the silence
    creaks
  with barrows
and feet
   depositing crates
  on the pavement

dried mushrooms
   black beans
           and chinese tea
  
inside the shop
     
  I smile at
the attractive 
     assistant       ..

I’m never kidding,
When I say I need humbling.
Life goes too good for too long,
I get too popular winning at too much,
That I forget what it feels like to lose out,
And I risk everything.
It’s so silly,
Complaining about succeeding,
But sometimes I miss the days I wasn’t on the radar yet.
Because now that I have so much,
My vision is fogged by greed,
I forget how to treat the people that brought me here.
I never learn,
Until I lay askew and burnt,
When my luck runs out.

It’s not magic.

People call me a pixie
they say I'm mischievous,
I'm actually evil
but also quite devious

You are so precious—
like the tears I try to hide
when joy overflows
and my heart opens wide.

You are so precious—
like a rainbow in the sky,
when the sun breaks through
and the storm says goodbye.

You are so precious—
like sunshine’s gentle rays
warming frozen hearts
on cold winter days.

You are so precious—
like the tender gaze we share,
when words fall away
but our eyes still care.

You are so precious—
like the laughter of a child,
pure and bright,
glowing with a light so wild.

You are so precious—
like a kiss upon the brow,
where souls softly meet
and time forgets to bow.

You are so precious—
like the breath I take each day,
quiet, unseen,
yet keeping life in play.

anthem; my song
plays, and I will
wind my own turnkey.
I'll dance, shaking
off the rust of shame
and regret;
it won't stop me.

If I'm stuck looking back
at the past, how will I ever
see the present?

overflowing with emotion;
every gaze, when our eyes
meet. I can make all the
promises like white lilies
on the shore, but you make
your way through the static
and always see me, only me,
a flawed girl made of ink.
If I promise to raise my sword
to your demons, could you
love mine?

If only I could forget
all the things that have hurt me
erase from my mind
the harsh words spoken —
the ones that made my heart bleed.

They linger on,
repeating in my mind,
hurting over and over again,
never letting peace settle in.

Nothing I do makes life easier
everything feels lost
In the darkness
light fades away.

Shut down.
Rejected.
Left out to dry.

Options,
Elective,
Might soon pass you by.

Don’t get
Dejected.
I’ll tell you why.

You’re not
Infected.
You’re still getting by

You just need
Perspective,
Not sugary lies.

So just be
Reflective,
See your limit’s the sky.

Then not to the
Collective,
But to the moonlight,

You’ll be
Connected.
And find peace in the night.

Tribute
Erected.
It’ll all be alright.

Pardon me, sir.
May I borrow
your squalor
for a photograph?

I love
the repetition
of those wrinkles in your brow.
Hold it, please.

The contrast
of your brown skin
against the white plaster chipping
is marvelous.

When I
get them developed
I'll send you a print.
They'll look great in my portfolio.

Thank you
and your wife
and your eight kids
for this pose in poverty.

TOD HOWARD HAWKS