butterfly

pale as the flesh on these bones
beautiful in flutter
a distant yet approaching reminder
of what we've become
erratic in flight
a single purple spot
the only blaze of color
left for us to share

this solitary darkness
brilliant in itself
a harbinger ignored
as we slipped into the deep
awake in sleep
we stared as if in memory
of the orchid hues
which once defined us

gone as soon as it arrived
deafening in retreat
this thing of stunning simplicity
capturing us in midstep
light in shadow
bringing us full circle
to the emptiness we defined
before its arrival at our feet

Malena*

alone, yet not unnoticed
she goes about her new surroundings
finding her routine
the same as he does
from afar at first
her allure drawing him closer
her beauty an awakening
in his mind
her sadness is beautiful
to young eyes
answering questions unasked
until her arrival
at this place

she dressed as a woman
not of innocence, but of beauty and need
her steps leading her there
to the square where
upon the eyes of the seeing
she approached
her reflection in his young eyes
the disdain from the hated
was present and alive
foreshadowing her very movement
quickly. violently. completely.
they attacked en masse
tearing at her

bringing her down to themselves
to be honored no more
than a street whore left
broken and naked at their hands
his eyes welled at the site
so compelling as to drive others
to indifferent inaction
as witness to the beautiful brutality
he wept along with her
shattered form revealed human after all
and vulnerable as we
in this state of violence,
retribution, and rebuke

damaged yet unbroken
she collects the memories of herself
before this, before now
and smiles
a loss as great as life itself
alone but surrounded
by those who will test
her mettle and her will
he is there, does she notice
the resolve of a soldier
in such a young soul
eager to reach out to her
and pull her up beside him

standing still, once again righted
her path already defined she begins renewed
untethered and freed from her beautiful burden
together they course
with each sunrise and sunset
a parallel continuum leading them away
in the same place
which they started
both now noticing alike
the bond which lies between them
unbroken
with the passage of the shadows
through this village square

time has served them
in sun and moon alike
their phases passing along
as markers of youth into manhood
and of beauty retained
with the crease of time
displayed as testament
along this road until today
that they alone became the guides of
themselves against the arduousness
of life and circumstance in war
and in person they reach for their place
already defined from the beginning

by her arrival at this place.

*inspired by moodstained

amber

the crimson-wheat amber
of your body
draws me near
like no other

effervescent and refined
as characteristic
of your Belgian derivative
you glow before me, welcoming

despite my circumstance
you soothe me to where i find
a centered existence among the chaos
surrounding this troubled soul

live, as yeast and misery
shielded by this buffer
you created for me
to face the evening renewed

Mickey Mouse & Athena

your golden-bordered frame
on the dusk gray body
making the shapes of the surreal
and imagined figures in my mind

changing with each advance
of the clock, as the canvas
wind-driven, reminds me of
of the shadows i've come to know

the stratus and cumulus
structure of your shifting work
reminiscent of the world
i call my own

shifting and ever-changing
i grasp your beauty
as the fleeting statement
which makes me whole again

new glasses

from across this granite horizon
you stare in the general direction
of misconception and belief
that you stand alone
among the others
which surround you

your eyes shine, illuminating me
as the sun sinks into the night
shielded by these frames
which expand across your face
hiding nothing but your insecurity
defiant against me

a smile and coy response
does not conceal your fervor
for the unknown and possibly
unwelcome advance of a stranger
reaching out to you
in a manner unconcerned by you

reusable

as the recycling of you
advances beyond all meaning
i hold you close
today a whisper
tomorrow a scream

this breathing re-creation
from spent refuse to sublime
i push you down
today a dawnless sun
tomorrow a golden glow

i make you mine alone
from the pieces that i leave
i reconstruct
today a mindless chatter
tomorrow words so clear

the apathy i show you
never deters from its course
i stand with
today a broken vessel
tomorrow reusable once more

Tanka XXXVIII

send to me your place
where salt and bitter mingle
the soft and warming
location of my desire
the pearl plucked from the oyster