Phases of faces, captured moments and instances
I pass by, so swiftly, so fleetingly
Caught in the crossroads of paradigms and decisions
I stood paralyzed, terrified.

I meet intense eyes that bore through me, knowing me, knowing us
A smile as warm as the sun that has the power to melt me
Your presence is strong, comforting…strong, unsettling…strong, terrifying
You have me without even trying, you mesmerize me.

You bring me to my knees with a sigh,
you can crush me with a word.
You can bring me to bliss with a touch,
you can bring me to ecstasy with a kiss.

You command me with a whisper, I am drawn to you
You break down my china walls, one by one
You undress my layers of failed expectations
Of shattered dreams, and broken hearts

I stand before you, naked, vulnerable
I look away, not bearing for you to see
My helplessness, my hopelessness
All my imperfections, my fears, my desires.

You wipe my tears away, and kiss my bitterness away
And yet the fear descends on me…I’ve been here before
Fear of hurt, of betrayal, of disappointment
Fear that this is all an illusion…or perhaps just my delusion

And so I put on a smile, cool and composed
Hide behind my fast-paced life, run far away from you
Going so fast, so fast…so I won’t think, I won’t feel
Until I fall, exhausted, to sleep a dreamless sleep

I need the noise, the meaningless clanging
For in silence, the longing creeps in…
To be in your arms, just us and nothing else…
Nothing but warmth and the sound of our hearts beating.

So I welcome the numbness, welcome the pain
Punish myself for the choice I’ve made in my weakness
Someday I will find my happiness, someday I will find my strength
Somehow…I will find you again.

You're a beautiful mystery clad in gorgeous enigma.
You're poetry that looks good in a skirt.

There's an orchestra on your tongue, playing the sound of your voice like a melody I can't forget,
matching the tempo of the drums in my heart
and the broken strings of my violin compliments.

You are a notebook, a yearbook, a sketchbook, a burn book,
every facet of you written in swirling cursive,
rhymes and famous signatures snaking between cinnamon hair and cleverness.

You are a pen running out of ink,
bleeding dry in Barnes and  Noble Moleskin journals,
but that's okay because I have more ink,
and you can borrow whatever you want from me--
store it in the heart you stole if you're bored enough to hunt my words for the pieces.
You have the key already.

You're the first dream of the boy too scared of nightmares to sleep again.

You are the taste of honey and cigarettes on the lips of the first girl that boy ever kissed,
because she was a rebel and he needed a hero
who wore boots instead of Mary-Janes
and band t-shirts instead of blouses.

You are the rose he drew when he was bored,
an outline with potential,
mysterious, entrancing, incomplete,
not yet ablaze with the red of desire
because he was never good at finishing things.
You are a dictionary. Your picture isn't just under "beautiful."
It's under "dangerous" and "witty" and "myth"
because Medusa bowed at your feet next to James Bond and Edgar Allan Poe,
and you're too good to be true anyways.

You are a poem, a telltale heart beating inside a lesson in vengeance,
temporary only because nothing gold can stay.
You've walked past where the sidewalk ends (certainly the road less traveled by)
and come back far more darling than any buds of May.

(You are the paperback novel he read under the covers,
the flashlight only bright enough to show paragraphs,
and every new page unique in shape and form
while the text remains the same.

You are the raw words read aloud by the daring poet,
standing beneath midnight moon,
the power of the throne,
the breath of a whispered promise falling upon the ear,
the warmth of kisses on the cheek,
the passion of all hope there ever was in trust and truth.

You are the fire in lightning,
the sparkle in the snow and the glitter in the rain,
the fierceness of the wind and the gentle, soothing peace,
the blazing chill of winter and the roar of summer's heat.)

But you're still a mystery.
A beautiful,
beautiful
mystery.

I sit here locked behind concrete walls
With bars on the windows and 15 minute call
Even though I won't be here long
I find myself asking where did I go wrong
I have to put my life on the right track
Or I'll find myself coming right back
I feel my light inside start to dim and fade
I feel so alone I am afraid
I'm fearful that I'll fail on the gates other side
Parts of me wants to stay behind these walls and hide
I'm scared that I'l disappoint the people I Love
And be a disgrace to my God watching me from above
All I ever wanted was to find a little happiness
Never thought I'd turn to drugs to find my bliss
From here I don't know where to go or how to get there
I don't really know anymore if I even care
I know deep down inside I still have a little hope
And I pray once released its not eaten alive by the dope

I have cleared up the mess
and packed up the guilt,
I have put regret back on the shelf.

I have made some space,
Cleared out some old thoughts,
I have thrown away a habit
And shooed out some ghosts

I took some old memories and cut the ties
I wrapped them up and put them in a box up high

I found love there and dusted it off,
I found happiness and caring,
and I found a future.
And I kept them.

I opened a window to let in the light.

This space is not new,
But I've cleared it out now,
For you

All the pain just pumps through
Every last capillary, artery and vein
Night and day it builds and clots
I can no longer endure this pain

My heart pumps faster and faster
As if I'm doing a serious of sprints
Each pump feels like a drum beat
Each pump makes me wince

Why do I do this to myself?
Why do I fall so hard for another?
Why does my heart plead and beg?
Why does it have to be such a bother?

I can't forget the pain
I can't forget her face
I have a gallery of girls in my mind
Each one with her own personal grace

Each one haunts me every night
They chant and taunt me
"You did everything wrong!"
The tears haze the world I see

I see in total and absolute pain
Each person is like a rose's thorn
A single touch would make me bleed
Oh how I wish I knew why I was born.

A Shoulder to cry on,
Open arms to run too,
This is someone
Who truly loves you.
They might be a stranger,
But they'll always care;
Standing by your side,
No matter how they fair.

Weakest one, innocent soul,
I will keep you safe,
Try to keep you whole.
Hide your heart,
So as not to break,
Life as you know,
One can easily take.

Fighting the war
So you would not have to.
Fire in their eyes,
Mud on their shoes;
They are soldiers,
Who are struggling for you.

*Remember this, my dear,
You are not alone,
There is nothing to fear.
Keep your eyes bright,
So that you can see,
The beautiful sight
Of how the world could be.

I believe in romance,
in love
and souls
and spirits.
in everyday, everything
a leaf can move
can touch
can grow.
I believe in forever with you
a forever with
you in the nest
of a bluebird.
love, the bluebird sings.

I think a dream
is more certain than life.
For when can I deem
life to really be true?

When in a dream
do I question its surety?
When does it seem
as if it is not real?

Dwelling in life
I am never so sure;
When I'm faced with strife
I ponder:  Is this real?

So how can I tell
which one is the dream?
Which is the spell
and which one is real?

In the end I remain
with a great sense of doubt,
no way to obtain
a reality.

some memories of you i forget
other ones find me in the night
these ones give me goosebumps
and a frantic urgency
that i choose not to fight

some memories of you
i only half remember
these ones make me smile
they're usually only a few words long
but long enough to make me feel warm

some memories of you
we haven't as yet made
like when you choose me to be yours
and you, mine
these ones are more complicated
less memory and more thought
but baby, if we ever make em
i'd bet they'd be the best we ever could