I can promise him
and I can promise her
and I can promise myself
                                           but
i will never forget the warmth of summer sidewalks
and how it feels to lie.

i will never forget the beat of roshambo,
thundering in my ears
rock paper scissors

i will have instead forgotten the truest fact -
                 you came back first.

and isn't that enough?

Eagles weep the dust of fury
            Glory hangs in a breeze filled sky
Trumpets howl forth silence
            Empty eyes gaze on debris and cry

Paradox rains upon sweltering souls
            Discordant melodies find no harmonic tone
Sleeping giants fail to wake
           Dreams of horror in daylight come

Restrained talons seek to rip
            Flesh and bone. Retribution wails
Bridled shouts from viper lips          
             Broken tongues speechless, still

Such foreign chaos, grief born questions
            Here rests doubt, fear rooting
Anger to pain beget rage
            Tearing fabric, destroying the shoot

A blast through heart’s cage
            Cries, screams and eternal rage
Why! Demands our soul
            Why? Defiant voices entreat

Into this realm of despair
            Touching sinew of exposed hope
Lifting corpse-like remains
            Our Hope stands, lifted hands

In a speechless voice the whisper comes
            Gentle words rock our perilous stance
Words carefully spoken, deeply heard
            Faith, Hope, Love the memory calls

Again, glorious birds will find their songs
            Heavy banners will lift in a gentle breeze
Clarion call of brass sounds, proclaims
            Life has come and still remains

If you can escape me in little thought bubbles
Like I am a bottle of carbonated soda
((And you are the hiss that escapes me when I'm too shaken up to remember
We should have digested our feelings by now))
Then perhaps I should shovel my fist deeper into my mouth
To keep all of these words from dribbling out

Ice cold, staring through a window,
the warmth of a summers day, ebbs and flows outside,
time slips through my fingers like grains of sand,
constructing plans and futures,
fiction that fades into shadows ,
dreams that mingle with the dust in my room,
In resignation, I let the old ghosts ride my soul.

© H V Swan

I drink away the pain because I can no longer cut it out but give me a chance and I will carve your name.
I think about the day because I no longer remember the nights but give me a chance and I will forget the days too.
I smile when I remember our memories because they have always been my favorites but give me the chance and I will forget them all.

Let me stop drinking.

I had that dream again.
The one that leaves me wishing I could sleep forever.
For in my dream you are mine,
In my dream you are kind.
When you say goodbye,
I don't worry when the next time your hand will be in mine.
For I know the constant of your heart will keep me sound.

In this dream.
The that keeps my eyes from drying
You look at me the way I always remembered,
Your precious face melted my heart
While your eyes softened and you whispered you missed me.
I was undoubtedly assured this young love would be forever.
The kind of love that grows old and keeps the heart young.
The kind that makes your stomach sick with hope.

What a heart wrenching feeling it is to wake up from such bliss.
Dragging this heavy heart from its bed, I smiled and let the sun dry my tears.