The One, Perhaps

I find myself

in an unknown place

where time knows no bounds

And here I sit,

silently taking in
the furrow of his brow

as he squints to see the film

in this dark theatre,

home to worlds of

imaginative possibilities

yet I cannot
take my eyes from his face

He, who is

 the spring in my step

whose hands fill mine just so

like two puzzle pieces
connecting at the seams

I sigh with great pleasure

as his fingers
trace the veins on my wrist

Each touch sends shivers down my back

It is as if he has awakened
my every nerve

So that I might drink in the world around

from every pore

Like a flower with its neck
cocked toward the sun

as its last rays sink into the horizon,

indulging in every solitary drop

I watch the crinkle 
that rounds his cheek 

as he lets out a boisterous laugh

And the warmth that fills me,

is the purest bit of ecstasy
one could imagine

Pictures fill my head,

Of a time that has yet to come

Where tiny hands
reach for bigger ones

when crossing a street

And little arms
embrace his neck

as I walk contently behind

Snapping photos
of memories to cherish

As he turns back and smiles

with those eyes
that twinkle just for me

He leans toward me in the dark

to find my eyes
staring back at his

grinning as he moves closer,

kissing me ever so gently

as if I were a breakable,

delicate little thing

 to which the slightest pressure

would crush the very life from me

I lean back in my seat

with another sigh of pleasure

realizing for the first time,

that the realm in which I live,

is headed for a life of bliss

And the roads on which I tread,

are open to entities

I never deemed imaginable

all over again

The ice sits in my glass,

dripping with whiskey residue

I am warm,

with cheeks flushed

I remove my coat,

as you drag me to the dance floor

The music echoes through my bones,

My feet tingle,

as my second drink sets in

We sway to the rythm of the tunes,

as the base drowns out all lonliness

I lose all senses,

with you,

you stranger you

Your hands caress my swinging hips

I glide closer to you,

leaving no space between us

Suddenly we are moving as one

Unaware of those around us

My heart is beating out of my chest

as we make our way to the bar,

I sip slowly,

anticipating your next move

My cheeks hurt from laughing too hard,

and I am all smiles tonight,

Your hands find mine,

with ease we are back in motion

twirling around,

as your arms grip my waist

The breath catches in my throat,

as your lips move up my neck

I shiver with excitement

as you softly kiss my cheek

My eyes close,

forseeing where your lips will be next

Then the moment comes,

I hear it, faintly at first,

That song, that old familiar tune,

I compose myself, suddenly aware

The blood rushes from my face,

as I stumble out the door

leaving my dear stranger
in complete disarray

It takes no time at all
for the song to end,

but the damage is done,

and I'll have to forget you
all over again

When

I am neither here nor there

I come and go like the seasons 

Spouts of emptiness spread

like an incurable disease

taking over every part of me

Filling me with a bitter chill

And no flame, no matter how potent

Can quench this frostbitten hole

that has made my heart it's home

It begins with an image

A faint memory of a time I smiled

A time when an exhaled breath 

meant careless days 

A time when words

 were smothered in truth 

A moment when everything felt like it should

When life was falling into place

And finding its way through the muck

Deep

I ache
with the absence of you
With eyes shut
I try to forget your face
But to no avail
You remain,
a piece of me
A solitary resonance 
echoing through my veins
I feel you
in the very breath
that leaves my lips
My nights are spent
wide awake
while you meander around
in my thoughts
Leaving a trail
of overwhelming sadness
And when I have fallen
into a deep slumber
hoping to escape
those melancholy thoughts of you
There you are,
creeping into my dreams
Attaching yourself
to every image I can muster
Projecting your very essence
into the depths of my soul
Leaving a permanent footprint
down every road I venture
And I awake in the morning,
Sinking further
into the depths of insanity
Plagued by those
grim memories of you
And what might have been

Tear me down

The scene is the same, though the calendar on the wall shows a different date.  I watch your mouth, words flowing out like vomit after a bad hangover.  Trusting you with eyes closed and lips parted, I’ve let you kiss me a thousand times.  Those words sting my ears and I can see right through you.  I question you, pleading for the truth, and all you can do is smile that familiar smile, denying what we both already know.  I know what happens next.  You will  hold me and utter those famous words.  A meaningless apology from a man with no heart.  Deep down I know you will never change, but a part of me, a very small part, hopes that one day you will.  I lay down on the bed, needing space from you and your constant betrayal; Allowing myself to be lulled into a numb state where the world around me meshes together like chalk art attacked by rain.  I add another layer to my already distanced self and fall asleep in a puddle of tears. 

Fireworks

Things are different now

in this decrepit little house

wedged between a chop shop and a promiscuous alley

There are no familiar smells of home

only the stench of filth and decay

The bars on the windows, 

remind me I can no longer be naive about the world

The tall cement walls 

make me feel more like a prisoner than an inhabitant 

And yet I am content 

to curl up in a chair and stare out the window 

past the dirt stained screen and the power lines 

over the wall and up at the night sky

The sky is my muse

allowing for endless possibility 

I wanted nothing more than to watch the fireworks

Not from a fancy place

or a crowded park among strangers, 

Sitting on the roof would have sufficed

sipping cheap wine out of a paper cup 

and feeling like it was just you and I

Rooftop rebels

You missed them all

the white ones 

that start in a screech and end in a flash

The purple and red 

that make no noise at all then suddenly appear before your eyes

like a  burlesque  dancer 

revealing just enough to keep you interested

The green ones that fizz out slowly 

and the blue ones that circle, leaving a dusty trail

The ones that glitter like stars

And the finale that makes you sit on the edge of your seat

A fantastic array of light

each one more beautiful than the next, 

as if to outdo one another

The sky goes dark 

No longer filled with popping lights

or distant crackles and booms

I sit in silence

With no one to lean on

Or smell the dab of perfume 

I placed on the back of my neck

The end of a miraculous show

And I have never felt so lonely

A little bird told me

I walked atop a hill today

But found tall buildings in my way

I stretched way up on my tippy toes

And still a cluttered skyline arose

I saw a higher place ahead

I thought I'd give that one a tread

I made it to the top to find

No emerald mountains,

no peace of mind

I slumped onto a nearby rock

And tried to cure my writer's block

I pondered and mused about what to write

But found no clarity with steel in sight

It wasn't fair to have come all this way

To a sightless sky

on a smog drenched day

A Robin flew past

in a hurried flutter

I'd swear I heard him softly mutter

'No matter how high you climb my dear

You'll always be faced with cluttered frontier

 what you learn on the journey

means the most in the end,

And the hills in life you must transcend"

I thought this bird was awfully nice,

To take time to give a stranger advice

As I waved goodbye, I blinked twice to see,

A tiny nest cradled in a nearby tree

Two monstrous skyscrapers stood at its' sides

And yet this tree grew grandly with beauteous pride

I knew then what she meant as I began to write

Of a girl whose world seemed suddenly bright

- Ashley Ratcliffe -