We stood on a deserted beach on a freezing January night,
staring at the waves as they ebbed and flowed,
they seemed so infinite,
as if they would never stop their gentle rhythm,

and we -
we…

the skin of our love was cracking violently apart,
as if we had been lying under the sun
with no protection, for years

(maybe we had)

there were no words to soothe the burns,
no actions to undo the damage

we had - split

back into two separate people,
instead of consuming one identity,
and maybe that was best,
because two hearts, two brains, four lungs…
in one entity…
you are sure to burst at the seams…

I used to read your poems
but lately you don't write
you're silent and aloof
you know that isn't right.
You can't close a door once opened
you can't abolish all your dreams
you're a poet of the heart
mustn't fall apart at the seams.
Say what you can in words
they speak the message true
spoken from the heart
the poems will see you through.
A hermit's not your style
a recluse, you are not
never give up writing
of things that you've been taught.
I used to read your poems
I'd read them once again
if you would send them out
(this one's from a poet friend)

i am a runaway

i forgot to bring my toothbrush

i left my mother
because i had to leave my father
i left my sisters
because i had to leave my brothers

i don't use toothpaste because of fluoride

i deserted my sorrows,
so i could grow new ones
i let them plant seeds
became tumbling little weeds

i forgot to floss

but they were mine
and so were you
and you
and you
until you weren't

menthol makes me nauseous

i still curse your name when there is no one around
i can still taste your stale lies
rising like sewage
lodging between the cracks in my teeth

my jaw grinds in my sleep

some people claim halitosis is not a real condition
those people don't know what it's like
to be left alone,
with a belly full of acid,
tobacco on your tongue,
and a mouthful of anger

Closer.
Slowly.
Crawling upwards.

I was still, I know not to startle skittish creatures.
I stayed, patient, I waited
For you to test the waters, assess the dangers.
I was still.

Closer still.
Climbing.
Gravitating.

I held my heart out for you to nudge your nose against,
I left my palm open for you to lap at,
I turned myself towards you and let you decide who I could be.
I stayed.

Cradled.
Covered.
Comfort.

I was still;
I know not to wake sleeping creatures.

You are the zephyr in the clearing of my mind’s eye;
You weave your way through my willows and worries.
Clear out clouds to let the sun in,
Clear and loud, I hear your laugh ring.

You are the river carving into the rock face of my heart;
You cut deep and find the crease wherein my love lies.
Carry it with you as you flow down,
Carry me with you as you flow south.

The tremble of your lips grasping at the idea of sound, of sentences.
What is there to share, what to make of secrets?

The soft, swift, brief touch of our knees,
The recoil that follows immediately.

The pattering of your voice over the chatter of the shop
making the mundane a private, intimate affair.

The way you shifted in your seat next to me,
Concerned with the space you and I and we were occupying.

The tentative nature of your suggestions,
How you watched and waited for me to lead.