little star

inside your eyes, wide
a wanting, captured
in light.

did you glimpse it?
the flash.
before it disappeared

it comes as a star
shooting past the corners
of the iris,
of the swirling blue depths;

a peripheral sighting
of emotion exploding
in a mind paused,
inarticulate reflection.

it comes as a gasp
a lunging of the lungs
longing for this air

it is the gap.
the moment before knowing, unsure
of the movements of your own heart

twinkle, twinkle

can you hear it it?
the song
written on the pages
of your youth

little star.
gone so quickly, lost
in the pupil's black hole,
an abyss of uncertainty.

can you remember
what you wanted
when you trusted
what love is?

oh little star,
have i forgotten
what you are?

the waiting room

if the TV channel can satisfy

and 90s music gratifies 

ears listening for sonic boom

you know you're in the waiting room

if magazines capture your mind
giving the gift of loss-of-time
to starve the heart from all that looms
you know you're in the waiting room

if candy snacks can satiate 

your hunger for a richer fate

and the fleeting seems to end too soon

you know you're in the waiting room

if reaching for the stars you gasp

at desire just beyond your grasp

under overhead light of fluorescent moon

you know you're in the waiting room

there's a fire in the rain

slow, soft, and steady

falls the rain;

a rhythm that lends itself 

to stillness.

there was a time

for each drop

to spear my flesh;

as lightning spears an open sky.

my body.

open to receive your rain 

-- forcefully, naturally, 

you entered, and 

we twisted into one.

now the rain falls soft.

your violence is far from me.

slick skin wrapped tightly; protection 

from the elements

from your nature

to mine --

a pool of memories.

but the rain still falls.

slow, soft, and steady

falls the rain.

tired

eyes carry bags

that do not fit in 

the overhead compartment

hands slip through 

the cuff of each sleeve,

stiff as metal

nostrils pick up the scent of stale;

breadcrumbs on a wooded trail;

for someone to find;

to follow

ears pop;

a champagne toast,

to black leather studded sky,

to biker bars,

to topless cars

and women

enough to sleep under sheets

of paper moon fantasy,

of midlife freedom

in red and blue flashing crisis

down the road already traveled

on the other side of the median

in a town so small i can 

barely

see 

it

does god daydream?

does god daydream?

a foaming mug of beer in hand;

glossy moonlit stare out the pub window

in the heat of summer;

tongue lolling to the side for want of drink

does god nightdream?

a starry winter eve neath

piles of patchwork quilts;

byproducts of his mother's sister's

half-hazard pastime

longing in the night
for a lover's hand to hold
beneath the pillow, white

tight

for wanting

untold

unknown to the seraph 

burning in his own passion.

does god daydream?

her lips pursed toward sky

blue with the dejection of a missed

kiss

an unrehearsed dialectic

a prophylactic:

dejection 

an unexpected rejection

did you capture her attention?

the curve of your

lips

hips

signaling a "not yet"

a softly spoken regret

an untold story

unmooring 

self from sellf's stability?

does god dream 

of your wanting

of your nearness 

of your fearless

approach

without reproach

a silhouette

a cabriolet 

awaiting

anticipating 

a waste of your time 

a haste of mind

a crocus 

blooming unfocused

in a place 

of haste

spoiled 

foiled by frustration

isolation

alone

a daydream 

a day

a night

a dream
a god 

prayers of a young poet

"The poets scattered You about;

a storm passed through their stammering-

but I want to gather You once more

in the vessel that pleases You."

--  Rilke

Rainer Maria Rilke knows something of the weight of words. They have the power both to make and unmake; to create and to crumble: "they are so far removed from us," he writes, "trapped in their eternal imprecision, indifferent with regard to our most urgent needs; they recoil at the moment when we seize them; they have their life and we have ours" (The Wisdom of Rilke).

And yet, Rilke wrote. Through the sieve of words he let the emotion and experiences of his life sift into poetry; merge with the words that so easily dissolve at the most delicate touch. What he describes in the stanza above as little more than a "stammer" is to us a glimpse at the heart of a poet's prayer. 

In Paraclete Press' new book, Prayers of a Young Poet, Mark S. Burros translates sixty-seven of Rilke's poems from German, along with annotations Rilke penned when the words were originally written. Anyone who has read the biblical Psalms, or perhaps SAID's new book of contemporary psalms (99 psalms), knows that poetry has built a bridge between humankind and God for centuries. What is unique about Rilke's collection is the ingenuity of the author's perspective. 

In Prayers of a Young Poet, Rilke imagines himself as a monk. He writes stories in poetry and prose through the voice of a cloistered man who experiences, in his daily living, the solitude that Rilke came to know so well- alone inside the writer's cell of his own mind and body. The narrative enfolds Rilke into the lines of his own poem; capturing his longing to be "the vessel that pleases [God]" (Prayers, 56).

In his Letters to a Young Poet, Rilke encourages the poet to "descend into yourself and your aloneness." These words resonate through Prayers of a Young Poet like a man who hears the solitary song of death at his door:

"I pass away, I pass away,

like sand running through the fingers of the hand.

And suddenly I have so many senses, 

all in their different ways thirsting.

I feel myself swelling and aching

in a hundred places,

above all in the depths of my heart."

(Prayers, 24)

For those of you who are regular readers of this poetry blog, Under Sheets of Paper, you may have already sensed my own connection to Rilke (and to this book in particular) - if not simply in my author bio: "i imagine myself a monk in my cell. i light candles. i pray. i write poetry. i make love in my dreams," then perhaps in the spirit behind my posts, which is heavy with the anguish of dying and the hope of new life and resurrected love. 

Rilke is to me a reminder that my poetry should leave more cracks in the words for light to seep through. If you have been searching for a companion on your own dark journey toward the light, I commend to you: Rilke's poems in Prayers of a Young Poet.

Thanks to Paraclete Press for inviting me to blog on this wonderful new book and be refreshed by the words of a fellow "poet-monk."

time will tell

she's a gossip, you know.

Time.

always twittering about
quick to let slip from her lips
the smallest grain of truth.
nudging her beak to sneak a peak
at yesterday.
rolling the seed between greedy fingers;
planting only those that will give life
to nostalgia.

she sets her watch by the sound of
resounding reminders;
alarms to warn her that she has
something to share:
a birthday of family deceased,
an anniversary of a massacre of the heart,
a strand of sorrow plucked from the head
of your history.

"Time will tell" they say.

Time will always tell
what you want to forget,
what you wish you had forgotten
to remember.

all i could ask for

it was all i could ask for,
you sitting there on that bar stool
talking to me about how people change.

under soft eyelashes
your rounded muscles flexed;
widening the space between
what you see in me and
what i see in your eyes:

brown hidden places
with specks of green distrust
a warm and playful golden glint;
bright as sun,
black as night,
blue as sky.

and a knowing,
a so much kindness,
a too much caring;
painfully indulgent,
beautifully painful.

you sitting there on that bar stool,
fingers tapping the half-pint of forgotten nectar,
smiling at me under a tuft of fringe;
it was all i could ask for.

in the inbetween

i soared above the sun and saw you sparkling
through the frosted window
hovering amidst the tulip bouquet
of cupid's clouds

i saw you in the inbetween --
where sleep was too quick for us
a flower for the casket
plucked by an ethereal finger

pointing to a petal plunging
with the weight of love lost
falling so far
i cannot see

where
she will
if she
will she
find
a home

or will she stay
here
with me
somewhere
in the inbetween

black

black and beautiful, beneath
the brazen gaze of her, zealous eyes
move the full, lips of a woman
full of laughter, full
of life, full
of the language of listening
with her ears tucked, behind
cheeks flushed to brown, blushing
before me, before
the one she hears with her listening, eyes
that speak to the richness, of her
chocolate heart, softened
by the warmth, of her heat
of her hand, holding
hand, waiting
for the words, to hear
the words, to speak
the words to touch, the tongue
to savor the sound of her,  hope-
fullness of hopeful-
necess-itating

and she rings, out and
she is the voice, heard and
she is, seen and
she is

belated

forgetful 

is a mind content

with a world that is other-bent

no time to think of what you meant

you could have said

"i want you too"

but you had other things to do

so i stood by 

while you hid lies

and beauty in you slowly died

you could have said

"i'm sorry for..."

but you did not open that door

so i leaned my head

against the post

and longed for all that i missed most

your "thank you" 

had its edges frayed

like "happy belated birthday"

inside my ears 

i feel the sting

a clipping of desire's wings

"i'm grateful 

that you let me go-

just thought that you might want to know"

reality

to the office

to the store 

a note to fix the creaking door 

out to coffee

nothing more

i swear i've done all this before

off to yoga

off to church

hoping for something to work

wondering if there's a book

scroll my newsfeed

have a look

pass the salad

hold the salt

aiming for a healthy heart

no fantasies 

there's no restart

once you think you've missed the mark

turn up the sheets

turn down the bed

don't forget to take your meds

my life is ticking in my head

a few more goes 

and then you're dead

trust

i trust you
like a lover's chord rapt in song;
like a lover's cord wrapped in song
around my throat.

come find me

when the pain of your hope has peaked
in you, strength and gentleness meet
and love no longer feels weak
come find me

when the light in her eyes grows dim
and you've courage enough to lead him
and the future no longer seems grim
come find me

there is shame in the walk of deceit
i hear the cadence of it in my feet
remember life lived in secrecy
recall how it has shaped me

when all that you knew has dissolved
in you, guilt and offenses absolve
and your weariness turns to resolve
come find me

when the kiss of your lips is true
and the eyes that see me have seen you
let your heart guide what you pursue
and come find me

blurred

i gave you words
twas all i had
letters typed on a keypad

i had no hands
to pull you near
and redraw words that disappeared

i gave you words
sometimes too much
because i had no skin to touch

there were no lips
pressed to your head
to fill the space of words unsaid

i gave you words
do they still speak
though now the sound is faint and weak

i had no face
surreal and blurred
without one love is just a word

the elements

a strong storm 

churns
stillest seas

a mighty wind 

frees
goods grounded

a commanding quake 

unearths
stuffs secure

a zealous flame 

filters
unto purest form

and still...
a woman's wanting wields things weightier than these.

dependence

 

there is a knowledge, rare
beware
those who seek
speak
only after thought
sought
inside one's own home
thrown
into disarray
belay

and listen,
volition
the voice unheard
ungird
desires fed by
seeds
stomped under foot
put
into flight,
sight
only of the mind

kind
is the soul
told
to steal itself
health
found in the gaunting
wanting
heart that did not feed
need
for transcendence
dependence

only a fool

I cannot know

what love is

until I have known 

love, first

for myself.

I cannot share 

knowledge of love

until I have received 

love, first

for myself.

Only a fool 

gives away love

not yet attained
for oneself.

breaking into blossom

Somedays,

when sun and cloud reach an agreement

and let you feel the coolness of a breeze touch your skin, move your hair

Something, 

in that movement of air reminds you 

that you are here, that you take up space on this earth; you are solid; you are 

still alive

Somewhere,

along the way, you had forgotten 

to pay attention to yourself, to feel 

your feet on the ground, 

to see that you have already begun to live again, to love again; to flex 

another muscle, to take another step

Somehow,

what you have been searching for all 

your life-- this moment of strength

has found you; redefining itself 

in the gentle whisper of the wind 

upon your face, breathed through the nose; the scent of what is to come 

Sometimes,

you find yourself transformed,

on a street corner, in the town 

where you live, on a windy day 

of no consequence; other than that

it is the day 

your heart is breaking

into blossom.

what i leave behind

if you were gone who would i be

i made your shit a part of me

your hands no longer touch my face

but when i sleep i feel their weight

the bruises of body and soul

know violence has made me whole

in briefest pauses of the day

assuring me i have to stay

and when i rise i soon forget

the aching cut of my regret

illusions that the pain won't last

in busyness of each day passed

if you were gone who would i be

how could i join humanity 

when who i am is now defined

by all that i must leave behind

paper hearts

My writing you always encouraged
because of you i know it flourished
your struggle taught me i am flawed
thank you for wrestling with God

Talking always was your thing
you liked to know all my feelings
it was hard to listen to the chatter
but i'm glad you taught me feelings matter

Everything was near perfect
but my heart couldn't connect
thank you for letting love remain
when i couldn't do the same

Because of you i felt free
to be who i was made to be
you pointed me to lots of books
taught me to take a closer look

Each day with you took some convincing
i learned that words were not for mincing
you showed me that i could be strong
when i knew something was wrong

Even though our time was short
you were a comforting support
thank you for being kind to me
but thank you most for lavishing

Countless days i felt you near
even though you were not here
i learned to laugh and take lightly
those things i had once held tightly

how closely i read every page
and edited at every stage
now all my books are on the shelf 
nothing to read except myself

what we’d sown

you were my favorite sweater 

a laugh as soft as heather

a gaze as tough as leather 

i'd never worn anything better

something was lost along the way 

i'm not sure I could place the day

when you heard things I didn't say 

and what we'd sown began to fray

now there are holes inside my head

fissured thoughts I cannot mend

words fall out and I pretend

that you miss me, my dearest friend

the heels of love

i came in close, brushed your soul
the place you keep impregnable
i found the door, there was no lock
Fear imprisoned without stocks

my presence there caused him to run
his eyes had rarely seen the sun
for so long he'd been enslaved
he felt exposed, he felt unsafe

i ran to him, and called him near
he was too occupied to hear
there was so much to take in
so hard to listen with the din

of voices raging in his head
untruths with which he had been fed
my words rang out, my voice was choked
"your name - it is not Fear, but Hope"

he spun around in recognition
of the name he had been given
when he was a little boy
before that word had been destroyed

by years of living in the pain,
the loneliness and the shame
"how dare you use that word for me-
telling me who i should be -

"who do you think you are" he said.
"i'm not some book that you have read-
you cannot know what i have known-
there is no Hope, i have no home-

"outside the chains that i have wrapped-
around my heart, leave it untapped-
for if my rage washed over you-
it would surely change you too."

eye-to-eye we stood for days
neither faltering the gaze
and when i spoke, the words flowed free
from the empty cage inside of me
 
"it's clear you wish i'd never come-
unbidden on the heels of Love,
what i set free you wanted sealed
what you held close i have revealed

"your secret is: you are not dead
found in the tears cried on your bed
Hope is still alive and well
just locked away inside this cell

"you renamed yourself as Fear
to scare those looking for you here
but i'm familiar with this tactic
for i too did once enact it

"My name is Trust," i said with care.
"i know that you don't want me there
inside the room you've built for one
but Love invited me to come

"she came by, you locked the door
she should have sent me here before
i know that her words sound petty
to one who feels they are not ready

"so i've come to you today
to see if you might let me stay
at least until Love reappears
i realize it could take years

"but i am patient, i am kind
as far as waiting, i don't mind
please look into my eyes and see
if Hope could learn to trust in me."

the sound of happiness

your eyes are laughing sapphires, glinting delight;

it softens me, to see you this way;

youth crawling through the lines on your nose, scrunching

between cheeks blushed to rose;

the eternity of a moment gone too soon;

lost in the hidden corner of a day;

dulling the tongue to words, forming

the sound of happiness.

fury of a storm

there is a chilling wind, lifting
the skirt of God, glimpsing
the forbidden, uninvited
fury of a storm.
 
the jaded angels, grim
relieve themselves, thin
lines marking territory, here
is the line you shall not cross.

mirthless dance of trees, swaying
battered by rain, falling
onto leaves, leaking
as a faucet leaks, unwelcome
dripping down, wasted
running down, ragged
you are not welcome here.

the clouds brows narrow, piercing
light onto the face of sky, pointing
the way to stillness, grounding
the eye of the storm, watching
heaven see me, tumbling
as the thunder continues, rumbling
inside my chest, a grumbling
fury of a storm.

not to be

not to be but to do

not for me but for who

not for she but for you

how do we read the clues

there she goes off again

not to be but to bend

not the knee but the pen

so to bleed not to mend

do we free or depend

do we heed or pretend

do we be or defend

now that we see the end

long loneliness

There is a space for me, prepared

on the overstuffed chair, in the corner 

of the room; a beckoning cocoon 

of air stale and pallor pale;

the long loneliness is settling in.

Curtains tucked in to crevices, dim 

the dawning sun, another night done 

another day strung like sheets on a string
the wind airing laundry clean;

i can feel the long loneliness settling in.

Can you feel it in the breeze, the solitude 

of a sneeze, twitching the nose

a midday doze, in the corner on the chair

the cushion threadbare;

the long loneliness is settling in.

the song i cannot hear

the ivory of his eyes are the color of the keys he pushes, his fingers
into the skin of the beast he aims to tame, her
black coat, thick and sheen covering her
teeth, lifting only to purr along to the humming of his throat
lifting to bare a groan, a grimace, cavernous inside
his baritone, bracing white chatter to the highest pitch
of his right hand, caressing her lips
she sings for him, and i listen
to the sound of quiet ring through, the heels
of my feet, their tumbling duet quakes
within my chest, opening my ears to the song
they play, the song i cannot hear

Q&A

Answers move us forward,

Get us through the day,

Respond to nagging nuisance,

And send us on our way.

Answers ease a wrestless soul,

And calm emotion's seas,

Give shape to understanding;

Pacify inquiry.

But answer needs a question

To make it worth it's work

And question beckons answer;

Each invite the other's birth.

Answers seem to have a knack

For sweet brevity,

But out of question's rambling

Flows creativity.

They intertwine like lovers

Caught in intense romance.

Our answers and our questions

Spin in a ceaseless dance.

this earth.

each blade stands erect, arms
outstretched, head touching sky,
feet touching earth.
this earth.
this north carolina soil is, rich
with the bodies of the dead, relationships
whose memories have rotted, sunk deep
into mud.
can i stand erect, arms
outstretched, head touching sky, feet touching
this earth
where my dead have fallen, deep
like the roots of my toes under the loam, diving down
and curious whether life or death can be found in the dark
and wet, will i wilt with this rain
or reach for the sun that burns, as the heat
of lovers has burned, forcing scalded skin
to seek shade under the arms of those who have grown taller, than me
under green leaves thick with the diet of
this earth.
can i eat from the table set before me, can i drink
from the cup that floods with rain, as others have drunk
their pain, their tears pushed down the face of ashen sky
in remembrance of the dead, the dead of
this earth,
i call home.

lullaby

Hush, beautiful, close your eyes

I’m gonna sing you a lullaby

And if that song doesn’t calm your mind

I’m gonna whisper words so kind

And if my words can’t touch your soul

I’m gonna give you my hand to hold

And if my fingers cannot soothe

I’m gonna kiss your skin so smooth

And if my lips won’t make you smile

I’m gonna lay right here for a while

And if my heat won’t warm your heart

I'm gonna love you from afar

And if my love can’t pierce this night

I’m gonna wait til it turns light

And if the sun on you won’t shine

I’m still gonna wish that you were mine

tick, tock

tick, tock
tick, tock
tick tock goes the clock
it's so onomatopoetic
that it's giving me a headache

i can feel time clicking her tongue

tsk, tosk
tsk, tosk
her hands on her hips, what i wouldn't give
for her hands on my hips, as i sip from her lips
on the tips of my own

for an infusion of life
for a taste of time's tongue
for a twiterpation
for syncopation
of her clock and mine

to keep time ticking
with her licking
hands sticking
will someone fricking
stop this clock from tricking, my mind
into thinking i am fine here, on my own
alone
tick, tock
tick, tock

the fellowship of suffering

in my loneliness
i let you in
to the chasm between us that echoes a din
of air too thick; conversation too thin

in my loneliness
i open the door
to internal suffering i have to endure
and enter into the hole, which i bore

in my loneliness
i find you near
from out of the deep blackness you softly appear
in meeting myself i overcome fear

in loneliness
i learn
i am, in fact, here

these arms

there is a time for us to share
expressions of the heart
when flooding lips fall words like rain
right at the journey's start

with certainty trip into love
face first and arms outstretched
we fall into each other's depths
trusting two hands to catch
 
but silence always has her say
time quietly unearths
the tender injuries and scars
brought on by love's first birth

questions arise, judgments are made
the impulse is to run
back to the the safe security
we've always known and done

but in stillness speaks a whisper
so meek it's rarely heard
"instead of closing, open up"
how gentle come the words

so muster all your strength, release
unnecessary fear
deep down you know this is the voice
you've always yearned to hear

it echoes from the sorest place
inside your aching soul
if it's where the pain is sharpest
it's where the wound is old

there is a time for us to share
for words off tongues to roll
but after all is said and done
comes time for arms to hold

self surrender

you don't feel like you have what you need
to move from this place.
you, sitting there in your chair,
with your blanket and your tea,
staring out the window at the rustling leaves
undulating in the spring breeze
writing poetry.

this is not stillness.
this is not simplicity.
this is not serenity.

this is you -- frozen.

just months before, your waters flowed freely.
there was movement,
a rushing toward.
but when you looked back
you found that you were rushing alone.

so you stopped moving.
your tears soaked you straight through.
the chill of loneliness washed over you.
and you have iced over.

what you call "stillness"
others call "anxiety"
that internal and unwanted "twitch"
is the uncomfortable feeling called fear.

you are afraid to move
because you are used to moving so fast
so far ahead of those whom you love
so that you can feel free

but now you see that you are untouchable
and you are afraid that if you move
to turn your head around
you will find that there is no one behind you

move.
but slowly.
stop running.
walk.
turn around.
find your way home.
there is love in that place.

and when you find someone there
take her hand
and learn to walk with her
and beside her
match pace.
trust.

you don't always have to lead--
you don't even know where you are going.

insomnia

Insistent eyes meet mine in the

Night, requesting watchful guard over a

Soul asleep to restfulness, riveted by its 

Own attention in the mirror of the mind,

Minding itself alone, absorbed in ceaseless

Nothingness, and interested only 

In assuring me that I am not yet 

Awake to my own need.

words unspent

words are a currency
sometimes overdrawn
checked with no courtesy
unbalanced with brawn

words are a currency
too often unspent
or said with urgency
and unclear intent

words are a currency
much greater than gold
worth more than all money
worthless when they're sold

words are a currency
both priceless and cheap
speak incoherently
and sow what you reap

words are a currency
of foreign exchange
lend with maturity
or leave with chump change

words are a currency
well-thought pension plan
share without warranty
and save all you can

 

tantrum

his tiny fingers grip the cold metal bars of the cage, inside
of me and he doesn't like me one bit, the angry
boy, strong and boy,
is he smart, and powerful
pouting lips, parted on
chubby cheeks, drawn
taught with rage, tugging
the brow, down and furrowed, into
button nose, creased
and unsatisfied, wanting
more, wanting more,
wanting, more
now. wanting what
he wants, now
he is inside of me, and my
cold hands reach through the metal bars, reaching
inside myself to take hold,
of him and to hold, him
in my hands, and tell him
that though he is small,
he is not unheard.

attention

Ask me again, I
Thought to myself when she stopped listening and began
To distract herself with whatnots, instead of to
Entertain the prickling
Notions popping up inside her head
That pretentiously
Insist that there is a girl
On this giant spinning ball who says that, right now, she is
Needing her to need that girl too

wet wishes

the penny drops into the well, wishes
washed away by wishes, upon
wishes wanting the rain
to whirl itself around each word wrapped
around each coin, counted
on by each childlike dream
dropped in to drown, out

side by side we wet each other's wish, cleansing
our conscious desire, to carry
more than we can contain, within
the confines of our cantankerous connection,
the uncooperative conduit of contentious concern, we hold

each coin, the currency of quarrel, caught
between fickle fingers fishing for faith, full nes-
tlings finding their future in the well-wishes of
this water, waiting for what is to come, to come
back to us

the weight of things

his voice is the impact of a falling plane, ringing
deafness in the ear
setting fear aflame

children laughing is summer rain dancing on a lake
lightly falling,
giddy and free

your eyes are a smile
an open gate
inviting me into more than
what they can see

i bear it in my chest,
the weight of things
heavy and full,
like the flush of lips before a kiss,
the touch of hand imploding stars

everything has its weight
i feel it inside
and carry it
until each thing has
a name

what if i stay

what if i stay
when you say go
when hands in anger up you throw
when something in you thinks you know
exactly what my heart will show
"her love for me just isn't so", although
when you say go
what if i stay

what if i stay
when you say leave
when angry hands roll up your sleeves
when what you say to me feels mean
and your pain makes you want to scream
meet me somewhere in between?
when you say go
what if i stay

what if i stay
what if i never run away

what if i run to you instead
hear all the words you left unsaid
and not the ones you have misread
rest my tired aching head
on beating breast atop our bed
with tenderness, lightly tread
when you say go

what if i stay
when you say go
instead, my arms around you throw
"my love for you is real, you know"
and that is what my actions show
feel what you need to feel, although
when you say go
i think i'll stay

open

open, into me
beyond words, and deeply
paring off the surface, to the
empty me, slowly
falling, into
you

open, into me
without haste, and deeply
scrape through skin, with
fingers, softly
explaining, your
motion, into
me

open, into me
wide, and deeply
spreading soul, and
stretching inside,
of me, inside
of you

open, into me
gently, and deeply
leaving behind, all
preconception, preparation
without defense, and open
into me, anyway

let me into you
let me in,
to you, into
me

dream

when morning light turns awfully bright
and blackest night fades into white
arms cling with might to pillow tight
a final fight for my mind's sight
to hold you right 'til end of night

enough, together

small fragments of a torn heart strewn
about the gold and garish room

with shiny trinkets dangling
from chains prepared for strangling

there pictures of my first love fell
into a darkish blackish hell

and you found me on naked ground
cradling wrists that i had bound

i told you that i am too much
too deep for another to touch

you handled every wound with care
with tenderness i knew was rare

and thought of silly things to say
to put my frightened heart at bay

placing each sliver in your palm
held in each tear a healing balm.

your weary eyes made you look older
as your head lay on my shoulder

and you confessed your own heart's lie
a rule of thumb that you lived by

you believed you had to be tough
said you felt that you're not enough

that what you want was never heard
no one had listened to your words

and in that moment i could see
that love was new inside of me

i placed your calloused hand in mine
as we drank down our saline wine

that filled each other to the brim
sent pleasure through our every limb

and with our rubbing hands and feet
crawled in-between the rumpled sheets

fingers that made my empty bed
were folding into you instead

and with the blankets of restart
i tucked you safe inside my heart

when clouds cry

warm drops drip down the face of the glass
to the melody of the desperate mockingbird

the taste of saline sky
tells her that time is shrinking

strong and erratic are the notes
unfurling her fear that she will never find a mate

so she sings stronger
for the snotty nosed stratus

who knows that when clouds cry
the birds will still sing

slow and steady he swims through sky
shedding tears on tongues who will sound his sad song