Sincerity and Conquest

Too many men,

and it's almost always men, 

have wasted too many lives,

too many words,

trying to conquer

that which is unconquerable,

that which can only be held

temporarily by force.

They all forget one crucial 

point, the words 

that actually rule the world,

I love you.

pregnant grey clouds burst

quenching thirst of a parched land

everything will bloom

Growing Closer

One day, one night at a time,

these hours fade into one another,

a pastel smear of time blended

into a new color on the palette.

Dearest, we have endured this

separation, each moment brings us

so much closer to embracing,

exchanging vows.

Give me rest, give me peace of mind,

your body pressed next to mine,

your head upon my chest.

Younger Days

Hard living youth 

is how I describe 

the last twenty years

of my life.

Certainly, I didn't live

as dangerously as others

but there is so much more

I could have been.

There is no time for regret.

There is only now.

How wondrous 

to be here still!

These words are not as poetic

as one would wish

but they are as honest

as I can be right now.

Not every poem needs

to change the world.

Some are content 

to just be.

It Is Yours

Make the best of this time

because the sky shines for you

the rain falls for you

the flowers bloom for you

because you are living for you

because you are part of this whole

and this world is greater with you

Don't be afraid

Move through this world

for it is yours

Giving Thanks

You said you didn't want to go

That you didn't want to lose me

I held you close and said don't go

Stay here with me

You ended up leaving

Found a love

A new life

New adventures

A daughter

What happened to me

I stayed

Wondered how you were

Lived my life

Drifted in my work

Found love

Hit bottom

Am alive enough now

to be thankful for everything

Morning Meditation

Making plans

one word at a time 

Creating a future

from air

Breathe in

Hold it

Breathe out

Wind through leaves

Water lapping the shore

Is it one or the other

Both

Neither

Doesn't matter

Let go

Casting

I've got a curse for you

Cast these words from my tongue

A hex

A hex

on you

You're done

but we're not through

I've got a curse

on you

Don't Pay

I pay no attention to my attention

It can't grab me anymore

I won't let it

I won't let me

Dwell on anything

Just now

Just what

is passing through

synapses

on my way

to take this nap

I pay no attention

to anything anymore

This world

has grabbed me 

too many times

to let me watch 

the scenes before me

Morning colors me

Consciousness blooms once again

More plant than human

Know

You are here.

I am here with you.

This much is true.

You can hear my voice

within you.

Perhaps it sounds

much like you

or maybe

it sounds just like me.

It doesn't matter.

What matters

is that we're here

together.

Now is it.

Now is now.

Now is forever.

That's it.

Simple.

I'm so glad 

we're here 

together.

Don't feel alone.

You're not.

You never have.

You never will.

The universe

is holding your hand.

You don't need to believe

what simply is.

Morning Light

Yes. Yes, yes, yes.

These mornings are so different now.

What is it about the light surrounding me

that brings me back home?

The day is here.

I am here.

We are here

together.

The Old Life

The old life was what it was. It's fine.

Or it was for it's time. 

I don't want it all back.

It can stay in conversation and memory.

I was always dying

and being resurrected.

This new existence-

is it an afterlife?

I'm not entirely sure.

Surely, I am lucky.

I am fortunate. 

I know that much.

I'm not as blind as I used to be.

I still like company,

I still like feeling useful.

Why did I fight myself for so long?

So much to think upon.

So many words coming home.

Think of the green leaves

Bare branches are dreaming yet

Awaiting sweetness

Pointless Worry

Say what you want.

Don't worry about who is listening.

Can you be honest with me? With yourself?

I don't need to be drunk to say what's on my mind.

Why so much worry? Is your worry healing you?

You know the answer as much as I.

What can we count on as certainty?

Birth, death, love, kindness, hurt, pain, 

scars, forgotten memories, second chances

and moments lost forever.

I know the truth as it beats.

It is insistent.

It persists until it cannot.

Snowmelt

Feet standing in the rushing river

Looking towards the mountains

Snowmelt changing states

A rock in my fist

Thrown

Splashing ahead

or perhaps behind 

Direction isn't the point

It comes to rest 

For a moment

it knew flight

Seconds to Infinity

How many years did I chase away

searching for the wrong things

Now I treasure what has always 

been there waiting for me to understand

Days and nights go by faster

than they ever did when I was a child

Stop thinking about the hourglass

Stop thinking about the hands

ticking across the face

tick tick tick

tick tick tick

Expectations

Does it matter if the words are the right ones?

Is it more important for the words 

to convey the sense of truth?

If the truth is conveyed 

then they were the right ones.

How should I use my voice?

I am speaking beyond my body.

I am speaking beyond the limitations

imposed on us all.

No great expectations 

except to merely have you

find these words with your eyes.

When Two Are One

Listening to you over the phone

So excited about your new car

Of course you are

I would be

Your father has gone to the hospital

to make his daily visit 

to see your mother

All she wants to do is come home

All I want to do is to be there 

Both desires are the same place

Azure

This heaven is only heaven

when you're around

Bring it down

to the earth

Drown in azure blue