Walla Walla

Gray grows out of the morning
Waiting for a brightness
That never quite arrives -
    and the sky gives itself
    to the ground -
    though not entirely.
Billeted shapes of gray and shadow
Against a backdrop that could be white
Hiding the colors in between
Never seeing the rain fall
Just the feel of wet air.

Falling Down

Close your eyes, spinning wildly
Let the little girl live again
Laying on the grass, trying to hold on
As the world tilts out of control

Watching angels dance in the clouds
All the worry pushed away
And that contagious smile
Brighter than the sun shining down

The world slows to a stop
As you feel pressed to the earth
Fitted just for you
To watch the angels dance

Today

I can see forever in your eyes
But I can't see tomorrow
Through yesterday's tears
or - tell you what forever feels like
When I only have today

Waiting patiently to see
How long this day will last
Learning compassion and frustration
Twin sisters of love
The only guides

A mirror to your soul
Sparkles and shines
Reflections of my own feelings

Today is my forever

Last New York

Stepping out of the subway
Feeling a giant weight lifted
Eyes glance up
Into a blurring whirl of sky

Thanking God and
Cursing him in the same breath

That things can be both right and wrong
Continuing to grow and learn
That life is less important
And the greatest gift

Conflicting conclusions
To the same truth
Vibrant and real
Inconsequential and dull

Small voices change nothing
While influencing everything

Untouchable

Firefly flickers of light
Reflections from the other side
Dreams dancing with reality
Celluloid images of the heart
Memory the only reason to watch
Unblinking images in transitory state
Nights in a plate glass prison
Cold glass against forehead
Images fog with the breath
Of whispered kisses
Floating through the darkness
With no destination
Other than nearer and further

Last Words

There were those last words
Needing to neither be said nor heard
A wrenching, conniving phrase
That says no more than
I am angry, lost and hurt
I don't know what else to say

Unsaved

I didn't realize you needed rescuing
I couldn't save myself
Trading down feelings
Finally suppressed
I looked out into bright eyes
And acted sane, semi-normal
Standing in the rain
Feelings like smoke and air
Inside the wind tunnel of my soul
Never seeing the hurt
As you hung tentatively to love
I could only point to someday
Something better - another time
Clinging to the chill of my soul
I almost felt you drift away

Unapologetic

Two punch apology
It was my fault anyway
I'm sorry, I can't take the blame
For the way you feel
Sorry it came to this

Its hard to win
When you would rather lose
Harder still to give in
To make apologies
Sound real

Always amending your words
After sorry
Like it was my fault anyway
Two punch apology
Sounds apologetic, but its not

WIld Hair

That frock of hair
Untamed by intent or desire
Going every direction
Curled around a finger
Unbound - uncontrollable
Fidgeting and nervous
Rolling it tight again
Cutting off circulation
Subconscience feeling life
That comes in a moment of waiting

Support

You touch my life
without sensation.
Only looking back
do I realize;
Your hand - Your work
The times you held my hand,
wiped tears from my eyes,
as I trudged headlong
on the road to nowhere.
I still feel your hand
providing support,
allowing freedom;
unspoken guidance.
Even when I am wrong.

Blue

At the bottom of the pool
Weight pushing in on you
From every direction
   Held breath
Pulling you back toward the surface
Until you are weightless
Measured only by slight displacement

Spent oxygen bursting in your lungs
Chasing bubbles to the surface
Dodging the weight of water
As they rise together
Breaking the surface
That is only a reflection
Of a larger bubble
Surrounding you

You See

I lay my head back
Resting on your lap
As your fingers
Brush through my hair

Color for me a rainbow
Using only words
and imagination
and the touch of your hand

So I can see
With my eyes closed
The things you find
Beautiful in this world.

Coasting

I live for the dark and hoary coast
the sea changing colors
Blue reflections of heaven
with white fluffy clouds
turning green and opaque
as the clouds turn gray and silver
with the storm.
Waves crash relentless
against the rocks
shaping the coastline.

Sitting in the tall grass
on the ever shifting dunes,
looking down miles of curving sand
groomed by the wind and waves.

The marine layer closes on land
like the waves below,
drawing a sheet over my eyes
until the sun refuses to shine.
Everything wrapped in mist
glowing street lights
offer little pools of illumination
brief in the vast darkness.

Unexpected

Love is unpredictable,
the greatest puzzle of life,
key to the passage of time,
a measure of forever.
Searching with anticipation,
never achieved - never found;
it finds you . . .
with electrifying chance.
Accidental encounters,
an unanticipated moment
where everything stands still
and the rhythm of time
becomes the beating of your heart.
True love is never achieved
 . . . it is a gift.

Continuing

Another chapter closes
but the book remains unread
looking for a shift in the plot

Is it time to start the next verse?
Reinventing worlds of pain or joy;
Turn the page and begin - again
with words that can build or destroy.

Feeling all the dreams face reality
as the only means of change
Looking back into the vast void
full of memories, light and life

Now only star sparkles
from some distant radiance
shining bright enough to see
but far enough away to cool the heart.

Ghosting

Sitting at the foot of the bed
as you sleep
guarding against intrusion
keeping nightmares at bay

I am with you
when you look into the mirror
closing your eyes
as memory fills the glass

Walking along a deserted path
holding your hand
stopping to watch ducks swim
feeling the warmth of your breath

Laying next to you
beside a river, on the grass
soaking in the sunshine
that glows from your pores

Sitting across from you
because you hate to eat alone
I love to watch
subconsciously wiping your lips

Riding in your car
tracing raindrops on the glass
whispering memories from the radio
fogging the passenger window

Sitting next to you
in the chair that is always empty
tracing your scribbles across the page
secret messages only I can read

Standing behind you in line
rubbing your shoulders
feeling the tension leave your body
kissing the back of your neck

Sitting in the theater
when you go there alone
caressing the line of your jaw
tasting the tears that fall

Sitting with you
beside the window
watching the snow fall
holding you tightly against the chill

Kneeling beside your bed
saying prayers of thanks
wrapping you in safety
like the blankets pulled to your chin

Sitting across from you
as you sleep once more
watching for the light
to begin all over again

Pathway

Footprints of conversation
Weave through tangled growth
A path to the heart

Perfume clinging to leaves
   and broken branches
Showing the way

These dark and shady spots
Give way to sunshine and tranquility
A place to catch your breath

Or simply breathe in the stillness
Walking along a raging stream
Overflowing with feelings

Basking in the warmth of love
Letting everything go
Catching the glitter of the stream

   Leaving sparkles in your eyes

Flashes

Tiny flashes of time
caught on the edge of a sunbeam
Segments of memory
Shining brilliant in the world
Little pieces of me and you
Bits of a whole
A day - a minute - a second
When everything was complete
And you might see forever
In that second - before it passed
Sitting under billowing skies
Sunshine raining through the trees
Waiting for the next forever
To pass you by.

Angelic

Singing areias from clouds
That such beauty exists
outside the bounds of heaven
Angels encircle your life
Summoned by your voice
Floating effortlessly on each breath
Your every movement
Like a golden aura
The glory shone all around
Making everything seem wonderful
Everytime you are near

Slow Deal

Everything continues
Just as it did before
       as it always will

Maybe I've spent my happy days
Like they would never end
and treated them without regard

Misspent and unappreciated
Disenchanted by consistancy

I miss the dreams
Though they only amount
Little more than life

Dreams are hollow now
Fancy wrapping, without a soul
Tired of chasing empty promises

Chosing stars already fallen
Burnt in the atmosphere

Pretty - seeking attention
Never making it to earth
Never reaching me

Code Red

Exposed flaws and tribulations
Only add to the mystique
All those familiar stories
Are just about yourself anyway
Testing the limits of acceptance
Without giving it all away
Never letting on that I understand
Because you're not ready to believe
Stories are just easier that way
You don't have to face your actions
I don't have to find the words to say
And your secrets are safe with me
But you don't know that just yet.

Spanish Guitars

Spanish guitars
Playing softly - late at night
The moon rides higher
on each rythmic note

Shining like a jewel
In a senorita's dark eyes
Swaying to a deeper beat
Letting problems drift away

Entwined in the chords
Supporting the notes
Making them seem alive
Floating around the courtyard
      in the open air

Catching the wind to tomorrow
and the next year and someday
Carrying troubles there
While they play

Recipe for Disaster

A taste of hope
A dash of love
Just enough longing
Mixed with increasing faith
Held together
      with a batter of ideals
Sealed with wishes
Half-truths we tell ourselves
Coated thickly
     with the sweetest rationalization
Served up with our best intentions

Stakeout

Looking out the back window
at an empty parking lot
where you never come or go

always watching - to catch a glimpse

afraid that I will miss you
knowing that I always will
you're never there
but thousands of miles away

I still watch and hope

that maybe you are watching,
waiting for me
where I never come or go
thousands of miles away.

Inspired Nightly

Inspiration comes
when the lights go out
and its time for sleep
always arguing the point

I'll remember
how could I forget
there is such feeling,
depth and involvement

Yet daylight breaks
like a fragile bottle
holding ideas and inspiration
spilling out into the black nothingness

Memory serves well
reminding me of an idea
left somewhere in the night
a reminder without the inspiration attached.

Sedona

Day dawns purple in your hair
Deep burgandy turns to red
Skies open like a flower
Trying to recall the whispers of night
A dream passing through

Never learning all your moods
A lifetime would keep one guessing
But in the magic of night . . .

A thin ribbon of asphalt
Passed between these monoliths
Reflecting back the moon
Shades and tints and colors the moment

Stars tracing outlines
Immaterial and faded
Silence sitting on sun warmed stones
Sleeping sacred ground
Peeks past wonders

To watch the dream unfold.

Listening

It is difficult to listen
for the right words
Honest self-effacement
Smiling on the verge of tears
Words you do not need to say
I have already heard with my heart
That the struggles faced
are just the human form
Words only confuse the air
forcing random sounds
that we ignore
It is difficult to listen
Smiling on the verge of tears

The Passing

Don't make believe you know
Truth is always the biggest fear
When it comes down to it
    Why worry about it now?
When you can't go back to undone

Sell me on the rhyme
the rhythm has already won
Bargain on the old feelings
Overstocked ideas of fun
Call it spending precious time

Soft focus - - out of touch
Messed up puppy
Confusion for lunch
I only hear sad songs
mixed in the static blend

Always and forever remembered
words signed at the end
    - always at the end
Forever goes out of focus
True meaning sinks in

Burning bridges in the rain
Find the groove - fill the niche
Never finding better
than an imagined perfect fit
Pulling love out of a hat

And so begins forever
Derail detail - detour days
Slap it back into gear
wide-eyed crazy ways
High on the juice of fear

Fitted Sheets

Walking in panicked sunshine
so close, I couldn't touch you
Everything ceased to exist
but I can still close my eyes
and smell you standing there

A fantasy unfolded
Laid flat and smoothed out
the edges falling away
sweeping the floor
in a lilac breeze

In a side room,
farther away, you relax
breathing in the calm
While a storm rages
inside my heart

Remote Chances

click . . .
Our connection reigns
Turn a dirty face

click . . .
Feed the poor
Transmit the spore
Warm to the embrace
Kissing the face
     as it turns away

click . . .
The forcefulness of need
Truest love bleeds
The power stripped away
Love controls our lives today

click - - click
This thing is broken
The worry has woken
Still can't throw it away
Hoping it works again someday

click - click - click
We have patience still
You to ignore - me to feel
Trying to fill the time
Between meaningful moments

All

I am the morning and evening star
Eternal flame
Guiding the heart
Tempo of life
Temple of love unending
Vessel holding the sparks
Of your soul
    - subdued

Love's Disguise

Have I covered this before?
Visions joyous and yet. . .
Will I forever more
reflect on my heart?

Am I still obsessed?
. . . or has that label worn off?
I dream - yearn
to leave the past it's own.

Was it infatuation,
lust or enchantment
that drew me close to you?
Would it still. . . if that were true?

Maybe the thrill,
flirtation and intrigue;
an alluring liaison
hidden from view.

Consumed with desire;
seduced by yearning
. . . bewitched,
a simple charming.

That you are captivating;
my fascination found.
Locked in adoration;
desire bound.

Where was the mistake?
What line was crossed?
Where delight flourishes
passion is never lost.

Did you get too close?
Fascination gave in to affection.
You began to cherish love;
yearn for adulation.

The attraction proved too much.
One sided admiration;
bold exaltation
for an unpretentious angel.

Ghosts

You can't fight ghosts
They always win
Ghosts of love
Secrets and sin

Best to leave them obscure
Talk of them - if you dare
Only in passing; without emotion
Or risk insights rare

Feelings don't just go away
Without supplemental life
They become more perfect
Cause undo strife

You can be rational
To the point of despair
As good as it sounds
The truth is far from there

Winter

Snow falling quietly
covering all around.
Lives hidden from the world
beneath a blanket of down.

By firelight,
laying on the floor
tracing shadows and patterns
of two becoming one.

Could these shadow figures stand
in the brightness of love?
. . .or doomed to darkness groping;
stealing moments from heaven above.

The candles burn
closer to the base.
Turning to look
deeper into your face.

Did you come to save me;
turn my life around?
Do I absorb your sorrow?
Something alive you have found.