How can the vibrations
Of the screaming
And broken
Balance the world

Why must the gunfire
Act as an antidote
For the anger
Brought upon ourselves

Why must we judge
What others become
Starting wars
Against the drugged ones

Is war really worth
The prophesied peace
Or should we drop the weapons
And just live to be

hues of pale peach wash
the air in solar flare soap
cherry blossom shoes

It is hard to write about something you are always so full of
Constantly overflowing with that you can barely see the brim of the bowl anymore
from how often it has disappeared beneath the ebbing ocean
Sometimes they come so fast you don’t have time to decipher the foam

My heart has been held softly between two safe palms for over a year now
There have been times it has been caressed so carefully
I can’t tell the difference between skipping beats and catching breath

When its edges have fit perfectly into grooves eroded over time
for ten fingerprints that can’t be replicated
Codes we constructed together
and secret knocks only the hands of our internal clocks can count the rhythms of

There have been times they have squeezed a little too hard to tell
Accidentally scraped the surface without intending to
Followed by however much body heat is necessary to help the healing
With extra to spare in case of emergencies

Reality can’t keep the roses red every time winter comes to visit

But it has painted my laugh lines permanent
And keeps my dimples occupied

He knows the mechanics of my face word for word
he can read my heavies in a microcosmic glance
before they even get the chance to bite my tongue to stop me spilling

I am comfy in his loud and in his quiet
I am warm in his laugh
Soft in his smile
Giving back comes so easy when the receiving end is often mine

Falling further every day has made me best friends with gravity
And soulmates with the years ahead waving from a distance

Full of arms wide open
And two mouthfuls of laughter

It's easy to let glass stain from holding it up to the sun
to look through and see how pretty it looks in the light
you don't really register the change in colour
before the ink starts to taste different
and your tongue can't be held responsible

I took care of all the promises our younger selves crafted so carefully
blew them through straws into the waiting room for belonging
somewhere further down the line
speckled with all the possibilities the older us would follow through
bring to fruition with all the worldly knowledge we intended to collect along the way
scribbled down in patchwork scrapbooks
feathered with sketches of our pink penthouse apartment
outlined in crayon
cemented with glitter glue and grins

"best friends forever" can hold the same weight
as your last "I love you" to the wrong person

we don't talk about those ages anymore

when in each others company
we now engage in polite conversation
dances with small talk
punctuated with weak smiles and a pause

until the years catch up
bubble at the surface of old videos and photographs
bathed in laughter and "remember when"s aplenty

and we sit comfortable in knowing
we will never make new memories
as the us we have grown into

but the locks to the old one will never change
they'll always fit the keys we cut

together

God knew my heart needed you
for a time such as this
to be my rock and my protector
my safe place and the source of my smiles
to give me hugs when I’m cold
to kiss my mouth when I’m speechless
to hold my hand when I’m unsteady
and He let me find comfort in your warmth

You are something truly beautiful
In this hideous society
You shine a hopeful light
In a world where it's rare to see

Darkness touches all you view
Refuse to let night dim your fire
Ugliness creeps in like a draft through the door
Your peace my ultimate desire

I love you for all that you are
Had no warmth in my life before you
I made the decision to leave you stranded
Didn't know I would be stranded too

This is how our story had to go
My past was dark without your face
Today
Next to you confronted with
All I have been struggling to erase

There is no one else like you
They say each individual is one-of-a-kind
But they appear the same to me
You are the first to change my mind

You may have left scars on me
The feeling you give soothes any pain
Even when I am irreversibly miserable
You are the sunshine that ends falling rain

My stray sock returned

to its mate in the drawer –


spooning together.

I'm torn between
The comfort
Of your waist
And the warmth
Of your cheek

I get lost in your words.
When I'm with you,
I can spread my wings like an adventurous bird.
I get lost in your eyes.
When I'm with you,
I soar through the sky like a bewitching butterfly.
I get lost in you.
Oh, if only you knew.