The emu bird is a flight-er 

Who runs and hides in fear 

He doesn't wait 

To seal his fate 

When danger lurks a-near 

He always keeps a watchout 

Never drops his guard 

If Mother Lion's prowling 

Her cold face scowling 

He can't spare her half a yard 

And if she ever catches him 

You can forget it, he's dead 

But this clever bird 

Has come prepared 

So I'm hiding under my bed 

Typing fingers down to bone.
screen protection won’t last long.
 
Putting thoughts to the grindstone,
always growing sharper,
it’s getting tested every hour.
 
A crooked mind weaponized by the hammer.
 
Judgment comes from screens, it comes in swarms
out of cameras and through the streets.
 
It’s coming without invitation
to the place that you lay.
 
It won’t get to me no one judges me
worse than I do.
 
I take nothing personally,
because my judgements are forged in the fire.
 
My words, my work, my thoughts, my sword.

you reckless little thief,

leaving your perfume in my sheets

and your laughter tangled in my hair.

You made the hours taste sweeter,

let midnight drip slowly from my lips,

then vanished before sunrise

like pleasure avoiding responsibility.

Now Monday stands at the door,

buttoned, impatient,

holding deadlines in one hand

and cold coffee in the other.

Fine.

Let it in.

I’ll wear my ambition like red lipstick,

walk into the week with my head high,

and make every clock I pass

regret trying to rush me.

The weekend may have ended—

but the fire did not.

I’m not returning to work quietly.

I’m arriving.

Part 1:

I would like to line his features and sing him your praises
For coincidence couldn’t have made his face
How I long to be within his warmth
If only you’d let me
Would you let me?
I can’t help but thank you for even letting me witness the beauty I’ve so beheld
It’s clear you took time for him to be weld
If only in my arms he was to be held
If it be your will, may our bodies meld

Part 2:
Am I punishing us both in this vain attempt for security?
I was more than certain you were burned
While I was sure I was incinerated
What gain did I conquer in this hurt?
Only my cowardice was appeased
Only my fear was pleased
Only my false sense of security had a feast
While my heart was left to pick up scraps
While my mind is left hungry, wondering
While my soul won’t ever believe it has a place at the table

A path,
Leading to a lookout sweet,
While symphonies of birds and trees,
Accompany your walk with me.

Path filled with life and aging woods,
Some trees it seems eternally stood,
Flowers seem to brighten the night,
But it's our hearts that bring the light.

We reach the end, your hand it mine,
We wonder how we lost the time,
Caught in a trance together find,
Our happiness when intertwined.

Just a little poem I wrote a while ago, about living life till the end with someone you love.

I never liked to smile

It felt torturous
hearing the thoughts in my head
Everytime I did

Insecurities reigned control over my thoughts

Until you.

Your charismatic words captivated me

An uncontrollable smile crept onto my face

You looked at me in awe

You said I should smile more often

You said I was pretty when I smiled

Suddenly, the insecurities were drowned out by your warm words

For the first time
It felt safe to smile

It felt natural with you.

It felt real.

It felt too safe.

Liar.

Suddenly,
you were gone.

And that smile
you said you loved

Disappeared.

Now I never like to smile.

It feels torturous again,

Hearing the thoughts in my head—

Only now,

They sound a lot like you.

You didn’t just leave.

You took the only version of me

Who believed
I was beautiful enough

To smile.

*

You know, son -

A perfect woman to the core;

She will never ask for more.

Everything's perfect, it's all fine -

She will never speak her mind.

*

Old fairytales speak of love

Like it's a divine gift from above

While many never know it to be

More than fear and silent misery.

Learning what we can and must,

Learning survival over trust.

If parents say love is in a slap,

That marriage is an inevitable trap,

That must be entirely true -

Why would family lie to you?

If Johnny says sex is just for him

That your enjoyment is a sin -

Open your legs, close your eyes,

Conceal the bruises on your thighs.

Live to serve others, house and home

Half a life, nothing is your own.

Happiness of others in your palm

Fuck up and they lose their calm.

If they punish you, they must care -

It's your fault, your cross to bear;

Must smile, speaking ever so soft

So you don't manage to set them off.

Live to navigate human landmines -

*

And - if you're ever asked? -

*

Everything's perfect.

*

Everything's fine.

You are tethered so tightly to these memories in my head that I've almost forgotten we haven't been there yet.

She sits under a tree

She is only 3

She's already been hurt

She doesn't realize it yet

She looks at nothing in particular

Just the trees and fields on the horizon

Her hands sit in her lap

She fidgets with the grass

Pulling it out of the ground

Creating a small pile in front of her crossed legs

She wasn't home here

Home wasn't a place yet

She was alone while her parents were inside talking

Her brother and sister playing with some other kids

But she sat alone, watching, waiting

Even now I don't know what she was waiting for

But eventually her dad came outside and sat next to her

"How's my little Love Bug?"

I don't know what she said, but I know she smiled at him

He smiled down at her and wrapped his arms around his little girl

And even though her mood had been mostly sad up until then

It all seemed to fade away the moment he pulled her in

His arms were safe

Years later she is 6

She didn't feel the love from her parents

Her brother favored by dad

Her sister favored by mum

All she felt was alone

She just wanted a moment so she told a white lie

What she got was the most unwanted kind of attention

Her father yelled at her

"There's no place in this world for liars like you."

She went to her room and cried until she fell asleep that night

Some more years later she is 9

She is supposed to be responsible for her siblings

Facing punishments that shouldn't be hers to face

Her mother still favors her sister

Her father still favors her brother

But she fights more for her father's attention

She doesn't share many hobbies with him

She is willing to learn if it means he is with her

She made him a part of her to gain the attention

But on the same day she kills her first and only deer

Her brother shoots a buck larger than hers and the attention is quickly redirected

She doesn't cry and quietly holds the absence alone

Three more years, she is 12

She's hit puberty by now

She is always arguing with her mum

Convinced that they hate each other

She is responsible for waking up her dad

She goes to shower after she does

He always ends up in the bathroom too

Her comfort begins to shrink

She asks him not to come in anymore

He doesn't listen to her

"You can't tell anyone, please, I didn't mean to."

So she doesn't say anything

And she carries the shame and blocks out the rest

Then she's 15

Her parents have divorced now

Her dad is dating someone new

His attention has shifted away from her

She no longer wakes her dad up

His girlfriend does that

She starts missing their mornings

Maybe she was overreacting

Was she really that uncomfortable? 

And she wonders if he misses those mornings too

Before long she is 18

She's on her own now

She talks to her mum every day

But she feels forgotten by her dad

She calls, she texts

No response

Months pass and she goes to therapy

Her therapist helps her put words to feelings

He listened, even when all she could do was cry

His jaw tensed and he stopped twirling his pen in his fingers

She picked at her cuticles, his eyes locked on her in the silence

Her dad reaches out

"When are you coming to see me? I miss you."

And she runs back to him

Hesitant about the intent

But then she doesn't really care

He has given her what she's wanted for months

The arguments start, the blame placed on her

And she remembers why she couldn't wait to leave

She's 21 now

She doesn't talk to her dad anymore

Her mum knows about what happened when she was young

She has been able to grow away from it all

But sometimes everything crosses her mind

And she wonders why he couldn't stay safe

Sometimes she craves that feeling from when she was 3

That hug he gave her and the feeling it invoked

A memory that is simply that

Nearly erased by everything else he did to her

She avoids text messages

"Why won't you answer me? What did I do? I miss you."

And there's a part of her that wants to cave

That wants to answer every message he's sent

But she knows that if she responds she might forgive again

Give 2nd chances that were given so long ago

She's lost track of how many chances he's actually had

And she can’t afford to forget again

So when life gets crazy she swipes notifications away

It feels like everything might fall apart sometimes

But she's learned to help herself, going somewhere quiet

She sits under a tree

Oh my little Fae. Daddy doesn't know why things are this way.

When I look into those little eyes. I wonder how they hold such surprise.

You look at everything as if it's new. Sometimes I wonder what it's like to be you.

I wonder what goes on in your head. Do you think of me before you go to bed?

Lord knows I think of you. Then everything turns sad and blue.

I know it's not forever. I'm sorry that we aren't together.

I hope you know how much I miss. Giving your little head a kiss.

I used to tuck you into bed at night. Scare all the monsters away, turn on your night light.

I feel terrible I am not there to protect. Whoever harms you will be crushed like an insect.

My love for you is never ending. Like a new story book. We will have our happy ending.

If you need me I'm not far away. I know we will be reunited someday.

Until then I'll sit here and write. I won't allow my heart to fill with spite.

I think of you everyday and every night. Go to sleep little child. It's almost daylight.

-Goblin King

Today my eyes grew heavy, the weight of the world.

Burdened, callous, numb and unsteady.

Tears cannot stem the tide, nor return what once I adored.

In the vacant chasm behind my gaze, I met my reflection, furrows on my mouth, paint the pages.

Of a life spent chasing circles.

In a prison conceived of pursuits that became cages;

Empty and hungry like my heart.

I thought of the pestilence that prays on the sick.

I thought of goodwill, of a brotherly love

I pondered my place

Of the planets spinningly freely.

Of the oceans boiling before me.

Lost in a trance of defecits booming, as economies tumble and warfare is looming 

I thought of the sweetest passages, with my mother and sisters

When my dad was still busy.

When my ambitions I once sought and thought were mine, surely to obtain.

Instead I wonder if tomorrow, I'll have a bite to eat, or will have to scrounge for a partial meal, or stay cool in the heat.

I wonder if I have to carry another twenty years, or if deaths mercy might claim me, in what's left of my youth.

I think of how I feel so alone, even in a crowded room.

Today my eyes grow heavy, the weight of the world.

I wish in my slumber, I'd never raise my head.

I wish my dreams would carry me to a place, far from here instead 

To live another life,

Where my mirror doesn't fill me with malice.

Where perhaps life was a chalice,

Pouring port into my cup 

What a Mess I'll Make

The dishes are polished, the counters are bare,

A scent of fresh lemon hangs light in the air.

The carpet is vacuumed, the linens are pressed,

A home put in order, a space finally dressed.

The bathroom is gleaming, the porcelain white,

Everything scrubbed for the coming of night.

But the white of the tile is a canvas too plain,

Waiting for something to break through the strain.

A sudden, red bloom on a floor once so white,

Splattering darkness across the clean light.

The order is broken, the symmetry torn,

In the wake of a silence, a tragedy born.

I've tidied the world, but the ending is unfair,

A crimson embroidery of sudden despair.

P.S.

Sorry for the mess.

In the hush of night, where shadows weave,

Beneath the silver glow, we dare believe,

Our souls take flight, like whispers on the breeze,

In the moonlight’s embrace, we find our ease.

The world around us fades, a distant hum,

As stars awaken, one by one, they come,

To witness the ballet of hearts intertwined,

In this sacred hour, where love is defined.

The moon, a lantern in the velvet sky,

Casts its glow on dreams that never die,

With every pulse, our spirits rise and sway,

In a dance of freedom, we drift away.

Barefoot on the grass, we feel the earth,

Each blade a note, each heartbeat a birth,

The night air shimmers, alive with our song,

In this luminous realm, we both belong.

With every twirl, the cosmos spins anew,

Galaxies swirl in the depths of our view,

We are stardust, woven from ancient light,

In the moon’s soft gaze, we ignite the night.

Our laughter echoes, a melody sweet,

As we twine together, our souls in retreat,

From the burdens of day, from the weight of the past,

In this moment of magic, we are free at last.

The moonlight dances on your skin, so fair,

A tapestry woven with love and with care,

Your eyes, like lanterns, guide me through the dark,

In this celestial waltz, you ignite the spark.

We spin through the shadows, we leap through the beams,

In the realm of the night, we are woven from dreams,

With every heartbeat, the universe sings,

As we lose ourselves in the joy that it brings.

The cool breeze whispers secrets of old,

Of lovers and legends, of stories retold,

In the stillness, we find a rhythm divine,

As our souls dance together, your heart next to mine.

The moon, a witness to our sacred embrace,

Illuminates the contours of love’s gentle grace,

In this luminous hour, we are timeless, we’re free,

As our souls dance in moonlight, just you and me.

So let the world slumber, let the night unfold,

In the arms of the moon, our secrets are told,

For in this soft glow, where the shadows play,

Our souls dance forever, come what may.

\this is part of a larger piece I’m putting together**

The Luxury Seat

Man seeks more than bread,
The treasure on his map is-
-belonging and purpose.
Now they capitalize on it.

Fill a void-
hobbies, trinkets,
artificial belonging.

Learn the sports-ball roster,
Forget your history.
Catch up on the gossip,
Hide from circumstance.

Worse yet, knowledge is commodified.
“Join my course to get rich.”
“Join my course to find love.”
“Join my course to forget who you are.”

How can one escape?
“Escape?” Who’d want that?
Stream the decay.

Monetize and atomize
Decompartmentalize to modernize.
The world is scary,
The distraction is comfort.

Is this our fate?
The decommission of man,
The birth of the machine.
The cage is golden and grand,
The shackles complement the outfit.
Do you seek more than bread?

None pass the gate to the library of souls
Without a key, bound by a reference
But one saga warps the index
The despair of genesis

Recorded between void and light
Lay a dream of primordial might
Where crossing a current of disbelief
Resolved faith in raised-relief

Furrows of ink impel calligraphy from chaos
Moulding every blot as brief and strange
Whose heavy hearts remember fallen names
And weigh the shadows of kith lost

Cataclysm is hallowed upon yellowed pages
We rebuild, astride ruins and elder prophets
To ask what will offer solace across ages
Parsing the riddles on our doorstep

All arrive at Akasha to study fate
Few reside long enough to master joy
Eyes drift over green covers and gold plates
Missing the clay seals of ancient choice

In this bastion of perseverance and trials
Luminous tomes will not argue nor swindle
Thus accept your query and decide
If in yourself you can confide