Surrounded by silence
Sequestered in a quiet corner of anonymity
I am the unknown.
The soft lamp light on closed eyelids,
Shining through just enough
To cast confusing images on the eye inside
I am the unknown, the forgotten.
A diary hidden in a deep drawer,
Memories buried in their dusty tomb
Buried alive, and screaming for release.
I am the thinker of the night
Haunted by images and scenarios
Eyes squeezed shut with no hope of sleep
What-ifs and whys.
I am the dreamer of optimism
The lover of misfortune.

There they stand before a wall of darkness,
Hands clasped, begging for amnesty.
So long they have been heedlessly running,
Assured in their security –

Shadows now loom over them,
Children weep as their fathers curse
And mothers sit in resignation.
Here I am, no longer part of this world.

Warnings meant nothing,
Outspoken worries provoked only jest,
Murmurs and judgments.
Here I am, no longer part of their world.

The moment of superior judgment has come,
Finding them in a state of desperation.
Mere flecks upon the earth
In the larger scope of the universe.

They sulk in their helplessness -
The bravest of them are now gone.
Prayers are their only consolation.
Here I am, no longer part of their world.

There she stands, eyes trained upward
Her eyes red, hair unkempt
Arms clutched around herself for warmth -
Here I am, no longer part of her world.

Prayers reach me, to no avail
I can be no help to them now.
As the darkness finally overtakes them,
Here I am, no longer part of that world.

Taking time to glance in the mirror,
I saw myself always the same,
My appearance unchangeable.
Tired eyes, forced smile,
Pale cheeks
Always wishing for more, I’d turn away
The cracked veins of my reflection
Leaving a hundred images of my broken self
Imprinted in my mind
Every glance a reminder of my past,
But all that I could see.
Countless days, endless months
Smiling into the shattered mirror
Until my eyes sought yours
And saw in your stare a new reflection
Of gleaming radiance and joy
Of blushed color, and lively movements
Again, a thousand images,
Images not of solitude,
But togetherness – a union of sorts
That fills my entire being
In your eyes I see my future
Our hands interlocked
With no key to be found to separate them

We are travelers of this dream
The wishes of so many,
Yet accomplished by seemingly
So few.
How are we the lucky ones?
But then,
Do dreams really ever make sense?
I smile as we fall,
Tumbling together,
Landing in an embrace full of laughter
We take our time,
Treasure every second,
And as the day falls tired,
And closes to night,
The moon illuminates this vision
Our skin shining silver
As we kiss under the stars
A promise sealed,
I’ll love you forever
In this sweet dream
That just happens to be reality

Alone
I am broken
A fake laugh
A forced smile
An empty shell
Together
We are luminescent
A miracle
A wave
An endless swell
Crashing down upon me
Rolling, turning
Tossed from nothingness
To melodious perfection

Night calls to me,
Bids me welcome
Into its suffocating embrace
When light shines on me,
I long for darkness, sleep
I imagine the soft sensation
Of my eyelids pressing together
Slipping under –
But when I find myself under blankets,
With the whole night ahead,
Sleep stays outside my grasp,
Dancing between my fingers, outstretched
Laughing at my bloodshot eyes
As he watches the darkness take over.
Night, it tortures me,
Despite my fond hopes
Of finally holding security
Of finally discovering rest
I shiver under cold fingers,
Afraid of shadows and demons
Until the morning arrives,
When I yearn once again
For the torment nightfall will bring