The rain falls into my stairwell,
For my home is falling apart as I am.

-M.H.-

Great-room walls are molded,
Hearth fires have gone out long ago.
Love has left my heart in mold.

-M.H.-

The one to open the petals of your fruit
Bound now through time and mutual nourishment
Loving nectar sweeter than sugar, the root
Of my flourishing stems, a compliment
To the nutrients of my life.

When you were ripened through strife
Our pollen caught on the winds of change
Finding friendly foreign foliage
Finding foreign fruit strange
Our flowers blossoming elsewhere with age

The seasons cycle, fresh shoots of desire
And the fertile home ground
Destine our stems to grow higher
Past passionate seeds sown found
Sharing the nectar of our ripest fruit

Back to square one, or so it seemed
One step forward, two steps back
While pushing myself to the extreme
I found out what I couldn't hack.

Throwing myself into life
Selfishly leaving you there
Purposely creating strife
You thought I didn't care.

By being too comfortable
I neglected my fire
My best should be palpable
So I followed my desire.

I broke myself down
To be rebuilt stronger
By leaving you in this town
Our love will last longer.

Back to square one, a life spiral higher
Is not a turn backwards
When following desire
To move her and you forward.

The tension is mounting, standing in line
Bass reverberates, the sound of things to come
Manic conversation and body language animation
Staying awake until we see the sun.

Enter the venue greeted by sticky collective body heat
The treble of the onslaught of noise now palpable
Without thinking, i begin to move my feet
Becoming one with the masses of bodies moving in unison.

The milk of the night, one in my hand from a mate
I drink it down as I become expectant
Excitedly waiting for my body to be seized
And exited by a juggernaut of positive emotions.

Every stranger is a one minute friend
Micro moments of love become my guide for the night
The music sounds like the songs of the gods
The rhythm and percussion of an underground ritual.

Every touch and taste and sound is heightened
An emanating aura of love surrounds the crowd
Smiles, laughs, hugs and high-fives
Throwing shapes and boogieing down.

As the party creator closes down the night
Masses pour outside drowned by early sunlight
All in search of a beach or after-hours haunt
To continue on their hedonic treadmill.

So you lost your innocence
    in a darkened cemetery in Fallujah,
do you go looking for it
     on a grassy, sun-drenched hilltop in Arlington just because the
light is better?  No, not you.
     You return to that dark place and break every marker, leave no stone unturned, disinter all  ghosts tossing them to the wind and shout     
     "Want more?".
 Marching upright/quick-step/head high
     back home to Bethesda to find your peace.

r ~ 15Feb14

I squint  just right
And capture a memory almost forgotten
Jars of fruit and honey fresh from hives
Filling shelves in old smokehouse
Home-made butter and molasses
In her kitchen
Waiting to smother
Biscuits warming
On black cast iron wood-stove
Boxes of buttons
An old cameo
Split wood in corner
Old sleepy dog on porch
The house on the hill
Where Mom's Granny rocked

r ~ 16Feb14