You don't hate me
because I ****** you.
That's far too simple, baby.
I communed with you,
and I devoured your spirit.
From the husk that remains,
you must find wisdom
to regrow that which you were,
and know life will never be
quite the same.

-Ron Gavalik

The rain fell so hard
and so fast for so long
I'd almost forgotten the peace
of warm breezes.
Huddled in the dank corner
of madness, faith is absent.
Tranquility is but a dim memory,
a speck of light
we never even hope
to reach again.

-Ron Gavalik

I love you.
Yes, that’s true.
I don’t even know you,
but I know you embody unique
stories of humor and sadness.
There’s so much hatred
all around us. That loathing
has taught me a valuable lesson.
I love you. I always have,
and I always will.

-Ron Gavalik

I often see my life's work
as a style of wrapping paper
meant to entice the eventual recipient
who receives my soul.

If each one of us is a gift
of life's magnificent bounty,
then it must be true
that someday
we will be presented
to life's loving companion,
the peace of death.

It is with this in mind
that I shall work to ensure
the wrapping paper sparkles
brighter than the summer stars
and contains more colors
than we could ever see
in a rainbow.

A long time ago, in a city far, far away...

Her: I think I’m a pretty awful person.

Me: Send nudes.

Her: Guess I’m not that awful.

Me: Precisely.

Her: Wait, do you really want nudes or are you trying to show me how awful I’m not?

Me: Both.

Her: Sigh...

Life, baby. It is what it is.

The most romantic moment
I've ever lived happened in a city park
during a human rights rally.
A **** brunette made eyes at me
and my tattoos. I waved to her.
She grinned and waved back.
Later on, while a speaker shared
his thoughts on aiding the poor,
that same woman raised her fist
and proclaimed we are all
brothers and sisters.
Afterwards, she was gone.
She had vanished
in the crowd.

-Ron Gavalik

A lone black ant scurried
across the tile floor in the coffee shop.
Far from its colony, the ant marched
courageously on its journey
to find food and water for others.
Halfway across the barren floor,
the ant stopped. It turned to look
back at the road traveled, and then
turned to view the road to come.
The ant appeared lost
in thought or prayer.

After careful consideration,
that black ant continued its trek
across the desert landscape.
It would either fulfill its task
or risk death in the glorious attempt.
Fear, ever present, would not
control the ant’s short life
or be allowed to corrupt
its moral truth.