I fear to breathe, as if I might stir the environment a bit too much. I realize, in this moment, that I have found something so precious, something I will cherish dearly within my heart. How could a boy have such an effect on a girl? Time is the only delicate factor surrounding us, so I don’t give it much thought. Not that I could. He fills my mind with color and contour and my mind tries to sculpt his face into the depths of my memory, though the longer I look at him, the more I notice. He’s familiar but has so much more for me to learn, that I am eager to learn. I hear his voice as he sits quietly I see his eyes as they remain closed We’re warm and our hands feel they have finally found the place they belong They were made to find each other All of the moments We find ourselves near I touch him so lightly, when I feel it hard to believe I am allowed such a thing. My love, the love I hold, is not delicate, but precious as he is to me.

I am a paper boat Floating in a pond. There are no waves; Your gaze is the breeze. Blue and deep, like the ocean And I move From the pond into the sea. The days, we travel swift, Journeying together, And nights, we burrow Deep under the stars. There finally came a time To breathe the words That made us, To open up Like paper in the wind. A waterfall of lovely words And hands within my hands Final whispers Wandered away without care.

watercolor canvas painting of the sky silhouetted mountains clouds of blue and white

lake tame and peaceful birds go floating by nature sings its tune of life soft farewell to night

we found love within these walls prayed away our fears by God’s grace we got a home family keeps us near

4/8/22 Acid on my skin Burning, burning

Ringing in my ears The quiet is too loud.

What is on my mind? Yearning, yearning

Burning in my eyes Acid on my skin.

Melting from anticipation Saved from shaky breaths

Let’s confess our Yearning, yearning

Break down love And thoughts of love.

I never was an early riser I’d wake well after dawn But the spectacle of your eyes Appears in the rising sun

I never sang to myself I wouldn’t hum for long But your voice so clearly echoes As I belt your favorite song

I never prayed out loud I’d run away from God But your deep faith inspired my soul And to it I was drawn

I never loved like this I wouldn’t hold on But I’ll never surrender these pieces of you Now that you’re gone.

Open eyes of red, product of great unrest Light seeps through the cracks of this hazardous mess Every word you speak brings up more upset Every tear you shed sparks a fire to my chest

Where can we draw the line? Without possession, Where keep our transgressions?

I need your hand in mine I’ll be your protector But the stares, we need deflectors

We’ll sneak across the warning signs But to ask, would need perfection Can you risk without protection?

I had the impression One that put you At the top of the world And me to die hungry

I made the decision That you hated my being I thought I should turn away That you already had

My hunger for this A love that didn’t exist Broke me and I couldn’t see That you were hurt, maybe more

You chose to let me go And I took that as a lesson Though, it was an invitation To see you in a new way

I wished for you to give me A more than friendly glance It wasn’t in the lines Our song was not to sing

I came here for a challenge Oh boy I cant wear my boots. Everyone is pretty, and I stand out

I should be their hero Now the boutique is mine The ladies make me up This is out of line

They say I can’t save the world Oh boy Just wait until I shine The city’s nothing more to me Than flying, chasing crime

Take me sailing on the sea Where the wind rolls free The salt will pierce my nose Underneath, the water flows

Take me at night to see the stars Choose our route by picking cards We smell the breeze with glowing fish And count the stars to make a wish