Baring barren bear-like teeth,
is it a smile, or a grimace, indeed?
whether it's pain, excruciatingly,
or blissful joy, any range in-between,
a smile is a smile is a smile,
just show your teeth.

Because there's beauty above
and
beneath.

Pins and needles
are only skin-deep,
waking up from
a troubled sleep.

A sigh, a gasp,
terrible dreams,
a simple smile
can change
everything.

Between the lines
of now and then,
you’re drawing me
with ink and pen.
Every ridge
and every curve
you’re carving out
what I deserve.
Tangled veins
and knotted hair,
a thunderstorm
of senseless care.
Between the breaths
of God and man-
You’re writing me
just as I am.
With fractured bones
and black-hole eyes,
painted purple,
ringed with lies.
All I am
is what you see
and what you make
is all I’ll be.