Let's

If you fall then I will catch you
If you call I will come get you
They wanted me to try to forget you
I could not at all
I could not at all

When you dance I want to see you
I sneak a glance when I am with you
They said there was not a chance for me to be with you
You give me hope
You give me hope

When you smile I have to smile
When you're quiet I take my cues
I can sit happy in silence
Time stops with you
Time stops with you

Let me take you back in my confidence
I'll show you my secret spot back by the railroad tracks
They'll never find us there, no no
We can be free again

Let me give you chills and bumps again
Let me hold you close and breath you in
I'll show how light it feels to be new again
We can be ourselves again

Let me stare deep in your eyes
I love when they show your surprise
Let me talk to you every night
Until the sun comes up again

Reminiscing

We put the pictures back up
That was a big day for us
We had that second first kiss
I can still feel it on my lips
It was a bumpy road at first
But it could have been worse
Was it all worth it, hard to say
But here we are today
Better and stronger
Not in pain any longer
Happy once again
In the arms of my best friend
Second chances are rare
But so are we

Reading

Who are we
Well I'm a book and you're all the words
Read to me
The pictures here are making it hard
Who made you
How did you get so beautiful
Here's the truth
As sure as the sunrise, I'll love you
So what is this
Well baby baby, this is it
So who you going with

Stop

I can't stop loving you.
I don't know how.
I don't know why I would.
I'm pouring water onto sand.

Derail

I'm waitin fer a train that's ne'er gon come
I bin waitin fer a while but I'm purdy shore it's gown
If I e'er get a chance to catch an'er one
I prolly catch 'er in a second in the other direction
I ain't runnin from nothin but I guess I gotta 'scape
Ain't nothin left fer me here, just a empty lonely place
I been purdy much a wreck since that wretched awful day
But I reckon I'd be blessed if I just go the other way

Journey

Once upon this Earth
A young man began a search
To rub his hands in dirt
To learn what must be learned
He started very young
He filled his mind with maps
He charted out his journeys
He studied all the facts
When he finally felt prepared
He was just a little scared
But he straightened up his hat
And went out into the world
Almost right away
He came face to face with trouble
But he made a couple friends
Who helped him in the scuffle
He couldn't get enough
Of the cultures that he found
Sometimes he'd stay up all the night
Just to look around
In the classrooms there were lessons
In the streets there were even more
But he met a girl and learned the most
Talking at her door
He wanted to find peace
And just a little war
He wanted to find truth in life
To know it was for sure
He chased mountains in the distance
He followed river beds
He took pictures of the pretty views
And kept others in his head
He found those with very little
He found others with much to share
Many strangers became friends of his
So he found friendship everywhere
He got lost in ancient history
Woke up a few years from now
He learned that truth is just experience
And dirt is meant to plow
He found home out there in the world
Kept it all deep in his heart
He thought the journey might be ending
But realized this was just the start

Prequel

Sometimes I don't know why
These thoughts pop into this little head of mine
There seems to be no invitation
Nor a pattern to their timing
But they come and I entertain them
These jarring memories
Despite the state I know they will leave me
Late nights in parks
Early morning commutes
Specific instances you wouldn't think I'd remember
But I most certainly do
Long-held adoring gazes
Remarkable and ordinary places
The kind of forgettable conversations
You cherish in the moment
And later lose to the ages
It seems I've repressed or buried
To make room for the more contemporary
It scares me to know I can do it
But comforts me to know I can't lose it
I remember specifics,
In color
Street names and dinner menus
Decor on the walls and fabric patterns Smells of little plates wafting from winding alleyways
I remember tour guides and texts
I remember shared showers and walks in the rain
Kicking oranges, missing couches, deciding what shapes the clouds were
Painting houses, missing flights
The sounds from holding on too tight
The smiles of kids
The tears of moving on and staying behind
Like a broken dam they flood in
No longer holding my finger in the hole
Flashing like lighting through my mind Rumbling like thunder as they roll
I can picture cupcakes and sandwiches
Fighting hard to see dawn
Tiny dresses and new haircuts
Trying to belong
I remember challenges and learning
Apologies and hurting
Learning what it takes to be human
Trolleys trains and vineyards
Candy canes and winter
Breakfasts lunches and dinners
Tweezers stabbing splinters
I remember awe followed by awful
Collapse followed by laughter
Tragedy turned to history
Ice cream and other treats
There were notes quotes and paddle boats
Support in the form of happy hopes
Still not sure how I remember all the details
I can't wait for the sequel

Tigers

Inside my mind exist paper tigers
Flourished in thought, but lapse upon action
In love, are trapped, those roars that yearn to stir
Familiar sentimental options
In time I'll find the key to free these beasts.
To fight the doubt that creeps into my soul
Have naught I, but you, to think of, my sweet
Til words will bless me I shall pay my toll.
Unjust, these days that pass without a touch
Of light and thus my darkness hides your sun
In April, May I dream a bit too much
'Til then' begins so that meanwhile is done
Should tigers trapped in ink transform to live
Escape like breathe to prove I've more to give

Shy

These days we live under blankets
Buttoned up tight to stay warm
Oh, my baby, please
There is no need to shiver
These days we live under rocks
Afraid to experience the world
Oh, my baby, please
There is no reason to hide
These days we watch from the windows
Seeing nothing take place in the streets
So, my lovely friend
Let me see your lovely face outside
These days we talk in whispers
Hoping to remain discrete
No, no, baby, please
Let your warm laugh ring

Blur

The changing leaves sway in the breeze
One million trees zip by
On nights like this, everyone sleeps
But you don't and neither do I
The lane lines rush past in a blur
One trillion stars in the sky
The beauty can be easily missed
But you don't and neither do I
Busy weeks and busier weekends
One billion words can't describe
I worry that you'll feel different
But you don't and neither do I

All

All I could ever want
All I want
All I ever wanted
Is you

Maybe

Maybe if you saw me play
Maybe if you could read my mind
Maybe if I hadn't tried to change you
Maybe if we'd spent more time
Maybe when the ice starts melting
Maybe when your hard heart thaws
Maybe you can find forgiveness
Maybe you'll see past my flaws
Maybe you can love me again
Maybe you can't and move on
Maybe you'll leave me hanging
Maybe you'll send me a sign
Maybe I'll be waiting as you left me
Maybe I'll be somewhere new
Maybe you'll be someone different
Maybe you'll be the same old you
So much is up in the air now
Not really sure where we'll fall
One thing's for sure and no maybes here
If you'll love me, I'll love you, that's all

Lines

I wait patiently in lines
Trying not to look back
Focus on where I am headed
Not where I have been
But I am of two minds
The trickster and the poet
The former in the present
The latter all the rest
The trickster is an actor
He is fun, friendly and free
The poet moves mountains
But is trapped in his insanity
One paralyzed with questions
The other unable to stop
Leaves the trickster with his follies
And the poet with his thoughts
They form an unlikely duet
To handle all my feelings
When I wait in line
Wondering who is behind me

Theatre

Little bug met a bobcat
'Hey! What you doing bobcat?'
'I am having a heart attack,
You startled me so bad!'
'Well I'm just a little bug
What were you just thinking of?'
'Oh! I was thinking about home
But I am out here seeking love'
Bob laid down on the ground
Then the little bug went on,
'How long you been around?'
'Me? I just got into town'
'Well I'm not from here either
So I shouldn't be the leader
But I heard about this theatre
If you want to go together'
'That sounds really cool
But I got this cat at school...'
'I had a lovebug too
But its time for something true'
Little bug and bob agreed
They would only take a peek
Into the theatre of their souls
To know if those where what they seek

2:22

It might be 2:22 forever
Meaning nothing really
Quaint in its simple charm
Without meaning one can be assigned
Let's make a wish then
At 2:22 a wish may come true
May it never change
May there be no alarm
If it were 2:22 forever
Might it mean time stopped
Or just that the clock broke
Time stops for no man
Luckily, there is you
We kissed once at 2:22
I can close my eyes on that

Mornings

wake up
panic
calm
clutch heart
stumble
cold water
hot water
mirror
reminisce
pants
shirt
shoes
deep breath
door
door
door
fresh air
car
music
by myself
again
without you
relapse

D'or

C'est la vie
Phrase de jour
Look at me
With my little heart d'or
'Ta luego
A mi vi
When you go
You'll take the best of me
Never told you
But I wrote
A rehearsal speech
About my love and your quotes
About when you know
You just know
You love and let it go
Watch it grow
C'est la vie

Stages

This pill is so hard to swallow, it makes a lump in your throat so you can't scream
You feel so foolish for believing so strongly, you were living in a dream
They say you need to get a bit angry, but my love just doesn't let me
You realize the blatant unfairness, but you shouldn't have expected any
You beg and plead before you find out its cliche
It might fall on deaf ears but you do it anyway
So proud of my baby for rejecting me
So proud of myself for who I came to be
The depression sets in, perhaps it was already there
Realign priorities and see if you care
Head up, get up, you're getting better
Next step, accept, move on and remember

Bici

I broke my bike but I kept my promise
And rushed to show you my proud accomplishment
Crushed to find out I was only too late
Waved from the driveway as you pulled away
The scariest moment of my life

The wounds are fresh and the feelings raw
I suspect I’ll change and get over it all
I confess I can’t imagine a world
Where the hero doesn’t get the girl
Unless he wasn’t ever a hero at all

Everyone says they want the best for us both
But I’m the last man standing, holding out hope
Am I the only one who even knows what that is
The hopeful romantic or just some idiot kid
Whose heart wasn’t big enough to do what he meant

So I stare from your driveway at your fading car
On my broken bike with my broken heart
Hope the lonesome nights don’t bite too hard
I’d trade the promise for the bike if I could do it now
But I’ll move forward too somehow

Flower

Acceptance

Photos tucked away neatly in drawers
Busied myself with dishes and chores
Booked dates for a future I never had seen
Listened to elders I didn't believe
Let friends sit beside me in silence and calm
Let family get closer without sounding alarm
Autumn came in, colder and dark
As a dear friend to prepare me for my first winter apart
Was still in denial as I argued with all
Now no longer desperately expecting a call
Made plans for myself, new and improved
Worked on my confidence, found out I was smooth
Made friends of old enemies and corrected neglect
Of a few former friendships I need to protect
Started living my life one day at a time
Took a deep breath and my breathing was fine
I still hold a secret I can't tell anyone
For they won't understand what they never have done
Self-love is important and moving on hard
But I can be happy on my own now and that's a good start

Fight

I promised I would fight
I swore before God and everything I didn't believe in
I swear on my once existing promise
I will fight with everything.
I promised I would not forget
I don't see how I ever could
I live with one regret
I haven't materialized quite yet
I swore I would prove my love
I realize it will be harder than I could ever have dreamed of
I will wait
I realize I don't yet know what that will take
I know it is worth it and I know what it means
I am yours, hollow as it seems
I know where I have failed
I can justify it with my tale
I will fight for you, tooth and nail

Revelry

Right now I'm envisioning
destroying everything
Right now I'm
destroying everything
And maybe later
when I lie down I'll regret it
Or maybe later I'll sit back in
revelry.
Today on the plane I dreamed about crashing
Today on the plane I said no
I got
one
last
thing.
The baby cried and I thought about
crying
Best friends dad died and I thought about
dying.
Got a friend's baby pic, thought about babies
Thought about you and wondered if only maybe...
Was that a dream
I had
No that was you
I had
Wasn't half bad or was it
half bad.
If
I had
it again I give all that
I had.

Pebbles

Pebbles on the pane
Like freckles on your face
Delicately placed
Begging for attention
Pennies in my palm
Like falling leaves in autumn
Copper toned and solemn
Waiting for investment
Pebbles in my shoes
Like lying next to you
Everything is smooth
Nothing really changes
Pennies on our eyes
Like we have been alive
The boatman names his price
To love and to be loved

Perfect

There is one desire I possess
To say it would betray it
Just one longing in this world
For my soul to be whole
There is someone in my heart
Her being gives me meaning
Only one feeling that I know
I will never let it go