The audacity is staggering,
Enraged ego makes me laugh.
Why do you think it is yours,
When common fantasy I craft?

I write for me, myself, and I,
And often, for another.
But I too write for audience,
To give them chills and shudders.

I pull emotion from my heart,
And feeling from my past.
Sometimes I will write in truth,
But stories are told in final draft.

I love to mess with the mind,
Confuse and frustrate readers.
I don't want you to know the meaning,
And I don't want you to know me either.

Leave the ego and assumption behind,
I rhyme for for art and applause.
It hones my skills for further use,
Sharpening poetic claws.

Even this is not what you think,
If you know me you'll understand.
This is a cryptic verse,
From the beginning planned.

So read on with a grain of salt,
Be wary as you go.
Many of my works are true,
But which you'll never know.

She tossed her halo back on the shelf,
Didn't take much energy there.
Upon her head it seemed to drown her,
A suffocating glow upon her hair.

She tossed her halo under the the bed saying,
She didn't need it that night.
The room finally bathed in darkness,
Suddenly hidden from the light.

She tossed her halo into her bag,
Where nobody would suspect it.
She threw the bag across her shoulder,
Making no effort to protect it.

She tossed her halo into the closet,
Who's closet she didn't really know.
Everyone loved the stony darkness,
Nothing revealed in golden glow.

She tossed her halo into the trunk,
Saying this time was for her.
They drove on into the night,
Not knowing where they were.

She tossed her halo into the trash,
Revolting from that life.
Rocking on next to her shadow,
She didn't miss the light.

She tossed her halo off the bridge,
Fully embracing the black.
I jumped in to follow it,
I drowned trying to bring it back.

I want to know why, how, and when,
But I can't. So I sit, and then,
I begin to wonder, to think about,
All that's within me, then I shout.
I yell and scream to the sky,
Wondering, always wondering why,
This gift I have is too a curse.
Like water that could end my thirst,
It flows, just beyond reach.
But never nearer. I beseech:
Let this sweet torture end,
Let me paddle around the bend,
If I cannot leave this lot behind,
I fear, no happiness will I find.
In sad solitude I will remain,
Never to be joyful again,
Never to see a kind, smiling face,
Never to know love's sweet grace,
I will lay stricken, on the border,
Between lines of battlefield disorder.
On opposing sides, my curse and my gift,
One and the same, creating a rift.
A chasm into which I will fall,
Where people will look down in awe,
Where they will see me, broken and cold,
Where my heart will remain, until I am old.
They will place a plaque, at the edge of my grave:
Here lies he, who was made a slave.
A slave to that which was a gift and a curse,
He left himself behind, and put her first.
Just beyond reach, she danced and lured,
And though she knew his heart was skewered,
She left him to die in this chasm of pain,
Never to know true love again.

He thought his heart to be made of stone.
As cold as ice, it was his own.
None could bear it's weight,
Forever alone, an etched fate.

That was before he met the girl.
Who was to disprove his rocky world.
Her eyes of fire bore into him,
The icicles began to drip within.

Slowly at first, but soon faster.
He struggled to stay his master,
But her laugh and smile invigorated,
Cracks in his solid heart created.

He tried to slow down his melt,
Unaccustomed and scared by what he felt.
But her depth and thought, unparallel,
Brought down the remains of his icy shell.

All that was left was a rocky core.
Satisfied, he thought she could do no more.
But the warmth of her lips could not be denied,
The stone crumbled, he melted inside.

I used to stand before my kingdom,
Staring down to those below.
Wondering how to next amaze them,
To keep them in my shadow.

I used to stand beside the best,
Plotting my next ambitious move.
Each peer merely another test,
A battleground where I could prove.

Mind and body, my mighty sword,
Fist and pen, my trusty shield.
Opponents fell with my every word,
Until I cleared the field.

Then I attempted my greatest feat,
To conquer all the world.
To take down the highest elite,
And watch my flag unfurled.

Too long my power unparalleled,
Too long without an equal
Too many enemies, easily felled,
Eliminated my sequel.

My mind had dulled, my body weak,
Words did not flow forth to shield.
The fall came at my peak,
My fate was newly sealed.

What good was I, now below,
A king without his kingdom.
What did I have to show,
For the battles I had won?

Looking up, I could see,
My throne sitting far above
The place I used to be.
My one and only love.

I am defeated and downtrodden.
I wander cold and alone,
My feet tired and sodden.
For my sins I must atone.

Earth below and sky above,
This the place I truly love.
Where looking out to vision's end,
Heaven and earth begin to blend.
The earth juts up in jagged heights,
Creating these rugged sights.
Snow capped peaks, white as flour,
Dazzle the eyes this morning hour.
The crest of the sun begins to show,
Casting shadows on the valley below.
The luscious grass still this morning,
Drops of dew, still adorning.
The hand of God paints the sky,
Oranges, yellows, reds all fly.
This, the pinnacle of perfection,
This, the source of my affection.

-For Kelly

10/7/2012

Horizon flooded with watercolor,
No sunset quite like another.
Croaking of frogs all around,
Drowning out other sounds,
Air gone still in preperation,
Wildlife rest in expectation.
The heat of day begins to die,
As the sun leaves the sky.
Shadows expand to cover all,
Darkness enjoys the day's fall.
Stars glow upon heaven's floor,
Oh, how many, so many more!
The moon appears, full and bright,
Come to watch us in the night.
Its warm presence lights the rock,
Keeps me steady as I walk.
Coyotes howl from distant hills,
Thrilling, giving ancient chills.
Owls will begin to call out soon,
Making me want to join their tune.
Finally at my destination,
I prepare to enhance my fascination.
Invigorating scent of fresh cut hay,
Keeps me awake as I lay,
Staring up to unfathomable height,
Respecting all the power and might,
Realize just how small we are,
Even compared to a distant star.
Events come back into perspective,
We are truly, truly subjective.
For hours, laying on my back,
Watching satellites as they track.
Loving the peace the darkness brings,
Forgetting about all other things.
I look to heaven, begin to pray,
Then rolling off my bale of hay,
Retrace my steps through the fescue,
Thanking the night for the rescue.