In spring ...
Bright, strong and straight
Filled with moisture
Prominent veins on your skin
Strong winds blow, you flutter
Producing a dance show
At night you are quiet
No eyes to see

In summer ...
Color slightly faded
Wilted from the heat
Crying out for rain
Trying to hold on
Nights are warm
Stars pierce the night
Illuminate your shape

In autumn ...
Color transformed
To red and orange
Parched skin a translucent fabric
Death is near
Edges curling

In winter ...*
You are invisible

Despair is a tight suit to wear
Even inhaling is restricted
Lungs imploding from the weight
Not of happiness or hate

Void of feeling, I'm reeling, then kneeling
Family and friends offer comfort
I just brush them aside
How can I let anyone inside?

Dare I end this night with slumber
Before this fear can delight
I must will the sun to rise
For there isn't much hope at the end of a rope ...

Autumn is fading
Trees once clothed with amber leaves
Stand exposed again

BLUE* oceans I see
Waves DANCE perpetually
Feel HER gravity

Coworkers seeking chit chat
I've a long night at that
Smiling and nodding robotically
If I leave they will hate me

The office party is on
They usually drag on till dawn
I look around for a spot
Just to hide out from the lot

Raising my head I see you
Eyes bright and blue
You look in my direction
I smile to show affection

As you move near me
My heart begins it's plea
Your fragrance precedes
A temptation indeed

Inches from me you stand
I reach out my hand
You slip your fingers in mine
Pulling me close its divine

You whisper in my ear
Why are you trembling dear?
I answer with a gentle kiss
Your smile tells me you like this

My intention is to hold you close
And dance until we overdose
My hands enjoy your curves
Another kiss to calm your nerves

Our bodies move in unison
This night has just begun
Dance with me till daybreak
These feelings I can't fake

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?

And
   you
      boast
         how
            you
            won't
         dislike
      death,
   only
dying

Once hot, now only warm, energy slipping away
If only a breeze could come
To energize them, to rekindle their art
Deep amber is their color, see their beauty
They are few, but still powerful
Energy wanes as they wait patiently, dying
The remains of a raging fire ... abandoned.

Pass me the vase, will you dear
I've picked some flowers to place in it
They are purple, yellow, white and red
Don't they just make you smile

I will place them by your bed
So when you retire for the night
You won't miss the beauty
That's painted on their faces

Take a moment, will you
To appreciate their worth
Lean in close and take a sniff
Their fragrance is most genuine

And as you wake, remember
I've placed those flowers there
For you to enjoy and adore
If only for a season

You are a benevolent visitor
Inaudible as my dreams
Everything you touch
Turns to crystal and white

Oh how my eyes delight
In your beautiful patterns
As you lay quietly upon glass
Can you stay forever?

My flesh abhors you
For the sting you administer
yet Autumn's half-stripped trees
Wear you as a morning garment

I do blame the sun
As it shortens your reign
Your brevity intensifies my desire
To see you on the morrow

As the wind does blow
Through the trees in the forest
I hear your heart cry

A young boy embraces life, fearless!
He knows NOT the pain that's coming.
He lives, for now, in his cocoon

protected

Years go by, protection is lifted.
The world seeps through the cracks
introducing fear and self-doubt.

His once free-spirit, wanes!
He waits for loving words,

They
       rarely
                 come

What does come, often with intensity,
Are words and actions validating humanity's darkness.
Pressing into him, bringing crushing pain.
Stabbing his heart, his tender heart!

Slowly, without realizing,
he retreats from this world.
Loneliness becomes his

playmate

A cruel playmate for sure.

Now as a grown man,
He finds himself shy, tentative.
Lessons revealed and learned.

You pass him on the street,
None of his tenderness appears,
His heart tucked away,

protected!

He fears exposing even one more time,
The part of him that's most vulnerable.
His tender heart.

Better to just leave it hidden ...

Alas! YOU have arrived
To soak up my words
May you drink them in
Delight in them
For they were penned for YOU
I know not your name
Nor will I see your face
But, you were on my mind when I wrote them

I knew you would come one day

And be touched by these few words
Not yesterday, not tomorrow, instead today
How was I to know the time
The timing I leave to you

I am just glad you came

Its never too late to proceed
For the words in my poems
Are meant for just the right moment
Filling a need
Easing some pain
Perhaps they turn your frown upside down

That is why ...

I continue to write

And ...

YOU continue to read

I heard you were going away
On a one week holiday
This makes me sad for sure
You are the one I adore

Its only a week I know
The time, how fast will it flow?
My hope is quite quickly
Without you I get a bit prickly

Its no secret I am into you
So remember, without you I'm blue
Your sweet words I'll miss
But mostly your kiss

While you are away, I'll catch up on books and work
I guess that will be a perk
Not wanting to seem unsteady
But I miss you already

I will
                                                       separate
                                                      the truth
                                                 from your lies

                                                          I will
                                                       fantasize
                                                     that we are
                                                   friends forever

                                                        ­  I will
                                                         devour
                                                       the night
                                                 until day breaks

                                                          I will
                                                          wa­ke
                                                     to navigate
                                                   my life alone

                                                          I will
                                                         protect
                                                   my shrinking
                                                       ­  dignity

                                                        ­  I will
                                                         survive
                                                  these moments
                                                         ­ so say ...

                                                     *good-bye

We are born with a song in our heart.
One unique song, the world needs to hear.
No one else knows the lyrics, only YOU.
Fear begins to silence our song.
Ignore fear, do not be shy, do not ask why ...
*... Just fly!

Lying in my bed
--reading ...

It is November, I am in NYC
--25 pages later ...

I am standing on a street corner in Istanbul
Outside the Kybele Cafe, near Sultanahmet tram station
Two British men, Ethan and Dylan, are talking ...

Senses engaged.*
Drinking in sights, sounds, smells of Istanbul.
As I can feel the excitement of this city.
Anticipating the story that is unfolding before me.
I am immersed, no longer in NYC.

Just then, a door slams, I am jolted back from Istanbul.
Back to my bedroom in NYC ...

How long have I been lost in this book?

Oh my sweet misery,
No point in fighting you,
You will start again
I'm human indeed
Still feeling her skin on my fingertips
She is only in the wind
Scent of punk rock, grunge and cigarettes remain
I wander alone on the subway, to forget her
Trying to forget her intoxicating scent
I want to get away, everything to start again,
Oh my sweet misery

I tasted a bit of love ... with her,
Like a drop of honey, thick and sweet.
Do not ask me to dance again,
Never without her.
In this vast city, I'm invisible
And then ... here you come again, sweet misery!

You agitate, I soothe

I laugh, you cry

You procrastinate, I plan

I toil, you sleep

You mingle, I retreat

I reach, you blench

You deceive, I release

I purify, you violate

You mystify, I enlighten

I grow, You shrink

You ignore, I explore

I create, you destroy

You devour, I nibble

I give, you take

You walk, I run

I defend, you assault

You subtract, I add

*I love, you hate

Broken things require glue
Turn around that's you

Don't stand by and watch me break
This world needs NOT another fake

Take a moment to embrace me
Your touch will set me free

Pure hands infuse humanity
Deliver it just for my sanity

There is no mistaken identity
Inside you is my serenity

One touch ... a basic need I concede
My ache is now full speed

Do not make me beg
Press in and heal my plague

Today I ooze of selfishness
You are familiar with my reticence

Guilt draws near and whispers
Push past its tiny embers

My need today transcends
Straight from you, no bends

I lay curled up in a ball
Listen, do you hear my call

From you, I plead one task
One touch ... *it's all I ask

Cold concrete, isolation, barbed wire and stories of crime echo among these walls.
Trust not the cellmate, do your time, lonliness is in these halls.
A good soul waits, degrades, rejects the best of days that are offered in this place.
Dream of days outside, amidst the real world,  if only I can finish this race.

A* live to every push and shove
B reathing each and every toxin
C aring not for those awake
D ead to insults from mankind
E lecting to run and hide
F rigid walls are formed
G uiding us to isolation
H umanity smells of lies
I nstinct guards our very souls
J ustice no longer exists
K indly acts evaporated
L iving in this city
M anages to make me numb
N early every feeling gone
O nly existing to revenge
P eople who have harmed me
Q uiet forever alludes
R ansacked dreams haunt me
S treaming lights and screams
T ake hold of my mind
U pon these crowded streets
V iolence becomes a way of life
W here can I go to die
X enophobic people in large numbers
Y oung and old alike
Z ero chance that I'll survive

Feeling sluggish as I go
Not enough energy for the day, you know?
Winter months pass by so slow
Lack of sunshine takes its toll
If I want to survive, I must take control

On doctors orders, I pack my bag and head to the beach
Hours later the cure for my mood is within reach
Where I will sink my feet in the sand
And fill my lungs with warm salt air, you understand?

The sun begins to bake my skin
Happiness rises within
What better drug to boost my energy
Than a healthy dose of vitamin SEA.

Calm I'm not on any day
Formed by forces beyond my control

You fear me without knowing me
I'm really just transparency

Plunge your hand into my belly
Feel how easy I give way

My life is one big rise and fall
The wrinkles and foam I produce

Mighty is my capacity to drench
Administering liquid in great degrees

Sand and rock are my enemy
They dare to stand in my way

In the end, it's my nature I adore
The constant eb and flow