Reader in the Mountains

 Love, I know how you feel That heartbeat in your chest as you wake up The eyebrows that never stop twitching The fingers that tingle; the lips and their tremors The ceaseless barrage of thoughts in your head I know how you feel Those swollen eyelids aren't from crying It hurts you more, when your smile doesn't reach your eyes The numbness on your back is not from sleeping wrong The pills laugh at you from the corner desk I know how you feel When questions bludgeon their way through your mind "How are you" is not just a passing remark No, you're not weak. But it's difficult to remember All of it invites you- the heartbeat. The blanket. The dark. Love, I know how you feel But remember that you'll feel better; remember. Stroke your hair once in while, and let it calm you down Dance with yourself; Sing your favourite song Hold your back that's been fighting alone for so long I've got you. Say it. You're there for you. I know how you feel We're...

 On the top of a Malus tree A pair of swallows built their nest They'd been flying around For far too long Today, they put all sorrows to rest  On top of the Malus blossoms The pair of swallows blithely play A blitz of stardust Laughter suffused, giggles fussed It was a fuschia kind of day

 "What do you want to be" A five year old boy ponders at this question A dog petter, he says You laugh and ruffle his hair, you love his innocence "What do you want to be" A ten year old boy, stood thinking aloud A racer or a footballer, he says What a naive child, you sigh; such talent, such a pity "What do you want to be" A fifteen year old boy avoids your eyes, he mumbles I'm preparing for exams, he says A broad chest and a shining smile, he's on track you sense "What do you want to be" A twenty year old man asks himself Successful, he smirks inside Do you know how many of those there are? Be rich instead "What do you want to be" He's stopped counting years now Happy, but he dare not say it out loud All that achievement, and you aren't happy yet? "What do you want to be" Who's put this question in your head Me, he answers instinctively. Me. What a funny notion; who have you been since? "What do you ...

 Have you seen the shadows in front of the Sun The scars that stay at the end of each day As it sets behind the lake, weary Have you heard what the marks say? "They are just clouds floating by," he tells me And I see his half crooked smile widen Yet they imprint my memory of the sunset The shadows in front of the Sun Slowly the darkness impinges on the horizon Yet, the blur of the shadows remain "It's a mirage, it's not really there" he tells me Look at the stars and wait till I rise again So I count them as they fall, the stars  With a sense of doom, because I know They cannot be wished away; they stay Scars and stains, memories and shadows "It's a new day, flower," I hear him from behind me The nimbus incandescent with glitter and pearls No flecks of yesterday tainting his aura The conflagrant sun stands as his cloak unfurls No shadow stays girl, no scar too deep to heal He bent to my ear "But never forget Step away, don't buckle whe...

 It's time to come home now It's time to feel safe  To let your shoes hang from the railings To let your hair rest on your shoulders It's time to let the eyes close in peace  And let the dreams permeate the oceans blue It's time to turn the music on   And never let the dancing feet stop To let your arms draw circles in the sky To let your spinning thoughts run out of fuel It's time to quiet everything down and turn off the lights  And watch the meteors burn the sky alight To gather up the mud in your hands  And build the castle of your daydreams It's time to skip down from the revolving carousel  It's time to switch the running motors off To let your deep breaths seep into your blood To let the breeze allay your restless heart It's time to let yourself eat now It's time to let it all go To water the roots that grow under your feet To bolster up your feathers into wings To merge into the mountaintops To shush the volcano into slumber  It's time to...

 It's easy most days Walking on the ridge of the mountain I call home Eyes closed  My toes know the rocks by their texture now They know when to stop They know how to turn  It's easy most days  Looking at the lichen growing over the frozen sediments I can smell them from afar My feet slowly becoming home to them  Their roots grow in slow  They know how to burn It's a slow walk some days  My feet slippery from the algae that have grown  On the fertile mountain My thoughts grow abound The mud slips down to the abyss sometimes  It knows when to stop and hold my feet It knows when to run It's a inchwalk today The mud and the lichen have disappeared under the rain Weeds entangled in my hair and hands  The cliff is calling out to me There's laughter at its nadir Away from unending scorn It's easy most days Walking to the cliff and dangling my feet in joy The laughter alloyed inside my mind  But even when it's hard, I crawl Every inch I gr...

It pulls you inside so quick The wave you were toeing at the beach One grain at a time at first,  And then all at once  The sand slips from under your feet You're clawing at air, to pull you out  You thrash and tremble The ocean grumbles  The whisper you hear, it welcomes you  'Come home' it mumbles The joust is won, this round is a tie You are surrounded You surround yourself Memories soaking your skin afloat Breathing in the oceans help You want to reach the bottom now Drift amidst the shadows It's easier than walking above But the tides throw you on the beach again 'I'll see you again, my love'