The water is still for now
As the burner slowly heats up
Small bubbles form on the bottom
Eager to grow and run
They'll keep building up
And stir the stillness out of the water
Steam creeps up around the lid
Coming out in sighs
Until the burner glows red
And the water boils restlessly
And the steam leaves the spout
Singing a song for the
Perfect cup of tea

It wrapped itself around me when the lights went out
And took my form, all my shapes
The way you did

It protected me from any monsters below
And made everything safe and sound
The way you did

It kept me warm when the cold air got me
It listened to my screams of angst
It caught me when I fell down
And never failed to abide this calling

Just the way you did

When you were away
I lay my tired body on half the bed
Going through this whole cycle
Wondering if you too were being
Warmed,
Guarded,
Comforted.

This down feather blanket isn't you
It is a new friend
My friend
No one else's

The way you said
You were no one else's

Dear thunder,
If you could come here
And sing me to sleep
A lullaby of a hundred lions
I would no longer miss you so sorely

Surround me with your echoes
Run farther away, but come back stronger
Bring along your light show
Bring along the summer
Because I'm ready to sleep

Sweet coffee is sipped
In the shy corner of the living room
Occasionally stopping to smile
As I reminisce on last night
Quiet messages are passed between the miles
Words for lovers' eyes only
I know not of a better way
To spend a Saturday morning
Than with this routine
We've unconsciously established

Things happen quickly
One minute, I'm alive
My body is warm
With each inhale, my chest rises
With each exhale, it falls
It continues on that way,
And I'm unaware of it,
Until a masked gunman pulls his trigger
As quickly as the sound of the bang
The colors fade from my eyesight
Everything looks stale
Heat escapes me, and my hands
Feel like static
Like those eerie TV stations that don't work
They're there, but not present
They don't reach anything
I've become aware of my body
But I can't feel it
At the same time, it's all I can feel,
Hollow
An empty room where you wonder
What's here?
What used to be here?
What is coming here?
This is the part where I shut down
Completely shut down
My only function is to
Rock myself back and forth
Not even to breathe
The control over that was killed
With the gun from earlier
Just had a slower death
They say when things are quiet enough
People are driven insane
Because all they can hear is their mind
And when I've shut out the rest of the world
Whether I mean to or not
That statement is the truth

You say it kills you
But don't think for one second
That it doesn't **** me too

I want to wake up early some morning
At the same time as the sun
And become aware that lying next to me
My love is sleeping soundly
Emanating warmth.
Sleep is a beautiful state
At the intersection of peace and vulnerability
The sleeper breathes with such lightness
As if the weight of the world were on
Anyone's shoulders but his.
Behind his eyelids, I pray for there to be
Only the nicest things to dream
The rays of sunlight tap on the window
My eyes trace the softest features of his body
I long for a kiss, so gentle
But I dare not disturb his slumber.

Kiss goodbye these cold metal lips
That once showed showed us
The color red,
The liquid state,
A lesson in psychology and anatomy
That once was a friend
An answer to a question never asked
They left their kiss marks on our arms and legs
Never to be washed off
But rather than haunt us,
The markings will serve as reminders
Of the war we fought,
The hell we went through,

And survived.

Fluid and serene with your partner
You captivated me from the start

I watched as you lifted her, flipped her around
And bent in opposition, with such grace

Though I didn't catch your name
I caught your beauty
And held on to it tightly

The last time I saw you
You were on a stage
Again tugging at my mouth's corners

Because you danced so naturally
So beautifully

And now you're back home in another state
And you won't remember me the way I'll remember you