you lure me into bliss
an astral paradise
in those gunmetal eyes,
the wild world around me
dims along the edges
blurred out like a dream
you're all i care to see
'cause

(anywhere with you
is close to
shangri la)

and in these trying times
it's truly tempting to
float on up to the clouds
exhale and sail above
the suffering that
suffocates our souls
away
to somewhere new
and

(anywhere with you
is close to
shangri la)

some dreamers fall down
rabbit holes
or spot the second star
and fly away; more
fairy tales of ethereal escape
but lately all it takes for me
to find some peace is just to be
somewhere that's close
to you
'cause

(anywhere with you
is close to
shangri la)

on October mornings
when the world outside my window
is lost in a pale fog
& faint white light slips between
the spaces in my blinds but spares
me, cloaked in shade & free
to sleep a little longer (if i could)

when the cozy scent of coffee
drifts upstairs, through the chilly air
& kisses me awake
how to savor a stillness so delicate?
threatened by little more
than the **** creaky floor

on October mornings
born mild & undisturbed
i tiptoe through the quiet
vacant rooms that smell of
spice & stale smoke
all is as i left it.
(draped in loneliness)

when i've accidentally made
one too many pancakes
& the wind's whistle haunts me like
a distant friendly ghost
it seems to always be
on these October mornings
that i wish you were here

the most

i.
what a mess you’ve made
of me
cause i’ve spent so much time in your eyes lately
and i like the way you smile when
you're falling apart  
over last call at the bar
i swear you look at me like i just
lifted a car
(surprised and confused and afraid and
amazed)
when i’m raving like a mad woman about
climate change and you keep the drinks
coming and my heart
pumping
all night
long.

ii.
the grey area
is not where good love goes to die
it is where good love is never born
thighs are kissed but hearts are not broken
and those of us who dwell there
prefer it that way
(but i don’t mind
if you stay)

iii.
though i would have preferred
if you’d kissed me earlier
and hurt me less,
with you i always take what i can get
i want you to teach me everything you know
about making love
and weapons of mass destruction
(why do ugly thoughts consume such a pretty mind?)
come here, baby
i am not the bad guy.

iv.
and i’ve been feeling restless
like my chest is on fire
thoughts twisted up
i told you with me its never enough
(and then it’s too much)
electrify me just to pull the plug
don’t you know it’s better with the lights on?
i’ve never felt so ******* untouched
as i have these last few nights
passion isn’t patient
but timing is everything,
right?
(i knew you’d change your mind)


t.m.

To hold her hand is to hold
The vast universe within my palm
The strings of infinity against my skin
Where sparks fly like falling stars
From our fingertips entwined
Like planets–we are aligned

To hold her hand is to hold
The spirals of the Milky Way
Between our fingers, laced together
Night; for she is humble moon
Day; for she is brilliant sun
She is every color of the spectrum

To hold her hand is to hold
Cosmic rays and lightning beams
(You wouldn't understand)
Wild interstellar dreams
(But all I really want to hold–
is her hand.)

come vibe with me
between the sheets
lost hands searching for the sweet
spot--moving to a melody of hot sighs and
heavy breaths
pull me in closer
tight to your chest

&

trace your fingertips
through the valley
of my thighs and the curve of my hips;
i
mold myself around you
       slow down to take it all in;
i
fold myself around you
feel the fire in my kiss
when i stroke your stiff neck
then press it to my lips


(come vibe with me, babe
when you need to unwind
   --the pleasure is all mine.)

go on and finish that last drink
you can fall into my arms again
and look at me longingly with bloodshot eyes
what a talent
you tell the most exquisite lies
while you hold my cold hands
close to your chest, and
kiss my desperate lips between
drags of your cigarette
i am forever hungry for you
i know now what it takes to get you
out of your head and into my bed
and all those sweet, slurred words
you said, i memorized them all and
they became my favorite song to sing
myself to sleep
but they were never mine to keep
i'm learning slowly.
may i soak in your borrowed,
plastic love until tomorrow?
cause i'm hooked on the bitter taste of
beer on your tongue
you'll never remember how it felt
to be young if you drink it all away
(will you drink my memory away?)
so ******* sour when you're
sober, but i'm ******* stubborn
and i want you closer
i'm your moonlight late night
end-of-the-****** friend
and ill never mistake this for more
never again.

-i think i like you better when you're wasted
(i think you like me better when you're wasted)

t.m.

i cannot sleep
i am wired with fury
flooding, storming
through my veins choking my heart
burning a hole in my stomach
because another black body has been
stolen
a heart
stopped
a voice
silenced
at the hands of an officer
(serve & protect?)
dried blood has hardened on the corners
of the pages of the book he was holding
when he was murdered
and now his name will become a
headline
a hashtag
and who will explain to his son
why he couldn't make it to the bus stop?
why wasn't his life worth protecting
why is his death an argument
why isn't anyone
l i s t e n i n g
while black folk are on the streets
s c r e a m i n g
blacklivesmatter
but the killing doesn't stop
and the blood is always fresh
and that is why
i cannot sleep tonight.

t.m.      1:29 am