a hill now stands where once it was flat

biting winds blow strong

no matter the direction I’m faced

please don’t steal the light was my plea

but pieces were already gone

never to be replaced

it was a long way to get to you

the clock has lost its hands

I’m feeling tired

and not quite sure I know how to leave

staring down lost love

hoping to be inspired

dreams hold songs of where I’ve been

sadness grips my hand

if the tune feels blind when I wake

black birds on the wire continue singing

calling broken hearts

but telling me to stay will not change fate

shadows cut the angles down to size

making it easier to miss the pain

my head is spinning with little left inside

an empty space stirred love all around

people kept dropping by

I could not find a place to hide

travelling on with both feet on the gas

afraid of what’s behind me

I’m left gripping the wheel

a penciled map has me heading forward

but I’ve lost some control

still unsure of what I feel

the journey takes time

set at square one

from unbroken youth

with courses uncharted

questions abound

the heart should always hold the truth

• 

like frozen rain

snapping against the window pane

battering the fragile soul

and seven days a week is too much to bear

loss is buried in all the dreams

that have us turning and tossing

heavy is the anger held inside

and it’s difficult to turn off

as night is falling fast

a barefoot child flaunts their youth

dancing in puddles

carefree without weight

do not look to carry it all

what is not needed will fall away

the journey is best

with one hand free

if it feels right

move forward now

do not starve the heart

as tomorrow is unpromised

immersed in stunning depths

waves crash in all directions

some wash over

forcing longer breaths

floating upon others

sunbeams warm from above

pulled

power

gasping

fear

exhale

peace

seeking that space

ambiguous but familiar

cautiously forward

questions abound

answers planted in hearts

rooted in souls

• 

a young maple

once lived inside

in yesterday’s gone by

branches cracked with age

carry the weight still today

he now walks with a cane

fear dwells deep inside

wanting always to kill it

but never knowing how

driven down roads of sadness

lost and misguided

he now walks with a cane

hiding in open spaces

with eyes clenched tight

racing darkness

in red and black

this dream is now alive

he now walks with a cane

stars above

swoon against the night

while the heart won’t go outside

dawn will arrive

grey and early

he now walks with a cane

hopeful rays of morning

have cracked the sky

winning for now

having faith in the blue and gold

new words are penned today

he now walks with a cane

• 

the welcome burn of today’s first swallow

quickly fades

as my mind wanders from the edge

seeking space from my own reflection

racing backwards

realizing I never had control

an anchor is weighty at my heels

slowing time

night’s silence has me in the shadows

don’t apologize for the pain

carry on

it’s no one’s fault that I am so afraid

the novel I am writing has no words

empty spaces

guaranteeing I will never reach the end

none of this is what was meant to be

at least that is what had sat inside my mind

the other side of days are making me believe

scripts are often written from the end

waking up without you

angry with everything beyond my reach

trusting in the reasons I have yet to learn

I will forgive all I do not understand

I have found much of myself under settled ash

the fires that once burned

held passion and ushered in grief

sweeping away the weight is proving quite the task

you think you know me

you don’t know me

I barely know myself

the melody inside my soul

opens up the doors

wish I knew where I was going

do you have time for another story

if you listen I will look for words

please just tell me what it means

I will look to leave a piece of me

that rests inside for just a while

it may carry us until the dawn

if I am giving you

everything I do not have

one of us may find the way home

turn away before you fall apart

I will close my eyes

and wait for all the tears to dry