shell

is all that remains…

-

As I count crows
sitting on the drooping clothesline,
I see a shape in the distance
that I do not recognize
I move a little closer
but the maples sling a sad shade
and the lawn flashes its blades,
cutting directly to the heart
in syncopated beatings
like chopping wood in the heat of August
when the last saw
is locked away in the shed

Still I look,
peering beyond a fractured arbor
of beer bottle skeletons situated at the far corner
of nowhere’s homestead,
over off-white pickets and a rusted gate
now overgrown and oversown
in rows of corn field miseries,
shucked and burned in a steel barrel
down where the Mud Creek Minstrels
play cracked violas with stretched strings
in bent tuba concertos

When I realize it is you...coming home to me,
walking through brilliant sunflowers,
an effervescent blue sky background glows,
roses bloom in dazzling pinks and yellows,
robins tend to their young beneath a rainbow of blessings
in assorted hues and feathers,
butterflies now dance upon sweet fragrance simmerings
and what was once a dream that had slowly disintegrated
into a wasteland littered of heartache and despair
vanishies before my tearing eyes
as I run towards you in the bright sunshine
that has returned…once again

-

Tracing the cosmos
In wide open spaces
Only to face
The dreams that I wander
A lonely existence
Among constellations
Orbiting my desires
Now eclipsed by you

Gazing down
The earth below seems faded
As this distance counts
Light years like glazed donuts
Tempting from a window, as a kid
Licking the glass,
Never tasting the prize

Lunar phases
Become poetic phrases
Cosmic dust descending
Caught in gravity’s pull
Rocketing towards a target
Programmed for a safe
Reentry into your heart

The craft juts and jolts, screeching
Amidst the desolate silence of space
“Houston, we have a problem.
She needs to know how I feel,
how much I love her...”
Static echoed frequency hums
Transmission ended
All hope burned up
Crash landed

.

Why does the heart
have to dance in the silence
wishing the music
would somehow not end

Long distance dance floors
of love you are missing
Changing the station
to songs you now send

Still with a worry
that rips at your tap shoes
Laced up and knotted,
reflect on the sole

Harder decisions
now not so melodic
Chasing your dreams
running out of control

There is a place
where you sit now just thinking
a nice quiet corner,
the volume turned down

Feeling the tears
as they drip to the sawdust
pulling away
as you're wearing a frown

Still there's a step
while the last song is playing
Held in his arms
as your world starts to spin

Kiss him good night
knowing all will be perfect
It's meant to be
you'll be dancing again

-

Trying to dance in a sawdust enclosure
Finding the moon disappears on this night
Hearing a song though there’s nobody playing
Asking the stars if they’re wrong or they’re right

Taking a drink from a glass now half empty
Quenching my thirst on a warm summer’s eve
Sharing a glance with a mirrored reflection
Someone I know or at least I believe

When through the door walks a beautiful lady
Dressed all in white with a belt made of gold
Kicks off her shoes as she starts heading towards me
This is a story about to be told

Now in my arms as she moves very graceful
Floating on air is now just how it seems
Lips painted red how I wish I could taste them
I hope I’m awake for this feels like a dream

Spinning around as the world is now watching
Following steps that I easily trace
Slowly we slide ‘cross this dance floor of heaven
Long ago moments so soon to erase

We are like breaths sighed in harmonic whispers
Effortless motions so silent and free
Like wearing wings made of gossamer feathers
Such is the feeling awash over me

Falling in love with this wonderful woman
Something about her just touches me so
Hot coffee hair and her eyes nearly matching
Holding her close as to never let go

When just as quick I now find her departing
Why must she leave on an evening like this
A brush of my cheek with her fingers so gentle
Then with a smile she gives me a kiss

Watching the door as it closes behind her
Feeling my heart now is breaking in two
Then as she soars neath the glow of a halo
Blinking my eyes, can’t believe this is true

A few things I know as I stare out the window
I’m still not lucky at love or romance
That woman in white was all I have prayed for,
And I’ve now paid the devil his due…

to teach me to dance

Sinister curtains
drape an unsuspecting window
of moldy caulk
and hairline cracks
letting cold in, cold out,
splitting plastered walls
around a faded outline
of an empty frame,
slanted on stretched wires,
where your picture
once rested

Cloth of blackened residue
dangling from rusted rods,
un-soft fabric in dust crammed air
sifting unnoticed,
settling around knick knacks
leaving shapes and fingered designs
on silent end tables
staring up at
this dark veil
that hangs
with you

.

Whispering apricot beams shine upon frilly sheers,
lazy shadows dance in daffodil dawn colours,
pirouettes of pleasured moments,
silently flowing on smooth brush stroke walls

You breathe, softly, the sweetest sonnet,
rhythmically exhaling beneath satin sheets
symphonic…bringing a grin to the sunrise,
blushing clouds hide behind a bashful horizon

Placing a gentle kiss upon rose petal shoulders,
you stir ever so slightly…eyes flutter, chiffon wings
hugging the pillow wistfully, floating within,
cascading between dreams of us

Exploring the mesmerizing curves of your body,
my lips touch warm porcelain skin,
the faintest sigh escapes, a smile appears
as your wispy fingers seek my own

A purr escapes, whispered desires sooth,
tranquil thighs twitch as they part slightly,
the sweetest scent tempts me, awash in dewdrop bliss,
glistening beads of summer rain memories

Probing gentle folds, serene recesses of silken slivers
sipping the morns perfect elixir, ambrosia,
seeing your eyes wide open now
and falling once more deeply into their hypnotic beauty

Maple sugar cravings, slippery pearlescent glimmers,
tasting your flavors as methodical moans sift dawns hush,
drippings linger my lips…nectarous indulgence,
essence of honeysuckle breezes

Hands ****** my hair, wavy lengths, grasping  
tickling heated embraces, melting into the morning
reaching beneath arching form…pulling nearer, closer
quilted comfort massages

Sunshine illumines the room with sparkled effervescence,
writhing deep into the blue sky destinations,
azure visions of springtime promises kept
and green grass wanderings

I rise with you, fall with you…with this perfect time,  
mirroring movements in reflective crescendos, rapidly,
as your voice sings my name, feathered pillow melodies,
ending in an ovation in hummingbird quivers

And you collapse, tethered breaths, tiny giggles
pulling the sheets tight to your chin playfully
I peer up, cinnamon eyes gleam, twinkle
*rejoicing as brand new day begins…in love

I followed the road map I found
inside my broken heart
and drove to the very edge of yesterday
Got out of my car and looked over the side
There at the bottom of this very deep ravine
I could see today, so I jumped…

there will be no tomorrow