I have become all that I am
Bowing no more

A letter from the dog
I appreciate you taking time to read this
I'm not gonna keep you long
There's just some things I need to say now please don't take this wrong
But have you ever thought about how it feels
to have a finger shook in your face and hear "Go on!"
I'll bet the enemy was treated better by the likes of Genghis Kahn
And then it's "get over here and eat!
Or "Now go on and lay down!"
You're really gonna use me, to throw your weight around?
And what's with making me stay outside
I'm not that bad you know
Here's an idea we'll flip a coin, if it's heads I win, you go!
You brought me here to live with you
I didn't bring you to live with me
Good thing too cause I'd put your *** outside
and ask "how you like that heat?"
Man the only thing I'm guilty of
Is trying to love on you
You act like I run around here plotting some evil household coup !
I'm not here to try to run things
You're the king here that's just fine
But please king, be on about your day, do your job, let me do mine
If someone's passing by the house
Man it's my job to bark
They can't be walking all across our grass, like our yards a frickin park
That nasty attitude of yours
Makes me wonder "what in the world?"
But I know what's up and I won't say a word, truth is, you need a girl
Well buy one, try one, hire one
Hell go down and rent one chief
But do it fast, I'm begging you cause I got to have some relief
You're just so jumbled up inside
You got zip for self esteem
Talking all that BS bout "I'm livin' the dream"
The problems all inside your head
I mean that's crystal clear
Speaking of, I've got to say, I've seen better heads on a mug of beer  :~
So why just yell and point your finger
Why not kick me too
You should be ashamed picking on a dog cause your life is all askew
Another thing, I like steak too
How bout a bite for me
I'll trade you your plate for my bowl, YOU eat the pedigree
You eat that steak all by yourself
You sit there all alone
Well don't be so tight mon lean cuisine, throw the dog a bone!
I'm not sayin' the pedigree is bad
In fact it reminds me a lot of love
At least it does when it comes out, that's when it chokes me up
And would you mind not coming home so drunk
I hate you all like that
Last night you took my food bowl, and wore it for a hat!
I'm gonna leave you alone now
But I'll be down here on the floor
And I'll be waiting for you, next time I hear the door
Truth is I'll never leave you
I'll always be here cause in the end
Mine is the love you can be sure of
Sincerely
Mans best friend

Beneath the signature of madness
A myriad of things are born
When eyes meet, when everything else is irrelevant
When all we know is that if we're not right next to one another
our next breath won't come
If it were to pour down rain on us right now
we'd smile standing in that rain
The world is laughable right now
because nothing else matters but how we feel
Rules are ignored with reckless abandon
rules about having to work tomorrow
Rules about a phone call we were supposed to make
about things that needed doing
Rules about someone who needed a ride home
but will now have to find another one
It's so insane that you plan for things like this
You have friends set you up on blind dates
or you have dinner with someone
You plan days or even weeks ahead
You buy special clothes for the special occasion
You buy special gifts for the special occasion
and that special occasion is just .. not that special
Then there you are walking down the street
or riding on a bus
or shopping in the market
or visiting a friend
or at the office Christmas party
just minding your own life and then
There it is
Out of nowhere, crazier still is this
You know it's crazy
You can hear every logical person in your life asking
"what are you doing?"
In your heart you can feel every one of their eyes locked onto you Watching you
You don't need to be told
with every passing second you're more aware of how absurd it is
And yet
Try as you might
You just can't seem to care about any of that
you're too busy being lost inside of someones eyes
And most comfortably I might add
It's in their eyes, but it's not just their eyes
It's the way they use their eyes
The way they look at you, or through you
It's the way they stand, it's their body, it's their accent when they speak
It's the unbelievable way that even though you're no where near them  
They're touching you, you can feel them
The heat is unbearable
you don't know when
you don't know where
you don't know how
But you DO know SOON
it's going to be soon
You stare at them
and in your mind you see a leopard
You see a leopard crouched in the grass watching a herd of gazelle
And you understand now just how that leopard feels
They know how the gazelle feels and .. they're enjoying it
It's perfect
It has both predator
And prey
Your heart pounds in your head
Your pulse quickens
Suddenly
You're startled as the cab driver leans over and yells out to you
"You gettin' in or what?"
You shake your head a few times to clear it, "yes, yes I'm getting in"
"I'm sorry .. I was lost in thought"
You give the driver an address
Turn your head to look out the window into the rain as they pull away
smile softly and say to yourself
"I'll find you"

There's an ice storm in my brain,
        my thoughts
                     are sliding
                out of control,
         there's a fire in my chest,
                        making ashes
          of what's left of
                     my soul.

Yesterday
My feet were molded by water
They flew against the ground
Like slick rocks hungry for purpose
Amidst an endless sea

Yesterday
The leaves were red and yellow
They patted my cheeks as they cascaded
The wind caught their crevices and tugged down
Designing a waterfall over my head

Yesterday
There rushed tender currents.

But today
I walk with closed eyes.

Today
The tide carries pain down my chest
Sews my lids shut with thin thread
It's alright
The leaves will be brown if my eyes open now

Today
The ocean seeps through thin lashes
Rivers drip against sandy skin
I clip the bridges woven onto my eyes and see
A sea embroidered with tumbling mirrors

*Now
I'm drenched free,
soaked with waves of me.

Still fresh
    with that "popping" sound
Not yet throwing
     that dreaded "L" word around
   Starting to fall
         but having fun going down
        
First taste,
     a different kind of feeling
Going slow
          not yet hoping
or dreading
      Just beginning to notice all
           the little things
  Too soon for deeper meanings

      It's all still so new to me
but just recently...
         I had a glimpse of chivalry,
    opening doors and carrying bags
      Actual, honest to goodness, decency!
        Very pleasantly
             surprising....

Sometimes

       All of this

           Sanity

   Just makes

            Me

       Go **Insane

Thank God*

        For

     *Humility,

             without
                    it

            I would
        be

             Proud.