Some days ripen
heavy with fruit

you can reach the lower branches
and fill your basket

you can eat the flesh
juice down your chin

and laughter can follow you
deep into the summer nights.

I am not Atlas.
I can’t carry the weight the world on my back,
Watching from below as
symphonies become sorrows
And hopes become hopeless.
As hearts stop beating despite the flowing
Of blood through the veins along scarred wrists.
And bones fracture after words stab into
Discarded bodies with lifeless heads.
And maybe Atlas didn’t have this problem.
Maybe Atlas could bend his knees,
Perhaps they were sculpted to shift that way
But, even if I wished upon the brightest star
My knees would not bend at the hands of chaos.

Trust is like a flower;
Every time you break it
You rip off a petal and stamp it into the concrete

Trust is like a butterfly;
Every time you betray it
You break a wing and render it flightless

Trust is like a brick wall;
Every time you crush it
You chip away at the cement
You knock out the cornerstone

I still have petals
I still have wings
I still have mortar
I still have bricks
And here I stand
Albeit unsteady
But I am ready
Yes, I am ready.

Darling, have we reached perfection?
The pinnacle, the peak
Our hearts and minds fully aligned
No need to utter a word to be heard

Darling, can I call you mine?
Your name, eternally on my lips
Satisfied each day with your presence
I'll guard your heart from pain

Darling, can I be your lover?
It began with a touch of your hand
Now I'm aroused by the rest of you
Continuing to quench desires thirst

Darling, how can I resist your beauty?
Your eyes, they smile at me, I'm crushed
Lips of silk, work their magic
Hypnotic curves, lead me astray

Darling, can you stay?
With me till my last breath
Our story, it's not yet finished ...

... Darling, can you stay?