Exposed

At Winter's end
The bare tree stands alone,
Bereft of leaves,
Of self-importance,
Paralysed by December's merciless frost,
Until the Sun's shy breath,
Diffused through the tinted sky,
Begins to thaw the jaded bark.

As the ice melts,
The echo of Winter
Mocks Spring's naivete
With a mess of wet soil,
Tainted snow, and
Wrinkled Leaves
That can just barely remember
A glimmer of their youth
As the hesitant rays
Reflect on the last flakes of snow.

New Year's Eve

Gentle is the touch
Of the evening star
In whose light there is much
Reflected, as we are.

The night cries a frozen tear
That strikes the glazed surface
Of the ground like a spear
That melts into a soft kiss.

Beneath the shadow
Of the naked trees
We stand, un-ready to go,
Faltering lips, trembling knees,

Our separate ways—
The snowflakes gossip
To our melodic sways,
Waiting for one of us to slip.

With a gust of wind we part,
Hands torn,
Our hearts forlorn--
We must find a new start.

Easy Street

The cobblestoned streets
Have a certain charm,
Aesthetically pleasing...
Until your shoes they harm.

The waters you test,
Search for the wave to ride
On the clear blue sea,
Until crashes the tide.

The flames, mesmerizing,
You take your turn
By the fireplace
Until your cheeks begin to burn.

Three times too many,
You crashed and burned,
So taking precaution,
Your back you turned.

Returning to your comfort zone,
You hid your face
From a happy ending
Reached at a slower pace.

Beautiful

Your presence stirs
The atoms in strangers' hearts,
As such proximity incurs
Absolute happiness.

Your strength lifts the weight
Off of your friends’ shoulders—
No matter what time or how late,
You are always there.

With your love, troubles disappear,
And holding your hand
Dissipates all fear,
Leaving courage room to grow.

Your soul radiates a beauty so pure,
Lighting the darkened night,
For the world’s wounds, a perfect cure,
A balm for a brighter day. 

Come Another Day

A sweet invitation
You did extend,
But at my discretion,
I would not bend
The rules of our game.
And so I left,
All things the same,
With a hint of regret,
Hoping for a different day,
Another chance,
To say what I wanted to say
And save you the last dance. 

Winter

Eyes like turntables
Remixing my heart,
Changing its beat
Two counts apart.
A smile like the rays
Of April’s sun,
Melting the cold,
For Spring has begun.

But summer passed
And Autumn fell,
And all ended with the
Ring of the sleigh bell.

The snow-covered heart,
Like and empty street
Lined with lights,
Far from discrete--
Lights that flickered
From the draft you let in,
When you walked out the door
And let Winter begin--
Sang its last carol
Of love, laboured and lost,
And caution discarded
Leaving room for the frost.

The Constant

A vision you were, as joy radiated
From your body and soul,
Touching my heart
And melting the cold,
The remnants of winter past.

Your youthful skin and rosy cheeks
Spoke of love so pure,
In whose arms, once wrapped,
I wished to forever endure,
Having found solace at last.

Softly you whispered,
“Come sit by me, dear”
And, mesmerized,
I gently drew near,
And we sunk our feet into the stream.

The fish, they swam
And tickled our soles,
Hid in crevices and
Flitted through holes,
In a world of which I could only dream.

“See these fish?” you quietly asked.
“Swimming against the current
Is not easy to do.
But, like these fish,
You will make it through.
So follow your conscience,
Your inner voice,
A compass to a happy place,
Guided by patience
And my loving grace.” 

Sense and Sound

Crazy is me
In my mind—
‘Tis what you see
In womankind.

One step forward,
One step back,
We make up in words
The meaning we lack.

We dig our holes
As we analyse,
Torturing our souls,
Our hearts we paralyse.

Stuck in quandary
We cry and pout
For answers to our queries,
But there is no way out...

For the labyrinth of your smile
Hallucinations do incite;
Your ease to beguile
Could turn day into night.

My opiate— the song you sing
Like a nightingale, nay, a siren’s call,
Draws me to a beautiful thing,
But, alas, 'tis an untimely fall.

And so the corners of my mind are wound
Searching for the answers ne’er to be found,
Striving to get my feet back on the ground,
To regain my strength, my sense and sound.

Broken Arrow

Onward I ran,
As I had done
So many times before.
The rush,
The anticipation,
Like Cupid’s arrow
Blinding me as I
Looked up into the wind.
Shieldless I ran,
Anxious to achieve,
To succeed,
To win.
My heart beating fast,
I tripped over Achilles’ heel,
And, suddenly, the eclipse passed and
I could see the tragic end in sight.
Falling, everything I knew turned
Upside down,
My heart,
Inside out,
Oscillating until it all stopped.
A thud and a crack,
Then silence.
Then, still I lay,
As I had done
So many times before.

Her Tell

Her eyes try hard
To read your gaze,
But they sigh, defeated,
Caught in a daze.
Beneath your touch,
Her skin feels hot,
Her lips are subtle
But her cheeks are not.
A surge of heat,
A rising tide,
Her relinquished heart
She cannot hide.
So fast it beats,
Her twinkling eye,
But under your spell,
Her smile is her biggest tell.