Goodnight texts;
What goodnight texts?
They don't seem important when
the only goodnights I want said
are those we whisper in your bed.

Silence reverberates
Echoes, expands
—what a difference time can make.
Ribbons of words once cherished and grand
Flutter and waver and fall.
Billows of nothing blow shards of exuberance
Pointed and potent,
Falsified; verified
If They reach your skin, they’ll pierce rather deep …….
…… isn’t it funny how so much can change?

I’ve found that to stifle, change it
won’t deter it —- just derange it
Madden, rile up, betray
-see it not a foe, I pray-
I implore
beg, obsecrate —-

Dismayed, you’ll be
and broken too
-there’s such a fate in store for you-
You won't die —demise?— Oh, no
You just birthed a newfound foe
And laugh it shall with your persistence
“…..Quite the futile resistance.”

What a classic answer, yes, just dodge that bullet
All that we expect of you is refined to planned-out prattle.
Expertly reiterate, “No, no, that’s not my speciality!”
Do your values enter in or do you play by the rules?
Tell me, please, what are the rules when you construct them as you go
and
What are your priorities?
Shall you stand for your beliefs?
—what do you believe in—
Tell us?
… I bet you don’t have responses.
Spit your lies; set your agenda.
They’ll all swoon for “eloquence”
Some of us see through façades
while still others stand in awe
—we’re not fooled by shrouds of gauze—
I don’t like you; unimpressed.
But it really doesn’t matter:

the stage is set
the dice are rolled
the drinks are poured
the blood is spilled

and you’re laughing all the way.

Fingertips. Soft lighting.  A rose on the dresser.  Messy hair.  Clothes on the floor.*
*My God, this is happiness.

I just realized...
(and it's so cliché, believe me, I see)
That you can't spell "trust"
T-R-U-S-T
. . . without "us"

This music
kisses my eardrums
twinkles of light and melodious bliss
shiver down my spine.
Bouts of subtle jubilance
who knew joy could speak so softly?