Empty Victory.
Setback.
Opposition.
Unreadiness.
Change.
Triumph.
Refle­ction.
Sorrow.
Persistence.

So I write a
An Ode to a Nap,
Such a silly thing,
I thought was a trap.
So sweetly asked,
Oh how I would insist,
I was quite alright,
No sleep have I missed!

On I would go,
Such a silly boy.
Stubborn and proud,
So lost in my joy,
There is much to see,
The world was so bright,
I can put off resting,
Until later tonight.

How things change,
Now that I'm older,
The bonfire burns now
closer to a smolder,
My desk with files,
My bed so inviting,
I shall rest now,
And later be exciting.

So I find myself,
writing an ode to a nap,
After a long day,
Looking for a gap,
I've made up my mind
To just drop it all,
Warm velvet comfort,
Its the right call.

How so delightful,
A treat before the meal,
Such soft sweet moments,
Such a harmless steal,
A quiet, warm room,
Put a pause on the news,
The world slips away,
As I let myself snooze.

It was your lips I fell in love with first.

The way they curve as you grin and smirk.
Their sweet embrace waking my skin.
The quiver that verberates when
"ooh, i love you" escapes between your moans.
How they explore exotic palete adventures with each bite.

I fall in love with your lips all over again.

Pull the shades.
Lock the door.
Remove the costume.
Discard the mask.
Store the props.
Pull the scenery.
Lower the walls.
Fire the actors.
Sweep the stage.
Lower the lights.
Pour a drink.
Mend the wounds.
Calm the mind.
Silence the heart.
End the day.

I knew it was never going to be simple when I met you,
And frankly I never wanted it to be.
We were both looking for someone to enjoy,
Nothing serious for you and certainly the same for me.

You let me in,
Cautiously at first then more and more every day.
Your lips caressed mine and chains fell away,
And I found myself making room in my heart for you to stay.

I knew that I couldn’t keep you,
That loving you wouldn’t leave me the same,
But I needed to life my life,
And the scars within me were mine to blame.

The World came in and changed us both,
Our time and attention turned away from each other,
Chasing out our own sweet, personal dreams,
I to finish school and you became a loving mother.

Days upon days tumbled over themselves,
Each bringing their own strain and delight,
Although our roles to one another have changed,
You never wanted me out of your loving sight.

I look forward to the days and years to come,
To what journeys life between us brings,
May we always have each other,
As your presence in my life makes my heart sing.

I was too focused when I started to know it was the end.
But something broke within me when I hit SEND.
A door opened within me as I started at the screen.
So many years this door was closed, the hall was unclean.

They were patient and kind when they took me outside.
I nearly stumbled down the stairs, no longer needing to hide.
The tears started to fall, but still I felt myself seize up fast.
Could I finally be free?  Have I finally conquered the past?

In my heart, I ran down that hall, miles to the very last door,
I fumbled for the keys, I heard nothing, not even a snore.
Could he still be alive?  The **** rattled, the lock did not give.
I screamed to him, we are finally there, we could finally live.

In the world I found myself with a vanilla cone in hand,
Staring at the setting sun from a Zestos Ice Cream Stand.
In my heart, I slumped against the door, tears matching my own.
While closing out one journey, another one had grown.

Walls had to be put up inside of me, machines with gears,
Filled my rooms, pushing me forward through the years,
To journey forward to go where I've never gone before,
To finally become the man I needed to be that much more.

But I wait at the door, listening intently for a sound,
To know that I haven't gone too far, that he's coming around,
The man I left behind, who dreamed of love and the stars,
Who wielded fire in his hands, with the passion of the great Mars.

The first crack in the door, I swear I can see through it,
He is worth waiting for, until I know he's okay, I will sit,
Going over our plans and waiting as long as he did for me,
So we can open the doors and enjoy everything that we see.