~

A happy young fairy went walking one day,
enjoying the blue skies she found
When there ‘fore her rested a little sad heart,
whimpering soft on the ground

She knelt down before it and held out her hand,
finding a tear call her eye
and said with a voice as if heaven had sent
“Why little heart do you cry?”

“I’m all alone and have no one to love me,”
Were the sad words that he said
“So now I sit trapped and empty forever,
woeful and left here for dead”

“Oh my dear heart with your tear drops just flowing,
please take my hand and you’ll see
I have more love than you ever could wish for,
come let my touch set you free”

He reached for her hand and his beat happened faster,
a smile then formed on his face
His tears had all ended their sorrowful flowing,
nothing was left but a trace

She lifted him up and said, “Look all around you,
you will find beautiful things”
Then with a wink and a snap of her fingers,
this little heart he grew wings

“Go fly my friend for I give you your freedom,
you will find someone to love”
She waved as he flew with a new found excitement,
into the blue skies above

~

Might we…


Might we…
pass on a sidewalk framed by clearance sales
and hot dog vendors
Smiling as to take our attention,
brand our thoughts cosmetically,
alter our daydreams to cast a glow
amidst the haze that is this destiny

Might we…
stand on lonely platforms
watching the smoke in the distance
as the 5:00 o’clock
Sunset Liner approaches
with a full head of steam
distracting our eyes with a forgotten whistle tone

Might we…
whisper meandering thoughts
of great importance on the wind,
wishing them a safe journey
and hoping these words, our love sick phrases
reach the heart of another
sitting in the crowd all alone

Might we…
find if we look beyond the past
covering the darkness
with twinkle lights and glass ornaments,
filling the branches of the future with hope,
that desired happiness
springs from its roots

Might we…
dream of cosmic realities in floral dance steps
on kaleidoscope stairways
winding through our thoughts
delivering us to the floor
just above where our eyes meet

Might we
live in and around long distance shadows
and typed conversations,
dipping into the vast vocabulary
waiting patiently to be shared
between our hearts

Might we…
love

We drink from the fountain of earthly delights
Sweet to the taste, ever cool to the touch  
Blushing of purity bred in our hearts
Glistened enchantment now needed so much

Beneath a rainbow’s curved ribbon effect
Painted in singular motions of love
Rippled reflections bare moonlit disguises
Memories fashioned below and above

A ticket to heaven on silver cloud linings
With only the touch of your rose petal lips
Swallowing all that affection does offer
Consuming desire in delicate sips

Breathless endeavors of water fall shimmers
Deeper we dwell inside every dream
You in my arms on this aqua blue evening
Illumined in passion, aglow in the gleam

Softy your eyes shine eternal devotion
Your enchanting beauty now all I can see  
There is no need for this ticket to heaven
For heaven is anywhere you are with me

Brightly Unaffected

What of this sun that warms my back
Tempting me to turn around
Pleading for my attention
Over an anxious landscape of questions
Geometric outcroppings of thought
And life goes on beyond its light

Blue sky swan dives fall eternal
On the brink of feelings conjured
Draping over azure dreams
Becoming slower minutes crawling
Down wretched pathways
Leading to all voided expectations

Yet time will come and go
As high above me lay sheltered wishes
Which I harness in tethered ideas
Collecting on shoulders of heated display
Brushing off doubts uninspired
Turning to face this sun…brightly unaffected

Times are tough, I know it’s true
As walls keep caving in
Still here, my heart it beats for you
I miss you once again
~
When all it seems to be too much
You’d like to run and hide
Just close your eyes and feel my touch
I’m always by your side

~

I can hear the birds singing,
but I can’t see them
Calling for the sun to rise
from dark branches scraping the sky
Full of life they sound
perched high above the speckled lawn
Clinging to sticks, crooked and bare,
formed of countless years trying
and mistletoe nightmares

Melodies bridge the breeze,
lonely corn fields of narrow rows
and a garden of sleeping blooms...
life waiting to be reborn
to paint the landscape with color
Bringing happiness to the birds
singing anyway on the cusp of new,
the edge of beauty near
as northern horizons wake

Grey skies still cling the heavens
I listen, quietly to this music
as if their harmonies will lift
the loneliness from my heart
Chambered worries of what will come,
pulsating rivers in free flowing vistas
counting minutes until spring arrives
and I whisper a sad good bye
but I will return…I will return

~



And so it goes…
another sun, another day

Lost to the horizon’s constant appetite
for all that this sky above may hold
Thin and straight, never-ending, swallowing the beauty
that waits for us as we look up
only to follow the minutes
ticking away as fast as the journey

I have come to determine
one night sitting on the front porch
counting fireflies and missing you,
(tearing up for my impending daily loss)
that this place, this narrow slice at the end of this earth
must surely consist of multi-colored liquid

For the splash made by the sun
is more vibrant than anything I have ever witnessed
Staining the western heavens
with pastel swashes of glowing patterns
until the wash fills with shade and is
hidden by a new moon glow

and so it goes
another moon, another night…without you

Here
is
a
poem
in
one
worded
fashion.
In
a
straight
line
as
it
heads
down
below.
You
may
ask
why
and
I’ll
say
it’s
my
passion.
­Written
right
here
so
this
fact
you
will
know.
The
length
may
see­m
long
but
it’s
short,
please
believe
me.
Add
up
the
words
and
th­e
sum
you
will
find.
Nothing
much
more
than
a
short
written
poem.
Posted
this
way
and
I
hope
you
don’t
mind.

Nothing more, nothing less

I have been told that I am nothing more
And nothing less than what all I might see

Just as another with words to impress
Merely a phrase on a sheet penned by me

Gray floating shadows on walls of despair
Painted in shades of an off branded smile

Generic emotions with only a price
Left on the rack labeled way out of style

Mirrored reflections of everyone else
Acting alike every face on the page

Watching the curtains rise up to the sky
Accepting applause in a crowd on the stage

Of all these feelings that live in my heart
Not very special in spite of the view

All that I wanted was you by my side
I did whatever I thought I should do

I didn’t notice, perhaps I was blind
Everyone else, they were doing the same

I was no different, not even a bit
All I can say is my heart was to blame

Now I will wander the ends of the earth
Where ever life places in front of me

For, I have been told that I am nothing more
And nothing less than what all I might see

Windows show the world…
Beyond this pane of glass sits my imagination,
well beyond the reflection that greets me
A smiling face perhaps, a somber frown at times,
this transparent image
like a soldier, guards my thoughts
and holds my dreams captive


I can see the chest rise and lower
as breaths escape the figure telling me
it lives, at least for this moment
Still the worry of loss fights through the ghost-like outline
invading my soul,
pulling and pushing on my heart,
leaving me exhausted as my mind sails to the silhouette ahead


Two ships, why do they always pass,
why is it always at night,
when faces are obscured and merely shadows
of a dancing moon
Ripples of friendship, waves of anguish wake,
not knowing the set course or the boundaries of love,
reaching for the anchor…much too late


Currents swiftly dispatch the emotions,
wash away the feelings in salt water swells
Sails are hoisted, memories are swabbed,
clean as a whistle,
melodic and sad for the song
sinks slowly into the mist
only to be swallowed by the sea


Still, here I sit, gazing at this clear protection
finding not sea worthy vessels, but street lights call
and morning suns rise
to eliminate my reflection
as fingers type in the realization
that beyond this glass sits nothing,
for once again I am alone

Stardust dreams
caress your heart
A' play upon a midnight sky,
weaving thoughts
in quiet moments

Worries form on moonlit whispers
climbing shadows now
luring your eyes
to far away visions
painted in the colors
of true love

I hold you
with caring arms,
protecting you from your fears,
sitting by your side
as you sleep this September night

Find those stardust dreams
floating within reach
for I bring them to you
softly and sweetly in my love
as you close your eyes...

~

On borrowed steps of distant stars
~



Of broken branch and multi-colored stone façade
the pathway steals my outward glance
Winding through the cottage hills
like kite string freed by a strong wind, it spills
Patterns shadow in abstract array
through barbed wire and solid steel
barricades, creating menacing shapes,
criss-crossing narrow wheel ruts of long ago


“I tug my trousers in defiance and set my pace”


Obstacles, of stead and stood,
branded in a wilting wood…
directions carved to empty me of all I know as good


Within my chest sits a living compass,
beating my quest in a never ending melody,
sweet as creamed corn pie and pointing
towards the sun, which sits before me
two hills above the horizon on this new day
Temptation beckons over my right shoulder,
whistling in the breeze of delicious
offerings, and I do hunger…


“Still I stand firm of my journey back to your love”


Take your glow of nectarines
Cool refreshing summer streams
For I shan’t waver, not an inch, her love calls in my dreams

Midday, as the solar glow finds my shoulders red
and sweat clings like life in dampened conclusions,
blisters form bringing the pain of decisions made before…
and I would have it no other way…for this I deserve
Mountains faced of jagged stone break my crawl,
rubble sweeps my feet, as my knees bleed,
thirst speaks in the language of a long feared enemy…
yet I do not listen…


“No challenge shall be placed that will keep me from my return to you”


State your case in hammered stone
Tear my skin of broken bone
No tethered vines of loneliness shall sway me from my home



My shadow now waits before me, long and slender,
molded by dried weathered foot prints…my foot prints,
heading a direction opposite my heart
Many years old yet still their outline remains as a warning…
When I see it, the lilac arbor, scented in old desires and
new in life, encasing a glow, melodies of  gold finch sing
as my eyes find your smile, an extended hand, a soft touch
I have found my way home…


“My sweet love, this heart begs forgiveness and longs you eternally”


Mistakes I’ve made, my journey far
on borrowed steps of distant stars
my every waking dream desires to be right where you are

~

The night is silent
as evening drapes her cloth
above all that is seen
and shadows sit wondering…
what shapes will find them

Thoughts invade these hours
while fireflies sift through
evergreens now still,
seeking only but a soft breeze
whispering sweet dreams on feathered branches

And I sit here on the lawn,
counting minutes, feeling the emptiness
the midnight skies seep,
longing for what will come
on the eastern horizon

For that is where I shall find you,
glowing in tangerine ribbons,
painting pink clouds in dawn’s blushing brush strokes,
igniting a new day in effervescent colors…
as the sun rises and I smile

As once again we converse,
drinking coffee and loving life, enjoying
what comes from the awareness
that friendship truly does exist
with each new day we face

Every song my heart sings,
the melody is always you

Your silence

Your silence wraps me like a worn blanket,
thin and frayed, providing no warmth,
no protection from the cold that invades
my every pore as I sit here
shivering with fear, questioning every shadow
moving outside of the window,
lurking, as if sneering
at this emptiness drenching my soul
with worry and doubt

"The quiet so that I might hear my own heart beat if it weren't broken"  

Lost inside these four walls,
stained and patterned of vacuous dreams,
folding within the plaster nightmares
My eyes wet, red and stoic,
nervously seeking any minute reassurance,
even the faintest of whispers
that you are somehow with me
as I wait, counting dust particles
in the muted sunlight
cowering in this corner
with only your silence…echoing in my mind

~

At my expense


Sawdust coated planks of worn grain and smooth edges find
toes tapping inside hard brown leather shoes,
not polished since Sunday’s *** luck
allowing scuffs formed on lonely sidewalks
to glow beneath the lights, suspended over head

The din of the crowd plays to my nerves, (I peek from the side)
Aunt Lucy’s pleated skirt moves involuntarily
with her words as she gossips to anyone who will listen
Politicians shake hands as they take the prime seats,
balding heads blocking views and causing children to giggle

Sweat beads, runs, drips on my rented suit,
speckles of gray on white linen, charging the heat
with reckless abandon as creases relax
and I adjust my belt with the precision
of the previous wearer

Thick fabric, paisley and purple, stained by age but still
magnificent in appearance, hide me from the gathering
of locals and visitors alike…when I hear the band ring up,
happy go lucky music brings this sense of urgency
to my ever quickly beating heart

Stage hands bounce back and forth and a thumbs up
lets me know it is time…
music reaches a crescendo as the curtain lifts skyward
and I am faced with the reality that has all to often been a dream
and then a nightmare

I step to the front, clear my throat,
begin counting the many eyes staring at me,
searching for greatness, brilliance, charm
and I read my poem…penned the day I lost you,
the day my heart shattered, the day my world ended

No applause today, as I stand on this sad stage
gazing at gaping mouths, wide-eyed disappointment
and I pray the curtain drops as quickly as it rose
allowing the comedian to rescue the audience with
his offering of humor…at my expense

What do you do
when shes all you can think about,
every where you look
her face is all you see

What do you do
when your smile is a shining light,
brighter than any sun,
endless eternally

What do you do
when the miles sit in between,
staring up at the moon,
wishing that she was here

What do you do
when each day doesn't seem the same,
all that you feel is new,
beauty is crystal clear

What do you do
when shes all you can think about

~

Lost within the fire

Lost within the fire
Burning deep inside
Raging like a river
Flames are going wild
Taking in the ashes
Embers at my right
Left to lost forgottens
On this lonesome night

Cower in the corner
Temperatures they rise
Can’t get any farther
Comes as no surprise
Smoke of inhalation
Crowded on the rail
Unknown acts of kindness
Now to surely fail

Pleaded anguished evenings
Hotter still it climbs
What was once a secret
Easy now to find
Take this heart on fire
Quench it with your love
Showers now are looming
Forming up above

Lift me from this feeling
Love me till the end
Tell me it will happen
One more time again
So it no longer lingers
Deep within my soul
Lost within the fire
That I can’t control

Another silent Sunday morning
Waiting on the sun
Staring north along the tree line
Finding silhouettes still
And thoughts forming
As a fine sliver of light appears
Painting the horizon
Grapefruit shimmers
Lifting the darkness
That has coated my vision
And igniting my smile
As another new day begins with you

~

A bloom is not forgotten for its fragrance lingers on
Captured in the morning dew that plays upon the lawn
Delicate the petals when no longer we do find
Still its beauty follows us forever in our mind

The melodies of nightingales within the trees do sing
Until the time they wander off, the wind beneath their wings
When off into the distance finds these birds no longer near
Still their song it plays its tune that we shall always hear

On the beach we build a castle very tall and fine
Made of tiny grains of sand this summer day we find
And even when the tide does wash away our grand surprise
Still we find the magic it does play upon our eyes

When the sun is setting out along the western shore
The warmth upon our skin we felt, we come to want once more
Now as the darkness falls and this new day does turn to night
Still we can remember that the sun was shining bright

As we turn the pages in the brand new book we read
Every new found place into our minds we slowly feed
Coming to the last page and “The End” the words do say
Still we find the story it shall never go away

A bloom is not forgotten for its fragrance lingers on
Captured in the morning dew that plays upon the lawn
But like its beauty this I see when you come into view
I can’t forget a blossom that’s as perfect as are you

~



A few minutes more
He has said in a whisper
Promising hope
From the depths of his heart

Pulling the thread
So it sits ever tighter
Finding the end
As a new place to start

Counting the hours
They add up so many
Checking his watch
As the sun seems to set

Pulling the moon
From the arms that now hold it
Praying for rain
As that’s all he can get

Kicking a stone
Near a clock that is ticking
Rhythms his mind
Will now come soon to play

Searching for words
While the second hand passes
Come to expect
At the end of the day

Life is so short
Though he brings up the answer
Nothing is more
Than a heart tied with love

Calling to all
As if anyone listens
A few minutes more
He now shouts up above