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.

If you want to train a ghost you must have a subject after which to model the ghost. Find someone who takes your breath away. Maybe it will be that girl who sits across from you on the subway, or it could be a close friend that you've always wanted more from.

Make memories with them. Memories that won’t easily fade. The kind that come to you in the darkest hours of the night. Learn all the little things about them that you possibly can. Every endearing detail and quirk that makes them a unique human being, and love them to your own breaking point. It doesn’t matter if they return your love. Some even argue that its better if they don’t. This way you know that they will be the one to leave you, but thats just a matter of opinion.

Take little pieces of them and stow them away in your pockets. Hide some of those pieces in the music you listened to while you were with them. Take another and put it in the walls and under the floorboards of the places you went together. Stain everything you know with their memory. The best ghost trainers can do all of this without ever speaking a word to their subject.

Eventually they will leave you. It will be quick like when the sun shines through the clouds on a dark day before hiding his face again. There will be no real explanation. Don't you know there is no law for such things? Now the ghost will begin to take shape, and if you have followed each instruction carefully you will never be able to escape.
*~W.C.

There was one moment
That I found to be
Especially surreal
You had just lost your wi-fi (again)
And our call had just reconnected
The picture clarified for just
A single moment no longer
Than two seconds of
A crystal clear image
You had looked away from the screen
Something had caught your
Attention (the kids attaching engines to their bikes or maybe your dad taking the dog back in)
And I saw just how beautiful you are
For just a second I could see how
Vibrant your hair was
Not quite like a fire so much
As the softest of velvet curtains
Even though I think you could
Set fire to the largest of forests with
The greatest of ease
I could see how blue your eyes were
Like the sky but not early in the morning
Rather the dark it turns before
All the light is drained from it
And for the briefest time I saw into your soul
I could see how much you long
To leave like a bird locked in a cage
I could see how finely crafted you are
Like a painters finest work of art
Every cell a skillful brush stroke
In that moment I knew I wanted to kiss you
But I was so acutely aware of the fact that
We were separated by so much time (why do we measure distance in time anyway)
And that I won't have that chance for
What could be as long as months
This all happened in only a few seconds
And when you looked back at me
You smiled and laugh (the sweetest sound I've ever heard)
And in that moment something clicked inside me
I knew I would have to hold you in my arms
And I would have to put my hands on your hips or your face (I haven't decided yet)
Pull you close to me and kiss you
I'll do anything to make that happen
Mark my words little bird someday I will set you free
*~W.C.

No matter what happens
I think I'll always wonder if I'm losing you
Even if we fast forward fifty years and you've been falling asleep in my arms
For the past forty-eight I think I'll still wonder
Its not a matter of me being insecure in myself
More just knowing how absolutely beautiful your insides look
And learning more as we go along I can't help but think
That I can't give you all the things that you deserve
Maybe no one can but that won't stop me from thinking you deserve a better life
I just need you to know that I don't have a lot going for me
You should be aware of the fact that I'm a dreamer and I might not make it
Someday down the line I hope to be able to pay my own bills with my own creations
But right now I am completely incapable of supporting myself never mind someone else
Just don't forget that you mean so much to me
And if things work out for us I want you to know that I'll try my best to keep us from drowning
I'm not going to hesitate to say that I'm scared of the future because I thought I would know more by now
I had hopes that I would be well on my way to feeling ready to settle down somewhere with someone
But the truth is I know nothing about what to do with this life I've been given
Isn't there supposed to be a time when everything clicks and it all starts to make sense
How is it possible that in the very near future I'll be sitting down with my father for a cold beer
But I still have no understanding of how the universe works
One of the last remaining comforting thoughts that I have
Is that we could learn all of this together
Maybe we could teach ourselves how to live
A life filled with satisfaction
If you want
*~W.C.

I discovered something today
In a place by the sea
Where you can hear the waves as they gently kiss the shore
I've been watching the two of them a long time
And I think she only ever leaves him
So she can come back and kiss him 'hello' again
It seems all good and well doesn't it
At first glance most things do
She looks so innocent the way she rushes to his arms
How she softly traces his lips with hers
And then they playfully struggle against each other
When she tries to run back out again
But what you don't see
Is that every time she leaves him
She takes a little piece that he can't replace
Its too small to be measured and you can't see the difference with your eyes
Over the course of time it will take its toll
Someday she will have carved a small hole in his chest
You see this is not just a game
This is how she will preserve her future
She needs a place to hide when the world gets cold
Somewhere she will feel safe and warm
Maybe she has to do this to him because she needs something that feels familiar
Not a strange alien sensation that she has never known before
What if she only runs into his arms to get used to being surrounded by him
Before moving into that empty cavity where his heart used to be
I wonder if she even knows what she is doing
*~W.C.

I've been to all ends of the earth looking for you but you are not direction
I searched the sky for you but you are not a constellation
I looked to the sea but you are not the waves
When I searched the trees I was disappointed by your absence but you are not a bird
I looked under the ground but you are not the roots of the pines
I dissected every line I ever wrote but you are not a collection of words
When I listened to the wind I couldn't help myself and I tried to hear you but you are not a whisper
Screaming in caves creates company but you are not an echo
I gathered a crew and set sail in treacherous weather but you are not a lighthouse
I've heard the floor boards squeak and the walls moan but you are not a house
This car has carried me for ninety five thousand miles but you are not the highway
I climbed to the tops of mountains but you are not a feeling of victory
With thoughts of warmth I struck a match and lit the woods on fire but you are not heat
I stood alone in the night watching the snow fall but you are not the cold
Hundreds of hours spent in the ICU have proven I am sick but you are not the antidote
I melted thousands of renown paintings but you are not inspiration
Millions of scientific advances have been torn apart but you are not understanding
I've searched the words of prophets philosophers and teachers but you are not wisdom
They drew blood from my veins but you are not life
A psychic read my mind but you are not thought
I visited with inventors but you are not an idea
But the day she ripped my heart out of my chest I found you nestled inside safe and sound
And it dawned on me that you are my sunshine
*~W.C.

A letter to Hope;
We'll feed you to
The people but
You will never be
Able to satisfy them

A letter to Joy;
We'll hang you
Over their heads
Just out of reach
Your life won't
Be spared

A letter to Harmony;
They will sing about
You in all of their
Songs but they will never
Know what its like for
You to dwell with them

A letter to Faith;
They will never understand
You because you sit gagged and
Bound in the background
And they will blame you for everything

A letter to Patience;
We'll lock you in a room
filled with ravenous dogs
And we'll let you out
Just a little too late

A letter to Peace;
We will burn you
Before the crowd
And they will cry for
The war that has killed
Our sons and daughters

A letter to the people;
You've murdered everything
That you've ever wanted from
Us we no longer have anything
Left to give
*~W.C.

I watched you rip the wings off angels
And then you smiled at me and asked what was wrong
I watched you pull the demons into your lap
And chain them to your wrists
I watched you climb into your own coffin
But you cried when I wouldn't join you inside
I still don't think you understand why
You put the rope around your neck
And you made a scene when I wouldn't let you
Put one around mine too
You cried when I wouldn't **** myself
To be someone I'm not and you called it love
*~W.C.

I want her for everyday
On the lazy days when we do nothing
On the good days when everything is perfect
On the bad days when the rain clouds form
I want her when she is sad
So I can hold her close and
Wipe away her tears as they flow
Down her lovely face
I want her on the days
She can't contain herself
When she is so loud it could
Split skulls and burst ear drums
I want her on the days
When she's in the best of moods
Loving and tender
Just looking to be adored
I want her on the days
That she doesn't feel wanted
By anyone
Because she means
Everything to me
I want her on the days
When she wants me and
On the days there is breath
Flowing through my lungs
I want her on the days
When all she wants is
To cuddle up next to the fire
And watch her favorite movies
I want her on the days
When she knows she
Can be her
*~W.C.

It's beautiful how
You move your mouth
And vibrate your vocal cords
It's beautiful how
Your lungs expand
Taking in oxygen that
Will soon flow through
Your veins
It's beautiful how
Your heart beats
In your chest with
The promise of life
How it welcomes the
Weary and empowers them
To carry on
It's beautiful how
Your brain sends
Electricity through
Your body each carrying
A wonderfully crafted thought
It's beautiful how
Your joints bend
And twist into the
Most wonderful shapes
It's beautiful how
your lips rise into
A smile and how
Your hips move while
You walk
It's beautiful how
Your eyes flutter
Like a hummingbird
From flower to flower
It's beautiful how
Your skeleton carries
Your skin and shelters
The vital organs inside
It's beautiful how
You're you
*~W.C.

I know what it is to lose someone
I have felt the pain that sinks
Down your throat and settles
In the pit of your stomach
And eats you from the inside
I am familiar with the process
Of suffering and I know your pain
I want you to know that its ok
That you don't want to move on
Just yet and its ok to to spend
Hours at a time crying in the
Darkness of your room
Its ok if you want to hold on
To the memory of your loved
One and don't you ever let
Anyone tell you differently
But remember that there must be
A time when you get back up
And carry on this doesn't mean
That you have to forget them
You don't have to bury them deep
Inside and keep them hidden you
Just have to realize that your life
Isn't over yet and you still have
A full life to live
Dedicate your life to them if thats
What you want to do thats ok too
Just don't forget that time isn't
Going to hold still for you or
Anyone else
But for now its ok that you're
Taking this time to remember the
One you've lost
*~W.C.

Two Souls Apart (Part I)
Two souls met
They fell in love
At the wrong time
The right people
In the wrong place
She was beautiful
Hair gold as the sun
Flaring like wildfire
He was simple enough
An artist with sound
With a wanderers heart
She was never who
She told him she was
Maybe he was never
Completely honest
With her either
They always meant well
And they were so happy
Plans of running away
Far from everyone else
Isolation on an island
Separated by miles of water
Away from judging eyes
But how long could it last
These fairy-tale romances
Just never seem to survive
The cold winters of distance
So they parted ways
Hearts torn into pieces
Plagued by memories
The taste of her lips
Her skin warm and soft
She tried to drown him out
With another in her bed
He screamed his songs
Desperate to be rid of her
She was slowly overwhelmed
So far away from home
He threw himself into the divine
Turning from the sin he held
Becoming a saint of high regard
He found someone new
On the Saint Who Fell for the Sinner (Part II)
He didn't go looking for her
Truth be told she just fell into his life
He was held captive
At the beauty she possessed
Her eyes as spacious as the sky
Deeper than any well of knowledge
So he chased her
She led him through the woods
A deep dark and twisted path
More than once he nearly gave up
But she played him well
She held his attention until he was hopelessly lost
When she felt safe she stopped
The saint wondered at her
Such a fair and beautiful creature
She showed him her scars
Her sins and filthy addictions
Somehow he was not repelled by this
Instead he found himself drawn even more
So he sheltered her fragile soul
Until the day she forgot to maintain her lies
The saint was destroyed at the deception of the sinner
He was driven to madness
The saint searched for comfort
Something to help find the pieces of his shattered heart
To stitch it together again
But he found no cure
No method of healing that would bring him back
In this way the sinner destroyed the saint
Integration (Part III)
He wondered hopelessly for months on end
Searching for peace
All he could find was distractions
Nothing permanent to occupy his time
Functioning was near impossible
Nothing held his interest anymore
He played his songs but was discouraged
Wrote his words but they seemed empty
He could not bring himself back into civilization
He separated himself from all others
As much as he could
He couldn't merge back
Made no connections with any meaning
He was so disconnected
And old memories resurfaced
He found himself longing for her again
For her kiss and her touch
To feel the warmth of her skin again
Her hand holding his so tight
He wondered if she felt the same
The second half of his soul
Evanesce the Island (Part IV)*
Maybe all their plans
Weren't so foolish after all
What if they had known exactly
What they needed to survive
Shouldn't they run away from the world
To set themselves apart
From a cruel and cold world
That they aren't fit for
Let it be just them so far away
From all the rest of the world
Let them do as they please away
From all eyes
Let them love like they were made
On a beach under the sun
Away from these rainy days
That never end
~W.C.