You sit across the tableNot looking at my handWhich rests upon formicaRevealing upturned palm Sweated glass of waterDrip-stained coffee cupsCongealed fat drops on a dishWitness us discuss our love Your words amid the clatterOf cheap silverware and platesFall in with that backgroundIn an undistinguished way I see you catch the server's eyeA check in tray arrivesYou reach into a pocketYour lips form in a smile You answer yo...

Take care of meI need you I will never say My fear is if I say itYou will run away Need is terrifyingBoth felt and as expressed It’s better to deny itAnd keep it well in check But sometimes I grow tiredOf seeming to be brave I want to run to you for helpBe rescued, sheltered, saved My strength is my appearanceAnd that is what I show My weakness must be shielded So only I will know.

Gentle archesReddish brown Traced alongThe barest sound As my fingerStrokes your brow Each touch lends strengthTo hope struck down Waxy finishWiry feel You close your eyesAs I set free The wearinessThat chafes your soul A heart so fullIt overflows Then bleeds its lifeFilled, drained, by turns With each fresh joyAnd each fresh hurt Tumbled mixElation, doubt Some days such grayThen sun bursts out And at each turnI stroke yo...

I moved you outLike cathode ray Huge hulking presenceSurrounded in dust As you departedYou scratched the shelf I felt the digI pried you off UnwantedUngainly Not even a charityWould take you away I had to pay I dustedAnd I waxed the scratch Replaced you With a slimmer model But sun had bleachedAround your base And thereYour image remains.

Beyond the timeWe should have ended Braced through trialsWe should have lost Betrayed by thoseWe’ve since unfriended BenefitsVersus the costs Reaching outWhere understanding Doesn’t seemWhat we will find Surprised that weHave stayed together Unlike in lifeUnlike in mind Long sufferingWe perfect our demons Train them to bayOutside for show Yet past the houndsSomething propels us Though scarierThe more we know.

Draw me near and cheer meGrace me with your smileLet a veil encircle ‘round Concealing us, a while Let me lean against youStrong and warm and thereRadiating surenessShielded from life’s glare And as your chest enfolds meComfort’s warmth does riseCatching at the core of meLighting in your eyes A shifting of emotionGlints through this tender calmConvergently occurringAs you hold me in your arms Shall we disrupt this beauty?...

A curve of moon Cast shadingAcross your sleeping face A distant train Was whistlingSound alone through space Awakened deep in nighttimeA chill slipped in the roomI pressed myself against youTo chase away the gloom And just by merely sleepingLying next to meMy fears evaporatedAlmost magically Relaxing then beside youThe train whistled once moreI drifted back to sleep againSoothed by your tender snore.

One day afterYou had leftMy mind still blackAnd blueI stood beneath the shower sprayErasing thoughts of you Circling now Just waitingTo try to slip back in Block itStop itMake it drownAgainAgainAgain The stall is thickWith shampoo steamFragrant cloying heat My stomach twistsWith fresh disgustI pull in air to breathe The tile is warmI feel the groutRoughness on my back Steady beating On my headGuards against attack Drummin...

Ashes gritty grayThe kindest heart batteredAssailed by sneers  Adorned in tatters Dreaming improbablyDays end to endInvitation omittedWhen enchantment descends She enters the ballroomIn her splendor aglowHeads turn to see herA sight to behold Bewitched and bewitchingAs they take the floorYet the warning was givenTo midnight, no more Their dance not of stepsSo smoothly they glideShyness cast offNew love shines in their eye...

Stepping through the door, I stoodMet stale air scented with woodPausing, wondering if I could Or would I slid your pictures from the framesScratched out the notes that bore your nameUnaware when last I came  It was farewell to what was same A shame The summer when you last were here No summers more And on the floor Behind the chair I noticed there Dusty, yet not worse for wear Your hipster hat we bought We thought A joke...

We tried to talkBut couldn'tWe were each too hurtAnd scaredAnd surprisedAnd desperate to get backWhat we once had That connectionThere was a connectionWasn't there? They say there are signsAnything can be a signWhat is a sign?I mean itWhat REALLY is a sign? Not the hit-me-in-the-face signNot the fucking-around-with-other women signNot the I-work-and-cook-and-clean-and-you-do-what-you-want-sitting-around-all-day-drinking-b...

At some point she stopped listeningWhen he would talk to her Displaying a delightful smileThrough boredom thick as tar Wondering how she got hereBecome the walking dead Catching just the tail endAnd so she’d nod her head Feigning her compassionPlanning what’s for lunch Playing with her earringsGlancing at her watch Inserting mental earbudsBlocking out his voice Punching channel buttonsReplacing him with noise Sometimes sh...

You chased it awayBut it’s back You smothered its breathIt just laughed You headed to sea in a boatBut tossed overboard, saw it float You burned it alive but it roseYou buried it deep, but it grows You prayed for reliefNo avail You reasoned and pleadKeened and wailed What is this thing that won’t leave?Why can you get no relief? The reason there’s no place to hide?You can’t run from what is inside It will fight you until...

Was it that I thought it?Or was it that it was?Cement it to my conscienceRemind me of your love Constantly assure meOne moment to the nextThat your feelings haven’t fadedDon’t make me have to guess I love you with such passionBut doubt and fear slip inEven when you’re next to meMy hand within your hand Even when you kiss meI think your lips misguideI’m sure that if you loved meThese thoughts would not arise I could not be...

Glitter water flowingSun flecks on her skinDancing with the riverAs graceful as a nymph Free from care and troublesSmooth unfurrowed browThe visage of an angelWhose serenity is found On land her heart weighed heavyLife’s burdens bearing downAfloat, her tresses streamingDressed in her aqueous gown Moving with the currentCleansed of tragic stainWatching her is joyfulRelinquishing her pain Celebrate her solaceAs tranquilly s...