~~~
A gentle breeze was drifting soft
cooling sands
beside the sea
The shoreline cast with countless lore
a bounty
shared for free
An essence
smiled upon the wind
with pleasant times gone by
and spoke of treasured times he shared
as visions
blurred his eye
~
A tingle on his lonesome lips
a tear
mixed with a sigh
The cadence of a crashing wave
co-mingle
with a cry
The pangs of love grew stronger still
with every passing thought
They'd be together
soon
he promised
on a ship
that sails aloft
~
He slowly walked the tides of time
a cane gripped in his hand
The footprints ...
if you looked behind
showed more sets
in the sand
A loyal friend
stayed at his side
and ran
to fetch a stick
To fetch a smile from ones he loved
he'd do most any trick
~
At dawn's first light he met a boy
with fishing pole and bait
They reminisced
and spun some yarns
he talked about his fate
His heart was fading ...
borrowed time
he spoke of home with sacred grace
The boy had been there
many times
a gorgeous cliff above this place
~
His legs were failing
heart too frail
the boy packed up his gear
Arm in arm
they slowly climbed
a path to yesteryear
His little dog was first atop
a stick still clutched to play
The rising sun on golden dew
sent mist to greet the day
~
Near the edge
'neath shaded tree
they stopped to catch their breath
His finger traced its' trunk in trance
the boy and dog played fetch
The crash of surf
and seabird's song
were echoed through the years
The freshest air from heaven's sigh
inhaled ...
he shed his fears
~
A rolling mist rose up from sea
and hovered on the brink
A loving voice called out to him

... the boy knew not what to think ...

When fingers touched he stepped aboard
a ship of floating cloud
He turned and raised his hand
and smiled

"Please love our little dog"
~
The ship rose up on gentle breeze
they waved
it passed so frail
They'll be together always now
on a ship with heaven's sail
~
I was that boy so long ago
it seems like reverie
But if so ...
then where'd I get the dog
and whose initials are in this tree?
~~~

You are selfless, hard working, a great role model for the youth
You have taught me everything I know
From tying my shoes to good morals and views
I need you to be strong because I need you here
You were always my guidance through many difficult years  
Whenever I cried you always spoke so wise  
"No matter the circumstance you must always rise"
So now I ask you to remain strong through the fear
Keep moving forward no need to hide the tears  
You are my big brother forever wise and strong
Please know I will love you forever an unconditional love

I will never forget the way you smiled
That little space between your teeth
How I made you laugh with just a little tease  
The way you said, "beauty is not about looks"
Sipping coffee, eating scones, talking about our favorite books
Going on walks, clearing our minds, making the worries go away
Life was better with the two of us
Those memories still at play
Life is not perfect but that's ok
Even as we grow apart
Because no matter where we go
You will always be in my heart

His love for her is so high
But she holds her heart tight
She doesn't want to fall hard
She's afraid of heights

His love for her, like the sun, it shines
Still, she covers her eyes
She doesn't want to get blind

His love for her is so deep
But she doesn't know how to swim
And she doesn't want to sink

                                         - Marclesza Gee

1.  It is hard to love beautiful when it is made of porcelain.
2. You cannot tear off your flesh to keep someone warm and expect to be fine.
3. Thunderstorms and the way you say my name both make me fearful.
4. Breathing in toxic fumes will make your lungs collapse and your heart ignite.
5. You taught me that making love to your mouth was the only way I'd ever be heard.
6. Men do not love like women who love like breathing is not a priority.
7. There is proof God exists.
8. Burning down the truth while it is still in your mouth is not poetic.
9. You can't wipe the blood from your hands if it's been there for too long.
10. Purple is not the color of royalty, it is the color of sin.

My father made a new friend
Mother does not approve of.
Draped in orange and white,
bears a fire in her he cannot handle.

But with lips pressed against her
he took in her hidden ugliness.
She was too clingy.
He said,
"I can't breathe."

Those three words became the worst we'd ever heard
right behind
"You have cancer."

Time became a distant tune;
waiting,
waiting,
waiting.

My father has expiration dates
tattooed under his eyelids.
He plans his funeral like the 50th birthday party he will never get
but there will be too much blurry vision and black,
no one will know the difference.