Grief captures me,
One who is dead but still alive,
A zombie craving to consume,
to seize, to raze.
Infecting minds with a foul brew,
with summons of wolf cries.
There are no winners in this game,
Unseen players in the shadows.
It's like gasping for water and choking on air.
The infection spreads to every depth,
of your being,
of my being,
of their being.
The zombie storms, relentless and cruel,
Caring not for fields of nodding tulips.
Clad in a familiar mask of deception,
You resemble her and echo her voice,
But you are not her.
You slaughter, demolish, and devour,
swallowing souls whole.
Your infection ripples for miles,
Altering smiles until
All that remains is a hollow shell,
Seas of hollow shells.

If you were the sea and I were the shore,
You’d cloak me like a blanket
Carrying pieces of me with you, to the depths of your core.
Still, I’d await your return-
Faithful, yet vexed-
For the shore knows by heart
That the sea always churns,
And they will never drift apart.

As the waves sing to the shore
And the sand cools my feet
I feel the warmth of
You
Cascading over me
The most welcome reprieve

How I have forgotten
The way words pacify my mind
But not by way of dripping from my lips
Instead, words that flow from pen to page
Sway my thoughts and rearrange
This solace, so simple, yet I have denied myself
You alone are the reason
My heart speaks words again.
You alone.

I long to convey
What words fail to portray-
The way your smile lit your face
on that fateful day.
When love first tumbled from my lips,
And your touch brushed my hips.
Each part of me began to ache
to hold the moments we could make.

If only I could express
The ways you inspire and impress
me—I’d raise mountains,
part the sea,
bend time,
shatter silence,
just to speak
of how deeply
you move me.

My heart soars like a bird on a crest
when I hear my own words
echoed back from your chest-
woven into a moment you didn’t plan
but carried with ease
as if our late-night thoughts
drifted through you, like a breeze.

You couldn’t see what I saw-
how your voice stirred the room,
how your selfless light
ignited hearts to bloom.
They carried pieces of you back
like embers- warm,
and burning on track.

I am defenseless to you, my dear,
as a blossom to the frost.
But your heartbeat in mine
reminds me I’m not lost.

Each time you returned, you brought
stories to share-
small wonders, soft laughs
and a hidden set of stairs.

I’ve wrapped these dreams as gifts
and laid them at the altar of our castle.
Your tender words still echo in me,
like a melody that won’t let me be-
“This isn’t the end; it’s only the start.”
A promise whispered straight from the heart.

It's a different language we speak
You say you can't be rewired
But it breaks my ******* heart
When I can clearly see your demons
And you just dig in your feet
I was once your ray of sun
But I've faded to a flicker
No more cards to play
The heart on my sleeve is drowning
It's ugly, what I've become
They say love is blind
But fear is deaf

She heads to the door
And tries to bid farewell once more
But the friend has more stories
Of many categories
That is the Midwest au revoir

Cage affixed to my head
Needle stuck in my vein
You must not move an inch
My dear, you're still allowed to
Breathe.

Quiet, frantic heart.
You’re causing me to
Shake.
I know it’s strange and loud and dim
But listen. Hear that soft
Music

Dare you not sneeze
Or scratch that itch now
Rest your eyes, close your shutters
Lie still as a corpse, just one more half-hour

Bang. Crash. Wail.
Please stop, my skull aches
How cool the serum flows
Perhaps the music found my clothes
and ushered me on home

The doctor calls to me now -  mouth dry
Let us discuss your brain.
Inside a tumor lies, no surprise,
Allow me to explain
This lump, it sleeps, 'tis quite petite
And most believably benign.

I must tell you of when Bridezilla came
But beg, please repeat not of this true tale
She had a dream, anyone she would maim
If they stood between her white fairytale
A gasp, a screech, her eyes went wide as wells
A maid’s bouquet lost, bride began to melt
Her skin flushed red, her eyes could only swell
A lovely wedding still be born, maids felt
She barked for them to leave the room at once
Hushed whispers rose throughout the dainty church
Such small matters could cause her to denounce
Finally, the bride at last emerged
Of course, the union came to be, oh yes
But not before creating undue stress

The ocean holds me in her arms
Though I am hesitant to venture
Crystal waves draw me in, how fast they disarm

I push off from the boat, the salt, my body burns
Face plunged in the water, breath sharp, seeking out my center
The ocean holds me in her arms

Blue water is pure, yet it still churns
Eyes fixate on bright schools of fish, stout and slender  
Crystal waves draw me in, how fast they disarm

Stray flipper to my face, thick water in my mouth, and it spurns
So, I turn to avoid the offender
The ocean holds me in her arms

Back to the lively landscape below, sea turtles and sea worms
Words cannot recreate the beauty here, no matter how I endeavor
Crystal waves draw me in, how fast they disarm

Back to the boat, I climb the ladder of the stern
Pause to admire the scene, air tickles like a feather
The ocean holds me in her arms
Crystal waves draw me in, how fast they disarm

I could eat a dozen
Perhaps I ought, I glance at
The box, white and untouched
Alone on the table, sweet air inside

I can’t help but break the seal
Revealing ****** frosting, perfect lines
Would anyone know if I took
Both a fritter and macaroon?

Lord help me, no restraint
As I grab a fistful
My waistline can’t trust me
My tongue simply yearns
For every single pastry