Tired from the long journey,
He turns to go,
Dragging fingers of fire
   Along behind him in
           Red,
                   Orange,
                               and Yellow

He waves a final goodbye
Glinting tears left in his wake
      as the clouds close
               Behind him in
                                       Pink,
                          Purple,
      and Blue

Did you think we'd
Love you less
When you put your flaws on display?

As if they could ever
Be comparable
To even one of the reasons we stay?

They are dust on diamonds

And the Sun loved his people

So much that when he couldn't be there

He left a reminder of his light in the sky

A brilliance in the blackness

One they could look to

One they could hold onto in the dark

And it was his promise that

He would always return

That they were never really alone

A sunshine person,
Like joy in a bottle,
Or a summer star shower,
Is a stand-alone marvel,

They make light of the storms
No monsoon is ever frightening
They laugh like the thunder
When they crack jokes like lightning

They take every green fast
So they can feel the wind race
But happily stop for the roses
When reds make for a slow pace

You can blow out every candle
Or even pull the stars from the sky
But you can't take their shine
Because it comes from inside

Cheating Chance isn't hard
But cheating Fate is impossible

For while you play checkers with Chance
Fate moves you like a pawn on a chess board

Today was the sky was sad
It cried and cried so I cried too
Mom said it was okay
Because the raindrops bring little flowers

Clouds fell down all the way to the ground today
And the whole world disappeared
Dad said it was okay
Because it's easier to play Hide and Seek

Today I stayed up so so late
That I got scared when all the light was gone
***** said it was okay,
Because now the little lights can shine too

Today I wondered about
the bad things in the world
But brother said it was okay
Because they were just good things in disguise

And if everything has an exception
Where the rule does not apply
Then why not you and I

Because no world of us is ever possible
Where our paths cross and never untwist
Except the one that is

My words and actions were empty
And, so was I, when you held me

And your hand, strong, on my back
Wasn't a support, but an act

All the stories of us you spun
As fake as the smile I painted on

Until from within the spotlight's glow
I saw it was all for the crowd, for the show

And I ran because nothing was worth this
Ran, like a puppet from her ventriloquist

If all they see of me is you


That's okay


They saw all they needed to

What happened?

What was lost between
Point A and Point B
That made you believe
Love was bought with currency?

What led to this misconception
That you pay for love with perfection?
You who live with this deception
Listen close, give me all your attention
I've seen every flaw you care to mention.

Everything from unthinkable to unpleasant
And it will never change the way
I love you, future, past, or present.

She sighed,
"I wish I'd grown as tall as you"

                                                   "Oh but you did"
                                    Her large oak answered,

"Really?"
                                        
   ­                           "Truly, you simply stand tall
                                                        on the inside"

Why try? Why improve?
Why make progress or even move?

Because

Every hard right or rough start
Or Endless fight on a long night,

Isn't for you, or for him
But for the me I want to become.

And what a sight she will be

Write a verse
Write a phrase
Without direction
Hazy maze

Drink the vinegar
Filled with rage
Cut my heart
Feel the pain

Sink in the bizarre
It'll write so nice
Wander alone
'Till I'm frozen in ice

Chance upon love
Hope it lasts
Joy fades quick
So pen it all fast

Pick your poison
It's a tool
It's ink for art
A poem's fuel

I think I'll go for a wander
Taking a left or right,
whichever way takes longer

Down a road I've never seen
To an adventure I've never imagined
And become something I've never been

Doesn't matter where or when
As long as I come back different

They say, "don't be shallow"

But there, at least you can't be drowned

They say, "I want someone deep not hollow"

But

Deep water is where devils are found

They speak sand
A million grating opinions
A blinding, scathing storm
Made to leave you raw

They speak sand
So take it with a grain of salt
And douse the world in water
So instead of raw, you're polished

Time doesn't play by your rules
The pain always comes back
Whether it's been five days or fifty years
It just takes the right scalpel
To find your weak spot

Everywhere I go is doused in memories

And oh how I wish we'd made less

She lived in a haze
Of happy days
Till somehow she lost the sun

Lost in dark mist
Finally she tripped
Little pieces of her fell, one by one

Couldn't explain from the inside
To everyone else on the outside
That something was truly wrong

So she filled the holes
With the stories she told
And ended better than as she had begun

○○○
After every happy
○○○
Comes a hard
○○○
Choose to let it be happy too
○○○

Love is good morning texts
And always reaching for you

It's going out of my way
And a surprise rose or two

But it's also

Torrential downpour days
Tough talks, and hard truths

It's forgiving and learning
And having your back too

Because I love you more

Than easy days and
Butterflies at my core

More than ferris wheel rides
And london bus tours

Because

I plan on forever
Every good, every bad

And a love that lasts
Built the hard work of our past

I sit on the edge of my heart
Looking for a beautiful part

You say they are everywhere
When you call I love you, it echos
But I see nothing out there
And no love of mine returned from the get go

Yesterday I really needed to be seen

But I wasn't,

                         and it hurts

Today, I woke, determined

To find someone who feels invisible

I lost you, and that's when
I found where I loved you

You were part of my foundation
Now you're gone and so's my coordination
A train with broken tracks
Without you, can I reach any destination?

You were the wall at my back
Now I fall and no one's there to catch
Now I fight enemies on both sides
From my future and my past

You took torn parts of me with you
When you left the places where I loved you

On the first of a million dates,
I became your valentine.
On our millionth day together,
I took your last name as mine.

You were a million miles away,
When our family of two became three
I never saw in million daydreams
How much she could change you and me

And she’s changed in a million ways
Since you last held her safe from harm
But now as a million bombs fall,
You cradle death not life in your arms.

Of the million times you’ve left before
I never feared forever would end
Now we pray for a million and first time,
When we can hold you close again

I came for the tune
And stayed for the lyrics

I wanted to understand the fuss
Thought you were full of it, I believed it

It was the vacation of a moment
And, months later, I wonder what happened

And today you sang and I sang along
And after all your jokes, I caved, laughin'

And as I sang, I looked at you
And it hit me, hard and fast and true

My smile fell and the tears fell
Because it's too late now, and I love you