Bound by the whims and ways of others,
Creation there it often smothers...
Pure intention marred in the mire.
Are we not our thoughts own sire?

Bubbling, boiling, rising from within,
Comes emotion enlivened.
Born from wherein I reside

Am I not these words on page?
Am I not what I preach?

Rather that which lies beyond their reach...

Fate, as a providence so far distant, so divine.
To keep me here, but am I truly alive?
Maybe...if only I could yet see a sign.

That this life, this struggle is mine.
There to challenge me, or make me thrive?
Fate, as a providence so far distant, so divine.

The junction where love and loss do combine.
Will I find I have the strength to survive?
Maybe...if only I could yet see a sign.

To prove this is some grand design,
And keep me going, restore my drive,
Fate, as a providence so far distant, so divine.

Give me vision, rather strength to redefine,
That for which I strive...
Maybe...if only I could yet see a sign.

To know how fate and I do align,
And what now, our junction will contrive.
Fate, as a providence so far distant, so divine
Maybe...if only I could yet see a sign.

Cool, flows the breeze
Woven in trees
Regal, clad in gold
By the sun's fading light

Or the leaves dying embrace
I cannot say

The crunch of leaves
Scattered like memories of summer
Makes me miss
Summers warm kiss

Apples in the Orchards
Football on the Television
Families 'round the fire

Born of sun’s affection ‘pon ****** brow
Where the ghost of lust traces its hand
Passions doth rise, as shadows slowly now
Delicate but sure as the sea on sand
Haunt as you will now, desperate dreams
Of puppeteer, the one who pulls my strings
Mere images, simple thoughts it still seems
Upon this eve of pensive sleep here springs
Ever present a reminder thereof
From the whitewashed waves, timely it doth rise
Amid the stars to rightful place above
Higher, higher and to the heavens it now flies
Once again now within the sight of all
I have tasted of love and seen its fall

Shadows stand tall,
Gentle moonlight did fall.
Around us as we wept,
In moments of joy the sadness was swept.

Away from this place,
Softly I did hold your face.
Dancing in our shadows,
Our love no one yet knows...

Music of the heart did play

In moments between thought
I face the ruin passion has wrought
Peace found in a moments respite
Only then, old pain I re-invite

So fall on me now,
Suffocate my mind
Breathe? I forget how...
A pain so kind

As to come and go
With brevity it rent that which I knew
Peace for a while, although
Destructive it grew

Watch me at my highest high
Now move on, while my dreams die

Though in contemplation
I face my ruination
By my thoughts own design
My destruction I define

Just as you once said
"You'll think yourself to death"
Echoes in my head
As fades my last breath

Peace...As Destructive as could be
Now washes over me

Sun baked streets,
Somewhere, where a child's laughter
And warm sand meets.

Waves lap at an endless shore
Rolling, leaving treasure there, after
Free from burden, left to explore

Kaleidoscope on the beach
Cast in outlines of man
Bright as hurried speech

On again reuniting
Where friendships began
In one another's company delighting

In Endless Summertime...

The day may set
Moon in place of sun
Still no reason to fret

By steady moonlight
Not to be outdone
Passions now ignite

Just as seasons pass
So does the day to night
On water smooth as glass

Sails stand tall
Gliding in purest white
On perfect horizon, they seem so small

Stories may be told
Of times not planned
Of wanderings uncontrolled

Memories made, so sublime
Filled with sun and sand
In Endless Summertime...

Faithful traitor,
My own vindicator.
Loyal to the end,
Still disguised as a friend.

Stalwart paragon,
Among those too far gone.
Betrayal a means to right,
Cleanse corrupted insight.

Faith placed in you,
misguided, yes its true.
A traitor,
makes salvation all the greater.

Now I see,
the pain you caused me.
Was meant to steer,
Your reason, I would not hear.

Faithful to me in betrayal,
Painted a dark portrayal.
Of the kindness you did pay,
What else can I say?

My faithful traitor.
My heart you did break,
Still not free of that ache.
Cast a stone at my brow,
Your love I did disavow.

You take it in,
my failure my own sin.
Saving me from my own-self,
Brought this down on myself.

Traitor yes to my eyes,
brought free from my demise.
Thank you for your trust,
the truth solely your lust.

Birthed as we are meant...
to grow,
Fate designed
By no means by it defined.

What if I seek where there is no meaning?
Rather just memories, ripe for the gleaning...

From a still troubled mind,
Wandering in hope that it may find...
The other to its lonely half,
So again this soul may laugh.

Mirth in every breath,
Yet still, step by step closer to death...

A day wasted,
After such a love was but tasted...
Taken,
Rather, lost by one so mistaken.

In the very role heart did play,
To do more, then even words can say...

To love and then lose,
That is not what I choose...
You may yet pass me by,
Still as I tear, wondering why.

Does love fall fated,
As all life is created?

To live,
And then to die...
Such an existence,
But a lie.

Sometimes happiness is not sought, in finding ourselves we open up to the joy around us. Letting go can be the best way to hold onto that which you care about. To face your heart even with the threat of pain. Sacrifice for what you wish to see in your future. Stand despite the suffering, when it all falls away you will be made stronger. Strength is measured by what is still standing after you have been broken, fallen, and seen your reality crumble around you. To stand when all else is fallen is the strongest statement you can make of yourself. The truest test always comes when you are at your weakest, what if these tests make your weakness your strength? Every moment of pain is a step towards a brighter day. The best things in life must be fought for, suffered for, bled for. Take the pain and let it break you down so you can build yourself better than before. Every failure has a chance for success hidden within it.

Goodnight I say to you.
As darker thoughts to disclose.
As our intentions do juxtapose.

To face my tears
With but a brave smile.
Words never so hostile.
To a mind which works in pairs.

Of myself and you.
This is yet true.
We were just a lie.
In such a torrent we are just a sigh.

Cast upon the breeze.
Left to chance with such ease.
How can love live so free?
Ponder this without the you with me.

Fears may fall,
Just as pain, to raise another wall.
Break them back down for old times sake.
Now there's more at stake.

Show me you learned.
Something from every bridge you burned.
Justify every little lie.
Teach me why I cry.

Tears to shed in vain,
Shed over you?
The one thing, I cannot attain.
Tell me, what would you do?

When one most adored,
Simply just gets bored?
When the same words once spoken
Leave you shattered, broken...

You say I'm a hopeless romantic
I see,
Therein lies the difference between you and me.

I act in confidence,
Rather than seeking some divine providence.
How I ask, does this make me hopeless.
Forgive me I digress.

For I speak of longing,
A stable state of belonging.
To another soul,
In who's arms you are made whole.

Wherein did I fall from grace
To this lonely field
Where I gaze up to empty space
Hoping to find what you concealed.

Only wishing to save face.
By your friendly words and soft smile
You made us worthwhile.

Though I fall on darker thought.
On those times I fail to find,
Whatever I sought.
Or mistook unkind.

I arrive at the same conclusion...
I've had my fill,
Of my own state of delusion.
Now I know, never did you harbor ill will.

At times even in the space between thoughts
I find the sweetest memory often rots.
For so long my heart has lain fallow,
When once it was love you did hallow.

So now as pain may fade,
Still I find who was played.
Batted lash, and playful smile,
To soon make my own mind hostile.

Foreign now the idea of clarity
Loneliness, my truest disparity.
For the time with you,
I never dreamt to rue.

Sweet promises made,
And beautiful plans laid.
Fall to dust,
Just as all love must.

As with all we care about,
Ever the element of doubt.
Is present here and now,
The question rather, is how?

To lose the one you love...
And still move on,
When your other half is gone.
The deepest pain I know of.

That is,
To lose the one you love...

Serene Lily, on glass do you sit.
Rain, gentle ripples do emit.
Beauty captured in your reflection.
Await the new spring's Resurrection.

You lit the fires of passion
Jumped ship as the flames still rose
So stoked by your good intention
My very fall, of your own invention

Hell bent on your happiness.
Just look at this mess,
I have made,
So many night so much longer.
In safer waters, I should have stayed.

Moored safely in you heart,
Unbeknownst, one day to depart.

Cast off the lines,
Unfurl the sails,
Feel the brine upon cheek.
Whether ocean spray
Or tears I cannot say.

All I know is here I will not stay
Off now into the failing light of day.
Out unto the deep blue sea
From your embrace I flee.

Harbor me no more
Seeking refuge once again
Where? No it is but a question of when...
To feel feet planted ashore.

On solid footing one day I will stand,
And tell of the years I have spanned.
How long this ship I have manned.
Been at the fore of its command.

Now set to retire,
In place of this object of my desire.
I find you,
A respite long-overdue.

Evening,
moonlight haze draped as a blanket.
Fallen there.
Across lover's, no longer bare.
Eyes warm with delight.
Stars, as fire in the night.
Raging on,
just as passion may,
On a cool evening in May.

Hopelessly romantic,
That's my tic.
Head ******* on straight,
for the future I dare not wait.

Dreams of love,
Questions of what lies above.
Measured out in my mind.
Where I belong not yet defined.

Lovesick heart.
Me and love, never far apart.
Joy in another's eyes.
Life from her amorous sighs.

Peace found in action.
Thoughts seeking some extraction.
Seemingly condemned by my own heart.
Too late to begin again, to restart.

Lost in a lover's gaze.
My thoughts raise this endless maze.
Step after step I take.
Often enough a mistake.

But still one in a million.
She's the one I have my eyes set on.
I'll be the soldier, she the civilian.
Ever there, to be relied upon.

To be needed.
Then I know I have succeeded.
Lover not a fighter.
I'm my story's own writer.

Dormancy your cloak,
To mask the fire of passion burning.
Consume me from within.
Hiding intentions of lust and seduction.
Caress my face with your violent heat.
Moments and memories burst from your peak.
Flows stretch like memories suspended.
In rock as solid as you devour.
Only to be erased at next upheaval.
Ravish my landscape,
Reshape this world.
In an image not akin to the last.
Shatter it all in one intimate moment.
Your design, my calling.

What is this naive heart but a canvas not yet colored. A blank slate devoid of a single word or thought. When thoughts meet action the painted comes to preform. Every stroke a beat of the heart further growing its' image of the innermost self. The colors of life paint the most vivid reality

Experiences alone stand to anchor us to this fragile world we live in. Guarded speech and chained emotion drain the color from these bright eyes. Walls already stand high to eclipse the light that is truly living. The shadows that cover, exist as fear of judgement and freedom as it should be known......

Peace follows turmoil as love follows loss.

Nights pass dreamless
just as the days do.
Often seamless,
in the absence of you.

Memories stir like a summer storm
upon me in an instant.
In your too familiar form,
and times well spent.

Rain from my eyes
to fall on this bed.
Once to muffle lover's sighs,
and rest your head.

As your hair falls around me
now I see.
Feelings I thought were key,
no more than what you wished to be.

Friends
and then something more.
So here, this is how it ends,
we've got nothing left in store.

Brilliant from the start
one, but now two sundered.
Destined to be apart,
no more love, into which we blundered.

Our Silhouettes cast upon a dawn sky,
My hand in yours....
A touch from which we do not shy
Lead us now to safer shores.

A gap to bridge,
Between strangers.
Protect you now from unknown dangers.
Your loneliness I will abridge.

One half is mine
The other of your design.
Piece together our own fantasy
In center, you and me.

In sync with this beat
Our bodies now meet.
Support each other
Love no other.

Uplift you
Prove this is true
Veiled in white
Your beauty fills my sight

I do, I do,
I need to be with you
Under steeple stands
Couple with clasped hands
Waiting to be bound
Just as we were found

Wanting of love,
Lips now meet.
A babe's new cries this world does greet.
Held in mothers arms.
Keep her free from all kinds of harm.

Called to serve
Steel your nerve
On desert sands
Guns replace your lover's hands

In the shade of palms
Your world weary palms
Fall to the Earth
A soul free'd from its berth

Half a world away
What can she say
A mothers loss,
Flowers on a lonely cross.

Daughters hands where his did hold.
Left without a father
Thoughts do bother...
Where is father?

When feelings fail
One is left behind
Once new words, now fall stale
Familiar feelings maybe I will find

Is it so wrong to be attached?
Two hearts so well matched
Well I thought it so...
Doubts in my head it did sow

Who felt more?
The question burns at my core
To know now what's further in store
What is meant to be?
What is to become of you and me?

If you hold your heart back
You'll never know what is true
Where we are going, me and you
These answers, I still lack

Neither you nor I
Can say for sure
To guess is but a lie
To leave my heart sore
In lacking an answer now
I can't see how

To face this...
I've left my feelings bare
Open to the world and its judging stare
So whats inside
What do you hold back there?
Speak or not, now you decide

Is it worth it
Those days I cried
Over moments when I tried
It's fine, we both lied

I am an open book
May your fear
Be just something I mistook
I need you here
At my side
In my arms
I can say I tried
To convince you now with all my charms

I'm here to stay
I'll partake of this game
I'll put in the work, I'm happy to play
With you, they are one in the same

Every moment an adventure.

Face buried deeply in a book,
Someone walks by, casual second look.
Line by line,
I’ll tell myself “I’ll be fine”
The mantra as of late,
In classroom or on second date.

The world may blur,
Just as speech starts to slur.
Too many nights too late out,
After all what’s college all about.
Snap out of it,
There’s a paper to submit.

Oh where to find distractions,
Instead of memorizing stupid chemical reactions.
What about that girl in class,
At this point anything to help time pass.
I’ll just keep chasing dreams,
All the while coming apart at the seams.

Protector and Savior
Savior of Peace
Make war not love
To save the ones you love...

Sacrifice
Suffer for others that is your vice
Live while others die
Just a roll of the die

A calling...
Lover's wait for that call
Call one last time
To say it was his time
He passed away
Away in a far off land

Taking up arms
Forced from his lover's arms
Fighting the good fight
Left alone at night...

Devoid of her company
A company of heroes
Giving it all
All for one and one for all.

Honor for your life
A life honor bound
With a price to pay
For the crimes of another

Worlds away
Away from the world you know
No room for fear
Fear heaven's out of room

Saints guide your step
One mis-step
Follows the last
Your future has now passed

Standing as brothers
Missing another
Each a story
Yet told

Day to Day
A new place
Weather worn face
With all new fears to face...

Baptism by fire
Fire your gun
Fallen brothers
Their crying mothers

Pull the trigger
A decision, a snap decision
Or rounds snap snap snap
snap this silence

**** to live
Live to ****
Forced to action
Action of force

Necessity is his weapon
Safety off
Off to secure your safety
Driven by some danger

Answer the call
A call to duty
To fulfill
Fulfill your destiny

Legacy
So much life left to see
Yet blind to me
Is the key

Peace is fake
Faked to pick up the peaces
Of mistakes
Mistakes still made

Now we pay
Pay this price
Price of our lives
Lives spent

Wasted on that foreign soil
Still they toil
Facing enemies
Enemies of who?

Not a man's but a nations
Nations call on their own
To own their failures
In times less sure...

Beautiful craving,
Laid out bare before me.
Oh, to taste of your lips.
Know the intimate sway of your hips.
Just the start of my misbehaving.
Rapture in you I do see.

Still beneath the surface.
Lies something so sweet.
To feel it when lips meet.
Just a tease of your very nature.
Left my hands shaking and unsure.

Lips of cherry red,
Clothes of lace on that bed.
Images of you ran rampant
Through my head.

Lust of the soul,
Longing to be made whole.
This moment of oneness.
Could't make more sense.

Pallid and cold skin
Judging those in which resides darkest sin
Eyes of the purest jet
Lifeless, and there I met,

The face of my own misdeeds
A place in which to darkness, light concedes
Death is natural as they know...
They however did not chance
To see what lies below.

Polished, eerie, and sightless expanse
Skulls mark its ever steady advance
Creeping, crawling, tepid and ever-stalling
The beat of man's heart

Life and this, never far apart
From one to the next
It still leaves me perplexed...
To know one last beat
Here, and now we meet.

Regal now he stands
My very strength flees my hands...
A formless throne, carved of the oldest stone
My fate, here, I face it alone.

Master, King, of all laid before
In squalid splendor he reigns
Duty binds just as heavy as chains
We his subjects, our lord we abhor

Fallen not to rise,
Resting now on that cold stone
A skull, empty I stare without eyes
Ever present, Death waits on his throne.

Torn asunder,
Left alone to wonder.
With miles from you to me.
What is it you see?

When you dream alone at night.
Do you dream we will be alright?
Do you long for me to remain in sight?
Just to stay and spend the night.

Left to my fears,
Doubts run between my ears.
Chase them away,
In my heart may you stay.

Lifted up by desire.
Shed off this dusty attire.
Feel your skin on mine.
Hair so soft and fine.

United now in whole.
Never to take back what you stole.
Its yours to keep,
So soundly you do sleep.

Your breast to rise,
Drink you in with my eyes.
Caress that face,
Save this moment in time and space.

For now I find
My dreams to be most unkind
Images but a blur,
Memories of what we once were.

Every day but a moment
Loving words drive deep.
When I did dream, now I lack sleep.
Remember time in my arms you once spent.

Laughter lights my soul,
Two lives set alight.
Brought together tonight.
We're just taking flight,
So why don't you make me whole?

White clouds serve as my only company.
In a world far above lonely ground.
This metal cabin with walls of cool metal.
All between me and miles of open air.
Heart beating faster as we climb higher.
Farther from Earth but closer to living.
Living far more than with feet planted firm,
On that secure ground far, far below me.
Red to green the signal light now flashes.
Just as my life then does before my eyes.
Open air to greet my body, I fall.
Weightless but for the wind to remind me.
Flight is for the birds, of course except now.
Gravity as my only intention.

You rain down words like blows,
Battering, smothering, until nothing shows.
Reminded now, drops streak the glass,
The storm has yet to pass.

You lash out now,
Forgone promise of where or how.
Scathe me with every word,
But what hurts more, is simply unheard.

Cast from seething eyes,
A gaze from which even Hope shys.
Dire commination,
Spells only ruination.

There hate burns the brightest,
Aroused by pain in the slightest.
As ember to tinder,
Leaving naught but cinder.

World weary mind instills wanting hands with emotion needed. Needed to put pen to page, express this guilt. Be it love or rage. Stories unfold all the while the plot unravels. Truths that lead to triumph suddenly drown in despair.

Loss is gained, and the safe is left vulnerable. Calm waters stand riled, as this torrent seems hellbent...To break this peace.

This glass you now look through a shattered pane, letting in the pain. Reach up, maybe another may uplift a world weary soul. With shoes worn down to the sole. Miles between what's there and now. Find the answer, the how...

Strength to start again. Focus on it all anew.

Your Better, that is what I am,
Yourself you do still ****.
In contest, contentment seems to fail,
When poetic minds do contend.
Best regards they do send,
While they pick at every detail.

Creative nature sparks the worst in some,
When coupled with competition.
Enemies like minds do become.
Supposition melded with superstition.

Speak loud your own Voice.
Rather than quell your fear.
Given that dark choice.

Lash with your thorns,
In the end, who's head does it adorn?
The crucible of your own complaint.
Actions raised without constraint.

Hold yourself better,
Creativity to unfetter.
Yet still I am your better.