When springtime sends the world outside a-playing,
And blossoms grow on branches set a-swaying,
And brightly bloom the flowers in the dale,

The gentle breeze blows through the hills a-ringing,
And from the trees floats sweetly down the singing
Of robins, whippoorwills, and nightingales.

The forest folk have roused themselves from sleeping,
And through the boundless meadow run a-leaping
Each stride seems to rebound with life anew,

As underfoot the ice melts fast and fleeting,
And clear creeks babble past and splash in greeting
The leaves unfurl and point my way to you.

So take me by the hand and lead me lightly
Up to the hill where the sun shines most brightly
And in the golden fields of grass lay down,

We'll play a king and queen so sweet and winsome,
And rule with grace atop our hillside kingdom --
I'll fashion for our heads two golden crowns --

And if you hold me close and kiss me sweetly,
Then I will give my heart to you completely,
And you will be my boy, and I your girl,

And we'll stay side by side, our time to treasure
At peace as cotton clouds drift by at leisure
And we won't have a worry in the world.

When springtime sends the world outside a-playing,
And blossoms grow on branches set a-swaying,
Then hand and hand shall we go to the dale,

And fill the clear blue sky above with laughter.
The sun will set, and we'll return soon after
With footprints left behind to mark our trail.

and not long after I caught a glimpse, just a glance
I saw colour and shape
as a half-heard voice brushed my fist,

or it might have been a piano chord, soft and gentle,
but only lasting half a moment.

whichever it was, it felt old,
like an empty hospital chapel or an unfinished letter

and when I turned to check, expectant,
it had changed
– so much so that I wasn’t sure it was what had called to me at all.

By some deeper instinct I only took half a step,
not daring to drop another tear, or form my question
– and over the course of a longest heartbeat, it re-emerged,

first the chord, followed a beat behind by the scent of the past
and the orange zest bled through the haze like a long-held breath.

I found I could breathe
and turn into its embrace

and the world left me in this grace.

the unwanted compulsion
that enters unbidden,

the impetuous impulse
that refuses to remain hidden
cause it rages like a lava storm
frustrating and incinerating
every organic thing in its path,

such an inopportune occurrence,
a deeply resonating disturbance,
the deadliest and most addicting
drug of all,
a catastrophe worse than Lucifer’s fall
cause it has crushed more angel hearts
than any other heavenly disaster.

Logically, I should be afraid to fall,
and in my great wisdom try to avoid it all,

but the longing for love
makes a ******* and a fool of me.

My languid heart was lost in reverie
As I wished upon a star last night;
While engaged in this wistful beggary,
An angel altered my wretched plight

The mirror briefly captured his contour,
My silken sheets wrinkled with his weight,
His wings, with subtle fragrance of mille fleur
Brushed my face in a most awkward state

My body quivered as I gasped aloud,
(His intentions could only be guessed)
O'er my room the moon spread its silver shroud
As warm lips against mine gently pressed

What sensual words were whispered in my ear,
(I'm sure Seraphs blushed in disbelief!)
Rarely are mortals permitted so near
Heaven, discarding Life's cloak of grief

Yet, is this not deemed a celestial task?
Love must soar on wings of Faith and Hope
Guided by an angel in mortal mask,
When in our dark solitude we *****

In his arms I had found my paradise!
Though this encounter was but a dream,
How deep was the love I saw in his eyes,
When he touched me how real it did seem

Panic seized my heart as morning appeared
And the sun's first rays dappled the floor;
With dawn's light he vanished, just as I feared,
For even Heaven could give no more

But on my mind is etched every detail,
And when yearning makes my thoughts take flight,
Should I make a wish and the stars fail,
I've but to recall that wondrous night

sweetlove,
you're lovely
when you sleep
— here, in
a sunless
morning;
your chest
rising and
falling.
shoulders;
outlined in
lamplight.
quietly, in
your ear
i whisper
random words
— call it poetry.
i want you
to wake up.
watch you
softly,
slowly
put on
your
cotton shirt.
toes
touching
the cold floors.
i want to
make us
warm coffee,
and ask you
to read
something
from a book.
put my leg
against your leg,
my cup
next to
your cup,
my nose
to
your nose —
close.
close.
close,
watching
our sleeps
swirl together;
pupils
dilate
behind
our
eyelids.
i want
to talk
about our
backs,
and hair
and fingers
and necks
and thighs.
lean against
a wall,
as the
sun
from
the window,
slowly,
turns us
pink,
like
your brain,
like
my tongue,
like
the insides
of your
mouth,
like
my
collarbone,
like
your
beating
heart,
like
my
­lower
lip

like

i can't think.
wake up.

Won't you fall
into my arms?
I can be your palace
or your shallow grave.

how do I love you
how can i not
in self isolation
with an ocean
of emotions
washing between us
I still feel you
lying next to me
warm skin
pressed against
warm skin
even
warmer hearts
communicating love
together singing
nothing lost
in the millions
of cresting waves
feeding
the undertow
your love
and how you express it
a constant pull
from the pit of my belly
to wherever you are
how do I love you
how can I not
oceans of emotion
flowing between us
I feel you as
every double beat
of my heart
sounds out your name
wild seas
storm the horizon
awash with love
that refuses to be tamed

© J.C.

A half burnt smoke never tastes the same
As an un-lit cigarette.
It’s the same with love.

We can never tumble back in time to;
Happy nights nuzzling in bed,
Clandestine kisses on the dock at midnight,
Drinking in glorious sunsets and city lights.
As if we could ever pretend that the world was perfect.

We can never dance back into;
Long car rides to Victoria,
Drunk laughs in the rain,
Late night cuddles on the couch
Playing video games to our hearts content.

In all honesty, I don’t need to live in the past
I like smoking full cigarettes to make them last.