~

Along the lines of fantasy
with crystal glasses flowing the brim
Soft hands meet on white linen,
your eyes take me places I have never known

Silence tingles as our hearts speak
across candle flame and glittered dreams
Such is the beauty of this night
neither belong, yet here we are

Fears generate passion
on this perfect evening so young,
and our love forbidden, taboo
but breathing of temptation

Lips ignite a fire within,
looking over shoulders for whoever
only finding desires calling
in the mist of the crowded city

Scented bliss finds me,
arms reach for a touch, long hot touch
behind closed doors
holding back all but the guilt

Still a fever burns as skin blushes
beneath moon lit intoxication
Silhouettes merge, moist in cravings
lone of simpler moments

Fingers dance and sighs sing,
satin sheets spill to unsuspecting floors
when deep in the throws is found,
words have no meaning

Whispers lose their bearing
as oceans part and white foam pleasure
caresses the smooth shore
on this uncharted island called love

Startled by the waiter refilling my glass
I still see you across the room
lingering in his smile, lost in his destiny
*and here I sit, still wishing it were me

How is it that love
can come calling
from the street down below
as you stand on a balcony
feeling the heat,
listening to the sounds of the city

Leaning on an ornate rail
of spiraled steel
allowing the sweet music
to flow past potted evergreens
and glass top tables

How is it love
knows the lingering need
after a sunset sweeps
past the last dream
defined with eyes closed

It finds you in the moments
your mind searches for a sign
pointing in some unknown direction
challenging traffic to obey
crossing lanes into your heart

How is it love
reaches that place you did not know
was open, knocking on the door
waiting for you to answer
with an unknowing smile on your face

Seeking entrance to the deepest parts
where weakness lives
and shields are lowered
Breathing in the scent of the magnolia
you nurtured to bloom

How is it love
can find me at last
and I can not touch it

Broken thoughts invade my mind
Atop an asphalt parking lot
In phrases I've since left behind
A few of them so long forgot

Still in between this yellow stripe
Where tired treads have left their mark
And apricots have tasted ripe
I stand here thinking in the dark

What comes of this in future days
When time has gone and love appears
Two hearts collide in full display
And happiness deletes the fears

If sunny skies are all we see
Beyond the edge of weathered fence
Will you now stroll along with me
Regardless of a past offence

Then come, let's run this narrow path
Your hand in mine, no time to wait
And live affection's aftermath
Before the time does get too late

If it is true

Each day brings something,
good or bad it comes
Leaving us wondering,
what does this mean…
when sidewalks roll up or gates unlock
inviting our movement or hindering it
When clouds form pictures
dark or light they appear
and we stare in belief that they are for us

When maybe they are not

Counting sunbeams
in relation to the shadows
cast upon our smiles
Do we smile or do we just pretend,
failing to accept the truth
that life is not fair
Even under the bluest skies
rain can fall
whether we accept it or not

And never do

Can we mask the heart,
hide it from ourselves
not feel the pain, the sadness,
the emptiness leaving gaps
Huge crevices in what we wanted,
what we hoped for,
what we dreamed about
with eyes open and thoughts frantic
of love, for love…in love

It never ends, it never ends

if it is true…

~

Running in the shadows,
pausing neath the dawn
Climbing in through window sills,
curtains tightly drawn

Checking every corner,
ducking from the light
Hoping for a moment still,
shuttered in the night

Of this love forbidden,
cast of breathless view
Empty pockets, endless need
searching but for you

Can’t you hear me calling,
pebbles hit the glass
Pull me deep into your arms
‘fore the moonbeams pass

Take me as I’m pleading,
knees upon the ground
Staring to your silhouette,
formed of beauty found

Many questions linger,
falling from above
Landing square with weighted pain
saved of all my love

Take a chance, I offer,
let me light the scene
Follow where your heart does lead
here inside this dream

Matters of the distance
collected in the frame
Take my hand it longs for you,
love me once again

~

Finding peace
in the fourth card
stacked in a deck of despair

Changing life
can’t be so hard
finding the choice waiting there

Ante up
placing your bet
stick to the dreams you have seen

Cards face up
see what you get
there with your king and your queen

Take the ***
into your hand
leave all your troubles behind

Walk the walk
at your command
happiness now you can find

~


What of this sun that warms my back
Tempting me to turn around
Pleading for my attention
Over an anxious landscape of questions
Geometric outcroppings of thought
And life goes on beyond its light

Blue sky swan dives fall eternal
On the brink of feelings conjured
Draping over azure dreams
Becoming slower minutes crawling
Down wretched pathways
Leading to all voided expectations

Yet time will come and go
As high above me lay sheltered wishes
Which I harness in tethered ideas
Collecting on shoulders of heated display
Brushing off doubts uninspired
Turning to face this sun…brightly unaffected

Another silent Sunday morning
Waiting on the sun
Staring north along the tree line
Finding silhouettes still
And thoughts forming
As a fine sliver of light appears
Painting the horizon
Grapefruit shimmers
Lifting the darkness
That has coated my vision
And igniting my smile
As another new day begins with you

Taken to the shadows, amass the gathered fall
Dreams of darkened hours sing
fresh in every mindset, placing avenues in the past

Brick and mortar tendencies
build a fortress around your heart,
as every nightfall wisdom
or sound against the rail, echoes in trust

Footprints in the mud…forward and back again
Never once a closed eye, an unclenched fist,
as I, the lone silhouette against your stained glass fears
stand firmly at the gate of brass and forged steel,
tarnished by weather but steady as devotion,
protecting you from the deepest of harm

Seeking nothing…not an ounce of peace,
for this role is now my destiny, my soul surrender
to a heart that beats within my own existence
in melodic undertones of poetic truths

And I gaze upon the Autumn moon, shining its light
upon your beauty, which I have come to long
in visions of my own shortcomings…alone

Windows show the world…
Beyond this pane of glass sits my imagination,
well beyond the reflection that greets me
A smiling face perhaps, a somber frown at times,
this transparent image
like a soldier, guards my thoughts
and holds my dreams captive


I can see the chest rise and lower
as breaths escape the figure telling me
it lives, at least for this moment
Still the worry of loss fights through the ghost-like outline
invading my soul,
pulling and pushing on my heart,
leaving me exhausted as my mind sails to the silhouette ahead


Two ships, why do they always pass,
why is it always at night,
when faces are obscured and merely shadows
of a dancing moon
Ripples of friendship, waves of anguish wake,
not knowing the set course or the boundaries of love,
reaching for the anchor…much too late


Currents swiftly dispatch the emotions,
wash away the feelings in salt water swells
Sails are hoisted, memories are swabbed,
clean as a whistle,
melodic and sad for the song
sinks slowly into the mist
only to be swallowed by the sea


Still, here I sit, gazing at this clear protection
finding not sea worthy vessels, but street lights call
and morning suns rise
to eliminate my reflection
as fingers type in the realization
that beyond this glass sits nothing,
for once again I am alone

I drink of the waters of sinner’s delight
Smooth to the taste I believe
Washed up ashore on a moonless lit night
Much more than one can conceive

Poured in a goblet of yellow and blue
Butterfly patterns a’ shine
Wings in the vestibule, blinding the view
There only destined of time

Here at the stairway that leads to your heart
Spiraling up to the sky
Winding in tapestries, threadbare to start
Whimsical fabrics now sigh

Taking each step as I breathe in the change
Shadows about do compare
Absolute beauty of love rearranged
Finding the most in each stair

Hallways extend each direction a’ flow
Candlelit beacons provide
A knock on your door in the midst of their glow
Whispers now call me inside

Therefore my eyes as a silhouette fine
Loveliness clings to a smile
Chantilly lace in the garments a’ shine
Filling my eyes all the while

Heavenly scent of magnolia bloom
Fresh as this hot summer’s fire
White opalescence in shades of the moon
Painting my soul with desire

Touches of satin, so smooth comes your skin
Breathless endeavors soon pour
Hoping on hope of the welcoming in
Of what this night has in store

Lips of chiffon in a raspberry grin
Porcelain shimmering thighs
Desperate these thoughts now awash in a sin
Breath comes a sonnet of sighs

Reaching I stumble, my balance unsure
Shivers, my toes to my spine
Stuttering nervous of this I adore
Formed of the sweetest design

Then with a wisp as the draperies wave
Flames flicker quick of the flow
Smoke from the wicks meets the ceiling once more
As I cry, where did you go

Standing here holding of one dozen roses
Cellophane wrapped round the stems
Seeing the window so quickly it closes
I was but this close again

~

Perhaps…it is the light,
reflecting in symphonic visions from dampened roadways,
serenading my heart in melodies of whispered thoughts,
painting lyrical lilacs on a gray canvas
with fraying edges

even as clouds connect the sun,
I sit alone, on a worn leather seat,
fingers tapping the steering wheel in rhythm with
the endless miles connecting my cultivated dreams
with pictured fantasies that may prove to be just that…
fantasies

yet I look,
optimistic eyes perusing spring fed corn row wishes
and sunflower sonatas,
which my heart faces with fevered emotion
and anticipation of each new coming day…

(constantly aware of roadblocks set up
along the shoulders of your heart)

Distractions come as an eclipse darkens the sky
or is it my heavy eyelids causing the detour,
yet my soul is alert to the possibilities
of what might be waiting,
behind that locked door
where silence allows me to hear your words…
written in the wee hours of the morning

an invitation to share this morning with one who matters,
one who touches me, one who feeds me
with a simple hello and a cup of coffee
or something more…fantasies become realities…perhaps

Found on the edge of desire
Facing the answers unknown
Desperate to stand in the fire
No longer living alone

Crying for deeds left a’ waiting
Rolling these thoughts in my mind
Oh of this love now creating
Searching for all I can find

Hopeless a word with no meaning
Not that my heart will allow
Some they may whisper I'm dreaming
None that can prove to me how

Real is the state of this vision
Nothing but truth stands so tall
Into her charms now my mission
Making such sense of it all

Reaching so I am not missing
Now as my knees touch the ground
Lips that I wish I was kissing
Perfect this woman I’ve found

Distance, the longest of dances
I follow the moon high above
Capturing all of my chances
So I may feel her sweet love

What do you do
when shes all you can think about,
every where you look
her face is all you see

What do you do
when your smile is a shining light,
brighter than any sun,
endless eternally

What do you do
when the miles sit in between,
staring up at the moon,
wishing that she was here

What do you do
when each day doesn't seem the same,
all that you feel is new,
beauty is crystal clear

What do you do
when shes all you can think about

~



A few minutes more
He has said in a whisper
Promising hope
From the depths of his heart

Pulling the thread
So it sits ever tighter
Finding the end
As a new place to start

Counting the hours
They add up so many
Checking his watch
As the sun seems to set

Pulling the moon
From the arms that now hold it
Praying for rain
As that’s all he can get

Kicking a stone
Near a clock that is ticking
Rhythms his mind
Will now come soon to play

Searching for words
While the second hand passes
Come to expect
At the end of the day

Life is so short
Though he brings up the answer
Nothing is more
Than a heart tied with love

Calling to all
As if anyone listens
A few minutes more
He now shouts up above

~

Somber waves flood charcoal skies
This morn does fell my day
Misty forms in shadowed dreams,
an ominous display

Chilled, the breeze now grips my face
as moisture coats my skin
Shivers at their highest reach
call out to me again

Willow branches bend in shame,
sorrow feeds the ground
Leaves in silhouette now trace
confusion all around

Clouds a’ gathered blackened roof
A blanket at the sun
Pointing towards a northern point
Alas my world is done

When there, along horizon’s stare
I sense the faintest smile
Of auburn charm and beauty share
To linger here a while

As ashen skies now seem to part
This pain of longest dread
Depression cast upon my heart
Now heals in scars I shed

To breathe again, this morning free
A smile upon my face
Consume this feeling calling me
No more in fractured lace

So long I’ve hidden in the past
Awaiting only dying
Yet now with this affection cast
In new found truth I’m trying

As now I stand neath skies of blue
Bright sunshine up above
Gazing at the sight of you
Alas my world is love

Caress my neck softly
Hold my body close to yours
Tempt these sweet chord progressions
Acoustic affection’d freestyle
Finger my frets with delicate touches
Mother of pearl inlays sweat
Bending vibrating strings
Crank my volume **** high
Sliding capos moan
Play lead in poetic rifts
Soundhole oozes sensual melodies
Gouging pickguard’s scars
Tune me in the key of your love
Strum me hard…

Let’s make beautiful music together

In the grand scheme of things…


Maps are folded and re-folded into pocket sized
destinations of our own heart’s desires

Routes become numbers and numbers become moments
as the planning cycle, with yellow highlighter in hand,
presents a “look forward to” scenario

Beyond windows of curtained belief
and hedges shaped like poetic scribblings calls to me

The sidewalk of chalk marks in hopscotch etchings,
faded from the sun and foot smeared play dates,
leads to that place of affection filled dreams

And I see over the next sunrise a highway,
empty of detours and beckoning openly

To this heart, from another, on windswept invitations
penned in frilly fonts and colors of imagination,
reaching deeply inside and holding tightly

A glance back at what is left behind brings a smile,
for what waits ahead is now everything new

In the grand scheme of things, what is found chiseled in fate
proves that destiny is a destination of dreams, of hopes and
of love… if the journey brings me to you

~

A happy young fairy went walking one day,
enjoying the blue skies she found
When there ‘fore her rested a little sad heart,
whimpering soft on the ground

She knelt down before it and held out her hand,
finding a tear call her eye
and said with a voice as if heaven had sent
“Why little heart do you cry?”

“I’m all alone and have no one to love me,”
Were the sad words that he said
“So now I sit trapped and empty forever,
woeful and left here for dead”

“Oh my dear heart with your tear drops just flowing,
please take my hand and you’ll see
I have more love than you ever could wish for,
come let my touch set you free”

He reached for her hand and his beat happened faster,
a smile then formed on his face
His tears had all ended their sorrowful flowing,
nothing was left but a trace

She lifted him up and said, “Look all around you,
you will find beautiful things”
Then with a wink and a snap of her fingers,
this little heart he grew wings

“Go fly my friend for I give you your freedom,
you will find someone to love”
She waved as he flew with a new found excitement,
into the blue skies above

I gave my son a wagon
and boy he had such fun
Until I came to realize
I did not have son

I asked about his mother,
he said they called her Stan
yes, she was a woman
had a name just like a man

And then he said, hey mister,
with comets in your hair
Do you have a sister,
and could her name be Claire?

I said, I don’t remember,
what difference does it make?
Ask me in December
That I just can't fake

He looked up at me funny
A squint had found his eyes
Today was kind of sunny
Oh what pack of lies

Well now I must be going
Although I’d like to stay
Albino crows were crowing
The time had come to play

He thanked me for the wagon
and rolled off down the lane
I think to fight a dragon
I just can not explain

When then I heard him sighing
while tiny wheels did squeak
He whispered, no denying
Hey mister, you’re a freak

Like block shaped wheels our lives stumble at the chapters we write
Corners seem dark and teeming with doubt,
alleyways call in echoes of our name,
as if tempting us to crawl when we cannot walk

                “Fear begins the parade at our fragile hearts”

Shades are drawn and slotted with eyes watching,
voices ring the halls of the buildings looming large,
rumors of pointed fingers find our ears in colander fashion,
dripping fear at our feet

                “Waves conduct sound, crashing vividly as we hear”

We cry,
hoping these tears will somehow wash the pain,
fill the gutters and move out to sea,
casting waves upon unsuspecting shores

                “Wishes…more waste than want…at least of these eyes”

When of the shadows a touch,
softly at first, then strong upon our shoulders fall…
comfort leaps to our hearts in sing song praise,
wishes become goals and finish line adventures

                “What is this light, soft yet sure, found within”

We are not alone, darkness hints at light
and butterflies fill our air with prism’d colors and soft breezes
collecting on our damp cheeks and drying the aftermath
of our understanding of reality

                “Dreams of these nightmares fade into happiness”

We find footprints in the dirt…two which are not our own,
closely, yet affectionately following our way and bringing direction
to our dreams, yet the nightmares still flourish
but we do not feel so alone

                “Fences built may keep us in yet… may keep us out”

For this hand, from a distance,
climbing mountains and fording rivers
leads our hearts to the safety of love just beyond the bricked wall,
the ivy covered monolith, the chain link disaster
which once stood locked

                “Finding that a breath may exhale peace…again”

Now stands open of the arbor of hibiscus
blooms and teapot pourings fore our eyes…open and hopeful of the coming truth
once lost beyond our dreams…and we breathe
for it feels right to breathe while standing in the darkness…not alone

~

A belated Happy Birthday wish
to someone far away
I hope you smiled every chance
on that, your special day

I know these words are overdue
the poem kind of late
But just know this my wondrous friend
we still can celebrate