1
The phantom follows and fills my shadow.
It sits on my back and makes me hollow.
A missing shape, obscured by sun, I
Walk away, but in my steps it follows.
My body echoes in its sunken eyes,
Draining me to make itself whole, and I
Am tied to its black curves in the sun’s rays,
A soft coffin to hide from the light’s lies.
The receding shade tosses me astray;
But the white consumes all and each day
It leaves me to darkness I must borrow
To keep the blinding light far away.
2
The dirt hall scarcely lit her scarlet
Dress, my whispers
Interrupted by another walking
Past, the secrets
Sputter out until she takes them
To their proper burial.
3
The petals that I bring you tear to shreds,
And all the gifts I give to you are thrown
Away, and disappear into the wind
Vanishing like I did by your heel.
4
Jokes and grimaces shot across the room
Whispers hidden poorly with masked laughter
Their eyes, amethyst and coal,
I look back, hoping for another glance.
The night before, plastered on their faces,
The rumors spread by mouth and gestures, winks.
Their knees wobble from their feast,
And I starve in the corner of their eyes.
5
The ceiling light wrapped around her
Like a glowing dress. The life
Of the room moved with her heart,
The spirit with her voice, art
Whose colored strokes paint my strife
And make me blind from sight of her.
6
The queen of hearts appears
In every hand I play
That’s kept me in this game
You play, me like a card
You bluff, the king of clubs
You own the table’s cash
Before the game begins,
I take the chair that you
Arranged to stack the deck.
7
Gripping roses
When I saw, her
Silly grin stretched
In a silent shout, caught
Together, shaking and beating
While the cheers, giddy laughs echoed
Our bells ringing, caught in my throat, her face
Reverberating through each inch of me, my mind in tandem,
My heart directing a raucous hymn that left me struck with light for hours.
8
I clutch your hand in icy air, and warm
the pockets of space between us, winds
that bite with cold stiffen our grasp
and fighting blue we hold together.
My hand envelops yours as though
To cup your face and hold you close,
soft cheeks that give as I approach
Melting the frost that clutched my soul.
I can feel you drawing near, your pulse
That matches mine, racing and flying
To build a chaotic tune, a melody
That sets us in our own conceived trance.
My hands shoot ice into your spine,
Spreading and rising, standing straight
Pushing as your body sucks out the cold
And returns me back to our warmth.
The smiles, the laughs, the fears, the eyes,
The hours held together on the couch
Lost in dust stars of papers, managing
To hold our hands and keep warm pockets.
