"Grow up!"  they said.
Time picked up an unwilling passenger,
And headed me down a path,
With no trace of childish fantasies.
My destiny, corrected.
Had I had my way.

Looking all around,
The roped path, present from the start,
Merged with the jungle unnoticed.
Alone and unguarded,
Dark fears come to mind.
My asylum, restored.
Had I had my way.

As time ticks on,
The slow creak of chain tightening join in.
Movement growing ever less.
My presence in ******* unwavering,
Would prove a fated hardship.
My freedom, a constant.
Had I had my way.

The wonders, the sights,
The clowns in the fair.
All morph into gross parodies,
Ridiculous and undignified,
Grown men in suits.
My ignorance, permanent.
Had I had my way.

Raindrops from heaven,
Once a signal for a game.
To sing; drenched and oblivious.
Now best left for the movies,
Where reality has less say.
My actions; unjudged.
Had I had my way.

"Grow up!" they said.
Change is a thief in disguise,
The Path of Fate treacherous.
My maturity; inevitable.
Time had had its way.

It was raining when we first touched;
The sweet innocence of tipsy impulse.
Nothing too close, too real, not to me.

It was dark as we shared our burdens and fears;
Whispered words stumbling out in desperate breaths.
Certainty found in uncertainties.

It was the first snow of the year that I saw falling as I lay in your arms;
The gentle drift of gravity.
Now it's all too close, all too real. To me.

Unsettled,
Deep inside.
There isn't a place
To hide.
You can pretend.
Oh yes,
My friend.
**But the inky night
Brings fears to light.

Stagnant throughout the years,
Leaving nothing to chance.
Trudging through life unsurprised,
Life keep's us a hostage.
A prisoner of the saddest sort,
Unknowing even of the chains that bind.

Until one day something changes,
A biological switch clicks.
Scales fall from previously blinded eyes,
Truth finally freeing the ignorant prisoner.
An unforseen blooming that colours the world,
Opening the mind to possibilities that could be.

The Joshua tree in particular,
Dreary, regular and uninteresting.
Stuck in an unfaltering life,
Doomed to a lonely death.
But one day something happens,
Mundane, it will never be called again.

Flowers, bright red and plentiful,
Standing out against a backdrop of barrenness.
A routine of numbing indifference,
Suddenly disturbed by a blessing.
Life no longer doomed to an empty existence,
God's larger plan finally within sight and grasp.

Trudging on with unfeeling lack of will,
Barely registering the sudden gifts.
Till they mature and give way to beauty,
Uncontested and pure.
Life can never be the same,
Once circumstance whispers, 'Run with me.'

Tell me you want me,
But don't want to stay.

My love freshly broken,
In need of something more.

A new hope could save me,
A vision you've revealed.

Two halves of this exchange
Around a delicate question.

You showed me the power
Of two lives in sync.

A melody of minds in balance,
A stimulating song.

A could've been, should've been, might've been
All hurt more than a was.

Help me rid myself of this
Painful thing we call Hope.

If our paths will not cross again,
Please don't let them touch.

Young, yes.
But sadness doesn't care.
Sudden, yes.
But death has no heart.

The pain of loss.
Emotions cost.
A hole that can't be filled,
With no amount of iron will.

The burn of grief.
Death's doesn't wait for sleep.
A sudden parting of ways,
In such a short number of days.

Beloved, yes.
But sadness doesn't care.
Remembered, yes.
They live on in our hearts.

Invigorating;
      like that breath of fresh air above the smog.
Comforting;
      like that perfect pillow your neck needs at night.
Challenging;
      like that last Sudoku box to fill.
Conflicting;
      like two opposite poles of a magnet held together.
Wonder-filled;
      like a child discovering the magic of candy.
Logical;
      like the computing powers hidden in your head.
Fantastic;
      like that mythical beast you find after giving up looking for.
Sudden;
      like an avalanche disturbing a still Alpine noon.
Affectionate;
      with the nurturing touch of a gardener.
Captivating;
      like the song you can't get out of your head.
Brilliant;
       like the flame burning bright amidst the grey.
Dangerous*;
      like the hope of a better way.

There are words I dare not speak,
Truths I know to be.
Only real things are worth lying about.

How many more lovers will we lose?
Look at our makeshift bandaged souls.
Will we be too broken for each other then?

Bite down; be wise, be careful
Love as you should.
Let those ships sail away.

Dreamlord, take away my longing.

The hours passed as we lay together.
Time burnt fast and bright for you and me;
Dawn crept up against our pleas.

Such familiarity in respectful ease.
Shared warmth within the shelter of a huddled cave;
Stolen glances, taken and saved.

A gift given, a gift stolen.
The rush stays the same;
Soft and sweet, a light touch fanned that flame.

"Love"?
The heart tries to hide (constantly);
The mind loves to lie (logically).

Summer wind brings laughter—
Shared with the lingering sweet taste of someone new, after.

Summer times bring leisure—
A breath of air, a sip of culture.

Summer sun brings life—
Drunk off ideals, tiptoeing around passion and strife.

Summer heat brings battles—
The same charade; the warm season heralds.