Every Old Oak is a Promise

Every word is true;

each syllable is a promise.

Like the roots

of an old oak,

or the brightest diamond:

they will not

be moved,

and neither will I.

Every word

is a promise.

This is a Punishment

This is

a punishment

not owed.

It belongs at

a door

that’s not mine.

It is made

by the hands

of another.

This punishment

bestowed

is not fine.

Bite Your Tongue

Bite your tongue

when you wish to

stand your ground.

Hold your breath.

when you cannot

keep your cool.

No Voice Let Out

Dreaming,

when a child,

that no voice

would come out.

Living,

now an adult,

with a voice

not let out.

I Am a Heart, Beside You

I am here:

hands

and eyes and

ears

and a heart.

Two feet,

standing beside you:

I am here.

Nothing to Help

Avoiding questions

which wonder

if everything is OK,

feels like

finding you bleeding

and doing nothing to help.

But I know

I would be

wasting my breath:

your avoidance

is even better than mine.

Only When, and Then No More

Only when.

When needed,

and not a second more.

When useful,

but not a minute more.

When wanted,

and not an hour more.

When acceptable,

but not a day more.

When

and only when,

and only then,

and then no more.

Sometimes I Am Left Outside

Sometimes

you are standing

next to me –

a gift.

Sometimes you are not,

and that is fine

– or at least so-called.

Sometimes

you are standing here,

and somehow

I am left

outside.

Lift Me Up

Stand –

if you would

– on your side

of this teetering seesaw;

fill my balloons

with

the lightest air,

so that I might –

for once

– be lifted up,

just as you are

when you need me to

hoist

your sails.

Give Me a Grain of Sand

Give me something.

Naught more

than a grain of sand

will do.

This Will Someday Fall

Held

at both ends,

this string is

infinite.

Not in a way

that it might go on

forever;

rather that the Fates

will someday

cut it.

Then,

without warning,

it will

fall

to the ground,

and so will

we.

Solve for Ex

This

is maths

far beyond me,

but

it seems

you

would be better off

if you were to

solve for

ex.

Onward Down

There are

no onward roads here;

only clutching

which is all too weak

to keep this

from sliding down the hill.

Deep End

Deep breath,

as this immeasurable string

prepares

to come to an

end.

This is a Riddle

This is a riddle

I could touch,

taste

and smell,

could see and hear,

but

even with all that

I would

never

quite make sense of it.

Sights

Some sights

are not made to be sick of.

All this here

is one.

Fever

Something like

a fever.

Without Standing

Without a map

and mostly in dusk,

turned in circles

and with no guiding stars,

losing the trail

and travelling alone,

it’s difficult to know

where you’re standing.

Even a Rose is Sharp

Even with the occasional

thorn,

it is always worth

taking in the scent of a rose;

enjoying its colour,

feeling

for which petal is softest.

All good things

take a moment to be

sharp.

Nothing Good in Departure

Nothing has ever

been

so lost in translation

as what today we call

‘goodbye’.

Granted,

god was never there,

but worse still

is that

‘be with you’

is quite the opposite point,

and

there is nothing good

to be found

in the ache of departure.

When You Turn Off The Lights

You are not the only one

touched by your black,

when you close my eyes

and turn off the lights,

leaving me to fumble

in the darkness.

Frostbite

When you are cold

I am freezing;

frostbite is not meant

to have teeth;

white ice

should not meet with blood;

the marks

you should leave

are not these.

Filling in Blanks / Best of Both Worlds

Filling in blanks

in what should be complete,

with body

and mind and

heart.

Pieces of earth

making

best of both worlds –

for you

– while blanks keep this apart.

A Man Locked Inside

There stands

a home –

with crumbling walls,

and a man

locked inside

from the out.

It’s floors may be clean,

but it’s foundations

are dirty,

which he knows,

but won’t say –

there’s no doubt.

Naught Less Than Feasting

Naught

more than

fleeting;

less

than the

feeling.

Desperate

for feasting;

requiring its

freeing.

There May Be Different Rules

There may be

one

single bookshelf

standing in that home,

but there are

two different books,

touched by distinct sets of hands,

each read

by only one pair of eyes,

and each book

tells a different story,

sets its different rules,

and yet

no one seems to have noticed.

At Least Star Somewhat

At least your name

is in the credits.

Better to star somewhat,

than not at all.

Promise Like a Coral Reef

Some promises

are like a coral reef:

beautiful,

out of reach,

and full of holes.

But

despite the distance,

and my inability to swim,

I would

still dive deep

to take hold of that

promise.

Promise a Day

The only

promise

of a new day

worth having.

Even If, You Would Still Be

Even if

the seconds I am obliged

to entertain

were not so difficult,

you would

still be the best part

of my day.