No sleep.
None to came to my eyes.
I was not welcomed into slumber!
'Twas not from the heat of summer!
No sleep to came to my eyes.
All that came was a barrage of thoughts variant like umber,
like a thousand fireworks bursting!
I know you know the feeling.
You know the feeling of sleep deprivation by the bombs bursting in your mind;
Such was the case for me last night!
Sleep deprivation came to me by the cracking and popping in my mind.

In Babylon one must live up to the status quo,
and be enslaved by its economy and entertainment!

Watch this!
Listen to that!
Buy this!
Sell that!
Own this!
Disown that!

Only in Babylon!

I have been up and down the west coast of Babylon,
To its heartland, or midwest if you will,
And it is beautiful even majestic!

I have waved its flag, sported it along with my children,
and sand its songs!
For I am one of its citizens!

And yet...it is disconcerting.
There is an evil lurking.
The lingering scent of divinity was fabricated and found counterfeit!

The pride of it is imperious!
The self-glorification is overbearing!
And its materialistic needs are excessive!

Only in Babylon!

I abide near the west shores of Babylon,
Though my heart is fully committed to the Kingdom of Heaven,
property of a king not of this world.

The glory is in the Name,
The authority,
And the power.

The glory is in the Word,
The riches,
And honor.

The glory is in the Son,
The king,
And none other!

I close my eyes
Exhale
Disbelief flutters in my stomach
As you drape your arm over my side
Your hand slides up my stomach
And you fingers find my hand.
I think I forgot to breathe.
The air feels full of static
My lungs tingle with the shocks

You pull yourself close
Nip my shoulder.

I think I might catch fire from the explosions
My nerves dance
All the way to my toes
I curl them up instinctively

We lay there, breathing
Inhale
You smell of campfire, alcohol, and J
So delicious, tantalizing,
I want to fill my chest with your scent

You pull me close to you
Breathe in
Ecstasy
I roll to face you
Afraid, hesitant
This could still all be in my head.
Slowly, I look up to meet your eyes
Captivated
Blues, greens, hints of yellow gold
Universes, built of all your intricacies and thoughts

Clinging to you, I am frozen
Afraid of this dream that will end any moment
Scared that you will wake up,
And realize that moments like these
Are dead to you.
But you don't,
The dream continues

I'm staring at you
You're staring at me
Suspended in time, waiting

Suddenly
You're kissing my neck,
Hands in my hair,
Pulling me closer, pulling me in
Surprise meets bliss
And I cling tighter, nails on your skin
Surrendering, I fight to keep up
Kissing, holding, feeling you

We break apart.

Your eyes are wide,
I smile, almost laughing in ecstasy
Your eyes grow intense,
And we slowly, hesitant,
Lean close
And intertwine once more.

Smooth and seamless.
Our bodies remember even if our minds forget.

I knew.
I knew better.
I knew better than to lie with you.
The letting go was difficult.
It was the most difficult thing I ever had to do.

I can hear gulls squawking
like catcallers in the streets
of New York City
but they're not talking to me,
they're speaking to the ocean breeze.
They'll be heading south soon.
Fall is coming
and you can taste it
even in the August heat.

I still have memories
of childhood summers
that lasted longer than some years
recently.
Can't help but think of the days
I wasted worried about
who I would be
and now I'm someone
sitting beneath a girthy oak tree
wearing a collared button up
that hangs on me a little too loosely.

I don't know what that means
but it may mean something
to somebody else
who writes love letters to life,
that might just double
as quiet cries for help
in a world so high on noise
it's forgotten poetry.