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Dec 2011 · 611
Fading
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
She’s beginning to fade
On her end of the line
Drifting sleepily away
As I lay her down
Another night closed
with spread out breaths
An occasional ...
“Hey ...
You still there
Okay ... I’ll let you go -
Goodnight sweet dreams
Dream of me”
To her reply
“No”
actually more of an
“unnah” ...
a little mumble
and stirring
then back to her breath
happy and content
to close her eyes
knowing I am still there
even if only in voice
I have no choice
I’m hooked
On the line
Until I finally
Hear
A quiet
Goodnight
Dec 2011 · 603
Self-help
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
When in doubt,
I turn to me,
the rest -
history
Dec 2011 · 1.0k
Miner
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
Old Neil crossed the ocean for it
Van Gogh died longing for it
Wars have been started because of it
Poe died poor and broken without it
Morrison had it but couldn’t grasp it
Shakespeare died with its taste in his mouth
His quill dripping with its potent potion
Its evasiveness lingers in my father’s eyes
I am pale and hollow without it
I’ve danced with it ...
Stared into convincing eyes
Yet I stand with empty hands
An empty heart
Many have traveled far and wide
And just as many will grow old
Searching
For a
"Heart of gold"
Dec 2011 · 644
Seasoned Love
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
Driving away ... leaving miles of broken pavement behind
Thoughts and rearview mirror collide as my mind ventures
You are constant ... waves of gray rolling ahead of me
Your eyes were the beginning and will be the end for me
Memories melt together as time tears on through eternity
Two years become two centuries in this empire of emotion
The pilots of fall fly their orange and browns to the ground
As my heart in turn falls from every tree
This love suffers the seasons along with everything earth
My heart finds summer as my body sweats for you
Your body dances in my mind as we danced
Face to face, eyes locked ... bodies soaking into each other
Autumn brings your smell and a solemn reminder of change
Longer looks ... the sanctuary of embrace
Everything is open ... honesty kisses our foreheads
Life is raining down upon us as we dance between the leaves
The stars seem to polish their shine when the snow lies quietly beneath
Everything stiffens ... silence reigns supreme over the night
Rivers fight desperately to continue on course
As love fights the ominous freeze that threatens the life of the flame
Just as a depressing wind falls upon my soul
The birds of spring send a hopeful note to my ears
Even as the world seemed to pass below
My eyes adjust to the life overcoming the frigid grip of winter
With one exchange ... our eyes beckon the suns arrival
One embrace gives life to loves gasping flame
When all seemed lost ... my ship tattered by the tide
The light of love reflected off your sails in the horizon
Dec 2011 · 904
Girls
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
Girls are sold
Fantasy real estate
With no debate
Or rebate
No second date
Just unreturned calls
Quiet halls
With one pair of feet
Fleeting sweet
Then alone again
Not even friends
Just over
Just like that
Never had time to hang his hat
Should have trusted the cat
But listen ladies
These guys without class
Are nothing more than a class
On what not to accept
Not worth the tears you wept
Learn this lesson well
Never settle
For anything less
Than exactly what you deserve
And you are the only one
Who gets to write that appraisal
If he really wants you
His courting will be more than occasional
Make him sweat a little
Cause if you are worth it
He will
The right guy will wait
For a love he feels is real
Dec 2011 · 5.3k
The One Below
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
Not to neglect the one above
But the one just south has me
No reference to the man upstairs
Or his foe below
It’s evident the bottom
Was made in heaven
But tempts like the devil
Even though your lips are a pair
I find myself lingering down there
That bottom lip has its own heartbeat
A mind of its own if you will
And I will ... kiss it again
And again
Nibble a bit ... **** and peck
Lick my lips in retrospect
Lying in bed at night
Thinking of twenty different ways
That lip takes shape
And shows emotion
Almost upstaging your face
That gorgeous face
Sometimes lost in the background
For this soft and often pouty lip
Begs for attention
Almost screams for it
And I listen ... do I ever
I can’t help but fall victim
To that oh, so clever
Part of your face
That would make an angel
Leap from grace
And never look back
Not once ... I’d swear on this
For I know the power
Behind that kiss
Dec 2011 · 708
Grubbs Rex Road
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
And everything I knew
Flew
Out the window
In with the new
A student again
Chalkboards and recess
A mighty mess
Indeed
A brain weighed down
With eternity
A tomorrow I don’t live in
Because I am here
A tiny town
Not far from the moon
A big heart
With lots of scars
Kindred spirits are few
Though I smile as I walk
Down these streets
These ***** streets
In need of rain
Come on down
Wash it all away
Take it to my innocence
As my inner child
Peddles by
Smiling hard
Against the sun
Country road
Welcoming me within
But that was then
Another lifetime
Almost alien
To this world
I’ve landed in
Much to my chagrin
Left only to close my eyes
And hope for a dream
I can escape into
A doorway to another place
Hoping to find a familiar face
Some clue, some memory
To help
guide me home
Dec 2011 · 1.5k
Ace of Hearts
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
Have to look away
Can only tell someone
You love them
With your eyes
So many times
Before they realize
Then you’re left
Open and exposed
Susceptible to the word
No
And my heart
Can only deal in yes’s
Come too far to let go
So I steal
As many looks as I can
Till your eyes catch mine
Then it’s back down
To my hands
You already have
My hand in yours
Pretty much the whole deck
Still you tug on my sleeve
A little suspect
But I have to keep
That last card in place
I’d be utterly helpless
If you found my last ace
Dec 2011 · 821
Winter's Theater
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
White blanket covers the earth
Silence reigns over the night
Purity persists as dreams exist
Fall has fallen
Ice claims dominion
Breath captured in air
The stage is set
Places ... places
Begin the slumber
Quiet ... mysterious sleep
Patient fires await the spring
As winter claims its sovereignty
Still in this lies peace
Past and present
Welcoming eternity
Life and death ...
Spiritual rebirth
Fragility and finality combine
To find
Each season’s infinity
Tomorrow holds nothing
It is buried in the field with yesterday
Today is where we find our destiny
Dec 2011 · 623
The Lake
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
The lake shines
Lying on the dock
Clouds illuminated above
A splash below
A faint echo
Of a bark
Or bird
How peaceful
The wind
Tastes my face
I kiss back
With a small
Laugh
Smiling
With eyes closed
The day’s events
Forgotten
As one foot
Rubs the other’s toes
All is right
On this night
As the moon
Stretches out
Across the water
I believe again
Dec 2011 · 1.1k
Nectar
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
The heat came down and the lies followed
Everything swallowed everything
Truth bled through pine
I pined to find
The kind of people
Growing things
Building on dreams
Being bigger than themselves
And the world turned sideways
For a second
And the essence
Leaked into the ether
We ate the fruit
And took a breather
Discovering truth
Most can’t see
Dancing dangerously
With destiny
Swaying softly
In a hammock blissfully
My dream
Within this dream
I buy it
Fully
My life
My rugged story
Wrapped up
Inside me
I close my eyes
And release
Dec 2011 · 673
In Dream
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
When in history we find, ceaseless aches of wanting
Even sleep cannot smother fear coupled with pain
The walls tighten, their pictures almost taunting
A tyrannical storm threatening to spit rain
Dreams bring images, some that linger with the morning
As light splinters through the cracks in the blinds
These dreams are lost, and with them the warning
A caution of things that lie ahead, slithering as it winds
A world waiting in disguise, a shadow clinging to the ground
Anticipating blending with the night, waiting for the day to pass
Tiptoeing over beams of starlight, dancing without sound
The dream flashes, as she lies smiling in the grass
A wild mix of wanton innocence in her eyes
Nothing is more powerful than this moment in time
Dec 2011 · 438
News
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
In light of all this,
             we'll skip the bliss
                                                           tonight
Dec 2011 · 771
New Year
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
The birth of a new year
Labored through the canal of time
A naked canvas waiting to be dressed
So many decisions
A minority of choices
A ubiquitous melody hangs in the air
As life and death dance
Forbidden lovers subdued by nature
Forced to turn the world
Without thought or reason
Continuous cycling
Laughter and crying
Two eyes close
A journey ends
Two more open
A journey begins
The Universal balancing beam
Walking a thread of time
No safety net below
In the arena of the mind
Dec 2011 · 462
Change
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
It’s true Bob
The times are changing
And we have to put it into perspective
Or become a weathered stone
With no purpose
But to sit beneath the sun
Change is the universe’s closet
Full of new clothes to try on
Some we like more than others
others will never be worn again
But revisited often in memory
Dec 2011 · 616
The Three
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
What is that burn?
Crawling all over me
Wanting out
Needing distance
Release
Cell mates with fear
Born in the same well
My name
An image floating in the mirror
Keeping me from the three things I seek
Love
Moderation
Humility
Dec 2011 · 643
Again
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
Nice to meet you
Even though we have met
Many times before
This time I could really see you
And you’ve left me
Wanting more
Dec 2011 · 603
Secret
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
I wear my heart up my sleeve
Where most can’t see
Just far enough away
To give it some reprieve
From the beatings it takes
beyond the beats
it makes
and those hands that
just want to take
instead of give
**** instead of let live
so I hide it away
from the unsuited
hearts so convoluted
reaching and grabbing
poking and stabbing
leaving scars
instead of love
in their passing
piles of pain
amassing
an ache left
everlasting
waiting for the one
who brings peace
instead of taking
a piece
so up my sleeve
the waiting
and the wanting
hide beneath clothes
both daunting
and haunting
for that one
soft and lovely
boundless sweetness
floating above me
patiently anticipating
the kiss that brings
an end to this
waiting
for my wish
to grow into
fruition
my soul’s mission
accomplished
Dec 2011 · 1.0k
Rockies
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
Mountains
       loom through my
                    bedroom window ...
                                  in a dream anyway
Dec 2011 · 828
Winter Love
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
In that meadow
   we built a snowman
           summer couldn't melt
Dec 2011 · 543
Plea
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
Lamplight bleeds
           through
       my tired eyelids
                                  I beg it stop
Dec 2011 · 582
Grandma
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
Snippets, trinkets
                  stamps and coins
       all things
                  you once enjoyed
Dec 2011 · 584
Miles
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
Oh my,
the focus
of humanity
on me
Please
Oh please
take it easy
Please
take it easy
baby
let me tell
my story
Dec 2011 · 5.1k
Weekend
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
Such a great weekend
spoiled by the end
aching
like a little boy
who doesn't
want to leave
the fair
Dec 2011 · 1.1k
Misery
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
I have found that
   misery
      loves alcohol
 with its company
Dec 2011 · 1.7k
Neverland
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
In you
I again discovered
the youth of
Peter Pan
(c)
Dec 2011 · 1.1k
Band-Aid
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
Apologetic kisses
exploding
on my face
were gone
  by
    morning
Dec 2011 · 542
Virginia
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
Only in memory
Does your smile
Beat back darker times
For my grandmother the poet.

(c)
Dec 2011 · 2.4k
Dusk
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
The swift approach of dusk
found home in my hair
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
Mine is barbed with honey covered tips
imploring bees to visit frequently
A laugh you can see
Made completely of cotton candy
Eyes that shine green in the morning
like the meeting place for social frogs
on a moss covered pond
It is tall, taller than most
handsome, but not dark
no, it is full of light
bursting into comets
burning off to uncharted planets
It dances in the rain out of spite
not for the rain, but for haters of rain
The Universe signs rain checks
over to it in cash
It wears moxie on its sleeve
needing no reprieve
from anything
             Standing naked at the North Pole
begging for more snow
and when it sleeps
                         it dreams in black and white
so it smiles bigger when it wakes up
There are no obstacles
  just road construction with one lane open
  and it speeds in that lane
  It doesn't measure in inches or feet
  it measures in happiness
  always picking sweet over un-sweet
  when drinking tea
  It is a wonder
  it chooses to live inside me
with everything human
hanging from me like a windless kite
but man, when it takes the wheel
there's no describing the energy I feel
It's a diving catch in the big game “crazy”
I'm a paper airplane with an engine
that never wants to land
Dec 2011 · 526
Yestertime
Jack Piatt Dec 2011
Exploratory dives into yestertime,
rare finds, ancient wines soaking revery
Yestertime - (yes, I made it up)
Nov 2011 · 493
How's your heart
Jack Piatt Nov 2011
How’s your heart my dear?
Can we even start from here
I’m not sure if you’re even real
But willing to deal …
I am
If you throw in your hand
We can make this stand
As one
We can beat this drum
As we walk away from
Every bad day
Piled and burning like stacks of hay
Behind us
Nov 2011 · 1.5k
Silliness
Jack Piatt Nov 2011
We are surrounded by silliness.
Don't make it obvious, but look over your left shoulder.
Slowly.
There, not feet from your face sits silliness.
Something silly breeding and FedExing its brood
to the best and brightest corners of the earth,
ensuring equal part shadow for every ray of shine.
If you find yourself disbelieving, please turn on your Television set
and flip (at your own risk) through the charmless channels
hovering enigmatically inside Mr. Pixel the “Babysitter.”
“Reality” shows, as if we weren't neck deep in enough reality
for a thousand years worth of open bars,
lamenting on how seriously, serious this soiree of sorts seems to be,
neighbored by celebrity rehab shows,
housewives from all over the country
desperately seeking attention
and augmentation
or attention to their various augmentations,
  divorce courts with quirky judges,
pawn shops in the ghetto with true grit, or is it true **** …
hard to say but they have attitude!
The endless scripts pour into HollyWeird from somewhere far, far away
from anything vaguely resembling reality …
a little place called – the Jersey Shore.
(Wait did he say scripts?) But ...

Ah, hell, it needs no description or justification,
in the land of the Super Silly,
it is the trophy wife of King Silly Bo Billy himself.
And no more time to waste on silliness wrapped neatly in a magic tube.
No, no, silliness is loose, running amok through the streets,
jumping with it's eyes closed on your neighbor Ricky's industrial size trampoline.
(Ricky only lost one of his nine children  last year to “roof to trampoline” diving)
tragic, yet the other eight get a little more tuna casserole on Wednesdays.
Silliness is fearless. It charges helmet-less into oncoming traffic
singing Christmas jingles in Latin,  
mid-February with no regard to Lincoln
or the people he is said to have helped liberate.
It defies logic, gravity, good intention or worst (best) of all – common sense.
You will find it in every church no matter the dogma.
Every court room, police station, financial institution, school, university,
tall building with more glass than steel …
yes, silliness grows there like mold in a dingy basement
overpopulated with sprickets.

Silliness is a disease.

Not to be confused with silly smiles and clowns at the circus.
This is not the silliness of your youth, but the silliness of adults
who have sold their love of the moment
and lust for life for the deadly elixir of conformity.
Conditioned by an unrelenting tidal wave of negative energy
and condemnation, they sign their death certificates long before they die.
Dreams and happiness are replaced with life insurance policies,
401k's and 403b's. In this lies the silliness.
As the masses line up one by one at the top of the cliff
and follow in suit as the jumping begins.
Into the abyss they leap, medical and dental plan in one hand
and neatly mowed lawn in the other.
As the happy children play to their parents dismay,
the merry-go-round spins blissfully around
as daddy slowly drowns.
Nov 2011 · 1.1k
Guitar strings
Jack Piatt Nov 2011
Guitar strings
bend in my ears
eyes closed
connecting
feeling someone
else’s passion
drip to the floor
like sweat
from a brow
that has worked
for something …
in that I find peace
… peace
that passion
is alive and well
thriving
at least
in somebody’s
heart
and I thank them
for that peace
… that piece
of them
I’m absorbed in
even for ten
seconds of time
It’s enough
to ease my mind
for a lifetime
and back
again
only a friend
gives that
kind of gift
so I need
to find a way
to give back
so take this
as an I O U
passion brewing
from me
to you
whoever you are
bending those
strings
with passion
Nov 2011 · 2.0k
Surfer Girl
Jack Piatt Nov 2011
Lifetimes
She was mine
Lost and devine
Unearthing sublime
Inside
All the time
Our love was nuclear
And is
Lovers, foes and friends
My student
My pride
My weakness
My place to hide
The inevitable slide
Every time
I won’t sign to realize
It’s not mine
To decide
I cannot get her
To the other side
Despite my pride
And plans I devise
She rides out
On the morning tide
Everyday
Without me
Nov 2011 · 613
Glimpse
Jack Piatt Nov 2011
First time I saw you
A glimpse of a heaven
I don’t even believe in
But I did then
How extraordinary
you are
You left a scar
On my heart
Reminding me
With every beat
How sweet
This world
Can be
With you
In it
Oct 2011 · 948
Beacon
Jack Piatt Oct 2011
All this sinking
Boats bashing into shore
No light blinking
What’s this beacon for?
If not to allow safe passage
If no mercy rests in their eyes
Then we turn and sail
To sea-filled horizon
And look back only once
With salt laden scorn
Oct 2011 · 842
Simplicity
Jack Piatt Oct 2011
I'm not a product
I'm an abduct
E
To not be
or be
It's not a question
it's a statement
get the ****
out of the basement
become your own
replacement
don't run
face it
learn to embrace it
there's no wrong
or right
there's just tonight
if you don't fight
for the moment
then you're a prisoner
to the past

or you live too fast
on fast forward
to the future
then you have
no culture
no identity
just a picture
in an album
from the 80's
you know it's crazy
so stop the madness
eject the sadness
open the door
to a new
consciousness
and in this
lies bliss
like an ******
incense stick
left burning
in your brain
one step closer
to sane
runaway
if you want
but you'll be back
this life is a circle
like a High School track
one day you'll
realize to stop
running around
and just sit down
on the bleachers
and soak it all in
that's the only way
to win
stop playing
start saying
goodbye to the lies
then blink blink
open your eyes
to finally
realize
it's all
a disguise
for how simple
it all
really is
Oct 2011 · 826
The horizontal stew
Jack Piatt Oct 2011
Don’t soon forget
the rest of it
the beginning
and end
of you
the through
and through
of Timbuktu
out there
in the view
the horizontal
stew
the west
of here
the left of fear
beating the
drum of your ear
louder
and louder
near and dear
to your heart
of hearts
the dart
that missed
the eye
of the bull
full of everything
but soul
and now …
a mess
left
festering
feverish
and fit
to tie
released
to die
on it’s
own accord
fall on the
sword
of irony
spitting venom
at tyranny
till the stars
consume
what’s left
of the black
mighty night
goodnight
my love
… goodnight
Oct 2011 · 563
Hole in the wall
Jack Piatt Oct 2011
Somehow these rooms work for me
Empty as they are
  A reminder of coming and going
Somewhere to go
To be
Someone is leaving
It could be me

It’s late fall outside
But winter in here

Summer has yet to be designed
There will be no time
For spring
Or the cleaning it suggests

Solitary nails cling
To picture-less walls
Waiting for new tenants
To hang in display

But why should they wait?
Maybe I should take them
               With me
Oct 2011 · 637
Probably?
Jack Piatt Oct 2011
I don’t deal with probably
Only certainty
I roll deep with clarity
Vision inspires me
A full scope
I carry knot-free rope
Soft undertones
Whispered into wanting ears
Come here
Let’s get near and dear
Eject fear
From this plane
Flying through a mountain-less range
Strange
But sane is in
So we pretend
To recommend
This life
Curiously prescribed
Time after time
Subconscious suicide
Don’t **** on my passion
I’m vice versatile
Naked is the only fashion
True to itself
Time and again
Retrosexual
Easy to fit in skin
One size fits all
Short or tall
Spring or fall
Tis the season
To be happy
Don’t need a reason
If I did then slap me
Look around
One million reasons why
Staring us right in the eye
Every morning
Afternoon
And night
Calmly declaring
Everything is right
Everything is right
Oct 2011 · 606
My Brain and Heart
Jack Piatt Oct 2011
My brain and heart
Would fist fight
Night after night
If they had fists
As they lobby
For this
And that
One wears
A hat
The other
Lives on a sleeve
One wants
The other needs
It’s rare they agree
Or so it seems
Even though one
Affects the other
Can’t have the lightning
Without the thunder
So they say anyway
Probably in a country song
But whether they get along
Or not
Matters not
Because I need them both
They create balance
a new found necessity
As I am continually
Walking the high beam
Living dangerously
But with that comes
Possibility
And dwelling there
I am free
To see
Opportunity
Staring back at me
coyly
with a “come get me”
grin
that says
“where have you been
for so long?
Let's you and I write a song”
One that will be here
long after I'm gone
As the wind blows on
and on and on
Oct 2011 · 1.5k
The Fence
Jack Piatt Oct 2011
Robbing me of holidays
Time shares left in the bottom drawer
Hiding behind confusion
lives colliding
Head on in the present
Riding the fence
Occasionally climbing down
To my side
To play for awhile
Trade a few smiles
Until you are beckoned back
How it kills me when you disappear
Somewhere over there
In another world
It seems like years
Yet then you appear
A reluctant wave
To let me know you’re still there
Overpowering any semblance of restraint
In a treasonous act
My hand gestures back
Then I look at my grass
And start to question its green
Your eyes catch mine
With a soft, subtle charm
You whisper with the wind
You mean me no harm
Despite all my confusion and doubt
I believe everything
That never leaves your mouth
and I lay back in my grass
hands behind my head
stars winking at me
soothing my soul
waiting patiently
if only you would
climb down from that fence
but this time for good
Oct 2011 · 525
Tired
Jack Piatt Oct 2011
Answers already inside me
Guess I’ve been digging in the wrong place
Fortunes lost and the years have forgot them
A tiny place somehow still breathing on the inside
No more nights alone …
No … this time we’ll add the day
All this walking with no purpose
Seems I’m dragging the feet of my youth
And all I wanted was some truth
A place to call my own
A world that left me alone
A pair of eyes I could hide in from time to time
And maybe there I could find
Something I’ve left behind
Something I can’t seem to re-create
A feeling surpassing all feeling
A longing to dance with this life
To be bold and even take the lead
This is where I want to be
These are the things I need

- Jack Piatt
Oct 2011 · 715
Perception
Jack Piatt Oct 2011
These days pass
         at Zeppelin pace
         I wonder about the sea
         what's down deep beneath
          have you ever looked at a tree
         an old, almost ancient tree
         and thought of roots ...
         followed the roots down
         until you are above ground
        somewhere far more foreign
         than anywhere here
         and what blossoms
        opposite the roots
         confounds you
         you wake up sweaty
         a hundred years older
         but not a day
         shows on your face
         not a single trace
         of travel
         yet you know
         you've gone
         Moving on is hard
         at first
         cause you cling
         cling, to the dream
         or what you surrender
         to your mind is a dream
         and you're back
         back to the task
          whatever it may be
         but 20 leagues below
        the sea of your soul
        you remain confounded
        at what blossoms
         below the roots we
         see as trees
         and for a second
         here where we
         capture time
         and make it march
        we see ourselves
        scattered like atoms
        on a cosmic beach
        winking at stars
        who watch us shine
         below

       By: Jack Piatt
Oct 2011 · 765
City of Fallen Angels
Jack Piatt Oct 2011
So this is goodbye again
My fickle friend
You were hard to live in
At times
Others like the moon
Surrounded by stars
people and cars
Everywhere
A hum hanging
In the air
A chaotic symphony
Swooping like blind spirits
Through streets and hair
And I left you there
Behind me
Staring eagerly after me
As if a toy
Fled your playpen
And you want it back
To parade me around
Manipulate, twist and bend
Toss playfully into the wind
Caring not
Where I land
Just another speck of sand
On your overcrowded beach
Yet still within reach
A pawn without a Queen
Just a wasteful tyrant King
Waiting for the East to bring
Your next crop
Of starry eyes
And hungry hearts
Actors hands out for their parts
But I’ll sneak out in the dark
As the ghetto birds hover
Over dogs that love to bark
And then I’ll finally be free
And when your highways
Wake you in the morning
I find it funny
You won’t even miss me

- Jack Piatt
Oct 2011 · 3.1k
Playground
Jack Piatt Oct 2011
Running and laughing
  As if
A fearless schoolgirl
Climbing through my mind
A playground for her games
My heart
  Wet leaves below her feet
  The veins bleed crimson into muddy puddles
As my feelings bubble to the surface
Unnoticed by the towering eyes above
The bell rings and she leaves me again
Nothing but lonely echoes of laughter
Shadowed smiles hidden behind a darkened stage
Waiting for the curtains to rise once more
One more show
As the actors take their places
The bell bites into awaiting eardrums
Feet pound and patter the ground
Jump ropes and monkey bars
Bouncing ***** and frisbees scraping gravel
Laughter fills my head like an aquarium
Tiny fish swim by oblivious
Completely unaware of my sponge-like brain
Retaining water
Slowly quieting
Drowning inside the water-filled glass cage
At last
        Thoughtless
Bubbles rise from deep below
As my heart pumps air and blood to my lifeless brain
All the while she climbs
And laughs
Playing so innocently
Yet intently
Absolutely ignorant to her power
Not realizing as she stares across the chess board
That her opponent’s brain has stopped
And he is now playing with his heart
Now easy prey
Young, injured, or old
Take your pick
He is the scent of blood to a hungry shark
In her child-like mind she continues to play
Still not sure as to the extent of the challenge
A blaring bell sounds off in the distance
One more day’s reprieve
The footsteps and the laughter subside
The curtains fall together
The stage again grows dark
The aquarium is quiet
My heart beats double time
Waiting until tomorrow
Waiting for her hands to begin the climb
Staring at my pieces on the board
Knowing I’m in check
Just waiting for
The mate
(c)

— The End —