Day 17 - 12/31/2012

 

             F

          I

      N

  G

 E

R

S

Danced

Down ebony fretboard

Twirling about weathered wood

They moved towards resolution

But the apple was too alluring

As she bit 

He landed on the

Diminished 5th

Day 16 - 12/30/2012

She picked pink petals

Nervously predicting fate

...He loves me

Day 15 - 12/26/2012

He dove

Into darkwater

With open mouth

Taking sustained gulps

Healthy lips hugged the rim

Preventing the loss of even one drop

He slammed the empty glass with a gasp

All that remained was a ring where foam was thickest

Day 14 - 12/21/2012

Her vibrant scarf

Drapes the railroad tie cross

Where his body lays

When she stepped into the dark

He followed close behind

Shedding flesh

For a spiritual connection

He would not sacrifice

For a love

He could not lose

She

His Juliet 

Day 13 - 12/20/2012

They swam in purple waves

Taking deep metaphysic breaths

Then diving below the surface

To learn of truth through indigo eyes

Day 12 - 12/18/2012

He rutted a path in the sagging wood floor, scarred the tired counter with the edges of his Masonic ring. He had outlived them all, sold sacks of sugar to grandkids and great grandkids of the people he used to know, the people that built this old shanty town. Most left in favor of city shine and the hope of a better life, but they’d all return, make their annual pilgrimage to Old Towne. They’d visit the swap meet, grab a soda from the General Store, take pictures with the weathered signs to show their city-slick friends who’d find the décor kitschy and cute. But not Ed; Ed never left, assuming slow pace and consistent conversation offered him more than rat-race isolation and shiny things. 

Day 11 - 12/17/2012

These old wheels

Still caked with dust bowl dreams

Sit in silent reflection

Barren fields plowed with prayers

Now produce consistent crop yields

Barely revealing their dirty past

But these old hands

Cracked and weathered

Still remember 

Day 10 - 12/15/2012

The road

A blur

I do not know 

What the future holds

The only clarity 

This moment

This moment 

When my hand grips tightly the leather

When I feel the engine pulse as I throttle down

When my back presses firmly to leather

When the car sinks lower biting for traction

When her hand grabs my thigh telling me to go

When the trail of fluttering leaves is behind us

And in front of us

The road

 

Day 9 - 12/13/2012

The lone Christmas card

Sat proudly on the counter

Waiting for others

Day 8 - 12/10/2012

My tear streamed face, still flush with disappointment, watched her walk away as she uttered two simple words, “Be Happy.” In that moment, I was lost, still reeling with confusion. Something I had worked for; fought for; longed for…gone. I wanted to rage, to topple the bookcases she held so close to her heart; to make her see how devastated I was inside. All those fantasy filled pages, where she escaped, strewn across the cold hardwood that we laid together. I didn't. Instead, I sat silently, lamenting over the perceived fact that what was close to my heart was not meant to be.

Day 7 - 12/09/2012

 

She

Motionless

Stood

Ganglia

Thick with traffic  

Epinephrine

Pushing past

Dopamine

One trying to force flight

The other 

Carrying memories across synaptic clefts

Immortalizing

This

Moment

This moment

When his chest went still

When she decided

This

Would never

Happen

Again

When the purple skin tender to touch pissed her off

When his slurred speech and intoxicated breath disgusted her

When his rage filled stumbles caused a rage filled response

When she dug the dagger deeper

When she stopped

To watch

His last taste of life

Leave his lungs

 

Day 6 - 12/08/2012

 

He was rough around the ridges

But she saw past the dirty face

Focusing on the kindness in his eye

 

Day 5 - 12/07/2012

 

One

Solid

Column

Rose

From

Burning

Cherry

Fanning

Slowly

Then

Separating 

Into

Infinite

Streams

Of

Smoke

She flicked her ash and revealed her ace in the hole