I met you
          on a windy day
       in the winding heart
          of an ocean pass.

I drifted in
               on an accidental breeze
(a bumble if I humble)
               and landed gently down
         in the belly of a
               sweet sultry suite

I met you
           in a red dress...
                              and a grin brimming with glee

your grand mirth hugged the whole room
while your voice filled it with life.
your hands to your craft,  
your thoughts in a web of humor, skipping.

Yet,
you greeted me in dulcet tones when
your eyes flittered to meet mine;
the sweet fragility of a rose.

we met
       in a rich space
                     In-Between
                                the briefest of moments

we met
       bashfully; guarding our child hearts
                         we played our roles
                         as if we did not know.
                                       ...
                                      Yet,
                          for hours we watched
                                                         ­     the other
                                                  watch the other
                          
my beating heart is
ever the reminder
of the spell
your footfall cast

your gait strong
your heart firmly forward
graceful integrity became you
and my heart learned to beat in its time

memories yet to be lived
evoked in resonance flooded me

I met you
          when the trees dancing outside rustled their applause
                                                       to the bustle of your cause.

a cup of warm milk
               spiced golden
                            you brewed for me
and placed it
                    so gently
                            before me

I cherished
            every sip for hours

delicate flavors caressed my tongue as
I felt the warmth of your hand
slide between my lungs
and nestle against the curve of my heart

I cherished
            every sip for hours

as you entertained the whimsy
of a quaint magician
and all the fairies that came to graze  

I cherished
            every
                In-Between gaze
                             for hours
                                   ...

we found
      a moment for us.
      a space of tender distance
      filled with ineffable intimacy

we spoke
      candidly of our shared desire
      with words that crumbled
      under the weight of our hearts

we sat
      quietly,
      as the music held us In-Between
      and our hearts grew close

we met
      when the wind sighed through
      trees that bathed in golden light
      and when

we touched,
      delicately,
      hand in hand
      all was shimmering
                                  ...

contented in the sea of you
I closed my eyes to listen
In-Between

in that solemn home of solitude,
a gift:
      your beloved heart singing its powerful footfalls
      under each of my heartfalls

and when I breathed in
this marvel of you
your chest rose to
meet my reverie.

Shadows outline the imperfect road.
Light glistens off the bricks.
A gnarled tree proudly stands,
Illuminated by a window's reflection of summer's morn'.
The clean crisp wind rustles my skin awake.
A friend smiles and approaches me.

I feel joy.
I feel alive and vibrant in her smile.

My voice rumbling deep inside my chest as we small talk
Makes solid, my bones.

A lady walks by making wild noises that overwhelm my mind with memories of my maniacal old friends,  
...I miss them deeply.

A man approaches me uncertainly with a question. "What are you doing?" I find pleasure in seeming out of place,
and reply with a gregarious shrug.

I continue on,
Feeling every step plant firmly in the ground and
Rock my heart in its cradle.

this grief of love is quiet...

it does not hit me in the face
to face the ground with a rumbling gasp

it comes tenderly
through the gentle weave of my days
sowing the cold nights in a blanket that holds me tightly

bubbling in the kettle of my heart
percolating through the pores of every shadow that I cannot touch

behind the whispering breeze and gentle sun ray
it pours its burning liquid
sweetly
into every sensation

until
in the start of a passing day
my quiet tears bleed

I stand there
stark
with only one question...

"Why?"

and with every utterance
in this hollow expanse of skull

resounds again
my mo(u)rning heart

What is important to thee?

Be it thine own peace,
                           pure and sacred
Be it thy sweet rest,
                           sacred and pure

   Be it thee dances,
       prances and sing,
through the fabrics of thy years
               with grace

Be it Love
                       pure,
                               ­     and sacred

Forgive thine fledging wisdom
for misguided yearnings.
Its growth is tragic.
o'er slow.
The pace brings suffering  
long before the light of clarity can shine on
what thy dreams do say.

One cannot dream this shell of existence anew
without breaking skin.
Cuts and scorns will bleed the soul
           like a life laundering leech;
                            Yet will heal thee in kind
                - and oh, what mysterious kind it shall be

Harken to the old oak voice:

"Through those bleak and dark nights
Hold,
        with passionate patience
        and marveling whys.
Each tender breath,
                           sacred and pure,
                                            brings a subtle flourishing
                                                     and a light will shine."

Time will mend thy fragile frame,

and lest you worry too oft
(and sleep too little)"

Harken well this billowing breeze,
as unto thee I say:

                "Your heart will rekindle,
             Set ablaze by a truth learn'd
                                                         ­      pure,
                                                           ­           and sacred."

Ere I ne'er saw such wonderous beauty that rests before me now:

Bathing in the calm cool shallows of a raging waterfall
Her essence is divine surrender

With hair as black as night
And eyes of gleaming moonlight

A set of pearls match her milky skin-
A gift from days spent basking
Under the gray day sky

Though naught shrouds her delicate curves
She is gracefully clad
by the moss and rocks

The misty trees nourish her vibrantly hued lips
As the wind feeds her breath


Dear Love,
          ...All the world is thine
               And from thee all its magic shine...