You Say

Arms up, palms out,
you stop me in my tracks.
"Don't move," you say.
"The sun behind you is a halo.
The wind in your hair is the kiss of God.
You look like heaven to me."

I can feel your eyes on me;
they touch me from head to toe.
"Stay away," I say.
"The curve of your mouth is a serrated edge.
The glint in your eye is a loaded gun.
You look like pure sin to me."

Hand out, finger crooked,
you beckon me to you.
"Come closer," you say.
"The scent of your hair is an ocean breeze.
The caress of your hand is a butterfly kiss.
You are a balm to me."

I feel your words beneath my skin;
they mark me from chest to spine.
"Consume me," I say.
"The brush of your lips is a snake bite.
The taste of your mouth is cyanide.
You are a poison to me."

"Back away, then," you say.
"Release me, then," I say.
"You are the completion of me," you shout.
"You are the end of me," I whisper.

hey kid

Hey kid who wears his heart on his sleeve,
a tender heart is no cause to grieve.
Every time you open your arms,
You fling it away toward liars and theives.

Hey kid, stand and walk.
You deserve better than all this talk.

Don't be ashamed of your gentle soul
and don't listen to whatever you're told.
They don't know the warmth of your hand
when everything else around you is cold.

Hey kid, stand and walk.
You'll do better without all this talk.

One harsh word would knock you right over.
Those whispers and shouts - hey kid, take cover.
But don't worry about a fall to the ground.
With your hand in mine, I'll hold you up, brother.

Oh brother, stand and walk.
They can kill you with all of their talk.

Zero

I crave zeroes,
ones and zeroes
to set my life in motion.
If then else
will plot my direction.
Hash me starred –
it's an asterisk to learn
the and or unity.
But once I know
the when is between,
I can run.

hold steady

After all this time
I hold steady.
Dance or die
fuck or fly.
I know the words
and I hear the music
but they are no longer mine.

When the time is right,
I will make my own out of
moments and days
and sighs and shivers.
But until that time
I will hold steady.

Easy Dreamer

You wander, you waltz,
Bloodshot eyes and long, dark hair.
They don't understand
your aimless direction,
your song in the dark
with words about dawn.
No gravity, just momentum –
with every footstep you fly.

how do you want it?

How do you want love to be?
Do you want it to start as a ball of fire beneath your sternum,
spreading to every cell in your body,
incinerating your skin from the inside out,
making you into a burnt offering?

Or do you want love to be a tightness in your throat,
catching all your muscles and tendons and ligaments
until your entire body clenches
and all your insides become outsides?

Let me tell you how I want love to be.
I want love to whisper across my cheeks
and blow back my hair.
I want love to tickle my neck
and breasts
and thighs
and toes.
And then I want love to pick me up and throw me
so high
that I breathe ozone
and see stars.

sunned in

Dies iræ! dies illa
Solvet sæclum in favilla …
Quid sum miser tunc dicturus?

You stare at me
through layers of bodies
and the cold intensity of your eyes
tells me more than their
shouted whispers and
frantic touches.
And I would wither and fade to hear your words in my ears.

Your stare is a fist across my jaw
fire on my face
blood in my mouth
and gravel on my back.
If this is the war you're making
then I would bleed and burn to feel you on my skin.

I watch women rub against you
trying to make a wish on your magic lamp
and they believe your early morning laugh
and sunned-in smile.
but I see the truth in your teeth and venom
and I would die to feel you in my veins.