She could paint a picture
So beautiful it would make you cry
Even now I wonder why
It was so easy to leave her
Alone
In the blooming garden
She sat behind an easel sketching a rose
Pulling in my book I struck an elegant pose
And hoped she'd glance my way
Instead she floated away
Off into a shady tree
For a moment I sat quietly
Still
Then I too grew and let the artist be
As I swam through the crowd
I felt her fly free
As she let a delicate blade fall across her
Wrists

Today I sat down
To write something beautiful
For you
But I couldn't find the words
And I'm not sure how to say
What it is I want to say
To you

Somewhere I'm sure
Orchids bloom for you
And someday I'm sure
I'll smile when I hear
Your name

Today I sat down
To write something meaningful
For you
But it still didn't come out
Quite right
Its hard to find meaning
When trying to stand afar

Today I sat down
To write a poem
For you
But this is all I got

I nearly crumpled
And threw away
The thought

I love
I hurt
But I hurt those
Who love me
And because they hurt
I hurt just a little more
Too

On the top shelf
In the back of my mind
I keep it in a box
Four aging wooden walls
An oak roof
With a matching floor
There are no windows
Or doors
But from the inside
It can still see
All the world
Through the lens of a keyhole
Sometimes it aches for freedom
I must have lost the key
Other days it feels small
Safe inside a dusty spot
A day will come
It will be free
How far from now
Will you find my key?
(Perhaps an axe would do)
And never again
Should my heart be caged

What would it be like to know
A moment closer, a breath away
For me I’d wonder if Hell awaits
(Overrated, those dented Pearly Gates)

Each bird that flew the breeze
The repertoire of frogs’ delight
A rising moon and setting sun
(Hourglass time is nearly done)

Every smile one less to share
Don’t let the love go to waste
All you love you cannot take
(Close your eyes, enjoy, don’t wake)

Please don’t fear the stage
Applause follows your final bow
Elegant and peaceful, turn the page
(But nothing compares to backstage)

If I could ride the wind
Perhaps I'd understand
Why some paths are lighted
And others hazed in black.

With wings and wisdom guiding
Dim life and dark seem blind
Callous hearts beat gently
To the whispers of flight.

What good is left in knowing?
When you are all alone?
Where does the easy wind go?
Away, a deaf man's harmony.