Love Needs Nurture.

Even a flower
Needs a drop
Of sentiment.
Without care
It shall
Eventually wilt.

The smallest flame
Is nothing
Without a breeze.
Gone is the flicker.
End of a life,
In one foul blow.

Pop my bubble,
Steal my air.
When I am gone
I shall not care.

Love needs nurture.

First; Can we be friends?
Second; Yes, of course.
As soon as my love is dead,
I will give you a call.
We can do coffee,
One day.

Talk vehemently.
About anything.
Probably, even smile,
As we lie to each other
About not feeling
Anything at all.

It takes time
To **** the truth.
There are no skipping stones,
Or shortcuts
From the pain.

Give love time, please,
To truly wither
And die.
Become nothing
Dry, bitter
A mutual shame.

Then the putrid ash
Of a love denied,
Falls wasted
Crushed, too sodden
To ever fly.

Some time later
We say hello.
I shed a tear
And force a smile-
The only way
Was to say goodbye.

(Gerry Aldridge ©2017)

That silently standing
heap of a temple

a body of earth, the mother
carved in the wind and rain

pelicans take flight,
the colors of the sky
like pastel banners

This formation of beauty
rises out of a placid saline pool
paired with a tiny blank
mesa to the south
a piece of land
that  stretches wide
like dust covered wings

If you listen closely
the sound of small grey waves
lap the soft tan shoreline -
The sun is always there
high above
draping the hills in
a brilliant light fabric

He Said His Words Again
Take No Thought...

When She Looked Around
It Was At the World
Not 12, Not 100...
The World

By His Simple Coming
He Had Released  Grace
No Longer on the Cross
Or Barred By Gifts

She Held Out Her Hand
And the World Was Fed
Each Child, Her Child
Bending Down Before Them
She Was Raised

Stahl's Vision
Halo Upon the Earth
By Your Faith
They Did Know Her
By Her Presence
She Did Know UnSelf

Poverty
Bigotry
Death
Her Hand In Theirs
Hope Within Hope

Fallen, Pain, Accusation, Sorrow
She Raised Up
And The World Did Kneel

Death Gave Everything
And With It
She Anointed the World
Tempt Me, Test Me, Diminish Me
Thou Art Me
3 Times The **** Did Crow
3 Times The World Did Fall
# Times The Stones Were Set

And Yet
The Waters Leaped Freely
WaterFall of Eternal Beginnings
Life's Livingness      
Love Without Condition
Given
For All To See

Black Pearl
Strung Together Secret
Of An Intermitent Doorway
Comes and Goes
Comes and Goes

Dot Dot Dot
One After the Other
Emergent  Hope
Pressed

Birth Secret
Pleasure
Of Another Time

Blue Apple

Thinking About You
Even Now
Make me Turn a Holy  Shade
Of The Forbidden Fruit
After All
What Am I doing
Wondering
About You

Might Just Be My Prince
So I Have to Ask
Are You Just a Pixel on a Screen
Or a OMan made of Flesh and Bone
My Touch Your Prayer
Your Strength
My Release

Love's Wisdom
All the Barriers Removed

Yes
You Are My Blue Apple
A Dream
A Fantasy
An Advertisement

Lunch?
Biafra Falls, Or Bangkok....

My name spells love in every language
you say you’ve learnt; the pulsating
streets of your veins are alight with life tonight.

We walk them with empty-pockets and
hand-in-hand; the only crimes we commit
is that we lead each other to dark places;

a castle of lies; half-said the only loving
we’ve done is in our heads.
We lose time in words and suddenly

it’s four a.m. and the coldest hands
have only ever been yours; all that throbbing
gone to waste. Rest your heart

with me, it’s never lost; four a.m.
is your hour with me
because you’ll sleep and awake

and we’ll become thieves of conversations
stealing emotions we hide in jokes
and the sundry ‘have a nice day’s.

When I talk God I mean:
You

Nowadays I know
That I still exist
Even when you don't say goodnight.