Curiosity:
a gentle gladiator
a silent advocator
propelling us along

and when there’s nothing else
at least there’s still the lure
to stay until we’re sure
that we’ve been proven wrong.

Sometimes a message
at just the right time
is only a message—
it isn’t a sign.

Sometimes the pause
or the brush of the hand
are just inadvertent
and not really planned.

Sometimes the shadows
hide nothing but light
and not something sinister,
just dark of night.

And sometimes the words
that distract you from sleep
have no deeper meaning.

It’s not always deep.

Yes,
we are all
hanging on
by a thread.
But what they don’t tell you
is that the thread count
varies
as time spools on.
One day,
you’ll be
down
to
a
single strand,
but time will
intertwine ’til
you’ve got enough rope
to pull yourself out of danger.
That’s just the nature
of this thing.
So don’t fault yourself
for the days in which
you have no idea how
the threadbare remnants
of stability
can keep you
hanging on.
Weave them together
with mine
and we’ll
hold
strong.

If I’ve learned anything
about relationships
it’s that
love
needs to simmer.

When you take it like a shot,
it’s only gonna drop
before long.

Sure, you’ll float on it
briefly
but the pedestals
on which you built
to supplement
the substance it
was lacking
will crumble at the slightest doubt.

And you’ll walk out
carrying with you an empty space
full of questions.

But we’re not blessed with
a debrief,
a clinical evaluation
to pinpoint
where it all went wrong.

All we get are
algorithmic memories
curated to make us wonder
what could have been
if we’d just given
it
time.

In a car
in the winter
with zero heat

Leaning back
sinking deeper
into the seat

A ringing phone
undertones
of the icy day

And I’m too frozen
and weary
to walk away

The apologies
I am still waiting on
do not sustain me.
They are not a
main course,
but dessert—
not something I need,
not something I’ll feed off
but
they would still taste
so
sweet
coming at the end of this all.

The first day of warmth
after a long, bleak winter;
sunshine feels like hope