Let not my heart be chained to thee
Please loose these shackles now
Don't clip my wings so I can't fly
As I may forget how

I was born a free spirit
And I must fly
I have to spread my wings
I must be free to express myself
You mustn't change
In me these things

No chains are needed
To hold my love
My passion for you only burns
I'll love you no matter where I roam
I may fly but I'll return

Darkness had fallen over as the minutes crawled
Far down the road to belief
Standing on a small covered porch I saw
His painful lines of strain
Turn into relief

A handful might have suspected, turned on all the lights
Seen the streak of dirt on his forehead
How his eyes happened to seek out the night
Real fear shot through my breast
Then quickly spread

I knew if I tried to stop him, said a single word at all
No one else could see his fraying edge
They turned away from the vision, but I can recall
Something hauntingly familiar
Crying from a ledge

Air burned into my lungs as I gasped for breath
A silent scream struggled within
Darkness had fallen over spilling into death
The road to belief was drawn closer
As I remembered then

His eyes, happened to seek me out the night
He pushed me over the ledge
Now he has returned to turn off all my lights
And no one suspects
His fraying edge

*Happy Halloween

When I stood outside the reach of tears and waited patiently
For daylight to pass on into my river of rest
The rarest gift came and sat with me
To sing this song I now possess

A thousand pleasures gleamed from notes he smiled
Sweetly descending into this smile of my own
Appearing to greet me all the while
Yet, I was all alone

I should be held to keep my song a secret now I say
As nothing there can be to share if I’m alone
Yet my sight and smile were joined with him on this day
Leaving me, with a song I can’t disown

Now I stand outside the reach of sight and sound
For daylight to pass on into my river of rest
The rarest gift which I have found
I wait patiently to express

Often a joining of eyes can be seen
underneath the moonlight,
drowning all your words
like a wave
that has crashed
on love's own ground.  
Perception glances
off a fiery silence
until you ever so gently
slip outside of your skin,
surrender is found.

When you try and touch
that which you love,
sometimes empty wishes
are dropped on the coldest coast
until, you look around
see their sinking sand.
You dream of a home far away
find you are torn between the years,
with trembling fingertips
on your hands.

Can you remember the mystery
of the words “I love you”
when they are written
to someone who truly sees
how much you miss them?  
Or do you find you are waiting
as a child  
for something that comes only
when you sit alone
words pouring from your pen?

We were born on a day
when darkness got lost
while life opened up
spilled  the glory of grace
into our spirits,
cradling us in its arms.  
Here we discovered
truth lies on the ground
where clear-voiced flowers
sing the music of Mozart
inside an hourglass
safe from harm.

A joining of eyes can often be seen
underneath the moonlight,
two hearts that have traveled far
find a comforting silence
on love's own ground.
My eyes found yours
underneath the moonlight,
come into my arms
and find......
where surrender is found.

Shades of gray will reveal pivotal chains
Mute those parted ways
Self has gone and took the pouring rain
Washed into a futile day

Spinning visions of decadence turn and wear
Those wheels in your mind
Bending and freely waving yet never tear
Their yearning urges yet to find

Transcendental lines are written in rhyme
Understood only by you
Read once before in your other time
Found somehow to be true

Place your silent voice under a hidden rock
Your frivolous wishes upon a star
What once was open has now been locked
Can you still reach that far?

I touched the presence of warmth on my pillow
it made me feel sure that I was safe,
went back to sleep smoother than my heartbeat.
Then I awoke to find myself hidden
behind memories of you.

Standing on the corner of never say no,
my feet are firmly planted
in I cannot say I am sorry.  
Will I be the rock laying here asking myself
where I found this bitter pill
under my tongue?

Did I sleep while it rained on everything we ever had
until nothing but sand existed
inside all of these silent moments?
When bluebirds sang
about how the stars laugh
was I here drowning
in my pride?

I touched the presence of warmth on my pillow,
then I reached out to yours
felt the cold.
I lay here and listen to the rain
falling smoother than my heartbeat
I have never felt
so alone.

New colors embrace the memory of life’s soil
while looking at promises
that rush through our veins.
A tune is heard from our hearts'
circling places in time
where our eyes become the surface
of our souls,
greeting what we see floating
on the winds
of change.

Clearly visible as separate bodies
held on a spun web
of gypsy invitation,
why then do we only remember
the perfect peace
of how our minds meet.  
You touch each breath I draw in
as if hunting down my despair
until it becomes as smoke
with leaving feet.

Before the stars were chiseled into an age
that held us captive,
sleep was where the light of the moon
played innocently.  
Father Fate swirls, renames himself
with each breath I take,
keeping time for the promises
of true love
that still sing out
to you and me.

Sometimes I cannot keep part of me
from asking the stars
where comfort can be found
without weaving the desperation
I feel under my skin
into a rope
that wraps around my tears of sadness.
I am left watching hours
take in the days
and never quite understanding how laughter
can tell someone to call out to the sky
then break and run
on the legs
of sheer madness.

My skies shouldn't tell me to get lost
inside of all I know
when I long to create an ocean of language
we both can plainly speak
without ever feeling any pressure.  
When tomorrow rings in the beginning
of what lies under all that I know to be
held in a distant place,
draped in shimmering hope ,
shall I watch you
write your name on my skin
while I cry out in pleasure?

I never asked for you to bring me a garden full of lies
where one has to work
in the shadows of forgetfulness
inside of a life with a smile that fades
as I regain my sanity.
The truth can be grown in silence
then burn brightly
as part of nothing and still lie beyond
that which soothes our hands
when they tremble
because we can smell the crow
we have to eat so humbly.

Listen to the lines you missed
when you stepped
into the shoes of a man
who no longer relied
on all of his senses
when you began your journey of echoes
where stars once danced.
Do you remember empty promises
as they run through the days
silent..........
even though you sing?  
Take a chance and lose your mind
when you find there is no way out,
as you rush to remind your tears,
of how they sting.

My bow and arrow I have with me
All ready set in place
To use the very next time I see
Cupid's smiling face

I lie in wait expectantly for him
An ambush I have prepared
No sleep will these eyes of mine have until
His arrows of love I have shared

The very first moment  I see him approach
Smiling and wielding his bow
I will draw back with my own true aim
Catch him with his own arrow

Then I will stand with a smile of my own
What a sight to behold it shall be
To watch Cupid fall in love himself
And see how it feels to be me

A collaboration between Neva Flores and Mark Albert http://hellopoetry.com/-mark-albert/ and of Writers Cafe  http://www.writerscafe.org/Insomnius

I paint pictures in my mind with your smile and your voice,
Always hungering and wondering what you paint in yours.
I have a feeling that your thoughts beckon my own,
turn my resolve into a burning  liquid even the sun has to adore.

When the Sun has gone, and thoughts turn to sleep,
this man dreams in colors drowning me in the sea of your woman's heart.
Still, here I am crying out in a voice full of fight afraid to look into your eyes
as my heart could be destroyed, my world torn apart.

I lay still trying to obey the face of time, to let go soothing trickles of reassurance
in shimmering beams given from the Moon.
While we both use words when our eyes are not closed, mine are complex
and yours easy to hold..dropped from different hearts, yet in tune.

It is enough, holding this dream for now. With eyes, hands, and hearts unfurling,
slowly opening through barriers erected from the destruction past.
I believe in these two hearts that are beating as they write about love differently.
Today I will take down those barriers, just don't enter too fast.


© 2012 Neva Flores and  Mark Albert

Deep within me I press rewind
and beyond the calm lies choices
that take every part of me
and find the days when my memories
lay my soul bare.
This is when I remember taking fire
when I walked as a child,
always feeling
I was never too young
to know what was mine
even a thousand years ago.

I know the name
of the one I see in the mirror
and that she is called by an ancient feeling
staring into infinity
as she pleases.  
She holds on to the sands
of the deepest abyss
until each grain
falls under her trance
and  is prepared to fight
every other whisper
other than her own.

Every single day,
I drink the warm tears attempting
to control my smile
while realizing how much I need  
to touch the ground
above my shadow.
Soon my mind is filled
with the loneliness of winds.
I know I can move beyond them
and can always keep them
from filling my soul.

Drops of rain come full circle
making ready
to sweep across the crest of my fears
reminding me
I have fought distance and ghosts
on journeys slow to end.
My spirit is not brittle
and I will remain inspired
even when I press rewind
and my memories
lay my soul bare
once again.

You lifted the veil between the worlds known by many
To walk a rarely trod path, chosen by few
While seeking to find an existence somewhere in between
Instead, you found a world with different rules

You were drawn in to a mysterious place of allure
Where the wolves howl at the moon
Paying homage to the glorious face of delight
While listening to the stars sweet tune

Each new corner you rounded brought sights anew
Sometimes frightening in their glare
As glowing eyes emerged from the brush in the forest
Revealing creatures from ancient nightmares

The glow of the moonlight brought visions so fair
Of maidens and knights on wild steeds
You watched in awe and wonder as they fell in love
And honor brought them to their knees

You walked further and further away from the world
Of which we all know and understand
Finding freedom to embrace the mysteries of life
Your imagination at your command

Now the time has come to return to this world
Which you know and understand well
Come enlighten us all with the tales you weave
Tell us all, what is under the veil

Copyright *Neva Flores @2010

There is  a winding road that passes  by my lips
and runs across my skin.  
When I cry it crosses  the music  of my face
‘til my heart sings again.

A long time ago, I could not understand,
how to have the will  
to let things go.
Now I’ve learned to let that winding road
display what I did not know.

Sometimes I yearned to growl  and taste  the pain
of  the  tear’s of  another heart.
I forgot  to take a place  inside their skin ,
feel the truth of their hurt.

There is a winding road that passes by my lips  
and runs across my skin.
It  reminds me  to see  what lies underneath ,
the broken wing of a friend.

Sometimes, life feels like a rainbow, flowing in beautiful colors
Thoughts and ideas flow from me like a river washing clear to my soul

I find great joy and beauty in everything I see and hear and life is so good

Other times, life feels like a massive gray cloud, pressing down on my heart
Squeezing the very life from me and obscuring my vision of all beauty

I despise these days and fight with everything within me to escape this gray cloud

Words of love and tales of fantasy are my escape, disappearing into a world of my own creation

Eventually that old gray cloud lifts and my rainbow comes back along with my cleansing river.  

Life is good again and I can smile inside.

I suppose what I describe is the life of every poet or possibly just life period

From among dreams that come to shine and be mirrored
outside of our sleep,
we find a sea of life inside a flawless silence.
Without thought,
we cherish the intoxication
putting our lives in a state of perfect balance.

A first kiss can grab your heart
and leave it beating faster
than sand flows in the hourglass of time.
Or, it can cast a shadow on everything
that is required
when you find yourself asking,
what is the beat I hear in my mind?

The brightest feathers are dismissed by memories
of lines once wrote
about the image of the moon.
For the first time we dared to dream
about more than a jagged rhythm
never succumbing
to finding a new tune.

We find we do not care if we are bathed
in laughter or neglect
as long as we are next to one another
in a portrait where we smile.
We will still dance inside our words of love,
smooth as glass for miles and miles.

Closer and closer the trueness of our hearts
becomes visible to all Heaven and Earth
here below
with gravity held only as a slave.
A slave with tears that wash away any doubt
that what goes up
must come down right away.

Deep within the ways I love you
lies a valley,
where my wandering footsteps
find no boundaries.

Hands held in hands
Drift amongst the pearls
Silent in emotion
I know you are mine

You are not my world,
Am I yours?
Speechless be our hearts
same sun, different moons.

The air we breathe
Tasting of honeysuckle
Embedded on a memory
On a lifetime of love

"A collaboration by Neva Flores and Aidz Giannini"

I could say
my right hand does not believe
it's confined
While everything slips
through my fingers
Agree that the usual is not mine
to ever know
Just so you will feel comfortable
There within the skin
Which you linger

I could tell you that I am not hungry
for the small things
That I see most everyone
else holds near
Because I have a spirit
that travels quite light
Always seeking peace in all
that is still
So that you will continue
to smile at me,
my dear

Would you still look into my eyes
with the same trust
If within mine
you saw a brewing storm
Working its way into my soul
that I could not stop
Or would you decide that I
am a stranger
With a heart
you no longer consider
a delightful form

Hypnotic air looks at my heart
while the world waits
to rebuild the pain of old wounds
by turning back and twisting words.
Still, I offer up heaven as I write
inside a web of remembrance
where a fire burns in the darkness
of everything I ever said
that was not heard.  

Overnight the feelings of innocence
tremble on my shoulders
but the night still asks me
where you are
when I look out the window.
I began to wonder
if I spelled out storm
inside my web
to create a field capable of keeping
this smile on my face
sweet.......
and oh so slow.  

One day I will walk to a place I know
where there are rooms
where I can escape from the world
waiting to rebuild my pain.
I will then write with naked eyes
words that tell shattered glass
to be silent
while hypnotic air
becomes a gateway
for my smile's refrain.

She often fails to listen to what I say
Quite a mind of her own
Therefore, I usually just let her have her way
Even when she is running wrong

Quite a scene she creates in some places
Where others attempt to rest
Often, I see such agitation in their faces
Shamefully, I confess

I am sure they think I should control her
Calm her spirit down
However, I think I will wait until she’s older
A much easier way, I‘ve found

What harm could come from holding out
On teaching her discipline
As you should hear how loud, she shouts
When made to wait to have her fun

Now she has started school, as have the notes
Sent home in her little hands
All those things her teacher actually wrote
I cannot believe or understand

Surely, my little angel waits patiently in line
Until it becomes her turn
Raises her hand before speaking her mind
So the others can hear and learn

I release you from my grasp
Feel free to fly away
You have grown and changed so much
Time has slipped away

Once you needed me for everything
And I was always there
But now you’ve come into your own
Independence you’ve declared

Spread your wings and fly from here
You no longer rest on me
Go out and learn about the world
Be what you want to be

If ever you get tired of flying free
Or have nowhere to go
You can fly right back to me
As I already miss you so

I caressed your face in a picture of you
with fingertips wanting to know
how the light fills your eyes.  
Immediately my fascination turned
into a rushing drive
held perfectly in the middle
of where your heart touches the warmth
of all my memories.

These thoughts alone gather
to capture the moon,
can you not see me wrapped
in continuous seasons
when I walk under the same sky
above where you sit?
My mind wanders and I close my eyes,
wishing you were here,
my fingertips find your picture,
caress your lips.

Crimson fades away into a sensation of touch
As silence reigns admissibly
Courage stakes a privileged claim insomuch
To become known as chivalry

Existence of noble-spiritedness speaks of gentle blue
Drifting in on courtesy divine
Magnificent to behold, never given quite its due
Delicious as a fruit
Upon a vine

Majestic is the profile of chivalrous comportment
Daring held within a gentle sign
A quietness that speaks to hush the detriment
Stirring among the crimson
In my mind

Crimson fades away, hushed by your presence
Upon your gentle blue I feed
Your gracious strength completes my essence
Silently you consume
All crimson shades
In me

Will you run for the highest mountain, when all goes wrong
Roam unlit streets, like a roving lion
Or stand here by me and sing our song
Will you dry my tears
When I am crying

Will you hate me for all my faults and weaknesses
Let floods carry me where they may
Or bring to me your peacefulness
Hold me close
On my worst of days

Will you be that fiery dragon, who sets my heart aflame
Fiercely, burns my free spirit down
Or my noble knight, who returns honor to my name
Before another night  
Comes round

Will your feet wander where the winds may call
Leave me wondering, never knowing
Or will you catch me before I fall
‘Cause the same way
We are going

If you hear a cry of battle, will you run safely for the hills
When you see me raise up my spear
Or will you place in front of me your shield
Will you be my guide and my protector
Here, on Life’s Own Battlefield

When we look at what is already spoken,
the words cannot live
if contained.
Hope becomes all we want
as our souls become awake
in air unstained.  

If we stop and count the words
they become elusive
and still hours later
we remain unconscious.  As if we are asleep
exhaling each fragment
unresponsive.

Can we wear our heart on the sleeve
of our emotions
to keep our body warm and moving?  
When do we realize
where the point of here
is beyond that which is soothing?

If we talk about that which we love
giving our full attention
to each dream as it exists.
Would our laughter
become a shade of secrets
or a storm of words wrapped as a gift?

My senses wonder how to find peace
among company not familiar
with the lightest touch.  
Even though I have written down
everything of which I dream.  
My words are not heralded
by the new age the same
because a pebble
means more to them
than a beautiful sunset's beams.

The youngest
seem to rise inside the walls
with no names,
disguised as sparkling diamonds
known as hope.  
I must beware of their winds
as they can overwhelm
the very air I cradle and for which I fight.  
Or, I may find my Heaven
has become absent
and that I have given up everything
I know to be right.

I could look straight through the glass
and hear the strangest voices ever
from my reality.  
And, I would want to know
what lies at the bottom,  
posing as flowers for my hair.
Still, I find there are wrinkles in my climate
painted on the panes of life,
numbed by “I don't care”.

If I tried to escape or perhaps fight
for what I believe,
would I be considered shallow?  
Could I still feel   the appeal of peace
or would I want to cover my heart in sleep?  
So, I watch the schemes
of those not familiar with the lightest touch
then watch them drink the wine
of what they reap.

I do not know you
And you do not know me
Our own perception
Is all that we see

I see black and white
You see shades of gray
Where I see hope
You walk away

I live by the old ways
You live by the new
Where I see light
Is darkness to you

Space and silence
Is something I need
Noise and attention
Your senses they feed

I may be wrong
You may not be right
One's perception of things
Is no reason to fight

I love the way he looks at me
every time his heart feels
the night's embrace.
And my body desires to dance for him
until morning falls
upon his face

I watch him drink each hour
from a cup of moonlight ecstasy.
While my hands touch his skin
as a breeze...........
that whispers me.

The morning finds me holding on
to a cup
of memories.
My heart drinks them in
as Dawn.....
kisses me.

Copyright @2014  - Neva Flores Smith