A mind reflecting virtues past
Not fit for now where they won’t last
To last assumes existence is
He who assumes negates all this:

You are
the enemy
of reading.
I thought you
were a cataract.
Get out of my eyes,
and please let me see!

They've gathered at his daughter's house,
I passed cars pulling to the curb;
The patriarch has been replaced,
His chair now sits usurped.

Will someone raise a glass to toast him,
Recount some craic to roast him?
Praise his assets,
Shush his regrets,
Strum his unplayed guitar.

They'll share feasts on his bench,
Conceive on handmade beds,
Take down a book from his many shelves,
And talk as though he's there,
Sleeping, unaware.

     What was it that he said?
     He talked of love a lot.
     Did he get it right?
     He shared what he got.
     Did well for a sot.
     He could turn a *****,
     Write a verse,
     Right a wrong,
     Could dialogue with who knows what,
     And if he couldn't fix it,
     We knew we were *******.

They just might go to sleep tonight,
And dream as though he's there,
Still sitting in his chair.

The moment
is caught
in the
poet’s mind’s eye                                  

Crafted
into words
with guile
humour and passion

Loved
by so few
so many
untouched

Sharp words shouldn't be spoken
Nobody's perfect
When everything comes out broken
Choking on every syllable
Soaking up every last "I'm sorry"
like a sponge that's full already
Steady, aim, fire another round across his bow
Give her another volley of misunderstanding champ,
because your fowling out over fences topped with razor wire

Sometimes a simple smile seems better
Than a string of wrong words that leave your mouth bitter
Sometimes still tongues touch more hearts
and wagging ones turn burnt ears into quitters
Sometimes stepping out's better

Why stick around and frown?
Why let it all bring you down?
Needle and thread your squack box
Turn keys on locks
And give it up, will ya?!
Try it again tomorrow
There'd be a whole lot less sorrow....

Carve the name of the one whose kiss has tainted you into your skin to relive the pain of the memory.
A reminder of how pathetic you were to think anything more could become of the two.
So you bleed and cry, grow exhausted and hungry, with each passing day wanting nothing more but the simple closure that you lost the second you let him in.

You dance around you
Fire rings
Until the light comes
Seeping in
After midnight

Your hearts on fire
It quakes the very
Core of men
This stronger will
To pursue the
Earth beneath me
And dig all my bones
Up again

Just to leave me
In piles of ashes
Carried off by
The coffins
Where they
Lay inside

No longer in
My room
No longer in
My life

The coffee sip
At 3am
Is just another
Punishment
They say so
But I kind of
Like it

Take me my soul
I'm Bleeding in
Take me my soul
Bring me home
Again
Take me my soul
I'm Bleeding In
Take me my soul
Make me KNOWN again

Sparkling drops
Run down my face
Reaching the floor
Burning holes until
title ends

I met a girl in a restaurant
Working in drive-through
She took my order
And She took my heart
I don't know what to do

With golden hair
And Emerald eyes
A smile like the rising sun
she filled up my life with the light of love
And I want to be the one
She loves back

At first she was a damsel in distress
I protected her as best as I knew how
Then I found that She was a true princess
And I couldn't find the ground

The sight of Her sets my heart on fire
And takes my breath clean away
I never thought that I could feel so strong
And so helpless in this way

I met a girl in a restaurant
And I'll never be the same
She took my heart and I'll love Her forever
And I hope She feels the same

I love you Tricia

Again the dream creeps in....
It's a gray dreary day
The sky is crying just like every
one else there that I dare look at
Leaves are falling down dancing
In the wind until they land on the ground
I see a hole and dirt beside it
I hear someone talking a male's voice
but I cannot understand what
or who they are talking about
Then a chill sweeps over me
As a sudden realization about where
I am hits me as my sisters squeeze my hands
One on each side of me and I scream
out and say NOOOOO
Momma doesn't want to be all alone
A silent prayer is lost in the wind
As they lower the casket
I start to feel weighted down
and start slipping from
The grip of my sisters and my family
People are talking to me but it feels as
if I'm in a tunnel and they are a long way off
Then I feel dirt being thrown on me
I think this isn't right why am I in the hole
Momma cannot breathe
Now I cannot breathe
and then... I wake up

Dry my tears, but do not touch me.
Go away, but don't leave me alone.
I am tangled in terror, tiredness, confusion.
So tell me again how I am safe, strong, and free.
Go ahead. Tell me again.