I chose to take a painful path,
Where my bloodied footprints
Trailed upon life's broken glass,
Bleeding out across the shards
Of shattered hopes, discarded hearts.

In loves gutter I found my truth,
Face down in that waste of you
Which bittered every taste of youth,
Spat out your words so dearly held
And choked that hope on cruel untruths.

TS Lefort 2021

And it waited a moment longer than a moment’s pause

It was rain resisting its temper, attempting tenderness

Each drop the poignant pain in a patient bladder when you hold to hear the end

Then, it drowned the saplings in the gutter

a violent politeness
an apology for impeding
a housewarming gift

It's all turning to fluid,
It's all washing down.
The gutters that clutter the street
Are sloshing everything south,
The pipes unseen are having a feast.
Feeding off the emotions of a cowardly beast.

Nobody noticed, nobody tended to care
Just go to work, don't come home,
Just stay there. You're a **** up.
You need to get a bit more mature,
You need to earn so much more
Then you might have a place to exist.
Then you might have a place to live.

I bet they see this smile,
I bet they see the dark circles on my face.
Who should I be kidding, it's all fake.
Slaving life, am I even awake?

Rope
There's no point in splitting hairs
No point in pointing a finger
It's done
The pages are all torn
Trashed and scattered
And dragged through the gutter
Like yesterdays garbage
And all that rope
I supposedly gave
A phantom
There never was a rope,
A leash, nor a chain
Those things are not for sale
At the well
No there never was a rope
Except perhaps
For  the one attached
To the water bucket
From which
We still
Quietly sip
Through
The miles
Of sea
And storm
And time
As long as we stay
This way
This well
Will never dry up

2016-2017 for the attempt to make unconditional, the conditional.

Gutter.

That is where I put my feelings.
They get poured back down and keep my head clean.

Gutter.

I noticed something.
It is clogged with leaves and twigs.
Without my gutter, I don't feel happy.

Please clean my Gutter.