Contagion you have made some ill, some die
Some weak, some weaker still but I
Have found in you an unexpected Alibi.
Confined I find like mind apt to remind
Of a former time. Yet, your spiky crown
First afflicting then affecting did come down.

Healing leaves are now disrobed branches
on the edge of this wilderness.
Many tall Douglas Fir stand sentinel
over 100 foot tall amazing grace — the fleeting leaves
expose the beauty of the moss clad scaffolds
adorned with a lime-grey lichen lace
Nature is my refuge — solid ground to stand
in this harmony and peacefulness.


Jesse Stillwater — December 2018

D emons dancing down underneath
E vil words slipping out its mouth
M onsters await at every corner
O minous feelings crawl into my brain
N either dead or alive, I float in between
"Stay dead" they said, but I was gone by then

Once upon a time,
There was a princess in a tower
Her only companion were the sky and clouds

In her simple room, there was a match
He saw the princess, dull and abandoned
Through summer, spring, and fall

One night he whispered notes in her ear
To light the match, and see his shine
He said," Let me accompany you, dear."

That day on, when he called upon
She would light the match
Enjoying his flickering, wild dances

Their companionship consumed her sorrow
For she had, a new sun to look upon
The flame he brought, comforted her heart

But the match had known,
That his time with the princess was cutting close
How sad he was, when roses bloomed on her cheeks

On the last day he proposed,
That she let him blanket her in a forever glow
That night her gaze lingered on his unsteady glow

Upon the navy sky, a glow could be seen
The once dreary tower became a candle
That transformed, what turned into an amber night