Can’t think of a title

a name

for a baby

who called

on his twentieth birthday

tattoos and whiskey

wondering

if I’d come back.

If only he knew

I’d never left

 

Standing to forget where

we were

won’t fell us

where to go

Trying to not be cynical

is hard on days like today.

Surrounded by four feet

of chocolate

and six dozen roses,

what do I do with this?

Everything is not

corporate America.

I chant this like

go de-fense.

Chips away

like an ice sculptor,

one day it will be

chip free.

 

Following shaded paths

corridors covered in

cactus and bright nothing.

Signs point in several directions

trails with no footing

and mirage of success.

Sun follows with a knife

to my back

plunging

and keeps me

walking forward.

Sometimes

the greatest way to say something

is to say nothing at all.

Walk away from the strings

breathe

really breathe.

Follow nature to

serenity and a drink

and let the world

shape today.

I’ll challenge you

to try today.

Find the patience of a pen

grace of a brush

and try.

Building blocks in comfort

is only a shell.

So will change it.

Why wait till tomorrow

since we write the calendar,

it may never come.

I can’t lose

what I

don’t have.

I will.

It’s the door we can’t stop

from opening

yet

will only

be there during the next tomorrow.

Will search for answers

among the stars

and find the door

beg it to remain close

only for it to take

what we don’t have.

Forsaken the name

that brought you to

my door.

Carried to the

threshold

find your footing

dance on the carpet

or fall on your ass.

I won’t carry

or help you walk

like the rest.

Forsaken your name

and make your own.

Stood stall

when everyone told her

to sit.

Shrugs the blanket

of relief in her hunt

for solitude.

Wasted stitches

in a feeble attempt

to calm the fight.

Peace for the next

so she can burn

this relief blanket

You keep a barrier

the words and you

a hardened shield

to protect your

fruitful heart.

It’s been pierced before.

Your words, while beautiful,

you don’t always believe them.

Casting webs

around yourself

to stop the buzzing

flies from getting near.

You know it’s not healthy

and you want to tear the

webs and shields down.

The words are always there

and you know

they’ll be close by.