Ethereal
In my chest
a raw, flippant beating
taken but breathing
in your smell
frost and rose red
a chill on my skin
just looking at you
petals to pupils
dilate, and my diaphragm
folds at the bend
the arch of your spine
like a branch
your arms enveloping
the moment encased
I wish to stay
forever or longer
with you
Sometimes I feel like life is
Breathing in
Water
Breathe it out quick
Get your work done
In lights that feel
Far dimmer than
You remember
Sinking away from the surface
Breathing in
Water
Breathe it out quick
And hope the woods can
Cure every wrongness in your
Head
Face
Aim
Voice
I know the red leaves should
Make me happy
So why am I still
Breathing in
Water
Breathe it out quick
The leaves float
Higher than I can move
My frozen lungs
In a cold lake
I don’t want to
Go back
I don’t want to
Go back
I don’t want to
Breathing in
Water
Breathing in
Water
Breathing in
The Crane
Climbing the crane
peeling pupils up and up
facing the clouds to touch
to hold
in my hands
like pillows resting
on my palms
a stillness in my chest
brings meaning to the air
I breathe because I want to feel
like any of this matters
The orange-tinted western sky patterned with wisps of clouds
The fronts of rushing cars and trucks in the streets below
The windows of brick and steel buildings that I walk past
The waxing white moon above that can’t be captured by camera
The lamps that glimmer and shine in the dark and overtake my eyes
The intermittent yellow blinks of fireflies I hold in my palm
The strings of electrical white that illuminate a Toronto tapestry
The neon blue and melting wax of the lamp I brought with me
The monitor screen I write this on in the comforts of my room
All of them lighten my burden with their glow
You tell me in too little words that our time is limited
Your eyes staring straight ahead while stroking my arm
To what end will I time out
Till you lose me while talking about the now
In limited dim lit doom who am I to assume
That you would want to whether waning weather with me
Am I so semi permanent
Is it so easy to slip away
Still I find myself slipping to sleep
Slumped against some warmth
Waiting while wanting
Wilting when knowing
Everything is so loud
music blasting
eardrums bursting
fingers buzzing
a jackhammer
to the brain
chanting someone’s name
its indiscernible–huh?
indiscernible shrieking
for joy
for cheer
for love
for hate
because you feel like it
all the talking
lips moving
shifting at the gumline
saying nothing
I can’t hear you
speak louder
say it again
shout it if you have to
drown it out if you have to
Please
I’m afraid I’ll l o s e you
between the ringing
in my head
and the cracks
in the skyline
