The shore is always there—
beyond the rocky coast
a hawk whips a wing at
the volatile sea, quaking from the force
of an unseen monster below whose
walloping jaws flop open to consume all,
yet some nights the monster’s mouth
matches mine; she gently kisses me
inside a sea-strewn dream,
her slick blue skin descending
beneath moonlit flesh—she’s emerging
from the waves, lunging toward the clouds
adorned with detonations
of sea green and foam
Her dive ends
She’s the whale again
A shadow beneath blue white glass
On I sail,
scanning the dark familiar ocean
      it means everything.

If rain could kiss the sun,
The clouds, so cold, would feel warm
They'd finally touched the impossible

The sun would smile because
It has always shone alone;
But rain came in and touched its soul
And it prefers company to light

But rain has touched everyone and
Those it shears it longs no more
But the sun thought it was different

But rain is ephemeral
And flames are permanently extinguished
So the sun died down and tried to shine
And it rained on Earth again-no different

Its frightening how
being alone and being lonely
are not the same.

A wise Greek spoke of a cave
and a fire in the back of our minds
with lips pressed to our palms
casting shadows of false reality
and puppeteers with hidden strings
and chains that sit
comfortably on scathing skin.

We were born in the cave.

I've come to realize
I am not the same person
at three o'five AM
and half past eight.

Miah is the girl I was:
And in a way I envy her.
She only felt artificial pain
That the character creator gave her.

Ben is the one who was my friend,
But who showed his true colors later
When I needed him most, he left me alone
As a character, he was barely even hated.

Connor, well, his story's not told
While I'm still reeling from his counterpart's words
I plan to write it soon, and then
I will spare her no allegorical hurt.

you spread your love across state lines

and i'm sitting here crumbling under the pressure of my names

and i'm wondering how you could spread yourself so thin

and still be whole

when i'm having a hard time just walking out of my bedroom door

and seeing my bloodlines splashed across

this 60 by 100 lot

but you were willing to cross those lines

and share so much of yourself

and i'm still afraid of carving into my own skin

for myself

to see what's inside

for fear of someone finding out and wanting it for themselves

all those gardens inside of me left to grow in someone else's hands

helpless while i watch myself **** over

overgrown

underfed

give me love,

but here you are

opening your gates and letting the floods through

what happens when the garden of Eden gets washed away?

all of the topsoil washing out to sea

roots worn out, removed by gentle hands

one by one

open season in your chest

until you were emptied

and there was no more garden for you to grow.

and i just kept building my walls too high

but one day i looked over because i heard your screams

and i saw you and your broken stems

soiled petals and trampled earth

so i opened the door

intending for you to stay just for a minute

for the taking of tea

or a glass of wine

but look at you now, growing like a vine

on the wall of my secret garden.

But I am awakened by a burning on my cheek and the pitter patter of feet running away.
As I lift my hand to touch my face I feel my arms as lighter as before.
Both of my wrists are bandaged to cover the the scrapes,  cuts and scratches the chains put on me.  
The fire is also on again.  
I quickly turn around and draw myself close to this odd light giving off the heat that warms my body.  
In the distance I see a bridge .
A bridge that goes over a river running free throughout this dark cave .
People.
People like me crawling over this bridge .
Skinny,  worn out,  struggling to pull their selves across towards an opening at the opposite end of the cave.  
But what caused the shadows?
As I look at the wall I an surprised.
Nothing there .
Did my emptiness exaggerate my imagination?
I don't ponder very long before I try to stand.  
My legs,  too weak to hold my body up.
Like every other person I must crawl.
Sliding my body across this rough,  rocky cave closer to the bridge.
I feel my mouth begin to widen across my face.
What is this?  A smile?  I'm happy?
Across the splintery bridge I make eye contact with several others in the same situation.
We smile and continue.  
A light… I see a light!
As adrenaline shoots up my arms move faster.
Getting closer to the end of the cave i glance back once more to where I was once a prisoner.
I see someone standing in front of my fire.  
I look forward,  and when I look back the mysterious person is gone.  
I finally get to the end of the cave and once im out the light shines down and the suns heat is spilled all over my body.
When I look out and see the world for the first time its like nothing ive ever felt before.  
I'm now  on two feet
I hadn't even realized I was.
My life was now going to change.  
This is love,  
This is peace,
This is my **allegory of the cave.

If age is measured
in allegories,
then,
I am truly
an old soul.