skulking in the
shadows
lengthen, low
in the day
conjure
spells on iambs
and lyric lines
verses divine
then post & run
high on muses
wine
sup and dine
rationing
cups of universe
ladling sustenance
down our throats
from birth to hearse.





___✒

mess with this heart
why don't you? still
oblivious to all you are
all the effects you have
messing this here heart

swagger into the room
head careening askew
slurring pronouncements 
your fond affections spew
I lurv you..... I lurv you

why burden this heart
when sober, always aloof 
hardly your eyes meet mine
tongue-tied and twisted
no words, no touch, no smile


wake up, sober up and see
there is so much more here
more than cooler cans in hand
or that awful look in your eyes
as you sway, pleading, with me

a walk down flaming paths
fueled by spawning oceans
dulls bioluminescent sparkles,
momentarily eclipses senses;
waiting for veils to rise up
as breezes begin to blow

In a dream of night before me rose 
I walked along an endless shore; 
moist sand glowed a silvery pink, 
danced to lights in the waning sun; 
its length moving, curved around 
dotted stars in the form of a heart. 

I peered ahead and looked behind, 
shifted my gaze from side to side; 
waiting to catch a glimpse of you 
and fall within your gaze as you 
engaged my eyes in an embrace, 
but only feel the sighing wind. 

The soft sand crunched under me; 
a powdery kiss upon my soles. 
Still I searched, marching onward, 
past the crest into a dimpled vale, 
and realised that I was inside you, 
clear waters surrounded your days. 

I then began to shut my eyes to see 
and focus upon the things we share; 
pulling together joined memories, 
realising you had taken me there 
into the core of your daily chores-- 
carrying me through your world

here on my knees
surrounded again
by familiar emptiness

and here You are
facing me square
amid my barrenness

all I have had, now have
and all I'll ever have
is You and You alone

where else can I turn
what else can I say,
'show me what's next'*


●○
°

Dance, laugh, flirt, half a flirt,
not necessarily in that order --
lights flicker - bokeh raindrops.
Initially, my feet tap in time;

but as the chorus returns,
by its volition, my body moves;
the bass line sends my chest
thumping to a primal beat.

All through this commotion
my hope recedes... but then,
As if by magic, perfect time,
your eyes looked into mine...

Beautiful Smiles are what friends are to me. 
And the smile of the heart, the best that can be. 

For the friend of the heart in times severe 
no other gift than your presence sincere 

My forever friend is the best companion in life, 
a friend that sticks closer even in times of strife.

when the sun plays hide and seek
solar panels are less appealing
when this moonlit night's cloudy
night time jaunts seem less romantic

could they have been sarcastic
when they said all's fair in love
and winning war is fantastic
while keeping peace makes us starve

one day silent pens get justice; though
the voice that's heard is loudest
but each strain of a balladeer's refrain
are the words that make us honest

just because you're a pro and
cope and turn it all around
doesn't make it less difficult, 
definitely not any less lonely*




●○
°

You have a right
To bruised knees
And broken dreams
Disappointments
And promises kept,
To casts, itchy & graffitied
On either arm or leg
and tears on reddened cheeks;
Elation and defeat,
Snotty nose and blistered feet.
Yes, to these you have a right, and more,
Life's every essence, outside your door.

remember those days when you
had to shout it from the rooftops,
or use spray paint, or car in river;
hard to, when now we type it up
on the walls of our social media
each one, vying in digital swirl
each thought, each feeling, sent
out to dry in a momentary heat,
then move on, unfulfilled, to the
next tab, the next flickering page

zealous young xenophiles
wail violent utterances
tasked surreptious rail qualms
permit ornaments
nibbling mice livid
kilo joule increments
harped geese fly
every delicate caress bourne aloft