Grace*

stars collided
the day you drew your first breath
such a significant act
often overshadowed
by who we become

wind-swept
your hair belies you
hiding that which can never be hidden
the soft features
of a young woman

lips curled
in that smirk which defines you
brash and unashamed
you proceed with caution
never

eyes wide
absorbing all around you
not a moment escapes
without you taking a piece of it
for yourself

beautiful
in your confidence
growing into grace
with all the eyes of the world upon you
you brought a smile to our face

* for Nicole

Seasons Fleetings*

there was a time
when the holly and the pine
permeated my senses
with recollection and promise
that hope would warm the spirit
and all was well

there was a time
as a young man was dreaming
and the fruits of his labour
bore gifts and reward
enough to nourish the soul
and pass on to others

there was a time
when the sound of young voices
carried the room
on that cold winter morning
surrounded by ribbon and laughter
each searching under the green boughs

there was a time
as life carried on
that the needles started to dry and fall away
their scent a distant memory
no longer clinging to our clothes
reminding us that something changed

there was a time
that age and distance carried them away
each year their return
less frequent than before
a slow migration into themselves
leaving me alone

there was a time
when spoken words turned to texts
phone conversations turned to greeting cards
and even a once beating heart
found it difficult
to comprehend this reality

there was a time
when even the holly and the pine
could not relieve the broken heart
left from the slow decay
of who we once were together
now a distant shadow

there was a time
now that the branches have broken
and the needles lay dry beneath my feet
that the holly only serves
to draw my blood with its prick
with each attempt to decorate the mantle

there was a time
when even the brandy in my coffee
could not remove you from the memory
that i once held so dear
sitting among the gift wrap
awaiting your next smile

there was a time
and that time is today
that i will wait alone again
and hold you close in my heart
knowing you are gone
by your own choice poisoned

today i'll hold the holly and the pine
the sap sticking to my bloodied palms
and smile at what i made you
and cry at who you are
as i hang the wreath upon the door
waiting to greet you once more

* to Mallory, Timothy, and William

wax and wane

i saw you and knew
you were mine despite yourself
evident in the fact that gray
defined my mood, not the colour of the sky
but, the dull glow about you
that brought me here
to face you in this storm
of clouds and sea
lost for an instant
in ourselves, never knowing the other
as we should
yet always able to explain the why
of the why not

burn me a flower

singe the outline
on my skin and mind
like a feathers blaze
indelibly stamped
upon my soul

tell me the smell
of colours is lasting
as my memory of you
turned away as a season
only to become something else

your borders raised and angry
like life itself
remind me i once lived
in the shadows
of colour and light
obscured only by that curl of white smoke

acrid. pungent. sulfur.
this smoldering work
defines the broken peace
of my one true thing
burned, now forever with me

Clockwise

each day
the countdown to you
ignored, the potential
of every blind corner
as i take your hand
and lead you there

some say
the moon revolves clockwise
reversing your pull
yet my heart leans forward
as you take my hand
and lead me there

one way
defines the descending path
we chose without concern
of outcome or destination
as we take our hands
and show eachother the way

not anymore

more dangerous to be alone
the end
my well-worn drive
away, shut out, emotional
more revealing

i'd like to smile
and fake it
everyday
gets harder
to drag myself out

to put on
to pretend
i care just the same
i can't carry on like this
not anymore

Erlenmeyer Flasks

pulverized
these fine grains
heated to make you whole
smooth and sturdy
utilitarian in your grace
you allow my use of you

borosilicate
graduated and sterile
your neck defines you
weighted or free
swirled as in titration
you hold my volumes

conical
your shape unique
as Emil inspired you to creation
culturing each cell
in gas exchanging beauty
you measure my failures and success