I sometimes hope
in the midst of wakeful nights,
that the peace we all look for
is perhaps something like
a kind, quiet embrace
where I can close my eyes,
letting my mind go blank
and step into a world of solace.

I hope that it would feel
like the soft crackle of fire
on a harsh, winter night,
the warmth consoling the cold
I've felt for decades;

Or perhaps that it's the quiet hum
of a lullaby I once knew by heart,
and allows me to slip
into the blurred lines
between life and eternal rest.

Roused from my dreams, I find myself distant from the
images that once danced in my mind. A soft murmur of
dreams beckons, stirring weary eyes with the promise of
a new day’s embrace.  

A laugh escapes, brushed away, trapped within a
fabricated grin— shadows of tears that deepen the skin
already weary from time. Almost revelling in the illusion
that life is a triumphant race; pursuing all the things
I once fled from.  

Standing too close to the fire, of people’s words that
scorn your soul- I remain unafraid of their searing impact;
I have welcomed them all, wrapping myself in the comfort
of understanding that they hold no power over my identity
at all.

do you hear the wind?
I felt my body shift
that night, that night
do you understand this?
I am perplexed by the impression of your lips
you strength of your hips
the firework bliss
do you require my fire?
I desire the flames of your kiss
the passion persists
do you understand this?

Engulfed in flames
The inferno consumes me
Dancing across my body
In a dangerous ballet

My skin
Charred and melting
As I incinerate
Until I am nothing more
Than a pile of ashes

But suddenly
I rise
Up from the ashes
Not letting anything hinder me

Late into the night,
a fire rages on,
devouring everything it sets its sight on.
memories, splinters, concreate and rubble.
still, it wants more,
nibbling on silence, the dark of the night
itself.
its tongue stretches and laps,
its stomach nowhere near full.
it twists and turns, ignoring
the tug of its shadow.
it wants what it wants,
regardless of how it tastes.
its fingers constantly reaching out,
leaving a scorched trail everywhere it’s been.

here I sit, watching the fire
grow in size and height,
hoping that by some twist of fate,
it finds what it truly hungers for.
until then, nothing or no one will be able
to put it out.
I too have tired myself out,
opening the refrigerator,
like you will magically appear.

Call me,
Even if it's 3 a.m.,
And I am dead to the world.
Every fire pit eventually has to go out,
But even those cold ash embers
Are kept warm by the lively ones
That have yet to go out.

If you get lost
And the surrounding starts
To look unfamiliar,
Call me.
Even moths need sleep.
I promise you're not disturbing
Me.

We'll find another pit to hang around.
If you get lost and don't feel
That warmth around you.
Don't you go getting lost on me,
I'll be that lonely stubborn ember
That refuses to go out
One that keeps you warm
Until you feel safe,
And we both fall asleep
There isn't a dark too deep
That we can't explore
Even if it's 4 a.m.

this city was ours
the trees the streets the places the stars the clouds the sun
all of it was ours

we made our own landmarks
we climbed mountains and built bridges with our love

but those bridges burned
and the city went up in flames
and those mountains turned valleys
and the clouds turned gray

The fences are on fire
Can’t you feel it?
The bonfire in your nostrils
Time standing by your side,
Whispering “quickly, love” and,
In the distance, lips part and quake
They—you—(what difference will it make?)
Tremble like a lake of sulfur,
A lake of liquified lavender
But darker—wine, yes, wine in its cellar
Can’t you feel it?
The ashes pasting themselves over the moon
The midnight sun, the falling stars at noon
Time grabs your hand this time,
“No more waiting, my love” or maybe
It was “No more hating, my love”
You clench your free hand
You bite your lip
You drench you drench you drench
Your body in acid in courage in rage
Can’t you feel it?

The fences are on fire
And love’s coming for you

I was just an ember in the wind,
Until your turned your heart into my hearth,
You coaxed the flames with kindling,
Turned one spark into a blaze,
And when the cold was creeping in
You kept the chill away,
I was just an ember in the wind,
Until you let me in.