Navigating the Abyss

He held his breath and dove

Into the limitless sea below.

The water stabbed him,

Injuring his senses.

Overwhelmed, his eyelids held fast

Until darkness overcame resistance.

He continued, half-blind,

To scour the vast expanse,

Knowing that only a fraction of the journey

He would complete—

But he searched nonetheless.

From the corner of his eye,

A fish he saw glowing in the darkened blue.

The fish, though small, seemed to know its way

And beckoned him to follow.

And so he did, for he had no plan,

No map, no compass in hand,

Nor did he know for what exactly he searched.

Soon, however, the fish disappeared

Into the shadows behind a coral,

At whose feet a pebble caught his weakened eye.

The coral seemed to wave farewell

As he carefully collected the curious stone,

Reminding him he was short of breath.

He rose, reluctant, and swam toward the familiar shore

That seized him and threatened to batter his soul.

But, as he opened his fist,

He felt an invisible armor warm his bare chest

Upon seeing that Mercy had transformed the pebble into a pearl.

Limbo

When I was younger,

Limbo was a game

We played,

Excited by the challenge of

Bending over backward

To walk under a stick.

And then we became jaded,

Less and less

Willing to bend--

We may as well have

Landed flat on our backs,

For Limbo was now a paralyzing

State of being.

With no way out,

We wait for someone,

Something,

To free us from stagnation,

To lift the veil from our eyes

And show us the right path,

To compel us forward with

The knowledge that life

Is just around the bend,

And that our fingers,

Tingling with hope,

Are ready and able to grasp it. 

Concave

A bitter taste rose in my mouth

As my stomach tightened and

Muscles contracted

To protect my heart.

I had been punched in the face

Once, before,

But what pain I felt then

Could not compare to the torment

I now felt.

When you touched her,

My stomach churned and

Acid burned through my esophagus.

When you kissed her,

Gravity pulled every atom in my body

Toward Hell.

But my heart, it stopped

In Purgatory along the way,

Pondering the image once again—

Roses, she got,

Your heart, she won,

While the smiles I received

Were laced with poison—

Until my heart beat slowed.

Bruised, I stood,

A love-sick soul,

Ruing the day we met,

Until the tide of expectation

Retreated from the shores,

And revealed another pair of feet.

They followed me over the sand,

Across the land, and on the sea, then

We climbed a mountain and entered a cave

Where we built a fire for two. 

Window Pain

The sun came out after the rain

And you opened the window,

Letting the warmth soothe my pain.

I looked out,

Leaned forward to feel the heat,

The rays dancing on my face.

You pressed against me from behind,

And, holding my hands, gently,

You placed them on the windowsill.

Your fingers, they trailed my torso

To the top,

Until you reached the window pane.

My eyes, still fixed ahead,

I felt your heart beat against my back.

Your breath quietly caressed me,

But, before the nightingale could sing,

You closed the window on my hand. 

Seed

I planted a bulb, long ago,

And where it was planted,

It multiplied, and

Tulips grew to kiss the sky.

But soon the setting sun

Drowned the tulips in her tears,

And the petals drifted

To the wind’s wistful sigh. 

Hearken to Spring

You make the clouds disappear

And run away with my fear,

And with one twinkle of your eye

The rain falls back to the sky.

The sun is in your smile,

And I would run a mile

To bask wholly  in your rays

For the rest of my days.

Spring is in your voice—

It calls and I have no choice

But to heed,

For you are exactly what I need.

Valentine

Take my breath away—

But give me your heart,

For your love will resurrect me

And my pulse will re-start.