I gave you the softest parts of me—
not to be etched with your absence,
but to be held like something sacred.
You mistook my silence for surrender,
my patience for permission
to translate my worth
into your dialect of deficiency.
I kept shrinking,
hoping you'd stop asking me to stretch
into shapes that broke me.
But even silence thundered
when it was you echoing inside it.
You wanted me holy—
while you played god with my peace.
But where was the audit?
Where was the reckoning
for all the times I arrived
as more than you deserved
and still left with less than I needed?
I begged the universe for balance,
and it gave me you—
a lesson wrapped in longing,
a storm disguised as stillness.
I wore almost like a second skin.
until it blistered:
almost loved,
almost safe,
almost enough.
Now, I gather the fragments—
not to rebuild you,
but to remember me.
Because healing isn’t ornamental,
but it’s mine.
And this time,
I won’t apologize
for the fire
that finally burned you out of me.
I’m tired of drowning
in the shape of someone else’s healing,
tired of being the altar
where guilt is laid like offerings.
So I take—
not out of want,
but necessity.
To stop giving to ghosts
who never learned how to stay.
This time,
I light the match,
watch the echoes burn.

Someday,
these words I write I’ll eventually say.
That old guitar I might remember to play.
My dreams will find a way,
when there’s hope for someday.

And next year,
I might find I’ve lost another fear,
but along with loss gained another tear.
The words I write you might never hear.

Why I still get up and try,
I can’t lie, I don’t truly know.
But I will myself to rise,
dry my eyes and give it a go.

Tomorrow
I may create a smile from my sorrow,
while living on the time that I borrow;
goes by so fast but feels so slow.

Why I get up and try,
I can’t lie, I don’t truly know.
Because I have yet to die
make a name for I and will it so.

Someday,
these words I write I’ll eventually say.
Create colours in this world of grey,
do my best to make them stay
if there is still hope for someday.

I'm often asked what sign I am
Leading me to answer best I can
That while I know that signs exist
I try my best to cheerfully desist.

But there again if truth be told
My interest piqued this subject old,
So with new fervor I travailed
The results of which I here detailed.

My secret was I did ensnare
Those I knew well their soul to bare,
A little prying became my key
To best relate all I could feel and see.

Where to start my first big hurdle,
Poised with pen and trusted journal,
For notes aplenty had I scribbled
Amongst the coffee drops I'd dribbled.

Aries first and did they sing,
All their qualities to ring,
Strength and courage did resound
With their energetic spirit crowned.

Aquarius quite the fun,
They broke the mold for this strange one,
Smart and independent may they be
While their rebellious streak plain to see.

Cancer empathetic none too shy,
Happy to have me delve and fully pry,
Sensitive and moody all at once
That nurturing spirit their life's dance.

Capricorn - oh my word,
Quite a struggle to be heard,
Proud and private to a T
What you get you rarely see.

Gemini the twins - never know which one
You get at night or with the morning sun,
Sociable and witty most of the time,
When not by overwhelmed by life’s climb.

Leos - no two ever quite the same,
With strength and confidence impossible to tame,
Stubborn and dramatic at every twisting turn,
Their love a prize they’ll really make you earn.

Libra quite the quandary,
More complex than a jumbled laundry,
Their sociability abounds but need beware,
You never know what lies behind that charming stare.

Pisces – those kind and gentle souls
Unbounded creativity their life controls,
Idealism their Achilles heel,
And those many layers often hard to peel.

Sagittarius - run a mile
If you seek commitment and not an empty smile,
A restless independence their pervasive trait,
Close a window and they’ll find an open gate.

Scorpios - just like the name,
So many of their qualities surprisingly the same,
Driven with a singularity of mind,
Cross them and they'll sting you from behind.

Taurus - devoted and truly good of heart
Hard to rattle or an argument to start,
But when they do, they're stubborn to their core,
With you the one to end up rather sore.

Virgo craves order in everything they do,
Micro analyzing through and through,
Hardworking and reliable their middle names,
Straight to the point no time for playing games.

To my readers I so hope I don't offend,
But neither do I wish here to just pretend,
These observations are of people I well know
With traits their star sign seems to show.

So take some time and think it through,
Does someone here resemble – maybe you?
Don’t be shy - let all emotion out,
It may end in a smile or a sullen pout

Will  daffodils dance near a lake?
Will Heaven still do battle with Hell?
Will you have an NHL?
Will a woman still count the ways she loves?
Will man have his place in love?
Will hawks replace the release of doves?
Noble savages won't be your theme;
Nor Idols leading  on the silver screen.
What happens if you can't dream
On starry, dark or moon-filled nights,
Where waves lap endlessly on your shore.
I worry about this, and so much more.