If the stuff of life is born

Of the things that make me ache

Then, Dear God,

Let me break

If tears are what's required

To make my roots go deep,

Then, Dear God,

Let me weep

If a broken heart is one

Of the promises you make,

Then, My Lord,

Let me break

If tears water the soil

Of the harvest that we'll reap,

Then, My Lord,

Let me weep.

If the King of Glory

Was broken for my sake

Then, My Jesus,

Let me break

If scars are of the only thing

From earth that we can keep,

Then, My Jesus,

Let me weep

How might I describe sunlight

And what it does to my soul?

It touches everything with gold,

With gentle heat,

Creating colors and shades,

Turning the trees into a kaleidoscope of greens,

The sky into a canvas,

A constantly changing art work

Stretched over the earth

And how might I describe the moon

With its terrible mystery

Which begs me to explore

And the subtle light that

Makes me want to dance?

How to speak of

The wilderness of stars

Those fires in the sky that

Whisper of worlds far away,

Galaxies undiscovered,

Lavish beauties beyond beauty,

That excite childlike wonder

And sing songs that feel like home?

And how might I write the words to describe

The way I love and am loved by you?

To be in your presence, Jesus,

It sunlight and moonlight and starlight.

To be with you is to be Home.

I know I just met you

It's too soon to say

But I just thought you should know

That when you look at me

And I look away

It's because your gaze

Makes me dizzy

And my heart beats so fast

That for a moment I can't breath

And a few nights ago

How was it only a few nights ago?

We'd stayed up talking

For the second night in a row

And I didn't tell you this

But maybe you already know-

Every time I said

"I should go to bed"

But stayed up another hour,

It was because I didn't want the moment to end.

I didn't want to lose the little moments that we had

And I didn't want the next day to start

Because I didn't want us to be apart

But the next day came and we got into our cars

We said a few words and you gave me a hug

And we drove away in different directions

I hope this isn't an indiscretion

But I wish you weren't so far away

And who planned geography anyway?

And remember how I said

That I hate to date

Because I always feel like a bird in a cage

And I end up bolting,

Beating my wings to get free,

Breaking up with a big sigh of relief

I think you should know

That I don't feel that way

When we talk on the phone every day

My family and friends all know your name

I haven't told you that yet

But they all want to meet you

And they're making space around the table

Even though we haven't talked about you visiting yet

And when I'm with the people I love

I keep on thinking

That someone is missing from the conversation

You would fit into my life

Like you were always meant to be there

Like our stories were written

With each other in them

And we're just now getting to that part of the book

I'm not a romantic

I'm really not

I love being single,

Independent

Free from commitment,

But suddenly I'm thinking

That maybe I don't want to be

Just me anymore

And love songs keep coming on the radio

And you're stuck in my head

And I think that I'm falling for you

But I never fall this fast

It's way too soon to say any of this

To tell you about all of the coincidences

That might be signs

I'm keeping a list in my head

For someday

If we get as far as a someday

So I can tell you then

It's too soon to say this

But in case you were wondering

I'm going to fall in love with you

I just thought you should know

Freshwater streams flowing,

seen as stagnant

Breeze bending blossoms,

winds wafting unfragrant

Sunrise stippling,

yet, monochromatic

The shading of Hopeless,

both silent and static

Crushing ’til fragrant

Pours summer’s sweet vessel

Desert the mortar

His raindrops a pestle

Sunlight his oven

Bakes peach cobbled skies

Stained with blackberry clouds

As the crust starts to rise

Vignette/sketch of sheets

Buried beneath spines, exposed

Wallpaper of words

*the den /study /library /she-shed

Family trees —

knots,

&

yellow ribbons

Fields —

Blue,

cotton, wool

&

Gray,

In Peace?

Emerald blades

blanket

each

grave

I’m just a regular guy. I haven’t seen much, or done much. What am I supposed to write about, anyways? Couldn’t Prose add a wormhole that would transport me magically into a module bound for mars, or to a nuclear submarine under the ice caps? Wouldn’t I have a better story to tell, then?

I wish a button on Prose could show me into the down-trodden soul of a high school dropout, or allow me to feel the angst of a middle aged housewife who is fed up with looking after two kids and a husband, and is wondering where her life choices went wrong. So where is that button?

And wouldn’t it be helpful to my writing if I could feel what others feel, see what others see, and even do what others dream? Wouldn’t it, though? What we need is a place to find those types of things, so that we might find our own inspiration.

What if I could be shocked awake by a gun blast out from the dark of night, or slip a razor-sharp blade between some villain’s ribs until the heartbeats can be felt on my fingertips? What would that do for my writing? Or if I could stir around the stars and drop them closer to home, maybe in some black, backwater pond, so that we could sit alone together in wonder as they swirl through the night like some heavenly snow globe... wouldn’t she notice me then, my love? Wouldn’t she have to, then?

And what if, even if only for a short while, you could make me drunk with lust, or crazier than I already am, or strong enough to always win in the end? Wouldn’t I show up then to your site, if you had a wormhole like that?

That is is what I am looking for. If you could add a feature like that it would never fail to bring me back, time and again. Everything else is just bells and whistles after all, and did you ever notice how whistles and bells always ring hollow?

Wait... what’s that? You say you already have a wormhole that can do those things?

Well then! Eureka, Prose!

Sign ’ol Huck up for gold!

All you need is

one ray of light

to help you see

more clearly.

All you need is

one smile from a stranger

to help you walk

more lightly.

All you need

is the laugh from one baby

to put a smile

on your face.

All you need

is one cheer from a friend

to help you

finish the race.

All you need is

one cup of coffee

to help you

through your day.

So look out for that thing,

that one small thing

and you’ll always be okay.

~

m

i

l

k

-

white pure,

the sugar weeps.

reduced to ochre,

fire’s heat, melts

m e l l i f l u o u s

(honey - sweet) down

crimson hearts:

Garden Effete

~