the ides of march have come and gone their solemn oaths traipsing snorts and stutters and shimmerings of such oh what hell this is raising!

the world ended once before, they cry such are folly claims of woe the trees may fall and the storms may blow but no, we will never go!

the village carries on as nothing is amiss with routine events and frivolous affairs that simply cannot be skipped only the mourning birds a-flight seem to care their wings beat ferociously against the air

soon clouds creep from the horizon the skies turn gauzy grey but who are we to let a little rain end our day!

the storm starts and stops the townsfolk start to cheer but the ides are never mistaken and a tornado soon is near

it greets and shakes the hands of the gathered mustaches droop in fear barbers drop their lather babies wail and mothers flail siblings clinging on but nothing can save them not then, not now as the world is turned to dust

the sand of time drips on and on each speck a reminder of the words that fell on deaf ears as lives only the morning dove

her lament warns of new fears for generations to come hoping that this time there will finally be a listening of someone

**alas the story continues to date ** **every doorway left agape ** **with the hope that humanity will soon walk through ** **it seems they never do **

**so we search and we look ** **for signs of a wink ** **amid the hills and valleys ** **for someone perhaps to wave an arm ** **their belief never on the brink **

**but the past cannot be edited ** **with a feather tip quill ** **and until someone like you heeds the call ** **the sand will remain still **

the green light means go forwards or backwards? to words rehearsed or time reversed an urge to appease can we ever do what we please? plead we plead for a second chance and a third and a fourth see we see the green light in all its grandeur the unattainable pursuit of fulfillment down a spiral of crossroads and rabbit holes and feelings unbeknownst, unknown so hard to open up but so hard to quiet down we scream and shout with mouths of hot fiery pepper instead of understanding springs of water will we ever learn the truth? or is that just the game of it all the twists and turns and laughs and cries and hellos and goodbyes the green light means life.

His girlfriend was staring back at him, eyes void of emotion and unblinking. “Why won’t you answer me?” he exploded, anger brimming over the top of his stoic facade. He had been trying to get a response from her for hours now. No matter how much he pried, prodded or poked the matter, she gave no hint of response. He had messed up. He knew that. That’s why he was here. Trying to fix things. But of course Addie did not want to hear it. Maybe they set themselves up for failure. They were complete opposites after all. He was charismatic and popular, the epitome of charming smiles and shiny blonde hair. She was quiet and smart, and yet possessed something so intriguing in the way she spoke that drew him in like a magnet. He looked back up at Addie now, remembering the first time they had met. She had been sitting in English class, devouring the pages of a worn book. Finn and Cam had been tossing a tinfoil ball around the room coyly behind the teachers back. A risky toss from Finn somehow found itself directly on top of a book. A worn book. Addie’s book. She had said something witty that flew straight over their heads. But that hadn’t mattered. She had captivated him. More than the popular, superficial top of the food chain girls he had been with before. No, Addie was nothing like those girls. She was special. And she was going to be his. He got everything he wanted in life. Addie was no exception. The moment it all fell apart was flashing back to him now in streaks of color and snippets of past conversation. He had received a text from Addie. Three simple, seemingly inconsequential words. “We need to talk.” He had grabbed his coat and headed straight to her house, not even bothering to bring his cell phone with him. Addie sat at her front porch, standing slowly and reluctantly as he rounded the block to the slate gray house with wilted flowerbeds beneath each window. Her cell phone was gripped tightly by quivering white knuckles. No one spoke for a moment. “We need to break up.” Addie said. He stared at her. “Break up?” He repeated incredulously. She nodded almost imperceptibly. His stomach lurched as he clenched his fist and squeezed his eyes shut. This couldn’t be happening. Nobody broke up with him. Especially not people like Addie. “What do you mean break up?” He spit, voice louder and more rugged than he had expected. “Can we...can we go somewhere more private?” She squeaked, nervously looking back inside her house. Her parents must have been home. “Yeah, fine.” He said irritably. The pair of them walked to a lonesome field that the football team used to practice on that had since been abandoned. The dead grass crunched beneath their feet as they stood face to face once more. Their conversation continued there, heating up quickly. Addie yelled at him about a text he had sent her earlier. He yelled back about miscommunication through text. Then they had reached the point they were at now. Addie in cold fury, not even giving him the courtesy of response. He was never going to get a response from her. Not even a blink. No matter how hard he tried, the stupid bitch would not speak to him again. He stared indignantly at the outline of Addie’s pale hand against the grass. Her phone was laying beside her, the last message still glowing faintly against the now dim sky. “I swear to God I’ll kill you if you do this to me Addie.” He always did get what he wanted.