Please handle with care the man sat in the chair
he's not a millionaire, but priceless to me.
He's not a Saint, he's made mistakes,
he's as stubborn as they come, cantankerous and moody,
but while he's there in your care, please bear in mind,
though, grouchy, argumentative and he's driving you to despair,
he's mine and my siblings dad, he's a husband, a grandfather, brother,
uncle, nephew and once himself a son.
Yes, he's been bad.
Yes, we've made him sad.
Yes, he's a flirt (that's for Mam).
Yes, we're aware of his faults, that makes him human, but, he's ours, and we'd like to be selfish and keep the moody, grouchy,
cantankerous old man a little longer.
So, please just handle him with care.

"Every single day's the same
And in the end I'm all alone..."
"It doesn't matter what you say...
I feel pain you've never known"

This is how you view your life
As something worth throwing away
And all I wish for is to show you
How to view it a different way

You view the world in black and white
Without any specks of grey
You chose to focus on only the bad
Which causes your own dismay

The real world is full of color
It's a giant work of art
And though it has some shadows
That is just one little part

So when all you see is darkness
And you feel life's become too glum
Just remember that it won't last
And there are brighter things to come

There is beauty all around you
And every day is a new surprise
Full of joy, and people who care
You just have to *open your eyes

The shark in dark waters
The cutting of hair
Tell the tale of transformation
And it's you, who guides me there

She says it's typical of you
to tear down and rebuild
And funny that it appeared to be
an accident- not willed

I don't believe that-
Oh no, an accident we're not!
For you are the lid, and
I am the ***

So as we toil and trouble
Bubble and burn
It is simply transparent
For (only) each other we yearn

Mixing and swirling,  feeling the heat
Seeing only our future around each turn we meet.

I'll hold on tight as this brew is fixed
Because no one or nothing is
as sweet on my lips.

It only takes 8 minutes for light to travel from sun to moon,
and just a second more to reach your eyes,
but I swear in that moment I  d i e  sl o w  l    y
like a distant star ebbing, I still reflect your light
though we both know that I died years ago

That never once stopped you from trying to mend me whole, but in the end
sometimes the cracks are too big to fill,
and some hearts develop leaks, always taking more
than they're able to give, forming little black holes
that consume your light and
leave you feeling empty inside

So please, cradle me now
in arms that once held me as lover
and etch these words into the stone, that
now plays the part of heart

I loved you then, I love you now, I'll love you forever.

His Down's Syndrome makes
His age a tough guess, I'll
Say eight to ten.

Wide eyes on machines,
Ice cream dripping on the
Pavement outside the

Construction site.
I wanna work like this when
I grow up, he says in

Young enthusiasm to a mother
Whose eyes well up with
Gratitude when I approach

And kneel down in front of
Him. So you want a job,
Buddy? I ask him with a

Wink. He suddenly remembers
His ice cream and bites into
It shyly. Nods, glancing at the

Tools in my belt, the scratches
On my arms, the brick wall
I've been attacking with a

Wacker jackhammer. Nods
Again. Well, I'll see you in a
Few years, I say with another

Wink, this time to his mother,
Who'd look her young age if
Her eyes weren't as tired,

But you can start with this
And get some practice. I hand
Him my Stanley Fat Max

Hammer. His ice cream
Hits the ground as he
Recieves it with both hands,

Looking to his mother for
Confirmation that it's ok.
Oh, it is. She mouths a

Thank you SO much...
They walk away, his chatter
High pitched and fading

Around the corner. And I
Head over to the foreman to
Report that I lost my hammer.

Don't ever employ me.
I can work a good game, but
I'm too soft around little heroes.

Slowly I collect the petals lying on the ground
One by one I hold them as I dream of only you
Silence on this morning is my never ending sound
Sunrise creeps above the field not offering a clue

When there is a darkness that surrounds my fragile heart
Blinded by the emptiness that clings upon the vine
Drained of each emotion at these places that I start
Walking in a circle just to breathe this one last time

Why is it that pathways seem a crooked winding way
Finding every corner leads my steps into the fall
Tree lined sad existence of a world now gone astray
Echoes render nothing as my tears so loudly call

Here I fall upon my knees, my strength in weakness gone
Sinking in the mud so deep, now caked about my feet
Heavy is the burden weighing firmly on this dawn
Reaching in the distance as my mind it bids retreat

Falling ever faster neath this lonely garish mire
Sludge of every life before, above my eyes the view
Saying farewell to my love, my only true desire
Holding up the petals in the final moments due

Taking to the deep my feelings tightly locked inside
Giving up, that someone will retrieve me from this fate
The end has wrapped around me as I know that I have died
Disappearing in the shadows formed beyond the gate

Loneliness feels just like this…in rooms without a door
Staring at the carpet now revolving down below
Watching as the gray begins and fading smiles pour
One last dream, one last thought, as now it’s time to go