"We're way
past
the point of no return,"
she said,
refusing
to look into my eyes
as she said it.
"I gave up on
you
a long time ago.  I'm in
love
with another man now."

There were so
many
things I wanted to say
right then. So many responses
on the tip of my tongue.

Some were
angry and inflammatory.
I didn't tell her that she
was the
*****
who lied and deceived me
for months while she
secured
her future with another man.

Some were
hurt and accusatory.
I didn't tell her that she
had unerringly found
every
***** in my armor and had
mercilessly
exploited them.

Some were
loving and pleading.
I didn't tell her that she
was my soul mate and that
there was no problem
too great
for us to overcome - together.

I didn't say anything.

Instead, I
****** her
and sent her back to
her new
boyfriend.

red cardinal
alights nearby -
  notices me

These streets
are not just roads;
they hold our stories, and
embedded within them are our
poems

what will be
my last sensation
before I die -
will it be the
touch
of your hand within mine?

what will be
the final taste in my mouth
before I die -
will it be your
kiss
moist upon my lips?

what will be
the very last thing I hear
before I die -
will it be your
whisper
in my ear?

what will be
the last sight in my eyes
before I die -
will it be your
face
looking at me?

what will be
my last thought
before I die -
will it be
of you
and our life together?

what will be
has not yet happened, but
before I die
I will live every day
with you
until what may be becomes
what will be

I live
yet walk upon
my tomb. I long to fly
up there and escape my coffin;
this Earth

Good men
won't be found here.
Chivalry is long dead.
Here, we sit in shadows and hide
our scars.

they tell us
having an open mind
is the stake against the
vampire heart of
stagnation
we must discard
what we know
and who we are
because what was
truth
yesterday is today a
lie
I like that - to
be the same man tomorrow that
I am today is terrifying
but then again - I'm a man
who orbits
nothing,
a chameleon of faith,
a kaleidoscope of
swirling belief that is never
still long enough to
find myself

chasing the sunbeam
   across the carpet,
my dog finds happiness
in a single moment,
   in a single ray of light.

the little girl next door
skips breakfast
  to play outside in the same sun,
her stomach     empty
because mommy bought gin
instead of milk - again

both enjoy the moment,
oblivious to the shadows -
but my dog isn't hungry