We walk together, hand in hand, through the dappled light of the forest.

You are my little brother and my best friend. All is right with the world.

We watch rabbits scurry and squirrels jumping from limb to limb.

Birds watch perched upon high tree tops singing their lullabies .

The earth is soft beneath our feet, the dankness of decay filling our noses.

Ahead the light becomes brighter. YES! Let's go and see what is before us!

We find a clearing - a meadow of wild flowers. Colorful and bright. Sweet smelling delight!

Ahead we see a castle. Excitement pulses through our veins. We must run through the meadow.

Crushing little flowers as we go, the sun warm on our faces.

A bridge made of stone and brick rises before us. We slow for a minute to take it all in but in a sudden movement, you rush ahead of me.

I hear a scream and run to catch up.

A mother python waits with her 3 babies curled around her. She is coral in color and a beautiful specimen. You were too curious and did not take caution.

She has bitten you and your hand bleeds. Your skin has turned so white it is nearly translucent. You stumble backward. Before I can catch you, you fall over the bridge's edge and into the river below.  

I scramble down to get to where you lay amongst the rocks and icy water.

With heroic powers, I pick you up and carry you to land. You are dying in my arms. The castle is forgotten and I run as hard as I can to find your salvation.

Your breathing slows. I run through the meadow, into the forest, and my arms are growing tired.

Noooo! Please don't die. I fall to my knees with you in my arms. Your red hair seems even brighter against your ever whitening skin.

Are you breathing? I rest my head to your chest. A light, faint, slowing beat. My face is wet with tears. I am failing. How can I save you when I can no longer carry you?

Glass box mirror,
she's primping and prepping,
neon lights in a smoky bar,
alluring and unrelenting,
swaying and swarming she is on the hunt, praying she isn't the one being preyed on.

sugar is bad for you
especially sugary thoughts
you cannot afford

like June is majestic
undulating ozone
from cumulus bones
in its flesh of light blue
masquerading airborne
around the skin
that breathes with beats
progressively arrhythmic
high from the feeling

but beware
for June hides its predators
beneath those waves
elating charm, its Siren song;
Because deadlines,
blood thirsty words
like “expiration”,“elapsing”,
and “due in”,
lurk with sharpened teeth
stalking the smallest of joy-fish

And all of this contrast
is masked with such skill
it remains underrated,
only frustrating to Juners,
for they know its extremes
and how smiles
cover anxiety

I'm tasting sugar on my eyelids
Syrup on my irises
Sour on my heartstrings
Bitter in my arteries
But we are more than corporeal
Meant to fly
And cross the boundaries
Transcend the frames of nature’s canvas
Spill our colors farther than the physical
We invent what we do not discover
The horizons and the realms of our future
And I am just like you
A mess of senses that
perception blends into

Lightning is the fleeting thorn of blooming thunder
The self-erasing crack into the sky window
The laceration of the clouds that left no scar
And sealed itself instantly
And bled to life bountiful
Shifting afloat in deep grey

*

The lightning showed me the way
To the burning tree
The clouds were dark with worry
That I would not see
The thunder told me to hurry
Before the earth swallows me

Kiss me asleep
with your obsidian lips.

Protect my ears
from the cacophony nights would bring.

Fill the void
between heartbeats that skip.

Take me into the lull,
and into the siren song that you sing.

lush cornucopia of greens
and overlapping canopies.
rays filtered through
somewhat a broken lens.

an arbour found
which carelessly took root.
calling out,
inviting,
offering sanctuary
from the shrill calls
of the turbulent outside.

a harbour
to which my heart
had taken to.
and had intended to stay.

but such is the nature
of man.

     no other man's peace
          can be left unruffled.
     no other man's cocoon
          can be left unravelled.
     no other man's haven
          can be left uninvaded.
     and no other man's trove
          can be left unraided.

like before I'll have to go.
and just like man's exploratory nature,
I leave seeking another
unfound recluse.
inadvertently,
paving the way for more to come.

Pale-faced and stiff,
he stood...
Unmoving - frozen in time.

His chest no longer heaved,
his limbs dangled dead.
His painted lips were parted
with no spoken words.

We have before seen him breathe.
We have before noticed his wordless actions.
We have before heard his song.

And this is his end -
A space
unaccompanied by his usual
careful and subtle gestures.

He bore no voice now as he did then.
But his story was told loud
through the lyrics and music
of a hauntingly, mournful song...

Showcasing the lone relatable teardrop
that never dries.

i do not want to remember you
as you are right now -
all sticks and stones
and broken bones,
a rough sketch of a person,
shaky lines as if the artist
was having a panic attack in the corner of a coffee shop.
tears fall onto the page and blur the lines
so i do not know where you stop
and the medicated beat of your heart begins.
you were a work of art,
a statue carved out of marble,
the universe took its time creating you
long hair like princess
but the strength of a warrior.
but as you lay in your bed,
diseases erasing you so aggressively
they tore a hole right through the page
and we cannot color you in as fast
as you are fading.
you are fragile,
a paper doll
turned into a sympathy card
*i'm sorry for your loss.