She shuts her eyes, an image comes
An image comes unbidden,
Pictures play inside her mind
Of things she's long kept hidden.
He shuts his eyes, no image comes
No visions plague his mind,
If our third eye true exists
Then his third eye is blind.

Memories haunt him  every night
They swamp him in her bed,
This movie runs twice nightly in
The cinema of him head.
No memories haunt his sleep at night
No conscience ****** his sleep,
Any thoughts of shame or guilt
He's long since buried deep.
˜
Her fears are always lurking
By day they dog her stride,
The only thing that gets her through
A dwindling sense of pride.
A cheery laughing joker
A smile e'er in place,
Before this day is over
He'll wear a different face.

With weary step and tired mind
She walks a busy street,
Across a press of shoppers
His and her eyes meet.
Each one knows the other
She falls at last to grief,
Her innocence was stolen
Before her stands the thief.

A friend puts arms around her
Takes her home to weep,
A sobbing revelation of
The terrors of her sleep.
Guilt at last has found him
His very soul is smote,
Shame bites deep within him
Its bile burns his throat.

This night will be quite different
Two roles will be reversed,
Talk and tears will cleanse her
Remorse will leave him cursed.
˜
She shuts her eyes, no image comes
For once she's free of fears,
Tonight her sleep is peaceful
The first in six long years.
He shuts his eyes, an image comes
An image comes unbidden,
Guilt invades his sleeping mind
No more to be kept hidden.

A solitary light sparks
and it begins to consume
until it thins out
becoming a blur

Squeezing tentatively
at the sides
the shackles begin their work
to mould and straighten

The urge to break free
infests consciousness
and is equalled with the fear
of drowning in liberty

The time constrains
and the shackles become heavy
until the light lessens
into the comfort of darkness.

The hours we spend are as little as you.
Our time is borrowed from other times.
Things could have been different
you would never leave my side
not for a walk to where I am not
among people I don't know
or to places I don't go.
With me here is where I need you
when I am awake I breathe you
the fruit of me both asleep
both smiling, laughing wondering
who are you dreaming with?
Is it me or is it your mom?
Probably both like it used to be
in other times we never borrowed
I wish I could have them back
and never have to question
when we are not together
if it is out of sight and out of mind
when it comes to you
in that little head of yours
in that little world of yours
that consist of candy
toys and slides
in that short attention span
is there room for your dad?
Do I come knocking in your thoughts?
Ready to pick you up
we'll go anywhere you want
to see the fish, to the beach
we'll play "daddy wins"
we'll play Hide and Seek all day long
to stretch the hours on the clock
to hope that it never dawns
and you never have to leave
and I will never have explain to you
why are things the way they are
but one thing you must know
that I always loved your mom
through tears, I cared through pain
I was still there throughout the years
my heart never gave out
this flame was never extinguished
this love never tapped out
through it all it persisted
and it has just grown fonder
with these years as you get older
it will always be there
until I am six feet under
because of you
my little boy
my little punk
my little Josh
you are walking
talking
breathing
living proof
of how much we loved each other...
and how much we love you.