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Life* often speaks in rhythm & blues
whispering trumpets to bended ears, while reminding us
that smiles belong only in photographs; and tears
behind the curtain of an indifferent face

We walk fine
lines, between tragedy
and genius, lines so rarely straight
we seek balance in mediocrity
and solitude in unfinished lifes

We become incomplete puzzles
forcing squares into circular places
by tearing away pieces of the whole
and conforming to the empty spaces

some things were never meant to be changed

We place people into boxes, neatly organizing them
by the
labels* we give their cracks and flaws
seldom ever realizing that *broken has a beauty all it's own
, and...

*some things were never meant be mended
I spoke to a man today
with kind eyes and contagious laughter
his passport identified him as Israeli, mine american
but for a moment, we were both just human

He told me he was a combat medic for the IDF
as we began our descent into a discussion of politics
he spoke of giving medical care to victims
of a suicide bombing, just weeks earlier

Life is fragile in places like his hometown of Tel Aviv
He showed me an app on his iPhone that
notifies him of places that were just bombed
or when to take shelter, in case of an incoming missile strike

How people must savor life in war zones like his
friends and family become temporary oases
bringing happiness and fulfillment for a moment
then gone the next

For once
there were no borders between us, or
cultural divides, just two men
discussing life, or something like it
You
and I are
more than just
serendipitous, we are
the culmination of two paths
two lovers who found each other
in a binary universe that swallows most
hearts whole and causes wayward souls to lose
sight of hope's shore
 Jul 2014 pen sive
Cee Valenso
The old music box your beloved grandmother
Gave you for your seventh birthday
Starts to play some melody again
But the tunes are discordant, unfamiliar

The story book you first learn to read
Are now on your hands again
You begin to carefully flip the pages
But the plot is now different, unfamiliar

The letters your previous lover had sent you
Lurk underneath your tidy bed
Reminiscing while you read them again
But the words are changed, unfamiliar

The house you have dwelled in
For so many days, months, years
You enter through the door so casually
But the interior looks foreign, unfamiliar

The road you always take
Whenever you stroll and ponder
Leads you to the same quiet place
But the scenery is different, unfamiliar


The words your mother told you
Numerous reminders to keep yourself safe
She repeats them all over again
But her voice sounds pretentious, unfamiliar

The mirror leaning against the wall in your room
Beckons you to stand before it
You see yourself through the reflection
But your face is not yours, unfamiliar
 Jul 2014 pen sive
Cee Valenso
Desperately
I
Seek and
Try to find
A way to be
Nearer
Closer to you
Each day
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