Buying a bottle was an adventure and she was always my plus one.
We plucked cork after cork, off the bottles, never thinking back.
Every bottle had a story and the corks we collected were the summaries.
Every cork was a memory, stored in a cage never to be revisited but always to be cherished.
Never to be forgotten, till the night came where she'd never again be my plus one.
Now I sit here with my glass empty, looking at a cage full of memories.
I can't start a new adventure alone nor can I keep this glass empty for long.

-Lyrix (Pure Country Tune)

There's an empty ring finger
where a band of gold once was
The symbol of Our life and hopes
Our dreams and Our love

A vow to stay together
through the plenty
and the lean
Forever lovers and
Forever best friends
then and to the end

The years they passed so quickly
yet our love still held on strong
Up until that fateful time
when it seemed that
everything went wrong

Still I then adored you
You I cherished
and hoped to keep
But strangers
came against us
The destruction
was complete

There's an empty ring finger
where a band of gold once was
The symbol of Our life and hopes
Our dreams and Our love

A vow to stay together
through the plenty
and the lean
Forever lovers and
Forever Best friends
Then and to the end

Your gone yet
I remember
All the precious
moments still
I remember you
beautiful loyal
and lovely
And I always will

It's been so long
Still I sometimes look back
upon the wonderful You were
Truth is as it always was
I'll still love You forever Girl

There's an empty ring finger
Where a band of gold once was
The symbol of Our life and hopes
Our dreams and Our love

A vow to stay together
through the plenty
and the lean
Forever lovers and
Forever Best friends
Then and to the end

I sometimes touch the finger
Where the band of gold once was
Thinking about the one I loved
The Angel I once adored

There's an empty ring finger
where a band of gold
once was

And an empty feeling
deep down in my heart
For the Angel who was lost.

-R.

(10.25.17)
-LA

-4MAR

I'm proud to say that I figured out
Where the corner piece is
That fills out that puzzle
Of a blood red farm, with a haystack,
And a glistening sun.
A life we only see in loathing.
A shelf too high
For our stubby arms
To reach.

A table covered with chase
And playing cards
Plays the gatekeeper
For stories I've never heard before.
Blank cheques and white space.
Room for error
Room for improvement.

Shallow gold doesn't exist
And its never worth much anyway.
Whats real lies far
Under the mud.
And if you find it
You dont let it go.

We ran.
And there where puddles that
splashed mud in drops of gold on skin
slithering up and into
our veins.

Up ahead there was a minefield
riddled with flowers.
Blue ones.

And we fell.
We fell so many times
our knees and palms
clad in gold
our minds unable to make
a different mistake.

We cried, yes.
In desperation.
On our knees.
While blue petals
rid from their hearts and stems
floated gently down
and got caught in our hair.
They smelled sweet.

For a while
we lived.
And then.
We died
for a while.
All of us.
We died
when it reached our hearts,
clenched them in
tight unrelenting fists
until the air escaped us
together
with our blood.

We stopped.
Silence.
Nothing.

And yet.

The Gold
wasn't strong enough.
It faltered.
After a while.
We got up
brushing of the mud
untangling the blue.
We inspected the gold on our bodies.
In between
some of us
made more
mines.

And there were puddles.
And up ahead
there was a minefield.

We ran.

Through lanes of autumn splendor
We rode, top down, against a blizzard
Gold, and red, and brown,
Leaves diving and cavorting
All our car around.

Western sunlight glimmering,
Causing fire-like glow,
Beauty stunning in our traffic flow,
Forcing glory in our vision
The falling leaves cascading,
Foretelling coming snow.

Cup of solid gold,
Probably makes things taste foul,
But it still looks great.

In front of the bar
a thin guy in an oil-stained t-shirt
pulled out a pack of cheap cigarettes
from his front jeans pocket.
"You got a light, buddy?"
I pulled out my black Zippo.
He turned his pack upside down
and a single gold coin fell into his palm
along with a half-smoked cigarette.
"What's with the coin?"
"I always carry it," he said.
"If I drop dead,
I want the ******* who finds me
to have a good day."