Wrapped around the trunk
snake-like,
I taste the venom of my own tongue,
I lick the skin
in search of an antidote,
My last breath simulating the first
doubles the thirst to live,
But alas!
My love forsakes me to death

Every coin
no matter the filth
or how many times
they've been burned
stabbed or thrown aside
every coin
is one step away
from becoming gold
and that one step
is knowing
or being told
that I would risk everything
to have you as my own
I would cross the stars
lay my life down
on even a small chance
that you'd be found

and in our battle of words,
yours succeeded to wade its meaning straight across
and with a solid one at most,
i have once again been rendered lost

When you first heard Aretha sing, did you know just what she meant?

Or did you ponder the words, in your mouth.

Cloying.

Stuck to your tongue with cement.

R. E. S. P. E. C. T.

I've got no idea what it means to me.

There are things of great significance
greatly sought
greatly valued
which I cannot put in a search bar

There are things I cannot place
on a spreadsheet
or in my pocket
which I place above all else

There are things I find
difficult to quantify
impossible to define
but which have immense meaning

And so, I do not try
to capture them
to count them
and instead I invite them in

"Death gives meaning to life."
It makes me so angry, because,
How ridiculous is it not?
That we accept an end?

Death does not give meaning to life.
- We do.
And meaning is not something to be given
It is something to be taken.
With every breath -
With every step -
And every leap you take
You create your purpose.

"Death gives meaning to life."
No.
Living does.

You do not read a book for the end
-you read it for the journey.
You should not wake up just to go to bed
-you wake up to enjoy the day.

You do not live to die.
You live to live.

there are times
when the meaning
of a word
is asked
one that
has been read
and regurgitated
used regularly
correctly adopted
as part of
an apparent
well-read
   or pretentious
vocabulary
however upon
being asked
its meaning
there is only
a blank
vacuous
addled
unable to provide
a succinct
or even literate
definition

to save face
to re-establish
the hubris
of this
abashed lexicologist
analogous alternatives
will be offered
oversimplified
synonyms
carrying a little
less gravitas
a layman's explanation
to maintain
position on his
self-congratulatory
podium

there are times
while reading
that rather
than check
the definition
     of a word
a word
which is recognised
but whose true meaning
evades me
rather than
search the illumined
pages of a dictionary
to reveal
the mysteries of
     this vital word
this word
which carries
the entire weight
of interpretation
and comprehension
for the rest
     of the sentence
     of the paragraph
     of the page
instead there is
a striving
to illicit some
understanding
vague or otherwise
from whatever context
can be applied
to those words
that remain
indifferent to
the possibility
that I might
misunderstand
it all