It was when I set my mind
to listen to the words,
not just the music,
I heard what I had been missing
that it was already there
all this time.
be real
Dreaming of the impossible
the never-happened, never-will-happen.
Dreaming of a past which does not belong to me
and may not belong to anyone.
The sights, sounds, conversations, feelings,
they are too real
to be imaginary.
They must be real.
I want them to be real.
Leaves remaining
Leaves remaining from last year,
maybe longer,
collect and accumulate in a pile
littering the ground with browns and dull greys.
How many layers are there?
All I see are the new ones on top,
hiding the older ones underneath
likely in varying stages of decomposition.
There they lie.
Rustling ever so slightly in the breeze
are the light, new ones,
settling motionless, heavy with age and water
are the the old ones,
the foundation.
Up through the middle though
lives a tree
growing new bright and green leaves
and blossoms of dark fuschia and cotton white.
So odd it seems
how life can flourish from the base
of death, of decay,
but my eyes do not deceive me.
Perhaps, the leaves offer comfort.
Perhaps, the leaves provide warmth.
Perhaps, the leaves supply nourishment.
But perhaps, the leaves are a hindrance,
keeping the tree in the past,
preventing growth.
Despite the offered comfort,
go the leaves must.
I gathered mine,
will keep gathering as new ones fall,
growing through and beyond
the past.
heavy weight
I cannot deny
the weight pressing on my chest.
It lingers
and the more it lingers
the heavier the weight becomes
until it crushes me.
Caught in a trance
Caught in a trance,
hands on the steering wheel
eyes on the road
mind lost in the music.
Lost in the bass
thundering through my static muscles,
lost in the guitar
amplifying my pulsating blood,
lost in the lyrics
shattering and healing my heart at once.
Turn it up loud
so my ears cannot hear my mind
attempting fantasy.
Singing, mimicking,
would be a disservice now.
So here I sit, caught in a trance
seemingly motionless, but hosting a frenzy
on the inside.
Music surges through me
as I open wide the gate
and leaves me with nothing more
than a growing smile on my lips
and radiating calm.
Branches stripped bare
Branches stripped bare,
devoid of leaves, protection,
rustle in the breeze like a skeleton
of a former living human
rattles.
Leaves, greenery and life
will rejuvenate the branches
as will love and hope,
for you.
early morning glow
Strange, how
the early morning glow and warmth
rests upon my eyes in a new way,
like I have never before sat in the kitchen
eating breakfast before work
and looked outside to the world waking up.
It must have happened before,
years before,
and days too many to count.
How unfortunate
to think of those mornings unappreciated,
showing up to start anew
yet passing by my clouded eyes,
gone.
frustrations
I am mindful and present
with my frustrations,
acknowledging them
giving them power, more than they deserve.
Holding frustrations over situations beyond my control
weighs me down,
noticeably so.
Give them away
so I can give more of myself to you.
Give, in hopes that you
will give too.
Fill the balloon
Fill the balloon
with the exhales of anxieties.
Blow them all out
slowly
and forcefully.
Tie a knot
and let them go,
drifting into the clouds
and out of sight.
pain inflicted
One day
you will come to forgive yourself
for the pain you caused others
and for the pain
inflicted on you.
Dawning Words 