In my solitude
Lonesome as I age
This is Not a Novel
David Markson is a sage

Susan Darlene Meek
Gentle, patient, true
In my solitude
I give my heart to you

           I truly do.

the heart doesn’t know which sin weighs heavier
the emptiness of absence,
or the guilt of wishing for absence
when presence begins to burn

i stand between the two fears,
unable to step forward,
unable to retreat,
watching love turn into a trembling room
with no doors

jagged slashes of color
a red there
an orange here
sometimes yellow
even if it's not mellow
the painting speaks
in cries and weeps
across the white canvas.
the colors speak
in our tongue
they tease
beckoning a lone soul
closer
closer to be free
they wail they scream
like a lone identity
they reflect all I can't say
what I wish I may
pounding their fists
just for a glimpse
of what I really wish
I could
paint.

don't.
and i mean don't point them out, 
you know what i'm talking about.

time's up. 
you can stop looking now, 
i promise you there's a better view. 

stop.
don't touch them, don't touch me, 
they're not braille nor are you blind.

shut up. 
not a word comes out of that nasty mouth, 
you don't care so stop acting like it. 

no. 
i will not be answering questions, 
my past is not your business. 

quit.
i hear you whispering about them, 
is every detail really that important?

yes. 
some are fresh, some are old, 
i told you to stop. 

please stop.

This...
The shaking of a reed
The movement of the water
The flicking of a flame.

This...
The crying of a child
The weariness of the labourer
The burning skin from the sun.

This...
The racking pain of guilt
The salty tears of loneliness
The swan song of past glories.

This...
The masks of complacency
The contracts of acceptance
The closing of the mind.

This...
The continuing saga
The words that fill the pages
The lot in life we all share.

i stare into
your sapphire eyes,
communicating your true feelings
without truly
speaking.

they tell me everything i need to know,
what you really think.
about everyone,
the world,
about me.

...

i stare into
your sapphire eyes,
they stopped talking awhile ago.
you've gone completely
numb.