A painted face
Eyes shining brightly
Crisp white gloves
Hiding hands
Rose red lips
A perfect smile
Clothes all black
Brilliant contrast
Walking and dancing
Moving just right
Laughing and crying
Silent
And I can’t help but wonder
Who is the one behind the painted face

What now, lies within it?
A treasure, rose bud.
Shining bright, waiting quiet
He knows, he wants, he craves.

Where then, can he find it?
She holds the key, my dear.
Raven haired, longing eyes
She waits, she longs, she hopes.

How now, shall he go about it?
With subtlety, bright daisy.
Soft whispers, muttered name
A house, a place, a smile.

How then, shall he reach it?
By cleverness, sweet child.
Key turns, door opens
The light, the night, the moon.

How nigh, shall he find it?
Through stealth, gentle babe.
Soft step, floating shadow
A box, a lock, a snap.

How heard, shall he escape it?
No escape, darling mine.
She gasps, he turns
Their eyes, their fears, their hearts.

What then, he does not hurt her?
Souls meet,  Butterfly.
Her kiss, his lust
In love, in dark, in moaning.

Sweet romance! Do they know it?
Love triumphs, soft angel.
Passion burns, a lantern falls
Their fire, their ash, their death.

No! Why? Could they not fight it?
Don’t fight, sunshine
True love, to die there
So whole, so perfect, so destined.

But wait, what of the box?
Fear not, mine daughter.
Look inside, to find only
Their love.

All the rays of a summer sunset cascade into the atmosphere in flowing locks, falling onto the shoulders of a sandy beachfront: blinding in its’ fair complexion. Ocean eyes pierce the landscape with their tantalizing aqua gaze. Freckles and marks of sea shells and silky smooth pebbles dot the surface of the porcelain skin shore, bringing a thousand stories of each one’s journey to the surface of the water. A warm breeze glides over the waves, creating a sing-song lullaby that lilts into a bold melody. As it rolls across sea and shore, it comes to the edge of the forest, where it meets the ears of the woodland creatures. Jade green leafy eyes gaze with brazen admiration upon this sunshine goddess, who focuses her gaze, in turn, on the woods. The forest’s dark, luscious locks wrap around the trees and sway in the wind. The cool, shaded, earthy skin teams with freckled flowers and scars of fallen trees. Her breezy laugh rustles with the leaves and calls back to the sea.
I am the forest, deep and dark and full of life.
She is my ocean, bright and warm and teaming with beauty.
She drinks me in with those watery eyes, shining deeper than the stars. Her glowing tresses blind me with their splendor as I bask in their rays. I stretch out a branch and caress her silky skin as she whispers into my soul. A wave of love laps into my thirsty soil, and I shower her with petals and their perfumes. We strain upward, reach out, and entwine. We are dancing. It is a reckless, desperate dance of crashing waves, falling trees, roaring winds and screeching songbirds. Our laughing voices shake the ground into a whirlwind of passionate adventure. Shadows and light beams meld into a tapestry as we glide above the surface of the water, through the treetops and into the stardust... forever hand in hand with my darling, my love, my sunset, my beach.

I stopped.
My feet rested on the cool cement, and I listened.
Every tree, every bush, was whispering.
It started as a murmur, and grew.
Soon it was as if every forest in the world was talking, talking, whispering, whispering.
The voices faded for a moment, but it was not silent, for someone else was speaking.
Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop.
The rain was speaking to me.
Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop.
No, it was not speaking, it was singing.
Drip. Drop. Drip. Whizz.
Drip. Drop. Drip. Whizz.
Drip. Drop. Whizz. Drip. Drop. Whizz.
All around me it was swirling and falling and rising again to continue the song.
The trees had joined the song again.
Now it was as if they shouted their song with the rain.
Drip. Drop. Whisper. Whizz.
Drip. Drop. Whisper. Whizz.
Then, in a moment, the heavens broke open and a downpour of music flooded the earth where I stood.
The music ran.
It danced.
It rushed under my feet and all around me it sang.
I looked down at my feet and saw they were moving.
I looked up and the world swirled around me again and again.
I was dancing.
The rhythm of the music moved me with the waters and I flew with it.
I whirled around and around and around.
My heart flew with the music.
Through the whispering trees, through the rain in the air.
I danced and danced, unashamed and unaware of the world around me.
And then, as quickly as it had started, it began to stop.
Drip. Drop. Whisper. Whizz.
Drip. Drop. Whisper. Whizz.
Drip. Drop. Drip. Whizz.
Drip. Drop. Drip. Whizz.
Drip. Drop.
Drip. Drop.

Slowly, gently, I lean over and wrap my arm about her waist.
Her skin is soft and warm,
As tan as the sand of the sea shore.
She leans her head against my shoulder.
Smooth locks of rich brown hair cascade down her shoulders and lay against my neck.
I look into eyes as green as the grass and the leaves of the trees.
I feel as if I am staring into a forest of adventure, wonder, discovery, excitement.
Thoughts are racing through my mind; but as I look into those eyes, so deep and pure
I think only of her. Of my love for her. Of my desire to be with her forever.
I move, she moves, as if the same voice told us to lean in at the same moment.
Those soft, beautiful lips are against mine.
They are as red as the purest rose, a faint smell of mint fills my senses; telling me this is real.
I reach out and lay my work-roughened hand on top of her slender fingers.
They are so small, so delicate, so beautiful. I think to myself.
Without a single flaw, they remind me of the elegance of the very first cherry blossom,
As it slowly lifts its head to the sun and shows off its radiance.
And then she is speaking. Her voice dips and flows like the sweetest melody.
Her silvery laugh rings out like chimes in the wind.
I could hold her for hours, feeling her in my arms, listening to that sweet-as-honey voice.
The sun slowly fades into the west, suddenly filling the sky with every hue and color.
It’s time. slowly, I get down on one knee and pull a small box from my pocket.
“You are the best thing that has ever happened to me” I find myself saying
“And I cannot imagine life without you. My love, will you marry me?”
“Yes!”
That one word. Yes. She said yes. That means she is mine.
My Beach.
My Forest.
My Flower.
My Melody.
My Love.
My Life.

Hopeful eyes, darting and piercing about the terrain, strain to depict a clear scene through the flurry of snow dancing and sparkling in the crisp morning light. Glistening lips exhale a puff of warm breath into the icy sky, leaving a cloud of whispers and songs trailing through the vast expanse of atmosphere. Ruddy cheeks, sprinkled with freckles and the shadow of holy kisses, glow a soft pink as a prancing wind caresses the rosy skin. That same wind throws a mess of wildly curling locks, dark as a chocolate fountain, into an unashamed dance as they bounce and jolt with every twist and step. The cascade seems it's own living being, the way it flies just behind those hopeful features, always a step behind, yet perfectly in time with the song that pours from those tender lips. Two small feet, safely nestled in their snug boots, tingle with the sensation of each step as they flit down a snowy path, looping round and round, lost in the sway and rhythm of the music that now swirls with the flakes. A heart, locked in safety, beats wildly against the bars holding it in place. A flash of memory sails through a beautiful mind: a memory of that heart, twisted, blackened and cracked. That mind was polluted, small wrists bore the scars of the pain within, bleeding out. It was a season of darkness, pain, fear and loneliness. But that was then. The weight of the now golden heart is almost too much to bear. Two desperate lungs burn with each breath, sweating palms are strained with clutching a pile of books to a heaving *****. Dancing feet are stilled; jade green eyes pierce the heavens with their gaze, searching for someone in an eternal expanse. For the briefest of moments, a glimpse of His splendor is seen. His whisper in the wind, His spirit in the snow. His imprint on the ground, His fond gaze resting upon the source of his affection. As His bride glides on down the path, the soul within is bathed with light, joy, and hope; full beyond measure by the knowledge it holds. She is His. I am Yours.

You stand on the shoreline, watching the wild waves endlessly pound the earth and dash against the rocks. The rolling hills churn and crash in an eerie expanse of green and gray foaming depths. An endless sky grows darker and more foreboding by the second. Thunder rolls in the distance; you still refuse to leave. Your voice comes softly, and is ripped away by the wind, tossed out over the waters.

“Come back to me. I need you. I want you. Don't go!”

Ahhh... But I, sir, do not need you. The mighty ocean rumbles and groans, letting out wails and angered cries as she throws herself at the beach, the dock house, the cliff side, anything she can reach. The wind screams down the valley, shrieking her battle cry as she rips trees to pieces, blinding you with her rage. The pent-up malice of the heavens comes crashing down upon the terrain. Lightning bolts strike the crested waves again and again, charging her on in her decimation. With a shout from above, her tears break free from the clouds and careen towards the earth. They saturate every crevice and cranny with all the loathing of the air. You are deafened by the sounds of devastation around you, blown and beaten to your knees on the jagged rocks;
pounded and soaked by the anger and contempt so clearly seen in the eye of the storm. Desperate to preserve your own life; so suddenly at great risk, you call out.

“What have I done to deserve this? All that has transpired, I have done out of love!”

NO! Not a love for me, but a want for yourself. You spoke of honor and protection. You made false promises: to stay by my side, to sacrifice for me. But our actions will always speak the truth of our heart’s motives. And so, when you began to depend on me for fulfillment, to act possessive and controlling, I broke free from your craving grasp. You drive me out with your own selfish needs.

A wall of raging water rises from the bed of the sea, building into a mountain that blocks the sky from view. It charges toward the shore, gaining speed, power and determination, refusing to doubt or draw back. Even as your executioner rides towards you, in your ignorant hope you will not budge. Seconds before I smite you with my fury, obliterating you from my heart and mind forever, I whisper in your ear; “Your fatal mistake, my lover, was when you thought you could control the sea in all her glory, or hold back the storm she is.”