Five fingers, a palm
Rough texture
Yet, soothing calm
Diligent, precise
Your heated touch
My body's paradise

© JL Smith

THOUSANDS of faces from morning 'till dusk
The familiar, the strange
Over YOURS, I still lust

© JL Smith

Oh, how the echoes of your voice
Wake the terrors of my mind

Perturbed by deafening volume
Ceaseless in passing time

Subdued conscience
Manipulation at its prime

Questioning validity
Was I guilty of the crime?

Hush these demons, now
The evils mimicking the mime

Grasp that's what the wicked do
Attempt to create themselves within you

© JL Smith

Left out or left behind
In your shadow every time

Watched from afar
The praise you received

Admired you
And what you achieved

Your name well-known
Among our peers

Mine forgotten
Year after year

Relentless pursuit
Your path I followed

A hand-me-down
Everything borrowed

Sought your approval
Constantly dismissed

Realization in time
As I now reminisce

So similar to the eye
Yet worlds apart inside

I stopped being you
My first sense of pride

Earning recognition
Embracing my own strengths

Not ashamed of my weakness
Hope kept at arm's length

I've gained your respect
I know now it's not needed

Who I am, I always was
My own approval exceeded

© JL Smith

And most won't get it
Some never do
But it wasn't meant for them
This is about you

© JL Smith

YOU AND MY HEART
Questioning the pair

Never saw it coming
And suddenly, it was there

Yesterday you spoke
Smiled as a friend

Today something's different
I can't comprehend

Clouded judgment
Rationality impaired

Loss my train of thought
Feelings undeclared

It beats a little faster
Now that you're near

YOU AND MY HEART
The answer became clear

© JL Smith

Though the SUN chose to sleep
I awoke
With your, "Good morning"
I felt its absent warmth

© JL Smith