Like me,
my Poetry is far from perfect,
—a verbal oxen gored

Like me,
my words are often frail and broken,
—still crying to be heard

In me,
the message has found its student,
—to very humbly expound

In me,
the truth can accept a birthmark,
—for a promise more profound

Unto me,
the burden is left to finish,
—my life to pledge headlong

Unto me,
  the words now free—unsentenced,
  change imperfectly to song

(Villanova Pennsylvania: September, 2016)

Remind me of how I'll find
The ninth circle of Hell
When departing this life
At the sound of a bell
The very notion
Of our lonesome memory
Robbing me of sleep
As a thief in the night
Steals my soul to keep

What began as an innocent felicity
Has now twisted itself in so many knots
To remain hidden and unseen
I can't believe
That I ever found reprieve
While bound by your eyes
It was all an obscene dream of schemes
And seemingly serene alibis

I've stopped eating
I'm growing feeble and weak
The surmounting toll of this life
Has reached its low peak
Realizing you were merely a fantasy
Entrenched in the deep
Out of reach

For now we share secrets that echo
Through a window with curtains drawn
Eventually I know you'll let go
Because I said so
When everything else is gone

Remind me of how I'll find
The ninth circle of Hell
When departing this life
At the sound of a bell
The very notion
Of my lonesome memory
Robbing me of sleep
As a thief in the night
Steals my soul to keep

Love and Fear

Are tender devotions
They lose momentum
Relenting to stay in motion
Like trying to capture cavitations
Lost in an ocean
With a camera out of focus
Hoping no one is knowing

If left unattended

They become relentless
Measuring up
To everything and everyone

If lead astray

They stand unafraid
Demanding they're defended
By anything and anyone

If unanswered

They feel resented
As if guilty of treachery
Left unsentenced

Like me,
my Poetry is far from perfect
  —a verbal oxen gored

Like me,
my words are often frail and broken
  —still crying to be heard

In me,
the message has found its student
  —to humbly expound

In me,
the truth can accept a birthmark
  —for a promise more profound

Unto me,
the burden is left to finish
   —my life to pledge headlong

Unto me,
  the words now free, unsentenced
    —change imperfectly to song

(Villanova Pennsylvania: September, 2016)