What if,
with the softness of the velvet belly of a falling flower petal
landing gently on a cracked windowsill
love is what is brushing your hair back from your cheek
and even
giggles
in the dark,
smiling at you even when you can't see it?

Among wretched hearts
and with gnashing of teeth-
no, I don't know why I can't fall asleep
I'm twisted in sheets
aching for love
knowing no one will come for me.

Halloween is the one time of the year
all the ghouls and demons and ***** creatures
can come out to play.

No one glances at the
bulging eyes or wild horns
as the kids play
among former beings of the night.

In the early dusk evenings
among cracking leaves
sounding like flames licking neighborhood streets,
I see peace in the flickering eyes of a
children's jack o' lantern,
not startled by
the ghost I am
as I slip by.

I crave the days
when frost kisses my toes through my boots
and the few leaves left on trees
flutter down to
crunch, deliciously,
under my feet.

I miss the memories of
leaning into the wind,
letting it fill the gaps in my coat and
thinking, just maybe, I could fly.

Hot sips of drinks
between my lips,
filling my throat and lungs
with a warmth irreplaceable.

A season of change, but of calming
of settling into ones skin
metamorphosis and yet
simple enjoyment
of all the little things.

Don't forget the coffee you left brewing as you rush out the door,
don't forget to glance at the sunrise driving down the highway
don't miss the smell of the tulips and
bright marigolds outside your door;
fall will come before you know it
and frost will cover the ground

I'll drink it when I get there,
I'll take a picture and look at it later
I'll light a candle and
paint a picture
tomorrow,
this weekend,
when I have time.

Don't postpone your life in the pursuit of a dream,
as sweet as it may be
that could be ended tomorrow.

Something as simple as
a coffee,
a stranger's smile,
a moment to breathe amidst the colors of the sunset
as it dances beautifully
just for you.

Enjoy today,
for just what it is,
so you may always have something to wake up for.

All I want is to be held, be loved - to be seen
Is that too much to ask?

Is some part of me so bright? Anyone who looks
turns away with closed eyes.

Like an eclipse, I am as lonely as the moon
never loved as I love.

I reach out with empty palms, grasping, waiting, and
find an emptier heart.

When you finally make it
to the height of your dreams
and it is just as bland, flawed, and tedious
as they all said it would be
and it is perfect.

My joy is not born from
all the highlighted phrases and favorite moments
but instead grows in
all the space in between.