A pristine stained-glass heart
is all I see

when magnified through the lens
of your sympathetic tears.

He got his heart broken over a girl he felt alone turned to alcohol it was hard for him. His first crush was a lust, he thought it was love. All that came to an end and his bother was lost in a tragic accident so much would turn his life upside down. His father was incarcerated and mother lost his siblings because of the tragic loss. He would try to pursue his education but he was too distracted trying to make the wrong right. He fell into the addiction that consumed his father trying to be happy when all was wrong. So much happen he felt ripped apart from all directions.
The people he valued looked through him treated him like she didn't matter. He would go visit his siblings at his aunt's she would have custody of them. She would get on his case regarding his mother getting her life together. His mother was a stubborn woman she didn't have much but did put her kids first. She did have bad habits but would learn to be a responsible person since she was a stay home mother most of her life. The family was there through the tough times but sometimes they are the ones making it much worse than what it needs to be.
The family was ripped apart everyone wanted to be right. Just because you talked loud didn't make you right. He had those uncles that never have you advice but make a point to humiliate you so they can feel secure with themselves.
He never said what he thought because his honesty always got him in trouble. He would ask questions and challenge people bring out the best in them but they couldn't handle the pressure or they'd challenge him and he'd surpass their expectation.

If someone should ask
Where to take his ashes
Do so to the lands of his birth
Spread into sandstone waters
Where his mother and father lie
Do so on a cold windy day
Let those in view feel the bite
And celebrate they are alive
To see this glorious day
His ashes blown by the winds
His spirit rising in the sky

©  2017 Jim Davis

You are my other,     alike but unlike.
As our axis turns,     we are each at ends.

It is uncanny     how you felt so real
in the after-wake     of a vivid dream.

As my calm begins     to be swept away,
I'm grounded by the     hold you have on me.

The glue that holds us      together loosens,
like a violin      drowning in water.

A light that once glistened
Fade paler to dim
A love that once glowed
Sent ashes to wind
Some surprises arrive
Not wrapped as a gift
On the seas of harshness
A heart set adrift

we are sitting in your living room.
the light is streaming in from the window and reflects off your cheekbones just perfectly.
the beams meet the tv screen that is playing your favorite movie
it's playing quite loudly but my brain is silent.
every thought and emotion that usually consumes my brain is stagnant.
as you look at me,
I smile and give a breathy laugh, trying to pretend I haven't been staring at you since the last time you looked over at me...
five minutes ago.
but you laugh a little because you know
and I smile wider.
I find myself believing that your giggles could cure the most infectious diseases.
they could stop time.
they could make the most stubborn atheist believe in God.
and your scent that lingers on my t-shirt is the closest to Heaven I'll ever get.
you are back to watching the movie
and I am back to staring at you until you look over again.