His and Hers

When she passed him the volume
He recoiled
Unsure of her meaning
Hesitant
To take the damaged book.
Leather cover scratched
Cut beyond repair
Two names no longer graced the front
One gouged away
The date so long ago
Still visible
Gilt letters in graceful script
A single initial now stood
Upon the slashed surface.
She had tossed it away
Anger boiling from her
Then rescued the binding
Her face aflame
Hiding it in his empty closet.
His photo remained
Hers surgically removed
To another book of memories
Closed away in darkness
From her rage.
Only he and his
Left in the jagged cover
To stand alone.
She placed the offering in his hands
Needing him to see the spoils
To survey the damage for himself.
The images of two
Ripped
Divided
Removed
Scattered
Detached
Disjointed
Rent asunder
And sovereign
No longer existing together
But apart
Now freed.

Measure of Voltage

That first connection
Shocking
Electric
Discovered
Within one another.
On the surface
Our edited demeanor
Making the glow.
A flood of warmth
Showering sparks all around
Riveting me to you.
Dark habits
Slowly creeping
Change the current
Not negative
Still steady and regular
Revealing true feelings
Thoughts
Values.
Their gentle friction
At first pleasant
Then more insistent
Until dynamics collide
Momentarily stilled.
The draw still there
Changed
Rerouted
No longer vibrant and strong
But gentle and sure
Not magnetic enough
To bind us together.
And so
I release you
From the circuit
Hesitant to relinquish all.
Tender memories
Missing that
Initial surge of current
Unwilling to unplug
Almost impossible
To set you free.

Because You Never Believed in Me

Hesitant to speak
To step into the light
Peripherally content
To walk alongside
And share the sun
Spilled along the edge
Rarely touching my spirit.
Never quite warming
Never blossoming fully alive
Perennial seeds without water
Absent of germination
Or tendered nurturing
Left unfurled
For lack of heat and light.
But when you moved away
The source did not change
Giving me my own place
Among the flowers.
I found my voice
And bloomed because
I believed
In myself alone
And took the rays
That were mine.

ON THE EDGE

She was always afraid of heights
And usually chose a safer route
But now she stood on the steepest ledge
Pressing her face to the sharp rocks
Not daring to look down.
She found herself there
Alone.
He had forced her to this edge as
Others strolled by on the wider path
As if it were not scary.
Tossing useless sayings
And empty advice
That yielded no cushion
Or helped with the parachute
She had salvaged.
Some had clung here before
With their own sets of tools
And provisions
Looking for a safe way down.
She couldn’t jump
She didn’t have her gliding gear
She would plummet with no brakes
Or hit the jutting rocks
Gashing her tender skin.
She could only rely on herself and hope
She might find a crevice
To pull herself up
Or edge her heart to safety.

untitled

She’d been beneath the surface for so long
Seeing the light above
With all its lovely undulating forms
She could not quite reach
Suspended below
Wanting to breathe
But not willing to suck in
The stifling water
To subordinate and lose herself
Becoming a sea creature
Always dwelling below
Yearning for the air just breaking above her head.
At last the weights release and she kicks free
Her head emerging
From its liquid prison
Bursting forth
Flowing down around her
Spilling away.
She is buoyant and turns to look around
For the land
To place her feet upon the sand
Shifting but supportive
With shaky legs
To emerge
With watery shackles
Coursing from her
Freeing lungs
Her arms and legs
To stand released upon the shore.

single skater

She had not been
To the roller rink in years
The shoes seemed awkward
Large and bulky
And she wanted protection
From chafing and bruises
Unsure if her socks
Were thick enough
Absorbing the shock
She knew she could not
Taking her small injuries
Counting them as experience
Treasuring the lessons they imparted
On her new and delicate skin.
Tentatively pulling herself up
Rising on the spinning wheels
Finding she could stand
Remembering this feeling
Moving about
Uncontrolled and free
Stretching out one foot
And then the other
Finding favor
And then pleasure
Circling the rink
Sneaking glances
Daring glimpses
Wondering if she could
Bravely risk a partner
While still so wobbly
Yet finding friendly faces
In the sea of single skaters
Encompassing the center
Of her heart.

easy

no games
no roles to play
just be herself
honest
wearing her heart
upon her sleeve
leaving
her luggage
behind.
she was easy
easy on the eyes
easy with her words
easy with her smile.
he loved her
because she was
easy in every way.

falling in love with me again

Unsure of the brightness
I ascend into the new light
It seems I have been
Here before.
Startled by my reflection
Unseen for some time
I look for lines of loss
My limbs tingling from
Their sleep
Glowing colors
Burn my eyes
And I cannot turn away
I touch new fibers
I smell fresh sustenance
For my soul
And now
I find myself
Falling in love
With some things
Things that were lost
Things misplaced
Things forgotten
And now they are new again.