I am at home, alone.

I open the door to let them in.
Parasites.  
They are so familiar,
Beloved old friends.

No.
They do not come in.
I am led away,
Willingly.
Happily,
I offer my neck and wrists.
I need to feed the ones I love.
I give.

I am now in a daze.
The world looks dark.
Confused.
What happened?
How do I get home?
What will my beloved do without me,
If I leave them behind?
Will I survive?
Will they?
Does it matter?

No, it does not.
I fall to the ground,
Give up.
Dreams take hold.

Wake up!
My beloved have gone.
I am no longer providing sustenance.
I am outside of myself.

I recall my former home,
And begin to search.
Finally,
Alone,
I arrive.

Warm,
Happy,
Reconnected.
I remember this,
But it is different.
Fresh art adorns these walls.
New music plays.
It is bigger.
Changed.

This...
This is my home.

Words whip violently across my tongue's tattered sail,
lashing out at your shore.
Dunes retreat under pressure,
branches break,
your once wide beach appears a slim line of dust.

Still,
a rocky island remains.
Edges temporarily softened,
you are unchanged.

Leaves regrow atop new dunes,
your gentle sands settle gracefully back into place,
as my warm sun once again kisses your shores.

Forever your formidable companion,
you are mine.

Words whip violently across my tongue's tattered sail,
lashing out at your shore.
Dunes retreat under pressure,
branches break,
your once wide beach appears a slim line of dust.

Still,
a rocky island remains.
Edges temporarily softened,
you are unchanged.

Leaves regrow atop new dunes,
your gentle sands settle gracefully back into place,
as my warm sun once again kisses your shores.

Forever your formidable companion,
as you are mine.

So many dark days, not even sure the number.
Just that light at the end of the tunnel, drawing me.
Weak times, I sit down....
I lean against the tunnel's edge.
Other times I snap back up and run, forward, onward.
Sometimes it smells moldy in here.  

Suddenly, the end is right in front of me.  
I almost slip and fall out without even stopping to notice.
I stop, look back... smile.
Looking into the light, tears.

The sun has come out to play again, and so have I.

To lie on the floor
next to you
is a privilege
I've waited on my entire life.

Nature.

In your eyes
I see
beautiful knowledge
innocence
and unparalleled wisdom.

Volcano.

Me
something to discover
in your eyes
something to admire.

Previously
simply an image
constructed.

Exotic bird.

The unknown
is our dearest friend.

*Safe at last.

So tall
like a balloon
only withheld
by
its long string.

Let fly
high
above the rest
soaring.

So very high...

Deflation.

Burst
like a bubble
without air.

Jagged pieces
limp rubber *****
flop
downward
lifeless.

String
cumbersome
tangled
caught somewhere
between sky
and rock bottom.

Suspended pieces
never touch the ground.

Air
cannot be contained.

Freedom at last.

Disagree.
Tell me your favorite fears
I can take it.

Throw me away.
I might
decide
to come back.

Cuts in my soul
like chalk on my sidewalk
wash away
eventually
dust
where they once were.

Vibrant colors
adorn
fresh words
fresh newness
striking the stone.

Marks are so easily made.

Time passes
colors wash away
to white
to grey
a memory
invisible molecules.

And
the rock
remains still.