The Moon Embrace

       

I wanted only

to hold you tonight,
to wrap my arms around you,
and just
spend time, to lean your gentle
forehead on mine,
and just to get lost
in your eyes.
It didn’t matter
anymore,
what was honest or lies, if we had
worn an accidentally,
deceitful disguise, before the dark moths
masqueraded as fireflies;
it was all gone now,
and left a channel for thought,

…and suddenly we knew only 

that time
was too short for games,
and for more stupid things;
it became about castles
and the fairies’ wings, that we had borrowed,
and used now, to soar,
the liquid gold, that we learned
how to pour, for one another,
over the pebbles of yesterday,

and all at once it was only about staying

and wishing shooting stars
into open hearts;

touching, we were no longer,

two lunar parts,
but whole, like a harvest moon,

creating the most perfect,

shining sphere;
your arms around me,
my arms around you.
   

 

Manifesto - My Pledge to Stay a Dreamer

Based on something I wrote for a five minute writing exercise at a Leeds Savage Club Writers' Meet. We were asked to write a personal manifesto...this was largely what I wrote. Someone said it was good, so I thought I'd polish it a little, and pop it on the blog:   
     

I used to make plans once, I’m sure, but you learn as life teaches, that they are relatively pointless. Life plans…I’m going to do it this way, in this order…only leads to disappointments. It just doesn’t work like that.
    
So, I've learned to dream instead. If you dream, there is only ever joy, when your dreams come true. You don’t expect, you only hope. And hope is the nicest of things. 
    
I dream a lot now. Big. Small. It doesn’t really matter, as long as they’re there. 
    
I won’t say what I would do if I had the power to change things, because we all do, every day. Small ways. 
     
My work is not about the thousand I couldn’t ‘save’, it’s about the one where I made a difference. Every thirteen-hour day, every 110%, is all and only, about that one.
     
Success is not measured by lamenting my failures; by the money I thought I would earn by now, or the things I imagined I’d have. Success is not things and more stuff, it is just a feeling. It is happiness. So, instead, it is quantified by my achievements, and the things I have learned from my mistakes. And the smiles in my heart.
     
People, are not about the time someone let you down, but about the hundreds of times someone was unconditionally there. People are all about love. And love is difficult sometimes, different every time.
     
Friendship is not about who calls whom most often, but more about understanding, escape, and the scarcity of precious time.
     
Family, does not always mean blood, just the ones where you know you belong. 
    
And love is not in spite, but because, of the beautiful humanity of flaws. It is not what you can gain from anyone, but what you can selflessly give, because somehow...you just can’t help but want to keep giving. About loving everything about someone, because it isn't perfect.

The desire to tell someone they are precious to you, is so much bigger than any bashfulness or pride.
      
Every once in a while, something happens to remind you, that all of this is true. Life is not targets, and numbers, and boxes you can tick - Do I earn...? Do I have...? Should I be...?Would my parents, friends, anyone approve...? No amount of that is a successful life. Life is dreams of where you might be going, and all the joys and lessons of getting there, the most imperfect of ways. 
     
I used to make plans once, I’m sure. But not anymore. 

Life teaches, there are no straight lines.  
And so now, I pledge to stay a dreamer instead.
   

Stop the World

    

Stop the world,

lie down and be still,
let me break wide open
that iron will
that would keep us
so cold and afraid, let me watch
the moon rising
over where you lay,
close your eyes and search
in silence
for lips, and I will stroke
your spine
with my finger tips,
counting the notches
and the beauty divine,
driving the pleasure
as it ebbs and
climbs to crescendo,
like the music of
time, crashing like symbols
and swaddling
like vines entwining and holding
old wood, let all heaven
and the angels come,
until I am blind
and deaf
and dumb,
and we each can shatter,
in rapture,
like glass,
committing all guise
and pretence
to the past
as we trust
we can fall apart;
all things need
the safety of arms;
turn out the lights
and let’s watch the sparks…
   

stop the world,

we only
see stars when it’s dark.
     

Rain Dancing

    

Shall I take you rain dancing tonight?

Silence loud voices,

so you hear

only mine, stop and be still, so I can tell you

about time, and its passing

in a hazy rush?

Like the tiny, feeble gusts of wind,

unchecked,

that blew the stars away?

See, I learned something many days

ago, through fingers of the summer’s love:

after one

storm is done, comes another

to take its place,

more so if you look

for them and chase all the black clouds

‘til they’ve no place to run…

better then to seek graceful sun,

in every person, and every sweet day;

for time is too short,

for thunder to pass,

without you just dance

in the rain…

…and with arms for shelter,

we’ll laugh so hard,

we won’t hear it anyway.

     

Twilight

More experimenting with the 'castles & flames' theme... 
    

Seek me out in the early light,

press your sleeping softness closer

to mine; Medusa in the cave,

two roving vines, we entwine as though

we were one;

filtered day and fire-bright sun, soak

the castle’s protecting blinds, and no thoughts come

to fill tired minds,

only the gentle,

twilight time, and the whisper

of untroubled breath;

hearts beat calm with tenderness, souls

lie still in immortal congress,

at the very edge of their pretty star-dreams;

and far under the enveloping sheets,

we inhale the last moments
of inertia with greed, where we idly lay,

before the shattering of tranquillity dawns,  

with the madding rush

of day.

...Good Morning... :) 

    

Chores

    

Stop me in the midst of daily life,
turn me and kiss me, 
tongue like a knife of satin,
to stroke my insides, 
peel me like an onion,
leave me no place to hide amongst these pointless,
unimportant chores, 
eat the protests from my mouth against the
living room door, devour me, 
like you can’t get
enough; whisper how 
you’ve ached for my touch,
give me no choice 
but to think
only
of you; cover me and worship
with all that is due to this holy,
and sacred 
state; shackle me with longing
until I can’t walk away, 
lay me down on the sofa and honour me; 
back me up in the corner and smother me
with insatiable greed;
to feel is all 
we should ever need to make this house a home;
for when all is said and done;
my darling, 
this,
is what they mean, 
when they talk 
of domestic bliss. 

   

Pegasus Sunrise

      

I was wide awake this morning; came

to see a sunrise in your shining eyes,

and you and I hacked a trail together,

forgot all worldly pretence

or disguise;

with nothing to hear but the sound

of you; your even breath in the early dew,

we watched the summer come,

and visit for another day;

and I let you choose the way,

at the crossroads, so long

as we could go with haste;

see, I wanted to beat that dawning

haze, to the top,

and watch true splendour,

from the edge

of the valley; I wanted to feel your breath

on my neck and marry

all my thoughts

to this ancient kiss of the breeze,

before any

of the angel-leaves

begin to turn or are tempted to fall.

I wanted us to have it all, just one more time,

to wind my fingers

in your hair and stare out

before the aching sunrise

begins to hide again

in the forever-fog; I wanted

just another

chance to watch,

and feel heat in the rays,

to leave us a memory of our

summer days and all I have seen

with you…

and I listened then

to only your hooves

as I drove you, gently, home;

soon, what of our mornings, Pegasus,

when this late summer is gone?