in my dreams
i think of something green
something 73 degrees
covered in trees;
and i see
white robes
colored skin
men and women
all different languages.

but i don't see
your flag
or your ballot;
i don't see
the words you shared
pastored over peoples
whipped into their ears
with a silver tongue
served on a silver spoon-
i don't see a wolf's wisdom bloom.

all i see
are crooked teeth
swollen eyes
cut up elbows
calloused palm lines
colored skin
men and women
all different languages.
they aren't scribes
and they aren't wise
but they are desperate
to have brand new eyes
to look upon your glory
and to see your radiant mercies.

all at once, and little by little, i fell in love. for the first time in my life, it didn't feel like something i needed to force or prove. it simply was. is. and thinking about her, us, the simple, the fun, and the delightfully mundane fills my heart to burst in a way that feels like a secure embrace and a soft kiss on my forehead. i love the sound of her voice, her long-winded stories, and her goofy laugh that betrays the surliness she'd sometimes feign to avoid feeling too much, too quickly. i am seen and heard and loved and valued, and it feels so effortless. never in my days did I imagine wanting to cheerlead and love and support someone so fully, to point it inward and treat myself the same. blues and greens and purples and pinks have never been brighter to me, saturated by the richness of each tender brush stroke in our ongoing tapestry. i love being in love and i love the woman that taught me how to eat the sun and let it go before the moon can miss it.

“One of the truest, one of the few.

Your essence is pure, no need to subvert.

Nothing but goodness, joy and happiness exude from your core.

It may be said of many, but your smile has watts that illuminate the truth, lighting up a room as only you, Elizabeth Young, can do.

That hair so lush, like it breathes on its own, to catch but a whiff is to know that I belong.

Belong in that embrace, welcomed into your orbit, the feeling so special, so genuine, so joyous, that I’ll never forget it.

That heart, your great big heart, encompassing every room, but never wanting the spotlight to shine down on you.

Your gift as a giver, showering love with aplomb,

yet always looking out for others, mindful of those with less,

makes you a special human who always wants the best.

Your laugh like no other, a kinship have we,

sometimes those seeking silence, don’t appreciate the unique harmonies between you and me. 😂

Your essence is a gift that I will forever cherish, I am blessed to call you my friend, to love you is an honor.

You’re the other half of my sunshine and that can never be taken away.

Your radiance is immortal, your legacy unmatched,

Yesterday, today and forever you will always shine bright and show me the way.”

Todd Carter
7/29/2022

It's a much sweeter today
than yesterday indeed.
Radiant meadows are on fire
beneath the trees
indulging blue fairies'
summer bowl of sun shines
abundantly overflowing
lavishly enough to render in
every rose of humming bees.

Pop up to flowers and bouquets
maybe the song on the birds' lips:
Time is today to jump in
on a London summer clement scene!

i’m a butterfly in the rain
wings dripping with salty tears
i’m a firefly in the dark
possessing a glow so beautiful
it makes me worth catching
i’m a girl with no hope
for i am too much of everything
and never enough.

Pieces of broken glass,
Scattered colors,
An orange ribbon,
And a fresh red rose.

blades of green lightly stab your feet.
the cool breeze caresses your arms
as the sun enhances your radiant face
you are at peace in this moment.