empty beer bottles

Empty beer bottles line the windowsill,
collecting dust down through their necks
to mix in with the last few drops of alcohol
not consumed,
nor rinsed out and down the sink.

Lined up in a row
they tell a story of the evenings past
filling our stomachs with barley and malt
until they reached our minds
and made us feel better.

Some are yours, some are mine,
but we drank them together
talking, smiling and laughing,
liking each other.
For me, at least.

How many beers will it take
for us to tell each other
how we really feel?

passing the light

You ran away with my light
hours away
into a thick, dark forest
where I could not trace you.

Then, you gave it to him
so I could chase after him instead,
who held it for mere minutes
before passing it on again.

Now, my light is constant
burning bright through the night
amidst occasional flickers,
like lights do.

Where is your light now,
who does it burn for?

memories turned to dust

Collecting dust in the corner,
memories of who I once was
and hoped to be,
stand stagnant
letting the castaway remnants of air
settle, and find a new home.

Layer upon layer,
compressing those beneath,
perhaps eventually
stratifications will appear through the dusty clouds.
Memories, all visible,
stacked on top of the other.

Remove one layer at a time,
clean and polish the surface.
When memories have turned to dust
it’s time to let them go.

waking up with the shadows

Waking up with the shadows
dark figures following me
as I meander through unconsciousness
to find my lost self.

They linger
after I wake, open my eyes,
they stay with me.
Today the shining rays of sun
only enhance their darkness
rather than making them retreat.

I will join you again tonight
if you leave, for now.

easier with time

It gets easier with time,
I know that
I see that
I feel.

When it’s so hard at the beginning
‘easier’ seems impossible to reach
but it just takes time.
Sometimes, a long time.

I have always arrived there before,
eventually,
and I believe I will again.

disguise

Dreaming
of someone like you
but different,
someone who looks
but does not sound, like you.

How I would imagine
you would feel, taste,
smell,
feels real.

Almost as if
you wanted to see me
but under disguise.

broken systems

I think
I hope
people are starting to see
how we, our systems,
were broken
and we had no idea
how bad they were broken
until one thing happened
and another
and another
until we’re standing in the rubble
realizing
we need to build a new way
out of this.

they are human

Killed
for the color of skin.

Beneath the color,
beneath the size, shape,
and everything between,
they are human.

We are all human.

Our voices, our protests,
our demands to protect humanity
ring around the world.

Black lives matter.
Enough is enough.