I worry that honesty will atrophy
like a muscle unloved
I wonder about your lust
and if it's worth wanting.
I hope friends
is a word that won't wither.
We can weather a winter.
Seasons of snow
summoned from dust and bone.
I know you'll find opportunists
make the best acolytes.
May the swamps in which
you find yourself
be the conquerable kind.
Let the road to the rift
between us be barren
and unfound.
Tell me your weapons
will remain ready
when never used.

i found a red light that turned to green
the moment i sped past

that hour’s train thundered above as
i threatened the glossy paint
against the stone trestle
of the railroad bridge

the fog of thinking dissolved on that
cold road as I watched it
consumed underneath,
seventy miles per hour
pulling the yellow snake
across the black

i thought about abbreviations
the way you squeeze otherwise respectable words
as you punch out the order for a classified

Touch my hand and I would feel.
I really wished I was there too.
They told me it was better this way.
But still, I would have liked to have seen for myself.
Love holds no boundaries,
and I trust my heart not to lie.
God granted me emotion,
if only to be abused
by my own jealous pride.
This makes me cry sometimes.
I’m only confused.
Feeling somehow misused;
by those I once cared for.
Regretfully, words do take their toll.
I take no pleasure in our misfortune,

I hope you find what you're
Looking for.
I hope love never becomes
A chore.

I hope you can find
Your way.
I hope you have the right
Words to say.

I hope you find that special
Someone.
I hope you never hold a
Smoking gun.

I hope you are kind to
Your heart.
I hope when you love it's off
The chart.

I hope you truly understand
Yourself.
I hope you pay attention to
Your health.

It was two minutes to midnight
When I composed this ditty
Weary and bleary eyed
Was not feeling very witty
A final draft after editing
Submitted to a committee

In the morning they will meet
To examine what I wrote
If the members decide to publish
It may go to a vote
Will they be unanimous
Hope it’s a positive choice
The chairman has a veto
The committee has a voice

Yesterday
Trust was a wet fish
Nearly dead and dinner
Contorting to breathe
In a world without water

Tonight
I’m a wraith
between worlds
Seeking solace
Visage vague
Feeling familiar

Tomorrow
I’m details
Diligence due
Pacing steps left
by lesser men
Unspun yarn
rotting in the loom

Can you see but close your eyes?
Can you hear but close your ears?
Can you speak but close your mouth?
Answer me.

Apples
Fall down
From the tree
Gathered up by hand
Cleaned before we eat
Cut into small pieces
Placed into a fluted pan
Baked with delight in a formed crust
Set on the table to be eaten
Always remembered as a homemade treat

She sings her songs in the silence
Her voice so strong and free
Her words for a while a sweet pretence
An echo of normality
Her words are that of sadness
Lost loves, lost hopes, lost lives
She sings among the madness
Brings unexpected tears to my eyes
I don’t know who is singing
But her voice does break my heart
For a moment hope is clinging
And my soul shatters apart
Inevitably the song was ended
Life continues as before
For a moment in time I pretended
Life was worth living for

It is not is
It is not was.
It is what will be.