I love you sober
I love you high-
you have a kiss
that money can't buy.

Sitting in the bar
in that town
you used to live in-
wishing you were sitting at that stool
of where we first met.
I would pull up a seat
let the sparks ignite
and do it all over
again.

mouth
breathes heavy.
***** air.
lungs are full
of space.
the butterflies
do not fly -
they are dead.
i coughed them up.
hacked the ashes
of their bodies
into breeze -
some sweet nothing,
some kiss of wind
i hope
will find its way
to your mouth,
wide and lonely
and waiting
for mine.

stuck between simple
& very, very complicated.

With nothing
but you,
my moon-
with nothing but your light
to guide me,
I made my way home
that night.
I cannot imagine
how much darker
it would have been
without you.

I saw you on the lake.
You have a nice tan,
you glistened, wet, and smiled.
We waved halfheartedly, at a distance.
It was one of those 2020 moments.
where we're distanced by discipline,
with desires sheltered in place.
Mine are burned, as fuel,
for piquant eclogues or rest,
unused, like nuclear waste.

The smell of
Musty old books
With dried rose
Bookmarks.
The day before
Vacations.
Crisp white
Shirts and formal
Suits.
Learning
Something new.
The rollercoaster
Reaching the top
And pausing for a
second.
Your dad smiling
at your mom when
She's not
Looking.
Lying down and
Feeling your back
Crunch with
Tiredness after a
Productive day.
White lilies.
Making out in alleys.
The smell of petrol
And nail polish.
And you.

I didn't know
I needed her guidance
until she opened up her arms.
It might have been
her beauty,
it might have been
the drugs,
but with the way she read my cards,
I was convinced that she was
some sort of goddess
at one with
the universe.