Kiss

Kiss me when you see my eyes
look up at you in that secret way,
when you've just heard me
tell you my biggest dream,
when you remember all our
history, with one brush of my
hand. Kiss me when you know
no one is watching, and
kiss me when you feel the
urgency. Kiss me when my
tears fall like tea cups on a
tile floor, oh kiss me when you
know you're one step closer
to being sure. Don't kiss me
when you feel starved and don't
kiss me when you feel weak,
but kiss me when you know
nothing else will do,
no words and no signals
can relay what you feel,
and you only have one more
way to tell me.

And like everything else thus
far, I'll leave the timing up to
you.

Crown

I will slow
to see the day
wrapped up in
gold and emerald,
a crown among other
more treacherous days
that I can barely remember
here in the promise of another
life. Your smile is the warm sun,
and your eyes are the sea-blue sky
covering up all my fear and doubt,
blanketing me in the hope I barely
afforded myself until now.
You change the rules,
teach me another
way to breathe
and I will slow,
to see you
face to
face.

King Edward

You have the same first name
as the first boy I ever kissed.
On the cheek after school,
eight years old, bolder than
most. Scribbled notes
passed back and forth
inklings of love, too young
and too foolish, misguided
and premature.

You have the same first name
as the first boy I ever kissed.
Thirteen years ago, under the
streetlamp. And I ran away.
Ran towards your two arms,
waiting for me all this time,
hands that write me pages
of sweet words, outstretched
to draw me in.

And for the first time I wonder
if this could be it.

Overheads

Excuse me for a second,
I just have to stick my head
between my legs to stop the
racing thoughts and the heavy
breathing, to quell the vivid
flashbacks. Back to nights
I cried myself to sleep over
a man who hated to pray,
though he forced the rosary
into my hand, asking me to
decipher the will of God
with my own cold fingers--folded.

It's not that you resemble him,
because you couldn't look more
different. Your voice sounds
a hundred years old, and your
heart could love all my broken
pieces, and your hands reach
parts of me I only let God
touch, but you must see,
I'm a wounded soul that doesn't
forget and I beg you for
patience, because dealing with
me could prove more challenging
than you thought.

Just know,
I'm more than willing,
to rewrite our nightmares
together.

Maple

And you will ask me
what is wrong, why I've
been crying all night, and
why I haven't slept at all,
and I'll give you some
BS answer about
my childhood and my
problems with sadness, but
really it's because you
poured syrup all over my
heart with your sweet words,
wooing me with your gentleness
and care, though your
intentions are far from
clear. It's really because
you took someone as fragile
as me, and made me out
to be stronger than I am
in order to do your damage
without to great a guilt.
I don't know if you mean
for this to be how it ends,
but if you have some plan
to show the congruency of
your actions, then I invite you
to make it known.

I'm dying here.

Put Up

Spit her back out like
an old favourite
you're not allowed to have
anymore,
but just a taste will do,
just a taste will suffice.
You won't gulp,
because
you know once she
hits your system you'll be
infected.
You can't let them know
you're still just as weak
or you'll give up
whatever respect
you've earned in being
abstinent.
But I see you, teasing fate
toeing the line,
feet in both camps,
red handed
and innocent,
all at the same time,
and I have no choice
but to put up and shut up.

Boughs

You light old fires
with wet leaves and
damp sticks, hoping
to ignite some grand
forest fire in order to
feel validated, worth
something, still able
to captivate. But you
don't realize that
you weren't really
that captivating to
begin with. You just
threw the driest
needled branches
onto the flames
and made everyone
watch the show,
only to throw some
more on, as soon
as it started to
dwindle. You are
temporary,
you are fleeting,
and you're running
out of pine boughs.