23.1

the time has come
to return home
and we say our goodbyes
over McDonalds breakfast
and one last trip to the river

i shall carry you with me
as mirrors tucked into my pocket
gentle reminders
that even when apart
your spirits shine through
from behind my eyes

23.2

an orange X
upon the door
the number 3
at willies house
broken windows and
broken homes
on a street of
broken dreams

some things never change
in a neighborhood built
on a foundation of stagnation

24.1

champion of darkness
i long to
creep inside your head
marinate in your thoughts
until they
seep into my subconscious

i want to understand
what makes you tick
read the fundamentals
of your story
trace the maps of your journey
so i know the direction
from which to approach you

King,
i've never been intrigued like this before
i want to write you like
science fiction
send our bodies to outerspace
and birth new civilizations
from our union
i want to
boldy go
where no woman has before
get lost in the caverns of your mind
and recline on secrets
you have never shared

just open the door
and i will gladly cross the threshold
trade in reality
to exist solely as your fantasy
a single star
stuck in orbit around your sleeping frame
shining my light as a reminder
that you are never alone.

24.2

you are the soundtrack
of my days
my minnie ripperton
in mornings first light
my bill withers
that gets my day right
... lovely
you got me hummin stevie
all night long
fuck a hip hop song
you are soul music
the rhythm of my blues
that puts the jazz in my step
and i dont think you know this yet
but i dance to you
twist around in circles
with your smile in my eyes
realize
you are the entire collection
of al green
from the love and happiness you bring
to the tenderness when your
defenses are down
and the slow moans
when im
so tired of being alone
boy you are the song
thats stuck on repeat
the notes that guide my days
and the words that write all the ways
i love to love your music.

25.1

there are secrets in here
locked between the lines
disguised in clever metaphors
i pray you dont comprehend

you shouldnt know these things

for i have bled out my soul
mixed it in with the day to day
of mundane lives
broke open
and let the words flow out
a truth too strong
for your ears to swallow

you shouldnt know these things

feelings locked in cages
submerged under an ocean of tears
and fears
for i trust the strength of your hands
only so much as they can carry
the smallest part of my heart
place the rest in poems
to be buried under the senseless rambles
hidden away
should the day come
when we are
strong enough
to hold each other up

*maxwell


25.2

numbers will never be revealed
but
what i can say, however, is this...
fifteen in the first
and sixteen thus far
offered up as wishes
to a solitary star in the
endless night
that has clouded my vision.
thirty one wishes
blown out like candles
on birthday cakes
not to be spoken of
for fear they will not
come to pass.

and i suppose
this makes thirty two...

... i promised you
thirty seven reasons
long before my days
were measured out in poems
and its taking me quite a while
but please believe
i always deliver

26.1

i am silent
only when i
fear the magnitude of my words
spilling over as water
boiling in the pot
i'm stirred up
and steaming
and youre about to be scalded

26.2

cat scratch fever
is the feeling
of nails dug into back
teeth bared and biting at shoulders
ill strip your wings off
make you fly with me
far above the sleeping city
the give and take
of our
bodies' conversation
leaves no room for words
be silent
let me talk to you
with the arch of my back
and curves of knees
over your shoulders
flipping scripts
too full grown
for this young audience to handle

27.1

god why cant you just
learn to fly for once
step from the ledge
let go my hand
and trust that fate will return you
to me
if i could show you the world
that spreads just beyond your
scope of vision
would you risk it?
would you
have the courage to chase?
my love
the safe road is that of cowards
and the scenery
is a poor substitute
for the paradise of my dreams

27.2

recline, sweet prince
rest your weary hands
and allow the senses to play audience
to my performance
let me be Salome
and drape you with veils
body swaying to the music of seduction
a solo slow grind
in tune with the rhythm of your
heightened pulse
close, but never touching
my lips press whispers into your ears
spinning the stories of Scheherazade
deep into the night
i want to sing for you
like some rare exotic bird
trapped in the cage of your eyes
spilling songs of bodies
wrapped in the notes of passion's throes
skin steaming the scent of jasmine
that pulls at your nose like the softest of fingers
let me feed you,
my God,
place morsels of ambrosia
on the tip of your tongue
to savor the sweetness of skin
i cant bear to give you
my curves burn for the delicacy of your touch
and these hands yearn
to trace the outlines of flames
across your canvas
i've become a volcano for you
lava quaking under the surface and ready to explode
should you dare risk even the slightest stroke

28.1

there are times
when the facade of niceties
threatens to crack
and i want to write a poem
about bullshit.
unleash a slew of obscenities
deviod of pretty metaphors
and similes
call the world a stage
and point out the mistakes
of its players
dealing hands full of
save face cards
its not that hard
to read between lines
but why bother
when sticks and stones
weigh like heavy reminders
in my pockets



29.1

hey mr. tambourine man
where is it youre going
and can i
meet you
at that destination?
carry your baggage
lighten your load
and
let wings fly
beyond the glass ceiling of
present situations

mr tambourine man
can we
play a duet
turn bodies into
piano keys
and pound out songs
deep into the morning
i promise
i'll follow your lead
sketch notes across the moon
and bend
under the spell of your voice

mister, see i
marvel at the mysteries
tied up in the melodies
of your gaze
and the night is short
but
hours can stretch like forever
if you'd just
play a song for me

*some lines loosely inspired by bob dylan's mr. tambourine man


29.2

face down and
drowning in brackish water
there are words
for this sentiment
but all i can muster up is
acephalous
chest cavity hollow
remembering the echoes
of what once beat
so strongly
its seeping into the lungs
and i choke on
should'ves and would'ves
as the ticking clock
explodes time bombs
in my ear

30.1

jezebel
behind the painted mask
what secrets
does your smile hold?
for i have
come to learn
that when it flashes,
there is trouble
waiting to be had
just around the corner

30.2

hey there, friend
have we
grown so far apart
you do not recognize
my voice?
forgive me
for making you bend
in ways
you were never meant to
for sacrificing your sanctity
for the sake of applause
i never intended
to leave you so vulnerable
naked, on stage
in front of a packed house
these days
will no longer be numbered
and you
can go back to
breaking in pieces
on your own
once again.

the end.