Five,
Sleeping soundly
Snuggling
The teddybear.
Protector
From monsters,
Sword in paw.
Ten,
Tears rolling
Down her small face,
"Go back to bed,"
"You're too old
For this nonsense"
Daddy stopped checking
For the monsters
Three years before.
Twelve,
Turn on the lights,
Check the bed,
The closet,
Dark corners.
Fear creeping
Through every bone,
Off with the light,
Two steps and
One jump
To make it to the bed.
Sixteen,
Tear soaked pillows,
Blade in hand,
The only fear
Is for what she feels,
She stopped searching
When she realized
The monsters
Were inside her

Theres something about the summer
— the way the sun
Turns skin pink,
A blush which will
Fade,
Though the memories will not.
The way the light breeze
Caresses fiery skin,
The way the trees
Provide shaded cover
For adventurers
Looking to rest.
But for the life of me
I cannot describe
In avid detail
How sunkissed skin
Makes even the prettiest
Tan crayon jealous,
And i cannot possibly
Begin to match the blue
Of the sky
To the lines
On my paper.

When the sun goes cold
And the earth ceases to exist
And there is no memory left,
I will still remember you
For you have left a mark
On my soul
So big,
I cold never forget
The love we share.

Another day,
Another breath,
Another lie;
"I'm fine."

Lost in space,
Take away the pain,
Hold me in your arms;
"I'm fine."

A waste of air,
Close my eyes,
Sink into darkness;
"I'm fine."

The words they say,
Armor worn thin,
Pierced the skin;
"I'm fine."

Open wounds,
Heart on my sleeve,
Eyes swollen shut;
"I'm fine."

Swallowed the pills,
Cut too deep,
Lungs on fire;
"I'm fine."

It is the flame
Inside us
That licks our hearts
And burns
With passion.
It is the red,
Yellow,
Orange,
Colors of the fall
Kissing our affection.
It is an ignition
Of emotions,
A spark
Of adulation.
It is the heat
That conspires in one moment,
And the warmth
Of a strong embrace.

As the clouds rolled in
On my sunny day walk,
The cool wind
Nipped at my skin,
And the beautiful, fire-orange trees
Were rocking like
My grandmothers old chair.
The sky grew gray,
As if it too was getting old,
And the rain
Became tiny pebbles
Pulsing against my skin.

I am like water.
I can be a lake,
Calm,
Cool,
Relaxing.
Or i can be rapids;
Crashing,
Smashing,
Breaking.
I am unpredictable.
I can be
Scary,
Loud,
Intense
One moment,
And the next i am
Soothing,
Slow,
Smooth.