Years

Time was, all the pieces fit
Every edge was sharp and piercing
Every surface shiny and smooth
Then the new time came
Bringing with it merciless erosion
That grinds and scuffs without remorse
Luster leaves not without struggle and
Resistance fails before the harsh wind

Delicious Dream

Adrift on a sea of butter
With no oars for my biscuit boat
The hungry sharks are confused and blinded
As they're basted on the hunt

Don't Forget to Breathe

The pain is like an anvil
Weighing down my torso from within
Broken emotion made physical
Sometimes I forget to breathe
Like the breath has been stolen from me
By the merciless hands of heartache

Power of Two

It's hard to maintain hope right now
With all the clothes wrinkled and hanging from corners
Won't you come save me or
At least back me up as I save myself
A rope
A chain
A tied-up bedsheet
Any would suffice
Although the greatest gift
Would be your hand
When the quicksands of time are pulling me under
I'm stronger if connected to you

My Friend Tim

I bundled up with hat and coat and gloves
Walked across the street to see my friend Tim

It was snowing that day
Enough for me to leave deep, crunching footprints

When I got to Tim's door I realized his car was gone
No one was there

What the hell, I knocked anyway
But unsurprisingly received no answer

Dammit all
I really wanted a friend that day

I turned and followed my footprints back home
With a quieter crunch to contend with

Blackbird

I broke someone's heart
In the sad, ugly process I consequently cracked my own
It left me unconsciously shaken and vulnerable
So when the blackbird turned and flew from my window
My heart was shattered
Bleeding and carried away like a mouse

Lampshade

He was tall as a tree
With a head like a flesh-colored lampshade
He had a small top of red hair
The texture of which was thick and yarnish
He was dressed to a tee
Looking the part of a college professor
Legs conservatively crossed and patches on his elbows
He was writing on a pad
Sometimes furiously, other times lethargic
Crafting the great American novel?
Perhaps making out the week's list of groceries
The chair he was sitting on was balanced on a sharp ledge
He looked ready to fall at any moment
I hope he can finish his work before he hits bottom

Heart

Shut out the noise and listen
Listen
Listen to your heartbeat
Pushing and pulling you
Such a tiny engine for such a complex machine
If you're lucky, you can hear another closely and
Synchronize your rhythms into a beautiful tandem
Stronger and fuller
When the two become one
Shut out the noise and listen
Listen

To Whom

It's a cold, cold day
As we carry him up the muddy hill,
Lower him down into the deep waiting ground
Zipping my jacket and tightening my scarf offer little resistance
Against the chill from the icy wind of death
The minister eulogizes and finally I listen:
"Speak every word as though it's your last," he says
So, just in case,
I forgive you
I'm sorry
I love you

For Chris

Liar on a bathroom stall

Further adventures