i have sat here
trying to describe to you the beauty
in all the shades of black;
from the charcoal that drips from my lashes,
to the shadows of onyx that tango with my thoughts,
even the raven stains of blood in the night
but your eyes are crystals that
reflect rainbows in every direction  
and no matter how hard you try, you
just can't see past the colors
and i'll always be Clara Bow trapped
in a grayscale screen

Never poured
My coffee
Without
Cream
And
Sugar,
Until
I
Discovered
A new
Comfort
In
Savoring
It
In
Its
Untainted
Form,
All the
Sips
Of
Roasted
Warmth
To
Enjoy,
Every
Flavor
Note
Dancing
A tango
On
Taste Buds,
Morning
Cup
Delights.

When I look at you
you look past me
I look at you
You look away
I broke your trust
But I am trying
I am waiting
For the day

I broke a vow
I stand repentant
I love you more
Than you could know
For all the days
I will be waiting
I'll earn your trust
I love you so

It tore me up to keep the secret
I knew that you would find out in the end
I know it takes two folks to tango
And now I've lost a lover and a friend

A few quick drinks
And I was ******'
The devil took my
mind away
I've said I'm sorry
to you darlin'
I just don't know
what more to say

I look at you
And you look past me
I'll stay until
you see me here
I did wrong
And I am paying
I only wish
That you would hear

It tore me up to keep the secret
I knew that you would find out in the end
I know it takes two folks to tango
And now I've lost a lover and a friend

the fathers of the forest turn a new chapter,
all silent like ripples of breath upon a lake.
under the gaze of a waning solar mistress
they rotate their pigments and shed their costumes,
revealing decades of patient listening.
the stars tango in unison to the left,
holding hands and spinning so quick they appear
motionless
to the eye of the beholder.
I stand in awe of the illusion of stability
as I hurtle through the milkyway on a melting rock.
the sheer impossibility of unveiling meaning
at the ephemeral core of this reality
stings at my stomach like one thousand hornets drunk on whiskey.
and as my laugh echoes orchestral through the meadow,
I discover the secret of everything.

At the corner of 12th & Main
I am reminded of
the night you couldn’t
stand like a newborn
deer with pelvis
resting on broken glass
bottles tightly curled
around your lips
resembling
a girl
in a cocktail dress
the one whose
neck you kissed your mouth
a slot machine
BAR BAR BAR
hacking up
cigarette butts and what’s left
of your dignity

At the corner of 12th & Main
there is the scent
of liquor stained
into the pavement
your skin cells made
impressions
on the pavement
body rag dolled up
like a cadaver
on parade
and I your Grand Marshall…
I’m sorry
for scuffing your boots

At the corner of 12th & Main
your psyche collided
with concrete
sunken
inward to slish and
slosh on a whiskey
tango tidal wave or
was it tequila foxtrot
see now I’m
drunk too

On the corner of 12th & Main
An attempt is made
to fashion
a gurney
out of what’s left of
wasted anatomy
two
fractured carcasses I am
one of them your brother
holding your feet
marching
like funk tossed in a
blender, frapped
Emily is there
She offers you
her couch and me
a bottle of *****
and *******

In Emily’s apartment
I took you
to the bathroom
your fragile
husk
shivering on the
chipped linoleum
dehydration
and a smaller frame
will do that to you
promptly I got you
some water and a blanket
to no avail
so I held you
in my awkward
limbs
till your bones
were silent

Discombobulated...

"Bob! You late Again!?"
Its not
A statement
You can make
To make her change
The date again

Happy Belated
Birthday celebrations
Embracing
Her forgiveness
As the cure
For your forgets
Forged
Your signature style
Across the lines
Of her smile
As you kiss
With the intent
To signal her bliss
And ignorance

What's in store
For her
Is distortion
This portion of life
Fused with confusion
Contortionist
Twisting
The body
Of lies
With the a prose
That matches
Her pose
Unjustified margins
Never
Crossing the red line
But riding it
Writing with a wit
That could
Split her brain
In half
You call it
The gift a gab

Emotions versus Logic
The verse is
Littered with poetry
Personified
As a woman
Mixed feelings
Remixed
And mastered
To produce
A new product
For you to accept
Instead
You neglect

Her
Collected thoughts
!Implode!
She gathers
The pieces
To gain recollection
Of what happened

To her
To you
To love

She battles
Herself
To win the war
With you

Tie the knot
For christ sake!
Or undue
"To hell
With you!"

She yells
Her voice fails
To really reach you
It takes
Two
To tangle
Not to tango
To tango
Is to dance
And you'd
Miss your step
Every chance
You get

She feels
Obligated
To feel
For her first love
Inoculated
By the drug
That leaves her

Discombobulated...

You walk with me parallel on the beach,
You in the water, the charge and retreat,
No fear of what isn’t in your control,
But it can move fast, swallow you whole,
I stay on dry land; I like what I know,
But you urge me in with your eye’s glow,
We walk slowly through the water at first,
Adjusting to the cold with shuttering bursts,
A saunter turns walk a walk turns dance,
We tango in the water hands holding hands.

I listen to the lyrics of the world,
damaged goods and sinners;
think,

"Why?
Why should I care about them;
about what's out there;
about me?"

Then I see you.

All alone, usually.
It makes a sad, sad elegy.

Even though you say,
"Relationships ****,"
I feel differently.

Ballads of love and unity are one of a kind,
conjuring sounds that make you even more euphoric when you talk your sweet talk,
and walk that confident yet conscious stride.

Will this ever be a love,
or will it be a tango of emotions mixed and tormenting?

It's estranging,
feeling this way,
writing of it.

But,
it feels right.

Desperate,
clingy and bizarre;
but right.

No matter what,
I listen to your songs,
in hopes that,
one day,
we'll create our own music.

Wrapped myself in a red velvet dress and a flower in my hair
Ready for the night with a guest
Lips twitching to a ghostly glare
Bit frighten, my hollow chest

As I opened the door,
Misery enters confidently
Bringing with him an emotional distress, I could not ignore
So I welcomed him, paradoxically

The second night, Misery came again
This time, bringing his friend, Lonely
I let them in again and didn't complain
No choice at all, I endured their company

Each night I would embrace Misery
And instead of dancing with my shadow
Now I tango with Lonely

Misery and Lonely, my visitors at night
Consistent like the moon, they are
in their company I find solace and delight
I could not escape, the light is too far