Each Day, More

Laughing more frequent
Shared jokes, nicknames
Closeness growing into
Intimacy and a knowing
The familiarity of an
Old favorite t-shirt
With the passion of
The newly converted

Wanton

Wanton desire rampant
Raging storm inside me
Appetite voracious for
Imagined moments stolen
Possibilities never ending
Fueled by distance and
Dangerous thoughts

Wide Awake

Dreaming, wide awake
Verdant green fields
Fences of gray stone
Breeze from the ocean
Salty and warm as it
Rustles your auburn hair
Hand in hand we stroll
To the ruins of the fort
Stony construction rough
On my hands, climbing in
Leading you up and up
Narrow, winding ancient steps
Most vivid white capped blue
Bursting into view, then
Embrace, kiss, contentment

My Addiction

Like I'm walking the streets
Shoulders hunched, head down
Hood covering my shorn head
Looking, searching for my drug
But it's you, your words, your face
All that will ease the pain
Only what cures the jonesing
What calms the NEED coursing
Through my blood and brain
You've become my dealer
And my product, dangerous

Work in progress

   Out of the mist he strode, purposeful and steady. His face beleaguered and strained as the straps of his pack cut into his shoulders. A black and white dog trotted at his side, a friendly look about him as he moved, his ears bouncing and tongue lolling.The town was visible now. Orange sodium street lights breaking through the murk and fog. Sounds of waking up on the streets, a dog barking, early delivery trucks on the road. He wondered if there was work available here, were strangers welcome, all the things he'd thought about for these interminable four years on the road.

   Tying the young pup to a parking meter and setting out a small bowl of water, he entered the just opening coffee shop. The comfort of taking off the pack evident on his face immediately. As she poured the coffee, the waitress looked at him with amusement and curiosity. "Eggs," he said, "and bacon. Lots of bacon," was his order. Crossing his mind, not for the first time, could he find a place here, happiness, solace, a home.

    "Carol," she introduced herself as she brought his food. Refilling his coffee, she felt drawn to him. "CP," he grunted as he began to eat. The sleeve of his dark green shirt riding up revealing a Trinity tattoo on his forearm. "Can I get you anything else?" she asked. He paused for a moment, putting his fork down, "Is there any work in town?" "What can you do?" "Anything I need to," he said with some conviction. She knew he meant it and was even more curious now about this stranger and his dog.

      Bringing him some bacon wrapped up in a paper towel and a piece of paper, she tells him its for the dog and to see the man on the paper after 9. "You're expected," she says. Laying out money for his bill and tip, thanking her, he takes the bacon out to let the pup eat. As he pulls on his pack, she notices a Celtic cross tattoo on his other forearm. What she didn't notice was the slight bulge at his right hip, a well worn Springfield 1911 hiding there in a brown leather holster. Stepping back into the gloomy fog, he unties the dog and heads up the street disappearing.

      Walking, boots nearly noiseless in the early gloom, he searches for the address on the paper. Towns this small are easy, he thinks. Touching the gun at his hip almost imperceptibly, he is reminded of the day 5 years ago when he first used the gift from a friend in anger. It's bluing now worn bright and the rosewood grips becoming smooth, it will always carry the memories of that fall day.

      The dog catches a scent on the air causing him to growl, his hackles standing up. Being his companion for so long, the man knows to be wary. The dog is smart, friendly and playful but overall, protective and cautious. On more than one occasion he's alerted the man to danger, today may be no different. He slips his hand under his shirt and grips the .45 only to see the outline of a police officer through the mist. "Hello officer," he says to the cop as they close the distance between them. "Is it always this foggy around here?" Small town LEOs are always best treated friendly and cautiously. That's one of those hard earned bits of information he'll not soon forget.

       

Duality

Reconciling two lives
One led for those around me
One led for only you
The compartments of my mind
Used like office dividers
Separation of moments remembered
The feelings, the anguish
Of never bringing them together
On an on, a chasm dividing

Writers block sucks. That's not very well written I know but true nonetheless. I have something to say, to express, to write but the words won't come.

Chameleon

Her chameleon eyes
Taunt me
From every picture
Every thought
Drawing me in
Shifting color with her mood
Her smile
Distance unable to dull
The brightness and color
Amplified

For a sick friend

I hope you get well soon. Thinking about you.

Courage

What is courage? Is staying somewhere you no longer belong and are ignored because leaving would possibly destroy the thing you hold most dear, courageous? Is leaving to make a life for yourself whether it is the right thing or not, courageous? So much is sacrificed daily. I'd even lay my life down to protect others but that means nothing. At what point is it enough? At what point do you find the courage?

Time on My Hands

The pain comes in waves
As if a massive army is
Being sent man after man
By a callous general, uncaring.

Looking for a brief respite
Something, anything that might
Assuage the hurt and turn
The tide on this endless cycle.

The words, the only thing
Breaking the monotony.

Want

Waiting....
Interminable moments until
We collide in exquisite embrace
Senses tuned to each second
Anticipating the connection
Scents overwhelmingly intense
Desire spreading like cruel fire
From fingertips to tangling limbs
Growing, expanding, filling the void
All that's left, the want

B Comes In Handy

Battered
Bruised
Beleaguered
Bitter
Beaten

Beautiful

Beguiled
Bewitched
Becalmed
Beknownst
Better

My World

Unforeseen you appeared,
Consequences considered
Yet discarded at once
Like the pennies that
Weigh your pocket down

Needing the lightness
Brought to the world
By your being, your grace
Effervescent spirit infusing
Everything in your universe

Craving always more
An addict seeking out
That next fix to get right
Time and space mocking
Keeping us apart and wanting