Agápe.

No eucalyptus leaf or salve could save her,
aloe was even unable to alleviate the ache.
Radiation scarred railway crossing ribs,
a maze of malignant monstrosities.

Stage three symptoms of a sinking soul,
hospice workers heard heartbroken woes. With each breakthrough's failure, her future faded further;
a flower wilted from one final forsaken Summer.

A broken bass, steadied then sedated,
perforated pulse that beat then fell flat.
Sighs were heaved and wrists were wrung from grief.

Suddenly a silent hum sprang from her center,
a symphony that left science in a stupor.
Medical marvel granted a second chance from her creator;
equipped with a clean bill of health erased by Heavenly saviour.

Vinaigrette.

I //
Rambunctious feet chattered endlessly in anticipation, like a chorus of teenage girls tittering over their schoolgirl admirations. Though most boys are as brittle as chalk held between calloused fingers.

II //
Aggression is threatening as awakening sleeping dragons; it roars and gnashes its teeth like the razor sharp blades of a meat grinder. It is like water for chocolate or caramel to a Diabetic. Raise your weapon again and I'm afraid I'll have to teach you a lesson.

III //
As a grisly peach chafed my paper skin with its bristles, my spirit moaned then gently weeped tears as slow as turtles. Charcoal's charm stole kisses from me, like a brazen burglar. So, I sit and reminisced about the ways you hurt me.

I. As an orchestra of birds rouses the world from slumber, their uplifting songs soften ears before jarring alarm clocks. 
II. The fresh promise of day shatters the decay of darkness, as mountains of sunlight conquer caverns of midnight.  
III. Fireflies are put out and nocturnal critters creep back into their caves.  
IV. I dampen my throat with dew from lifeless leaves then scurry back to my own bed

 days ago

i ||
In relinquishing our rebellious egos, we earn the right to be our own rulers. Free from restrictive reins or saddles, unchained as we were meant to exist. There is no sweeter song than our silenced self-doubt. It is the wolf who barks and then retreats; a revolver with rabid bullets, unload it so you can get some sleep.

ii || 
A peregrine falcon soars to through higher skies, dipping every now and then to admire new sights.  The bright, pastel coloured breeze beneath its wings, the sole copilot needed to careen across kaleidoscopic clouds.

iii | 
The final bell rings a ballad of dismissal, as hordes of evacuating feet collide into a blur.  Sneakers replace assigned seats and essay papers, if only these summer days would stay for good

Cherish Me In Chains.

Like waxen residue atop a windowsill, 
or the smoky traces that outlive the candle,
our love survives like hibernated winters,
amidst the fuss of reanimated springs.
Concealed beneath a single 
chrysanthemum's caresses,
far beyond the pale of hollowed,
summer moons.
Aubergine, the artifacts, 
of our affections, 
embrace me like another Autumn 
come and gone 
too soon.  

Should you forget to cherish
our chaotic, midnight memories,
remember that I will neglect
to honour you, the same,

If you fail to fall apart 
like the fragile frost of
February snow, 
I will become as brittle
as the brassy bark of 
every ancient birch.

If a day arrives when your 
calloused fingertips soften 
from no longer piously
sliding across the braille
surface of my skin.

The very next is when
my antedeluvian ears are
no longer flooded with
the melody that is your song.

But, if you should stay devoted
to my melancholy, wistful memory,
I will remain as steadfast as 
a pious congregant,
lighting agarwood at the altar 
of your love. 

Once in a Lullaby.

The roaring twenties went out with a bang, and left deafening silence in their place, as idle minds and hands became devilish playgrounds at alarming rates, one black Tuesday darkened an entire decade.

As a war widow, she had no choice but to return to the dance halls from her flapper past.  Determined to avoid separation from her children, she jived until her feet bled red, white, and blue.

They only saw her bright-eyed encouragement as sunlight bounced off her teeth, and made them sparkle.  Her smile stole their attention from the tears that pooled in those same supportive eyes.  

As the massive ship set sail for Emerald Isle, she raised a white-gloved hand and waved goodbye one last time.  She sighed defeatedly, then collapsed onto the mossy dock, for it was all that stopped her, in that moment, from sinking to the depths of her own great depression.