Transcendent Contact

Music plays quietly
delicate notes of joy and love
uplifting
Heartwarming tears of gratitude
offered while on knees of the moment
Beauty and compassion
shared in a circle of safety
stories of hardship and pain
stories of hopes and desires
enveloped in a halo of acceptance
Dream catchers woven
in a time of listening
open hearts
exposed and vulnerable
gathered in hands of friendship
Ragged threads
braided as one
no longer frayed
strengthened by unity
now a beautiful tapestry
Lives unfold
as each thread is touched,
colored, named
Mystical artwork
mysteriously created
Music soars
a divine chorus
a privileged instant

Confection Connection

Innocent beginning
ice cream and lollipops
sticky confections
melted hearts and hands together
Legitimate purchases
to calm an angry mood
or cheer a sad heart

Lines began to blur
with requests coming more often
Willing participants
unwilling to say no

A shift began to occur
as the needs grew greater
sweet toffee
meant to soothe
became tacky
clinging
pulling down

Something to get by
just this once
turned into another
and another

emotions hollow
empty
deeply saddened
instead of uplifted

Relationship disintegrated
right before eyes
cotton candy decomposed
with teardrops of disbelief

Craving connection
a time to share and bond
but all the sweetness
decayed a delicate cord
The link
connecting two hearts
lost

Shattered

Wine glass shatters
stem and goblet severed
illusions of relationship
exposed

Sharp jagged edges revealed
captivating expensive bouquet covered
robust promises
forgotten
hidden
left to languish
unable to balance with delicate notes
of expectation

Scatted shards lay on the table
lay on the floor
as once you laid with me
fragments of our hopes and dreams
loosened from a grasp
now splintered pieces

What once was
no longer is

A stark realization

How appropriate the glass was empty
no red stain on the precious carpet
blank white
pure contrast to tainted desires
no tears
no drops
to mourn the loss

Resignation
a simple break
to open eyes
how fragile words have become
how brittle emotions

Hidden cracks
now fully visible

Home Base

Brick and mortar
glimpses of lives
walls and windows
protection
openings to peek inside
photos here
piece of art work there
beautiful vase from exotic foreign land
details of lives
on display
Borders
Boundaries
set to keep others at bay
to keep ourselves in
Boxes to contain
fluid
mobile mass of our lives
Structure
to grasp
guide back to reality
when form slips away

Disoriented

A blow takes her breath away
disorients
knock your socks off fierce
as she clings to spidery webbed ropes of understanding

She clings to her hopes and desires
passions burning within
her drive to move forward and conquer
all past mistakes
original sin
consumes her
disorients
spinning on sticky web of illusion

Gate keepers leap to protect her
promises of harmony and calm
center of their focus
they are quickly restrained by Michael and Morgan
also watching the events unfold

The young woman has chosen
of her own free will
to undergo a challenge, see what her determination
might reveal
she alone has to fight her demons
past and present
present day
long past due date
unwrapped
festering
fermenting
becoming something else
something unnameable
unrecognizable
Great distress rises amidst the peace loving
keepers of the gate

The maiden squeezes her eyes shut
squeezes her legs
no entry allowed
squeezes against time
no penetrating thoughts to break barrier
she clings to spidery thread of inner strength

A halo appears behind her closed eyes
lifting her up out of herself
watching
knowing
slip, slip
slippery slope
she is on a shifting course
swaying
rocking
pump, pumping
up and down

Gasping
straining
desire to be on top
physically spent
her mind still weaves
dodges on wobbly legs
spinning threads to
outwit, outlast, and outsmart her fears

Pit

there is an insatiable pit
gnaws
clamors for more
hovers on edge of living
crater ready to open wide
into yawning emptiness
like a gruesome accident
attention cannot be turned away
head swivels
must look
irresistibly drawn to hollow trench

this dark, black hole
consumes
all in its path
anything that draws
near the edge
disappears
into inky abyss

Tumbled

Sights and sounds flow
swiftly by
tumbling me
shaping me
rolling me along the river of life

Radiant sunlight filters through
a canopy of leaves
dappled beams
scattered across my smooth surface
solar energy touching my rocky being
warmth absorbed

Rain drops add to the river
cares and worries pitter patter around me
howling wind and icy hail
roil the waters

Vibrant birds alight
colorful refractions shimmer across my hard surface
a dancing sparkle in the water
tempting
They peck
and peck and peck
then fly away
graceful wings growing smaller in the distance

I remain alone

Bull’s Eye

information darts and bullets
whizz by unsuspecting bystanders
from every direction
some barely noticed
others strike an emotion
grab attention

emotional triage swiftly responds
prioritizing these cultural missiles

headlines
manipulate reality

shrapnel

when did we become the dart board
with a bull’s eye on our backs

Love Story

Lives twinning together
like ivy on a wall
unseen magical connection

Fresh young shoots
stretch for the sun
cling to wooden arbor
feel warmth radiate off wall
stretch, stretching
destination unknown
trusting upward direction

Mature growth stands firm
remains grounded
provides support
roots deep, expansive
familiar earthiness is woven into genes
of delicate leaves
courses through slender vines
ready to allow creepers
a hand in exploring new space

Young and old
grow together
a grafted union
one with the other
indistinguishable
dark and light
seasoned and green
cultivated and immature
flowering equally

A beautiful love story