Fear

There’s a knock at the door.

Ear pressed against the pillow,

Your senses are stifled, and,

Comfortable as you are,

The sound you ignore.

There’s a cry from outside.

Tossing and turning

To block the noise,

You can’t escape it,

Hard as you try.

There’s a familiar sound.

The putrid smell

Of your heart once burned

Beats against the windowpane,

Barred by your lessons learned.

Scarred by the last eclipse,

You keep closed the blinds

And keep still the pain,

Holding to the Fear

In whom solace you found.

Sweet Escape

Take me away to foreign shores

Where life, though short,

Is sweetened by the honey of fruit

That sugar your lips and soften your tongue

To whisper the stars into my eyes

And the clouds beneath my feet.

Sing me to the Skies

And I’ll chant you to the Lands

That the greatest loves have tested

And the truest loves have witnessed,

And in your melody wrap my heart

And shelter it beneath your canopy.

In your tender arms, caress my soul

And lift it above the trees,

And look at me with that smile of yours

That induces me to swoon.

Then, take me away, come, take me away,

And fly me to the moon.

Tribute to Aqualung

Do you still remember

September’s foggy breeze,

The sweet delusion of novelty

Clouding our minds with

Thoughts of what could be,

The same mist that

Dampened our hearts

And blinded our eyes

To the otherwise lucid reality

That Winter would soon arrive

To turn our mist into frost?

I can still remember,

For History repeats itself

And all hope is lost.

Five Years Gone

Darkness falls as I await your return,
Anxious for another day to end, for another chance
To see your face, your smile, to hear your voice
And feel your embrace.
How long I’ve wandered astray, fearful of the emptiness
And hesitant to search.
For what could fill the void you left?
What if there is no answer?
What if there is no hand held out nor arms stretched wide?
And so I wait, wait for you to find me,
For you to tell me what questions to ask.
Then, you will give me the answers.
You, who have the power to make me listen.
And so in silence I wait, closing my eyes to the night,
Remembering the answers you gave by the stream,
When last in my sleep our spirits took flight.
How sweet is the night whose stars guide you to my dreams.

I love you, Mimi.
February 7, 1937 - August 9, 2005

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.