In the baptism
of your
exhaustion

from the

night before.


I would guard
your sleep.

and prop
your head
upon my
chest.

let my thoughts
pour over
you,
like a soft
rain.

I would tend
your garden
while you
slept, and
play
like a
child with
your tangled

angel hair.

I would hum you
a melody in
your ears.
and keep your fears
at bay...

I would sit
and watch
you sleep.

In hope that
in the morning
when you
awake.

we would be

everything.

Setting
our hearts
to beat
in melancholy
tune,

like the
echoed
celebrations
from some
distant
bells.

love is a
whisper.

the inter
tangle ling
of fingers
and arms
and legs
that reach
towards
each other
with the
hunger

of one.

love is
a whisper.


in search of
love's
eternal
salvation.

no words
spoken.

passions
fused to
the core.

bodies
spent.

souls
ripe
for
love's
******
rite of
harvest.


love is
a whisper

that only...

my love
can hear.

without you

here,

Heart
displaced.

shadow
smiles,

hour glass
moments,

fleeing
from across
your face.

no one
listening
to stalled
heart beats.

your thoughts
jumping
from one
moon
to the next.

holding
back
time.

upsetting
the gentle
balance
of the
universe.

because your
not really
there.

your here
with me.

as the tide
wipes the beach
clean of false
impression.

so have you
allowed me
and my

heart
to breathe

again.

My love
inhales.

I take
your breath.

scorpion
tracks
of salt
from
the hot
sun
run down

your
golden
tanned
back.

you arch
to receive
me.

my body
slopes
to deliver.

and stars
collide.

and
black stone
belly clouds
burst to

deliver
white
snow
diamonds

from the

empty sky.

heavens
rage,

love binds
us eternal.

this dream

I have
of you

tonight.

In a
troubled
dawn.

I will
be there.

when you
need me

to breathe
into you
under
ashes
spent.

in hollows
of your
life where
nothing
is left
to grow.

be at
dawn
naked
to my
sight.

in the
beauty
that
God
intended.

blend
in harmony
to the
calypso
wind,

and I
will dance
again
with you

no holding
back.

in skies
of black
and blue.

All in
broken
*******
pieces,
that no
longer
nourish you,


last moments
last touch,
smell of
passion still
on your
breath,
heartbeats
unbridled
still submerged
just beneath
your skin.


your favorite

drink

half full

now resting
like a

tired foreign
legion soldier

standing guard
on someone else's
bedroom window.

.
and you try

to sleep
save for
the colliding
of stars over
your angel
head.


and the faint
sound of
footsteps
disappearing
down your
front porch

walk. and
what is
to become
of the crumbs
of you
that are left,


the oblivion
of time
that is
here the
silence of
your wounds
that bleed

out in the
night unanswered.

Upon this
white
wordless
paper ,

that covers
me like
cracked

and bleeding

crocodile skin
upon
my bones.

mourned
are you,

upon my
copper toned
still
face..

ashes
spewed
then
scattered,

like orphaned
grey
burnt
children,

across
a cemetery
sky after
a funeral
of a friend,

left over
poems,

to pray
to in
the streaked
fading
light.

my spirit
cast
to uncertainty.

no destination.

a wayward

vessel with

oars left
hanging
limp
tired
unresolved

by my sides.


open belly
boat
rocking
to no one
to nothing

in particular,

no savior
of sand of land

to ever
kiss and greet
my face again.

now
angels
sing
in darkness.

beckon me
home

to rest.

but not

to journey's
end,

only to
another
beginning.

to a place,
to where
I will mourn
for you

all over

again.

I caught

one

once,



it felt

and tasted

like a

ice cream



melting from

the corner

of your

mouth,



and it

was glorious

and Neopolitan

in flavor.



and just

for a

castaway

moment



we were

in a

cocoon
growing
changing
embracing
love ,


and then

suddenly
the shadow

fell,


and you

inhaled

my love

and spit

it out,


like a

dog who

just ate

something

vile.


and then
you

ran,


and

then when
our
eyes would

meet,


you ran

some more.


keeping just

far enough

away


outside

my desperate

reach,

that lord

forbid

that I

might

ever

taste your
ice cream

smile again.


that summer

I was 13
it was my
first kiss..


I was just
a child


who once

thought

anything

was possible.
then I
met you..


stupid

girl.


*****.

An opal catfish

jumps and

splashes,

hoping

to catch

the  early

bird dinner

of sorts.


a southern

whiskey wind

skips the

lake"s face


with the

care of

a mother

brushing

the hair

of her

young child.


in all

of the

things I

witness

now,


in all

of the

day dreams

I embrace..


there

is only you.


even here.

without

pretending.

and I so

wish for

the day

the spoken

word

leaves us

all together.


and retires

like a

poor step

sister,


who no one

now has

any use

for at all.


in years

of this

physical

place


love is

a beggar


eternity

a *****

at best.


I need

to only

see your

face.


only to

fall into

your eyes.


only to

hold you

till the

life in

this world

runs out.


and then

to die

with a

smile

on my

face.


like this

opal

catfish

with his

titan

leaps..


I truly

understand.



cause I

have leaped

into

your

eyes.

and my

soul knows

now and

forever.

I am so

much


the better

for it.

The bad

taste

lingers in

my

mouth,


like a

wide mouth

kiss of

an old woman

who has

smoked

the last

25 years

of her life

.
ash and

burnt offerings.


the fruit

of her

soul is

gone,


running

down the

drain of

forever,


like a

runaway

cat


dodging cars

on an open

four-lane

highway.


and no one

is to blame

but me


and my

hopeless

romantic

love of

words

in

search of

a place

to call

home.


for a moment

I thought

It was in

your brown

calico eyes,


but then

the disappointment

of your

big breasted

smile,


simply rotted


and fell

away to

ash and
burnt
offerings,

leaving

nothing


I will

ever think


about again.

And I

would not

let any

black thought

ever find you,



I would tend

to your dreams

like a



sheppard his

flock as

you sleep.



and calm

your whispers

and kindle

your dreams

of joy and youth.



doubt and despair

will not

find you,



for as you

sleep I

am there

for you to

trust and

lean upon,



our roots

run deep.

no wind

would ever

bend my

diligence and

thought of you.



and my

care for

your dreams

are beyond

the moon

and back again.



till morning finds

you awakening,



and my dreams

begin three

thousand miles

away.

The bleeding

to white

and all

that may

come.


the unfeeling

of everything

I have

come to

hold dearly

in my

heart.


somehow

I know

in that

darken

place.


you will

still

find me

there.


and you

will calm

my spirit,


and paint

my sky,


and fall

like a

mid-winters

night

dream

over me


and I slumber

I will  catch

your sorrow,

and shelter

your pain,


and not

let a

broken

heart

take one

moment

from you.


true in

spirit

you

and I.


and the

falling

of clouds

will surround

us,


and the

crying of

seasons

lost will

echo in

our bones.


but only

truth will

be seen

in our

eyes


and only

love

will color

our sky...

The bleeding

to white

and all

that may

come.


the unfeeling

of everything

I have

come to

hold dearly

in my most

inner being.


somehow

I know

in that

darken

place.


you will

still

find me

there.


and you

will calm

my spirit,


and paint

my sky,


and fall

like a

mid-winters

night

dream

over me


for eternity's

slumber.


and I

will catch

your sorrow,


and shelter

your pain,


and not

let a

broken

heart

take one

moment

from you.


true in

spirit

you

and I.


and the

falling

of clouds

will surround

us,


and the

crying of

seasons

lost will

echo in

our bones.


and in

our final

moment,


only truth will

be seen

in our

eyes

.
and only

love

will color

our sky.

It is the
feeling of your
toes to the
back of my
legs
that cases me
to beg for
your adoration
and obedience.

and I
memorize that
moment
and carry it
with me
throughout
the remains
of my day.

and our love
is a river
that runs so
long and so
deep that it
carries us
away.

and no
matter how
we try
you always
leave each other
weak in
our knees.

and your
lips are
full and swollen
from deep
kisses from
the night
before.

and the
morning before
and the morning
before that...

carry me
gypsey stranger

my soul is
ready to
bleed for
you

and dance like
naked banshees
in the night.

so  again

carry me
carry me

away.

Runaway and
bury your body
under me
in the rain,

and lick
and quench
your thirst off
heaven's  water
running
off of
my neck

and memorize our
kisses deep
and wet,

until you
are unable
to feel
the rain
anymore

and our tongues
become weak
from full
pleasure,

then tell
me your
secrets and
show me
all of
your secret
places in
the dark,

and sing
to me
your cardinal
sighs and
moans of
love.

show me
everything,
hold nothing
back,

this is
the moment
that the
universe
has made us
perfect for.

like the sun
raising over
the horizon.

and never
looking back.

and in
his eyes tonight
you will lie
but he doesn't
see you.

under the
cover of night
I am the
lightening strike
just outside
your window.

and the
muscle twitch
between your
thighs
that is me
as well.

in these
fairy tale dreams
of us.

and the rubies
I could
give you,
for you
to hang
around your
neck,

and the
whispers I
could share
with you,

before the
night expires
to the light.

and you would
taste of me
and me
of you
everywhere.

and though
death beckons
me in
these days,

I am far
richer for
having these
dreams at least
once.

and not
die the
pauper in
God's eyes.

you lie
across your bed
like an angel
just laid.

and all
debts owed
to each other
are paid
in full
without
regrets.

and though I
may never
be  the dream
in your
eyes again.

our desperate
hearts were
true and full
till mornings
light,

and I could
not love you
more,

without names
of husband
and wife.

and though
we have come to
age past
one another
far too
long ago.

still you
bless my evening
when you
come to
see my eyes
like no one
ever has.

all bets
in life are
off.

and naked
is my love
to you.

in this fairy
tale moment
so clear in
black and
white.

with you.

for me
I know there
is a fairy tale
ending in
your eyes,

a soul's
balance,

and a
peace and
harmony that
I have
never known.

and in the
quiet whispers
in the
deepest
night when
you open
to me and
reveal all
that you have
inside.

naked to naked
eyes to eyes,

in this
forever world
that lies
inside your
once in
a lifetime
dreams.

I dream of
you can
you feel
me.?

it is
a minute past
one in
the morning
I taste you

do you
taste me

too?

Let the dancing
bear move
across my
eyes,

and the
circus of
our lives that
was always
you fade
away,

and let the
silhouette
of your
last kiss
melt
upon my
lips.

release me
from these
words
to our
final resting
place,

let  me
soar
again naked
back into
the stars
at night,

where you
will no longer
seek me

I will
no longer
cry,

and only
the ashes
of what
we once
were together
remain

to the
day.

Under your
big nippled
tops.


delicious back

somersault
tumbles,


tickling my

chin as you

would
fly by

over head.


trampoline

spike
bounces

off my
Coppertone
brown

belly ,

as you
would

melt
over me

and my

thighs

applaud....


our passion

was a
three

ring circus
then.


contortionist,

soul grapplers

and sin.


and what
is left

to us
now but
scars

still
unreconciled,


inside

and out,

cuts unkind
that

validate
the ticket
and price

of our

love's admission

we each
paid full ticket
that summer.


to be
even for
the shortest

of times,

under your
big nippled
tops.


the greatest

show on
earth.

under your
big tops.


delicious back

somersault
tumbles,


tickling my

chin as you

would
fly by

over head.


trampoline

spike
bounces

off my
Coppertone
brown

belly ,

as you
would

melt
over me

and my

thighs

applaud....


our passion

was a
three

ring circus
then.


contortionist,

soul grapplers

and sin.


and what
is left

to us
now but
scars

still
unreconciled,


inside

and out,

cuts unkind
that

validate
the ticket
and price

of our

love's admission

we each
paid full ticket
that summer.


to be
even for
the shortest

of times,

under your
big tops.


the greatest

show on
earth.

Under ashes
spent and
the chiming
of hallowed
bells,

I will pray in
solace for
you,

and your
broken
down dreams
of love and
forever after.

and I will
be the one
to pick
up your
broken pieces
lying across
your lovers
floor,

and blind
to you
I will
be the one
who loves
you most.

today tomorrow
yesterday and
all of the
moon and
suns between.

such is
my task
my journeys
end.

without
hope only
in solitude.

and the
sum of
all things,

to  love
to you
go I.

And I

would not

let any

black thought

ever find you,



I would tend

to your dreams

like a



sheppard his

flock as

you sleep.



and calm

your whispers

and kindle

your dreams

of joy and youth.



doubt and despair

will not

find you,



for as you

sleep I

am there

for you to

trust and

lean upon,



our roots

run deep.

no wind

would ever

bend my

diligence and

thought of you.



and my

care for

your dreams

are beyond

the moon

and back again.



till morning finds

you awakening,



and my dreams

begin a

thousand miles

away.

it is 1030
on a
a March
monday
morning

the magic
of your
eyes fall
over me,

and as
I look at
you,

in each
heartbeat
there is
a falling
off from
one to
the next.

deep drops
of anticipation
and great
urgency
to catch
my next
breath.

you are
a wonder
to all
that are
around
you.

a  song that
when once
heard
no one
can ever
get out
of their
head.

nor would
they ever
want to.

I learned
that lesson
long ago.

the sun will
follow the
moon and
then the
moon surrender
it's sky
again .

for millions
of years it
has been
adorn by
the stars
this way.

like you.
and your
timeless
beauty

it is
my only
explanation.

of you
that I

believe.

The sigh
of your angel
breath.

the deep
reflection
of your
universal
eyes.

and then
the quiet
gentle
surrender,

of my
open
soul
to you.

to that
place
that is
calm
and safe
and warm.

timeless
in
it's
presence.

rolling
and full
like
a Pacific
ocean
wave.

and all
that
is in
this moment
is the
promise
of your
smile.

and the
beating
of your
heart.

and the
treasure
that is
rich
and pure.

your friendship
and sky.

naked to
my eyes.

There is
never a

long way
around
to your
smile,

it is
such a
graceful
and simple
offering,

God
is in
you,

and you
give him
back

inside me.

and I
in return
sit and
write these
words
to you.

from

the first
day
that I
ever saw
you

smile.

So easy
to slip
in and
out of
thought
with you,

like clouds
playing
peek a boo
with the
sun on
a high
sky
timeless
day.

sitting
here
testing
my fortune
every time
you come
into my
view.

you are
now in
me in so
many
places
that
I call
home.

and you
are always
welcomed
here.

like a
surprise
I knew
nothing
about.

a kiss
I never
saw
coming.

you are
a fortune
found

a seed
in my
blood.

a laugh
that makes
me unexpectedly
see myself

in you.

I can
remember
everything
about the
last time
I witnessed
your smile.

and if
you could
see how
beautiful
the memory
is,

you would
realize
like me
that there
is never
a "was"
to a
moment
spent
with you.

it lingers
and sings
to me,

to reveal
all of
it's secrets,

and though
I might
meet it
now with
empty
pockets
of fate.

your face
is something
I always
carry with
me,

in deep
breaths
and tender
offerings,

in  true
definition
of what

a woman
can do
to your

soul.

You are
the dream
of everything,

the sum of
all my
thoughts,


the slumber
while I
sleep,

as the
peace
and blessing
of your
smile,
falls over
me

you are
the pieces
of my
night
that I
remember.

the warmth
in my
soul
that I
carry with
me through
out
my day,

till night
returns
me to
you

and our
thousand
dreams
till

dawn.

Between
my God
and river
and earth.

your breath
your
open
heart,

is the
only constant
of the universe
inside
my imagination.

questions lie
unanswered,

like so many
pawns
left
unplayed
on a stone
tablet
chessboard
in a park.

and my
thoughts
fall to
you.

and my
open
hand
reaches
for you.

and the
crimson
color of
dusk
turns
to ash,

and star
gates
hide
in the
deepest
parts
of space.

where
your dreams
lie


and my
thoughts
and dreams
lie
with you.

unashamed
only
pure
in touch.

and I
am certain.
the
sun only
rises

because

it knows
to where
you
are.

You take
my
breath
away
with
your

teardrop
smile.

your imaginary

fire *******
kisses

and angel
laughter
in the
middle
of our
night.

while
a canopy
moon crests
over a
star
filled
night.

the heavens
bend
to you.

and your
gentle
ways.

and your
angel
smile.

and to
all the
wonders
about
you that
I hold
so dear
to me.

the celebration
of sky
is you

in all
this sky
can hold.

and a
moment
without
you.

would
certainly
be the
absence

of sky

itself.

Clouds dance

like children

playing in

open blue sky.



and under

them I

day dream

of you

and where you

are and what you

are doing?



it is

the grace of

knowing

you that makes

me think of

you and pray.



that you are

well and

loved deeply

and held close

in the

morning when

you awake.



that your eyes

are bright

and full

of wonder.



just as I

wonder about

you and the

deep sighs

that you

take at

first kiss

on this Thursday

morning



day dreaming

of you.

My love
inhales.

I take
your breath.

scorpion
tracks
of salt
from
the hot
sun
run down

your
golden
tanned
back.

you arch
to receive
me.

my body
slopes
to deliver.

and stars
collide.

and
black stone
belly clouds
burst to

deliver
white
snow
diamonds

from the

empty sky.

heavens
rage,

love binds
us eternal.

this dream

I have
of you.

A secret
passed

given in
confidence
of heart

from you
to me.

confided
in trust,

held with
a mother's
care.

the guard
has been
set.

boundaries
defined.

seasons
to follow
to be

tended
with grace.

souls to
be harvested
not wasted
to seed.

a child to
dance

by songs

of you..

and under
every  
moon"s ripe
bellied
womb.

from
here to
eternity's
gate.

each day

A prayer
I will
send

to you.

Come take
your mind
on down
with me .

let our bodies
be canvases
to the tributes
of our
lives.

leave  
our old stories
like tattered
and worn
baggages

by the
door.

be each
others
savior for
awhile.

a old lover's
lament.

not trying
to fill in
each other's
water color
dreams,

with lies
or half
obligated
promises.

and finally
when the
late afternoon

comes to
swallow our
worn
innocence.

close the
door.

leave unsaid
the words
that must
be said.

return us
both with
some dignity


to the outskirts

of our lives.

We move
to our early
morning
lullaby

of the
moon
surrendering
itself
down to
it's celestial
bed.

whispers
between us
shared,

with no
one else.

cats at
our feet
making
pillows of
our toes.

Sumatran
coffee
brewing
unattended
in the next
room.

and all
I can do
is look at
you in
amazement
while
you
sleep.

and guard
your dreams
from broken
places.

time at
this moment

at this
heartbeat

at this
breath

in the

sum of

all things

I dream.


is you.

You have
become
to me

a river to
float
my spirit
away
on.

the tenderest
of places
to plant
a prodigal

poet's
seed.

where the
emotional trees
in my life
were cut
down
cold,

and left
to barren
long ago.

naughty
at the
sight
of you.

joyous
in celebration
at the

thought of your
laughters
first sound.

no longer
afraid of
changes

you bring
upon me.

let the
tangerine
sunset
lie me
down.

and rest
in the
beats
between
the beats
of your
heart.

and mine



from your

first dream

to your

last dream

tonight.

You are

the sunrise

to my

morning

every

morning,



the bringer

to light

and warmth

and the

vanquisher

of shadow

dreams.



you are

the gate

keeper

to all

that lies

inside you,



and I the

pauper

that stands

before your

gate.



one hand

open for

your generosity

of caring,



one hand

open for

you to

touch

my fate.



in these

distant

times when

we walk

on separate

paths



that still

somehow

have

brought

us here,



to this

place

this understanding,



that we

are so

much

more together



than we

could ever

be apart.

There is
a prelude
to your
smile,

and my
thoughts
some days
bask
there,

like a
jungle
cat
in shade
on a
steamy
hot jungle
afternoon.

and I
drift in
and out
of dreams,

like a
boat
arching
above
and below
the crests
of each
approaching
ocean wave.

not caring
of height
or depth
or direction
or wind,

but only
that I
am with
you for
this moment
sharing
this space
in time,

and dancing
with you
in God's
full view.

and suddenly
at midnight

my time

I imagine

you waking
far across the

Atlantic ocean,

sleep blossoms

still in your eyes,


and suddenly I

see your smile,



and suddenly

this moment

becomes
the best
dream

of all.

I dream
just outside
your smile.

just close
enough
for you
to know
that I
am there.

brushing
your hair
with a
touch,

moving
to reach
for your
hand with

a thought.

in a
moment
of my
own
redemption,

and stars
shine
brighter
in your
eyes,

than I
have ever
seen
before.

and what's
to think
of this
moment,

but to
live it
with all
of my
heart.

It's a
us day,

lying your
daydreams
against
the hard
back bark
of a
tilted
sycamore
tree,

watching
the child
of your
past
rise
up in
your eyes
to meet me.


so many
changes
between
then and
now.

young
and old.

so many
impressions
and curves
etched
on the
character
of our
lives

no longer
afraid to
look in
the mirror,

without
a prayer
first,

to ease
the view
of our
hearts.

and I

for now
I will
never
let anything
hurt
you,

or bring
you down.

or let
you ever
be cold,

you have
my words
to wrap
around
you

for all
of that.

may you
read me
and feel
me,

for all
the days
of your
life.

under this
sycamore
sky..

against this t

tilted tree

could
anything else
be more

beautiful than

that.

This moment

your dreams
come true,

I can tell
by how
you are.

blessed
by spirit
and God's
hands
upon you.

and moments
of you
have fallen
to me,

and I
cherish
them.

and keep
them safe
and warm,

perhaps it
was a
smile one
day or
the wording

of one of

your poems

the next.


they are
the footprints
that you
have left
upon me.

and I
have changed,

I appreciate
you more,

and I am
better for
these
moments

and in
my dream
I hope
you feel

the same.

My dreams
would
lie over
you
in lover's
trust.

and I
would
give you
all my
prayers
and thoughts,

and I

would quest
my life for all
that you
have to
give.

and banish all
of the
misguided
reasons
in your
life why
love
has left
your
eyes,

and we
would run
in to
the falling
corona
sun,

to your
secret hot
places
of sighing
whispers,

and midnight
callings
that only
your heart
would
know.

patient
at your
touch.

captivated
by your
ways.

and rogue
manner
that you
hold
your smile.

over a rose
covered bed.

and sand
pebbles

falling
from your
angel hair
like golden
lights
from a
black
night
sky.

I would
find
you

and
hold
you

forever under

this open Texas
sky...

It was the
moment that
they were
going to
roll me into
surgery,

and it
was perfect
with all
of my loved
ones sitting
there.

my next
moments
in God's
hands
like
a sunrise
or a sunset.

and it was
not odd
what I thought
about most,

and of course
my wife it
was you,

I didn't want
to see you
cry my intentions
for you
were only
the best.

but there
we were
in tears
without nothing
being said.

and I thank
God for
that moment
as well.

for the 26 years
in the
making of
that moment,

when I
truly realized
that live
or die

we will never
reach our
end.

Hold these

words tight and with

deep meaning,

just beneath

your breath.



let my thoughts

flow like

a river through

you bending

and rising

to fall.



take your thirst

of love and

emotion from

me,



and never let

my spirit go.



and may

my kisses

on a breeze

take your

breath away,



just as God

had intended.



and when this

life is said

and done,

and the

road no longer

rises to meet

your feet,



and this last

sunset becomes

all you will

ever see,



let it be our

sunset,



and rejoice

in the million

shared smiles

we have shared,

in my poems



to you,

may you

read them

over and

over again.

till the end

of days..



and at the

moment of

your last thought

may you  smile and

simply say "yes I

loved and was

loved by

the many and

by the

few.and

deep in

my words



for a hundred

years and more.

may you

forever sleep

my love.

The hunger
of loneliness

and it's
shiny white
pearl teeth,

and cold
chilled
breath

that surrounds
you naked
late
at night,
when

you hear
every sound
for a
hundred
miles
around and

under your
bed.

and every
night
under
starless
skies it's
appetite
lies
unquenched,

so it
returns

to where
it knows

despair and

hopelessness
best.

like a river
flowing
straight
and true
to you.

again
and again

and again
.
returning
to scrape
it's
teeth sharp

and raw
on your
hearts
hollow
bones.

to kiss
gently

with
a lie
upon it's
face..

the
*****

your lover
left
behind

to pray
in the darkness

to dine
with the
devil all

alone.

the hunger
of loneliness

and it's
shiny white
pearl teeth,

and cold
chilled
breath

that surrounds
you naked
late
at night,
when

you hear
every sound
for a
hundred
miles
around and

under your
bed.

and every
night
under
starless
skies its
appetite
lies
unquenched,

so it
returns

where
it knows

despair and

hopelessness
best.

like a river
flowing
straight
and true
to you.

again
and again

and again
.
returning
to scrape
it's
teeth sharp

and raw
on your
hearts
hollow
bones.

to kiss
gently

with
a lie
upon it's
face..

the
*****

your lover
left
behind

to pray
in the darkness

to dine
with the
devil all

alone.

The hunger

of loneliness

and it's
shiny white
teeth,

and cold
chilled
breath

that surrounds
you naked
late
at night,
when

you hear
every sound
for a
hundred
miles
around your
bed.

and every
night
under
starless
skies it's
appetite
lies unfulfilled,


so it
returns

where
it knows

despair
best.

like a river
flowing
straight
and true
to you.

again
and again

and again
.
returning
to scrape
it's
teeth sharp
on your
hearts
hollow
bones.

to kiss
gently

with
a lie
upon it's
face..

the
*****

you have

become

the puppet

your lover
left
behind

to pray
in the darkness

to dine
with the
devil all

alone.

She disguises

herself

in her

jackal's coat


whenever

the moment

suits her.

a cheap disguise

at that.


prey to hunter

innocence to

damnation,


she may

pretend.

but I have

witnessed

the jackal

running back

and forth

under my

bed like

a charged

beast rattling

it's cage

just before

dinner..


and I do

not fear

her, but I

do not love

her either.


throw the

jackal a

juicy bone,


silence

the rattling

quake.


tell the

sun

not to

come out

tomorrow.


let the

jackal

dance

in exhilaration

over me.


I await

only a

jackal's

baptism

in my

sleep..


and though

she will not

let me wake

tomorrow.


in this prayer

let this

night and

her vice

be forever

done with

me.

You are

all of

the flavors

and colors

and textures

of a

bag

full of

jelly beans.



I recognized

that instantly

about you,



for as a child

I had

that look

too.



and your

eyes over

flowing

with life,



giving light

and warmth

to all

who see

them.



tender resting

places for

a poor man's

soul to

die.



or a old

poet's heart

to wander

about.



you and

your jelly bean

smile,



and dreams

do come

true and

stars due

fall before

your eyes

for a moment.



and now out

of the

black into

the blue,



in this

moment,



I  see

you.