There was a lonely starfish
who sat upon the shore,
he spent all his days dreaming
of life on the ocean floor.
So as the day grew longer
and the starfish began to dry,
he couldn't help but think
how much he wished to die.
But before he gave up hope
and the sun had turned to red,
he looked up towards the heavens
frowned to God and said,
"Lord you left me alone,
you took me from the sea.
I thought you loved me God,
why would you leave me?"
"My child," God responded,
"I'm always by your side,
but do not fret my son
it's nothing but low tide."

Star light, Star bright
first star in the dead of night
how I wish with all my might
that you'd come down and give me sight.
Show me why my soul's ablaze
from pitch black nights to darker days
from frigid shoulders to a lovers gaze
I'm dying to hear that three word phrase.
My world's a mess but I'm slowly learning
my body aches, my heart is yearning
hell, I can feel my essence burning
but like the earth I'll keep on turning

I once tried to steal the sun
From out the clear blue sky
I tried to build a ladder that
Would lead me very high.
I climbed right on up through the clouds
Right through the mesosphere
But when I got to ladders end
I faced my greatest fear.
Though I was standing atop the peak
There was much room between us
First I'd have to conquer planets
Mercury and Venus.
So I slid down my giant steps
And landed in the gravel
I'd devise a towing ship
Capable of space travel.
Done constructing I hopped right in
And headed towards the stars
But had to make a U-turn when
I realized I passed Mars.
Now headed in the right direction
The distance began to shrink
Hypnotized by stellar beauty
I didn't want to blink.
I passed Venus in a breeze
Flew past Mercury with relative ease
And though my fuel lines tried to freeze
The sun remained a flaming tease.
I arrived upon my destination
Brimming with anticipation
****** in by the gravitation
Of my endless fascination.
I grabbed my rope
And fashioned a lasso
I didn't know sun catching
Could be such a hassle.
I threw out the rope
And it snagged 'round the star
But when I tried moving
We didn't get very far.
I sat and tried thinking
Of what I could do
How could I move this star
From out here to you?
So, I headed home
Yes its true, I retreated
I wondered how I'd face you
Without feeling defeated.
You welcomed me home
And asked me about space
But that's when I saw it
Right there in your face.
I did not need to venture the skies
Just to bring the sun down here to you
Instead, from now on, I"ll just look in your eyes
For glowing deep inside them are two.

I used to love you
Used to put no one above you
Used to think no one could love you
Like I loved you,
And then you met him.
I used to love our favorite place
Used to drink in the sound, the face
Used to enjoy how the food would taste
When we ate together,
And then he took you there.
I used to love the sky
Used to sing as we would fly
Used to laugh when planes flew by
Because we didn't need wings,
And then he took you higher.
I used to love your eyes
Used to see through your disguise
Used to marvel as both our lives
Grew as flowers towards the sun,
And then he grew taller.
I used to love a songbirds verse
Used to think death was the worst
Used to wish time would stop or reverse
So my memory of you would last,
And then I used to love you.

My mind and heart wage eternal war
over which control my actions,
my heart resembles an open door
and my mind calculates in fractions.
My heart makes a decision
unbound by the restraints of before,
but my mind is full of suspicion
and banishes the thought forevermore.
This endless battle blinds my sight
confusion, saint or sinner?
Neither going down without a fight
and neither one a winner.
In the end I decide who wins the exchanges
because war, she never changes.

I miss the Summer's rain on my face
Replaced by frigid drops of Winter's scorn.
Seasons change as torn sheets, erratic and rigid,
Become soft and delicate, yet no less unpredictable
And I realize
Everything is different, but nothing changes.

Tender lips, slender hips
Bright red painted fingertips
Glide to where her dress unzips
And slowly she begins to strip.

He feels his heart begin to skip
He didn't fall for her, he tripped
Yet somehow he would lose his grip
Whenever she would dance...

Clutch engaged, shift into first
Quick, before the pain gets worse
Cruise through second, move to third
Flew right past without a word
Skipping four, go straight to five
To see if I am still alive
And maybe if I get to six,
I'll be way past your foolish tricks

It's strange just how strong loss can make you
How deep into hell it can take you
How hard all that pain tries to break you
Having no other place to escape to
And yet somehow we still make it through
It's strange just how strong loss can make you

10...minutes until you'll be home and see this stream of rose petals coursing though our apartment and disappearing down the hall.
9... words written on a piece of paper resting gently against a full champagne glass, "I am waiting for you, come and find me"
8...steps after you read the note until you can clearly see that the trail leads to our bedroom, and that I didn't forget what today was
7...days ago I thought of how your face would look when you stepped into the door frame and locked eyes with mine
6...silent breaths exchanged face to face between four lungs and two hearts as one kiss sets our entire world ablaze
5...fingers slide down your back as I search for the zipper and release you from that sultry strapless black dress you know I love
4...eyes realize how useless they can be when they can't touch your skin, or taste your lips, or hear the melodic composition of your voice
3...candles sit on the dresser and cast dancing shadows on the wall who seem to move to the rhythm of our symphonic engagement
2...people who were lucky enough to find each other in spite of the turmoil of this chaotic existence, become
1...and for just a moment, all is right with the universe.

The beautiful thing about poetry is
that though it's unannounced,
you know the meter of the words
and how they are pronounced

The early morning's bitter cold
reminds me that my soul's been sold
for frigid winds I cannot feel,
without you here, nothing is real

Some like to call it the edge
The event horizon over which we peer into our own personal voids of
Emptiness, darkness, nothingness.
Gravity so strong no thought escapes
Stare too deep and you drown type rifts.
I’ve always thought it more like standing on train tracks
Watching the 8 am express race the sun
Barreling towards you
Closer and closer
Faster and faster
Stopping abruptly inches from your face.
Everything stops.
Wind, water, wings
All frozen in time as perfect statues of themselves.
You dare not move.
Existence could ripple through the air and set into motion a chain of events
That culminates with you painting the underside of 22 cars.
But standing still is just as disastrous.
At any time time may catch up with itself
And that train may catch up with you.
So there you stand
Motionless, breathless, soulless,
Staring down iron and steel,
Somehow trapped beyond the laws of man and reality
Contemplating the consequences of your next impulse.
Meanwhile,
The train has already hit you.
Your friends and family have arrived at the scene
And begun taking care of you
The way paramedics do for broken people,
Gently.
Somehow you survived
But that train took a part of you with it.
Every morning is the same,
8 AM
Suspended in time between the tracks
Staring down fate
Daring yourself to move
Because for some reason,
In your mind,
That train still hasn’t hit you yet
And today
Is another chance
To get out of the way.

-A letter to myself from the other side