on the edge
of this ravine, I’ve stood
so long that the grass has grown
between my toes, moss hanging off
my fingers in tendrils,
wildflowers in my hair,
but today it is time to move.

the darkness yawns wide, though
it wasn’t always this way.
once, it was a child—
like all grown-ups once were.
once, it was just a crack in the dirt,
the product of a thousand tiny
earthquakes.

when i was a child, running
free as the wind,
i stumbled to a stop at its cusp.

i became afraid like a
fawn turns to a deer with
wide, wide, wide eyes
darting around as the fish
in a crystal sea.
i spent all my years, frozen
there until the chasm grew and so
did i.

but today, i take the leap.

i shake off the dust and replace
it with steel, steel drum for a heart with
a beat for every step,
one foot in front of the other picking
up speed, until suddenly i am
f l y i n g.

fear?
in another life, perhaps.

moving out
from the noise
and the drama
and the control
and the good and the bad
loneliness is freedom
but how far is so far away?
is a blank page empty
or just white?
time in the form of a pen will tell

Twenty years, a lifetime in a breath,
Moments of joy, and trials that test.
A bond forged strong, yet time has shown,
Even the mightiest rivers carve new stones.

Love endured, though struggles grew,
As dreams were altered, plans askew.
Her strength once bright, now shadows cast,
A disability’s weight, a bond held fast.

Yet even love can feel the strain,
When one surrenders to endless pain.
Not by choice, but a path she’s known,
Leaving both to feel alone.

Then a spark ignited, a newfound fire,
A heart once dormant, now lifts higher.
Through your eyes, he sees the light,
A soul reborn, embracing life.

How can one not love a heart so dear,
Yet embrace the joy when new love's near?
Breaking free, not out of disdain,
But to dance in sunlight after the rain.

Steps may falter, but strength is alive,
Together you flourish, together you thrive.
Honoring the past, yet forging ahead,
Two souls united, where happiness spreads.

I met her in a time
of pain

My life would never be
the same

I struggled to find the
words to say

You took my hand
and came with me anyway

Stumbling,
falling into being
bare feet
find wet stone
tender hands
hold my
trembling heart
as tears
wipe away fear
to be reborn
into a river
of aliveness

And sweet
surrender
rising to fill
the empty space
puts a smile
on griefs’
gentle face

I’m stuck in
a frozen trap
A spiralling web of
fear and longing.

Falling into love
diving headlong
into this terror
petrified
a rabbit in
headlights
blinded by
consequences

Does he?
Does he not?
Both fill me
with dread

If it is so
then Loss stands
banging on the door
‘Remember me?’
She whispers
through the keyhole
ready to unlock
The Box of Grief
hidden under the
floor boards of
my desire

If it is not so
then the loneliness
of lost dreams
creeps under
the threshold
to wrap the noose
round my wanting
tightening the
knot of numbness
that death left
In his wake

To love again
Is to open the
door to my heart
and stare loss
in the face

To surrender,
tumble, head
over heels
like an
autumn leaf
trusting that
spring always
blossoms in
winters wake