connecting eyes
from across the room

i've settled for less

intoxicating beauty
is what i see
and the longing
i feel
comes to a peak

the yearning to touch you
is overwhelming
and lust drips from my fingertips
searching for a
connection.

a suffocating loneliness
greets me with the morning sun

the grip on my soul
does not lessen

trying shallow breathing
i'm desperate
to escape myself
but the intensity
does
not
ease

another day
feeling burdened
by what's inside
and the darkness
consumes all of me
once
again.

i will give you
nothing less
than me
if you'll accept
nothing less
than myself.

i've been climbing
this same mountain
since
my day one
the stones
that hurt my knees
are stones
i've placed
the steepness
of the journey
are the degrees
i've set
the accuracy
couldn't be more true
and the stumbling
i've encountered
has been provoked
by me.

looking
at you
i find peace
in your eyes
i can drift
in the stillness
of your breath
the comfort you give
isn't planned
or practiced

it
   just
      is

you offer
the pureness
of yourself
and i am one of the lucky ones
who get to
experience
it.

look
at the sun
if you want to
swallow
watermelon seeds
and gum
if you so desire
step on cracks
listen to loud music
smoke
drink
cut a line
and snort
if that's your pleasure
practice unsafe ***
lie
cheat
steal
if that's within your hearts desire

but don't blame
unless you're pointing that finger
at yourself.

lines christen my face
suggesting a life
well lived