Never try to trick me with a kiss
Pretending that the birds are here to stay;
The dying man will scoff and scorn at this.

A stone can masquerade where no heart is
And virgins rise where lustful Venus lay:
Never try to trick me with a kiss.

Our noble doctor claims the pain is his,
While stricken patients let him have his say;
The dying man will scoff and scorn at this.

Each virile bachelor dreads paralysis,
The old maid in the gable cries all day:
Never try to trick me with a kiss.

The suave eternal serpents promise bliss
To mortal children longing to be gay;
The dying man will scoff and scorn at this.

Sooner or later something goes amiss;
The singing birds pack up and fly away;
So never try to trick me with a kiss:
The dying man will scoff and scorn at this.

Edges of shadows
In the corners of eyes
Too fast to see
It might be me

Is it true
What you see?
Is it real?
Is it really me?

You do not hear my voice
Or know the colour of my eyes
You would not know me in the street
Or recognise my accent
Should we meet

And yet
You have seen my soul
In the words I write
And even the spaces between them

Those who care to look
Can know my story
My frailties
My vulnerabilities
My reality

This may be my curse
And my gift to you
Whatever it may be
You know that it is true

                                   By Phil Roberts

flashes or your smiles
echos of your laugh
now as I walk down these aisles
I cry on your behalf.
The stars bore witness,
They heard my plea,
Yet they still saw fit
to steal you away from me.

she tiptoes,
graceful steps, no sound when her feet touch the ground
-- like her feet are feathers and she’s the bird, tied down
she tiptoes
every movement of hers is subtle and subdued and almost slow
for no reason but to be quiet – ah, there it is
she did it wrong
she apologizes but—it’s never okay
there is a circle around her wrist,
it’s a bracelet of distrust, discolored and discernible
too much so maybe
and she tiptoes
arched up like she’s taking flight but then she never does
black markings on her arm like a collar; holding her back
holding her down or maybe just holding her
-- in place, unmoving and unchanging away from the torrent of time
or right in there, aging her fast and soon she’ll be unable
to fly
she tiptoes

I wish to freeze time
right now
and here
to this moment
of you
holding
me near.
always within your arms
forever
to be
feeling this beautiful love
of you
and me.                                  
a connection so strong
an embrace
so tight                                    
to love you forever
every day                                  
every night
it’s not hard to see
my tears
are
of love
silky and soft                                          
like
the
feather
of                                        
a dove                                        
our life of hopes and dreams
has just
begun                                              
our journeys entwined
became                                              
as one                                            
now walking hand and hand
in love                                            
and happiness                                                
my heart overflowing
in this                                                              
feeling
so glorious.                                                                                                                
~

you swept the ashes of winter
lit red and ****
drawn naked with smoke
and coal
still glowing
in the shadow of paper flowers
pressed to walls of plaster
and stone