My love
My life
Blissful truths sustain me
Our time is just beginning
Tests and trials abound
tearing flesh open over scars
It changes nothing
My love for you grows
with each passing second
My heart is overjoyed in tactile memories
The smell of your skin soothes me
The sound of your laughter begs a smile
Your pewter eyes shimmer in love's reflection
The essence of you resides in me
as the truth of who I am resides in you
Unmasked and laid bare
I am at your feet
offering you all that I am
For it has always been yours
And you have always been mine
Our eternity is united, entwined
Through the flames that burn away
a world we were never meant to fight through,
we will emerge a sphere of light
a cosmic bubble of peace
Love seems too small of a word
though it is all there is
We.. are
We are love
We are truth
We are both reality and the dream
We cure the disease of distance
with a spirit that defines us
Meet me through the miles
where this plane cannot reach us
where time is eternal
And the blissful truth of us
remains pure
Untainted by an unkind world
which is nothing
But tomorrow's past

It's been far too long
Since I heard your smile
Or felt beautiful reflected in your eyes

The warmth of your skin
Is a vibrant memory
That tucks me in at night

It's the only reason
I bother trying to sleep

Memories taste sour
When waking
From the reality of dreams

The universe is cruel
While love is kind,
Or perhaps that's backwards

Maybe...
It's just been far too long
Since I heard your smile

The tide rolls in, in waves of emotion
The surge rips and the grip tightens
Time weakens resolve and threatens to wash away all,
Reality is blurred for a moment or two
Alone on the sand struggling to hold onto branches
Gasping for each partial breath
As waves continue their barrage,
A warm grasp, steady and strong
Worn out clenched fists open, blistered and ******
Released not to the sea, but to the embrace of the rested
Eyes too weak to open can see the love
That saved body, mind, and soul

I sit and stare at a photograph
Or two or three
Or every picture that he saw fit to gift to me
And my gaze lingers in those hazel eyes
Losing myself in half-awake dreams at 4 a.m.
What if, and then
So let's say we are fated
Pulled and connected like the strongest of magnets
Mind to mind and heart to heart
Knowing that there is a freedom in that kind of unity
Believing, without choice, that we own the best pieces of each other
Still, what if isn't what is
What is isn't what could be
What could be is just another
What. if.
So I stare into those hazel eyes at 4:22 a.m.
And I wonder, if for him, I could overlook the cigarettes and stale coffee
Remnants of a history that has been unkind
Leave it to me to love a man
Who smells like the first one to **** me
But here at 4:30 a.m. I can believe
I can believe he smells like the earth after a winter rain
And I can believe, that to him, I smell like heaven
Lost in that sweetness
Captured on a phone
A thousand miles away
I can feel his skin on mine
His breath in my ear
Saying nothing and everything all at once
Here in the dark at 4:38 a.m., I can know beyond doubt
That he is where my heart is
With no rhyme or reason
I know, that should I ask
He would give me all of him
And I know this
As I sit here
Staring at a picture
Or two, or three
Or every picture that he saw fit to gift to me
As I stare into those hazel eyes
Losing myself in half-awake dreams
at 4:43 a.m.

A lesson learned for all to know
The greenest grass lies under toe
It's eyes that ever-wander so
The hues allure
And thoughts that run away, could grow
Contempt, for sure

For darker green across the way
Could lure the tempted heart astray
Down broken streets lined with decay
To awaken
In fields of weeds in brown and gray
Perception shaken

The running, has let greed abound
Now from that field of weeds is found
The deepest green is on the ground
That once seemed vile
Back where contempt had made a frown
Now breeds a smile

Before a twist of fate can lead
A want must grow into a need
But be aware, this warning heed
Wear rosy glasses
Don't live a life that's lead by greed
Temptation passes

Bright and shiny
Pedestrian views
Glare induces migraines
Simplistic bands of nothingness
Almost too painful to watch
Pushed beyond painted lines
Crossing into...nowhere
Where is the dark and twisted,
The interesting and obscure?
Turn the lights off and feel the way
Touch the cold steel
Delight in the balmy breeze
Experience...everything

Frozen behind a weary mind
Thoughts like a blizzard of pain
Unable to be sorted
Unwilling to be tamed
Helpless, left to ramble
At peace from without
Tumultuous within
Life passes while standing still
Loved and Alone
Smoke chokes lungs
Sun burns eyes
Stillness in body
Burning soul steeped in pain
Wings bound by fear
Brittle from the war
With heart and mind
To languid to move
Motivated only to disappear
I can see in through a window
I can feel from across the room
But the sensation of life
The will to fight
Has all but disappeared
A ghost in the real world
Filled with the pain
Of the memory
Of love

So fragile in its exquisite form
Crystalline and glorious
Transparent to those who wish to see
Tossed around by the unworthy
Dropped and shattered
Crushed under pounding foot
In the sun a billion pieces sparkle
By moonlight it looks like stars
How beautifully broken the heart can be

Pushing the limits of freedom
Breaking all that binds an individual to society
Should becomes yes
Shouldn't becomes must
Shackles disintegrate
Everything becomes nothing
Nothing becomes everything
Unwritten rules no longer apply
Opinion is irrelevant

The faded dreams roll in with the darkness

Like a whisper in the night

Transported to another time, another you

Surrounded by those who used to love you

By those you will always love

Heartbreak and odium upon awakening

Lost in the midst of then and now

Knowing what was meant to be is

Mourning all that wasn't

Preoccupied with the past, days seem heavy

Ridiculous waste of resources

Yet, it ebbs and flows like the tides

Creeping in, unwanted and unwelcome

Thankful always for innocent mistakes

Grateful that no one can read your mind

Missing bits of who you were

While trying to love who you grew into

The slightest whisper of the warmest touch
The breath of motion in the still of night
Blood rushes to the surface leaving fire in its wake,
as it follows the slightest movement,
the faintest touch, the longing for more
Electricity jumps the gap
Intensity amplified by the exquisite ache
Stirring deep within
Radiating shock waves that tether
Two becoming one

I am honored to be showcased live on air by other poets who either love or are inspired by my writing.  Feel free to check it out. Who knows what a live show will bring ;)  Please copy and paste the link below into your address bar.

https://www.blogtalkradio.com/ateamofvoices/2020/10/19/a-team-of-voices-sharing-love-and-respect-for-prttybrd#

Warning:­  I will probably be full of emotion at such an unexpected event.

If you miss the live show, the same link will bring you to the recorded version once the show ends.

Please, drop a comment and let me know if you caught it and what you think if you did.

Love You Much, ☺☺☺☺♥♥♥♥
PrttyBrd

I read your words according to my mood,
Time of day, and perception of caring
And yet, you alter those easily
I love the hint of a smile
Though I cannot see what isn't there
Your voice in my mind as you whisper my name
Lures me to the brink with a sigh
Longing to be touched by delicate hands
Kissed with blatant intention
You, my love, my lust, my naughtiest desire
You are my darkest temptation

The if and then
Of now and again
Has waged a war in words
Of joy and pain
The sadness reigns
Though nothing has occurred
To beg and plead
Yet not succeed
Can break the strongest heart
Though they tease
The subtleties
Enhance the miles apart

Separately we live
Together under one roof
Bound by a shared past

When the heart is in full swoon
Time is a blur and reality is just that moment
That very moment when eyes overflow with a happy heart
When the very scent of each other is a drug
And addiction runs both ways
Swept up in this timeless euphoria
Careless words fall off the tongue
"I love you", is the new high

trapped beneath a fitted rubber sheet
a lump in the mattress
suffocating on
rancid latex sweat
and yesterday's dried fluids

who were they
the nameless in the dark
this one smelled of popcorn
that on howled in delight

a collage of senseless noise
scented by cats and Ajax
leftovers always go bad

Chuck-will's-widow
in the tree by the window
it must be after midnight

though noon looks the same
in this cage that gives just enough
to torture with possibilities
of breaking free

freedom is overrated
roses stain glass
with the bloodletting
of thorny mishaps

blurred by smeared wounds
ain't life grand
when love ceases to be a goal

how can one find what is
utterly indefinable
if it cannot be decisively named
it cannot be concretely attained

then again, love's fluidity
is its charm
no hard edges
ebbing and flowing
elusive and longing

**** me latex blind
unseen and used
by those who never did mind
a lumpy mattress

Clear blue runs cloudy
Midday Sun obscured
Tears dry as they form
Love, through pain, endures

Through the colors of dusk, you enticed me
Wide-eyed and inquisitive
Laughing in modesty,
Yet filled with desire
Fast friends in honest notions
Too close too quickly, perhaps
Yet so similar in design
Too tight a fit
Too much to handle
Bonded passion through darkest night
The colors of dawn bid the possibilities adieu

The ethereal screen haunts me
Taunts me with its subtle illumination across a darkened room
It draws words from my fingertips
Just to whisk them away at the accidental brush of movement
The screen, now blank
Unfinished and unsaved
Laughs at me in blinking cursor
Winks at me as I move on
Lost was a masterpiece, or a long and droning soliloquy
Never to be seen
No regrets as the soft light on a gray page still giggles
Lulling me into a sense of numbing safety
Calling my emotions home to the family who never lets me down
Safe in their eyes
As they too are drawn to the subtle light
Across the darkened room

Luna, My Love
I see the beauty in the darkness
Luna, My Love
I hear the stars sing your praise
Luna, My Love
You see me off to peaceful slumber
Luna, oh Luna My Love

The day will come
When the earth stands still
The world will shrink to two
The past will be, never was
And the future will be irrelevant
For in your arms, a galaxy
In your eyes, a universe
And in your heart
Beats only my own

Through the thunder nothing is heard
A shadow of a voice imprinted on the mind
The wind howls and masks their screams
Can one's own thoughts be trusted?
Not in search of, but finding oddities
Things that seem senseless
They fill the crevices left in dreams
There is no help for the silent
Mind tricks and sleight of hand
Say the words and life is lightened
One load at a time

With tired wings you still soar
with a Grace few can ever muster
Sleep, my love
and dream of the days
the garden was full of flowers

Orange blossom sweet
and jasmine sultry
you will always glow like a gardenia
on a summer afternoon

Your nest, so filled with love
will warm your coldest days
keeping you forever beautiful
as you have always been

Fly with the angels on waves of peace
this world could never offer you
Every flower-filled breeze
will be like kisses filled
with memories of you

Changes within
Changes without
The game without fun is useless
Rules are guidelines not facts
And so the wall begins
The first brick laid in tears
Pushed back across the line
The next laid in blood
Words lashed out
Toughening tender hearts
And the foundation is set
For the wall of regrets

I.
discolored snapshots
breathe life into memories with blurred edges
unabated joy in thoughts of, "forever will feel like this"
Silver Bells tasted like pine boughs and cinnamon

she built home out of air
filling lungs with life that made love
into the root of all things beautiful
ragtag Charlie Brown trees, the most beautiful of all

II.
Fall fell hard and the trees died too
lights and empty gestures, for the sake of children
eyes clenched in prayers that, "forever won't feel like this"
breathing in the smog of auld lang syne

can't save what couldn't be saved
sometimes things end without ending
love in seedlings or old oaks still scorch a heart
Silver Bells in saline reminders of nothing feels familiar

III.
stomped into submission beneath icy indifference
short breaths feel alive in crystal shards that penetrate lungs
when they try to break free from truth
normal in stifled emotions where a toothy grin pretends it's elation

Silver Bells smile without a voice to jingle in
and snapshots prove happiness is possible...or was--once
believing that angels walk with us
teaching us how to make love into the root of all things beautiful

maybe, "forever, we can try to build home out of air"

Forgive my thoughtless words
Forgive my careless heart
Forgive my open nature
And the pain it doth impart

I beseech your inner kindness
I beseech your loving soul
I beseech you to have mercy
For the lies I never told

If I'd shown you all my love
If I'd truly let you see
If I'd made sure you had known
You're the greatest part of me

Perhaps my nothing words
Would mean nothing more to you
Than the frothy fluff they're meant to be
They're not the evil that I do

The thought alone ignites the flame
That consumes me from within
Reality just fuels the fire
Composure is wearing thin

Behind the eyes lies fantasy
A dream so far away
Yet in the now, is everything
There is nothing left to say

Temperatures keep rising
Bodies stir with every glance
Passion is taking over
Led to burn by sweet romance

A brush across the skin
Reacting bodies hold no fear
Devouring piece by piece
Consuming what is held so dear

Heightened senses in the throws
As fantasy is laid to rest
When hearts are bound in love
There is nothing to contest

Treasured moments lost in time
Relived in dreams or nightmares
To wake with a longing long since passed
To sleep and be swept away to what was once forgotten
Previous happiness is remembered as holy
No anger, no sadness, no discontent
It is, after all, a dream of what was
Imperfection is reality as it was back then
Dreams sift out the ugly and unpleasant
All that is left is the sparkle of diamond dust
Twinkling stars of a happy heart
It is not wise to judge today by yesterday
Or tomorrow by today
The good is to be wrapped up and kept warm
The tarnished should be left to melt into nothing
Each smile stored in a safe place to be called upon as needed
Today's treasured moments are tomorrow's dreams

Is there life to be breathed into a dream long since dead?
Is it too late to strive for what could still be?
If life's journey has pulled things far out of shape, can the path still be found?
Everyone is where they need to be, so then is it that what was meant to be is?
Does longing in the heart really mean that something is missing?
How can a void, however minuscule, be filled if no one knows how it came to be?
How important should one be made to feel?
If there is so much happiness in this place, why does it feel like someone else's life?
These days are good, but a little empty.
So is it better to have days that are full of bad?
If there is hope for more, does that mean that there will be more?
If you want it, but getting it might cause pain, should it be sought anyway?
When is it time to be top on the list?
In order to be on top, do others have to be pushed down?

My shadows unite
As he remains out of sight
The night he walked home alone

My heart tosses and turns
For his safety I yearn
The night he walked home alone

For reasons unknown
His strength he has shown
The night he walked home alone

He is stronger than I
As I await his reply
The night he walked home alone

I wait for the phone
To signal he's arrived home
The night he walked home alone

The outline of lips puckered in the bright pink hues of lust
The slow blink of a gaze that drinks in a vision
The gentle touch that ignites the fire
The air heated slowly with growing anticipation
The love that infuses a soul

by the light of the moon he came upon her
her skin glistening in the moonlight
her dark eyes reflecting the stars
so beautiful was she, at the waters edge
watching the moon wave in the ripples
only noticing him when the heat of him grazed her
she saw his gentle eyes in his reflection
felt his heart as his lips brushed her ear
whispering only, "i am yours"
as their reflection became one with the moon