If you look back can you remember
Can you remember what it was like
When you looked out over the ocean
And it looked like more than a compilation of questions
Can you remember when we could see past the horizon
And the air in our lungs tasted fresh
Can you remember when promises were like death sentences
When secrets were ties stronger than blood
If this is growing up I’ll keep holding my breath
Can you remember when guardian angels
Were nothing more than a nightlight
And the sound of the tv downstairs
Can you remember when it started to rain
But we didn’t associate it with dreams covering 654 miles
It was the key to the closet where we hid happiness
Can you remember what its like to measure time in minutes
And not in paychecks or homework assignments
Can you remember the exact moment when we lost ourselves
Living our lives to satisfy people we’ll never meet
*~W.C.

I spent the month of November living in the spine of a whale that washed up on shore
The only thing that kept me sane was the sound of the waves rolling across the beach
And only because it sounded like my fingers trailing across your bare skin or your lips against mine
I kept a fire burning just to stay warm
It laughed at me the whole time I sat across from it shivering
And it reminded me of how you would always laugh at me when I couldn’t keep myself from shaking
I hope your muscles are thinning out and the tremors haunt you now
There was an old lighthouse a few miles up the shore where I spent most of my time
I think the light at the top had a faulty connection somewhere
Because it flickered off and on at what seemed like irregular intervals
Truth is it reminded me of the way you used to smile at me
There must be a faulty connection somewhere among your synapses too
*~W.C.

I’ve been on this train for God knows how long
And the river beside us never seems to end
The sky has been bruised for the last seventeen hours
Honestly I don’t know what to make of it anymore
Smoke hangs in each of our lungs
The windows are all locked
They offer no relief
All I can do anymore is sleep and dream
To me that is enough because I see her there
She wears a little white dress that stops just above her knees
Dancing ankle deep in a lake I’ve never been to
A tiara made from white roses sits delicately on her head
The contrast of the flowers and her soft red hair is striking
She smiles and holds her hand out to me
I want to go out to her
To take her in my arms and hold her
But I know I will stumble and wake again
As it has been every time before
For now seeing her has to be enough
*~W.C.

Antarctica is just a hotel room that we passed sometime late last week
This highway only has a handful of exits but we don’t know where we’re going
And for some reason we’ve been measuring everything in heartbeats
It tears me apart because I would rather measure you in kisses
Confined to the hospital bed in the backseat I’ve never known such helplessness
Your smile lights the way but there is nothing to see except these blank white walls
I know what I want and thats a small victory in and of itself
But warm beds have always eluded me and the wings meant to bring you to me keep disappearing
They keep me tied down and I wonder if its because they think I’ll hurt myself again
I didn’t know any better and they never bothered to teach me
My father never warned me about the ocean
He never spoke to me of the currents
So how was I to know the real danger was hidden under the surface
My mother never warned me about the forest
She never spoke to me of the depths
So how was I to know the real danger was in my lack of direction
Now I just stare into coffee cups because they remind me of my mistakes I think it must be the smell
I had hoped they were just being careless but maybe it was me after all
*~W.C.

Do you ever get stuck on someones physical appearance
To the point where you can't get past one of their features
Its just so eye catching and no matter what you can't help but focus
On this one aspect of them that shouldn't really matter so much
When you talk to them you find yourself fixated
Eyes drawn to whatever it is that calls for your attention
You see I only ask because I am having this very problem
I adore her to no end but I simply can't get past her eyes
They're just so beautiful
*~W.C.

You have to be careful of what you touch
Everything you ever lay your hands on
Will forever remember the way you held it
Until it fades away into the dust that it came from
The pen will remember how you held it between your fingers
How much pressure you put on it when you wrote her a love letter
Her doorbell will always remember the way your hand shook
The day you took her out for the first time
The passenger side door handle will remember
How your hand was slick with sweat when you tried to open it for her
The fork and knife you used to cut your steak that night
Will remember how you fumbled with them because you were so nervous
The steering wheel will remember how tightly you held it
As you drove her back to her house after dinner
They will always remember every detail of your touch
So think twice before you reach out to her and take her hand
Because when you touch her your fingerprints aren’t only left on the surface
They will sink below the surface of her skin and seep into her blood stream
They will course through her entire body
And just like the pen she will never forget the way you touched her
*~W.C.

All thats left are these shadows on my bones
The glass doesn’t cover your photograph like it used to
You’re not some precious protected memory anymore
Barely more than a raindrop on the window pane
You were the ghost on the other end of the phone
The bullet in the chamber inches away from the barrel
And the odds against the both of us
Despite all of this we both held on for so long
You taught me that its called a death grip because when you finally let go
There is a piece of you that departs with her
All thats left are these shadows on my bones
From where you held on too tightly when it was time to go
*~W.C.