I Had a Dream

I feel your smile,
pressed softly against my cheek,
and you hum
a lullaby of gentle breaths
until you are sleeping
in my dream.
Behind closed eyes,
I watch myself twirl
under a blank sky
and lift my arms
to color it blue.
Your lullaby fills my mind
and you appear to grasp my waist,
holding me high
above the clouds.
With your help,
I clutch the air and smile proudly
until you laugh
at my empty hands,
willing to pretend.
You murmur
that you love me
and I wait
for you to lower me to the ground
so I can whisper the same.
But my eyelids begin
to flutter
and my lashes part.
I awaken next to you,
your eyes still shut
and your warm body lying
perfectly still.
I trace the length of your arm
hesitantly,
as if trying to prove
I have returned.
Satisfied,
I smile at reality
and I remember
how to felt the sky
and I saw the wind.

Trusting You

Your eyes

flicker thoughtfully

between dark lashes,

outlined in sleepless nights
and the comfort you endow.
A gentle breath
escapes from between your lips
and you murmur
what I imagine to be my name.

You reach for me
and my body trembles from
the warmth of your touch,
the brush of your hand
against my cheek.
A sigh escapes
from my own lips
as I close my eyes
and bury my face in the grooves
of your chest.
Our bodies move in syncopation
with each breath you take;
rising and falling until
I collapse
into your sincere embrace.
My mind swims with thoughts of
love,
trust,
fear.
As I doubt,
your hand gently traces
the curves of my body
with careful sensitivity.
I think no more
and give myself to you;
vulnerable me.

Falling on Our Heads

Dripping leaves
billow over chutes of bark
that scrape our backs
as we clutch the aged grooves with haste.
Your arms drape around my shoulders
from behind,
blocking raindrops as if
they were fatal
and holding me as I grasp the trunk.
We laugh
with the realization of our youthful
existence.
You spin me around and I face you.
You
and your blue eyes that make waves
when droplets fall from your lashes.
You
and your thin wisps of drowned, knotted hair
that's drips dissipate in the folds of your
soaked shirt.
You and your fingertips
that stroke my slippery cheek
and pull my chin toward yours.
Raindrops cling to our skin,
trickling down your forehead
to my nose
as we,
young and blind,
turn to smile at the dark sky.

Encore

The curtains hang limply,
ripped to shame
as we await our entrance.
The stage is lit
and we enter,
cued by the uproar below us
and the company
that remain blinded by the illusion.
You bow,
appearing humble and innocent
to all who stare.
Our eyes meet as you straighten
and you indulge me with a flash
of betrayal.
Your hand extends,
and with ease
you present me to the sea of blurred faces
that cry out for more;
Encore.
I bow,
stiff and uncomfortable
in your presence.
The crowd grows louder, and still,
I cringe.
I glance at you,
you who applaud me,
mislead me,
abandon me.
You smirk and step backward
as bouquets are thrown at our feet,
allowing the spotlight to shine
only on me,
while the faces and hands
seem to beg for us both.
I turn once more mid-bow,
and you wink.
A rose is cast toward my presence
and catches the threads
nearest my heart.
Fade to black;
farewell.

In Your Sight

You awaken me,
dusting gossamer webs
and compelling my legs to cover ground.
Whispers you endow
embrace a newborn,
my ringing ears
sensitive to the sound of your words
and the silences between.
In one swift motion,
your mind enters mine
and I am entranced by your thoughts.
I empty myself,
my world in your hands
as you dance around the simplistic idea
of our coalescence.
Drifting mindlessly,
I live
but to feel the warmth of your touch;
my own face and fingers
outstretched,
alive, alive in your sight.

Breaking Me

Smile for me,
and your poisonous daggers seize
my very being
as I, your molded mistake,
begin to chip,
crack,
break.
You laugh;
titillated by this sensational defeat
that, finally, your eyes can attend.
I close my heart
and shut your door,
each affliction fading,
my scarred mind
making you disappear -

with no memories of you,

I'll forget how to cry.

Smile for me;
satisfy my sore self

with a final goodbye.

Soon this glass will shatter

and red teardrops will cascade

down burning cheeks,
and you will have lost me
beyond recall.
Sing for me, Mommy;
hush little baby,
don't you cry.

Now smile for me
and break my heart.

Monster

On hollow street
there's a home in my heart,
these eyes are vacant;
a soul torn apart
that the wind has whipped
far out of my reach.
Your accusations
all but fasten me to the stake,
slowly, gently,
I have begun to break
in the slightest ways that I wish
you could see.
Your invisible standards
are now clear as day
I fear I've lost control
over words that should convey
my confession to you;
what a monster I have become.