yes
come home
just a little closer
jump my darling, i'll catch you
The closer i stand at the edge of the cliff the louder their chants become,
beckoning me to come home
mother screams at me to get away from the edge when my other mother is telling me to jump,
she said she'll catch me with all my brothers and sisters beside her cheering me on
come little sister, join us
they are everywhere, from small crystal droplets of rain to the treacherous  waves,
when i'm underwater, they whisper stories about what home is like,
one mother cries whilst the other is cheerful
i want to be happy, to be free, with all my brothers and sisters,
so i jump..
straight into the treacherous tempest
they kept their promise, mother, brother and sister,
their waves lashed out and caught me
the more we embraced the more the sea swelled and heaved,
together we chant
finally home

Pinup girls swinging from the trees
Rosy cheeks and shiny knees
Flickering lights behind my eyes
Rolling clouds hanging in the sky
Closing my lids to the sweet respite
Beautiful euphoria sweeping through the night
Twinkling stars burning up in light
Lovers basking in the moon's delight
Cotton sticking in my throat
Like the words I never spoke
Dragonflies humming above the pond
Fleeting notes of lovers song
I feel the nerves beneath my skin
Alive and buzzing from the warmth of winds
Kissing collarbones with empty lips
Like it did when we were kids
Bees crawling up my neck
With fragile wings and dainty legs
I dreamed I was the queen of them
Proctecting me in the face of death

Displayed in a forever line of serpentines
Stretching over many days and weeks and years,
The dominoes stand upright in the dusk;
Each a careful distance from the next,
All skillfully and artfully arranged.

A prideful eye surveys the intricate design
That wonders at the craftsmanship involved
And blesses luck that gifted steady hands
And a non-ending stack of pieces -
Hoping that an earthquake does not come.

Who will have the honor of the push
That starts the clicking trail of doom
That ends with helter-skelter rubble
On the floor or mortuary slab
As dominoes become a life all lived.

Will it be anger like a piercing knife
Or some organic instrument
That weakens the well organized
Assemblage of a life and makes it fall
Like a domino nudged out of line.

Frustration or depression, which will it be
That starts the tiles to falling
And once moving with no hope to stop.
Will it it be by accident or force of will-
I need to add a few more at the end

I can’t afford to buy another box.
    ljm

Growing out from childish pranks,
With the storm and stress of turbulent teens,
I locked within my mind’s cupboard,
A portrait vaguely sketched, but never finished.

Rough it was, though fancifully done,
The silhouette of a masculine figure,
The Gallant who would reach one day,
To hold my hand and own me his.

I had no inkling who he would,
Yet had fallen in love with that phantasmal figure,
He had dazzling eyes and sturdy limbs,
With striking features, ravishing to view,

Elusive ever to sight and touch,
He remained an enigma, abstract to grasp.
At times his contours grew distinct,
But soon blanched out into hazy lines,

When at times a covert devouring look,
Or a pair of intent adoring eyes,
Sent a thrill down my fickle heart,
I forced open my chest nut draw,

And took out stealthily that half done sketch,
Hidden out from world’s staring glance,
To alter the features one by one,
And make it resemble the man I met,

Either within a moving train,
Or sometimes in an elite gang,
Who derailed my thoughts in pensive mood,
And tickled my fancy to heave and sigh.

He made me turn and toss in bed,
And left me, many a sleepless night,
He stroked my heart with gladdening ache,
And made me lose in sweet reverie.

In the nick of time, he solemnly came,
To hold my hand and tie the knot,
With pounding heart and quivering breath,
I found him differ from the man I dreamt.

The fabulous fabric in my loom,
Looked at variance from the one unfurled,
Transfixed between fact and fallacy,
I struggled to hide a falling tear.

Time marched on in silent haste,
And I learnt to outgrow my childish whims,
Sagacity dawned with passing age,
Making me discern the real from the sham.

It made me admire his sanguine self.
On fathomed deep beyond external mien,
I saw him unveiled in taint less worth,
That made my heart ever pine in love.

Piecing together our halved selves,
With the glue of love, our identities merged,
Now he is with me in my blues,
Consoling me with his balmy touch,

He is with me in my joy,
Making it resonant with a hearty laugh,
He is there when storms rage,
Whispering in my ear, not to fear,

He taught me how to savour life,
To meet the slings with radiant cheer,
Now the image is clearly etched deep,
Never to erase, nor to revise!

And the old portrait locked within,
Grew so musty, bereft of use,
In its place, I keep within,
His solid figure in indelible print.