Sometimes.

I feel like im all too familiar with the finishing move of having your still beating heart ripped from your chest.

slow motion.

the other person’s smile.

fade to black.

fatality.

Breathe in.

mid-afternoon sunlight spills across yellowing pages,

pooling on a frayed rug.

dust is illuminated in the beam and it spins,

lazily dancing to silent violins.

There is the smell of ink, paper

and forgotten things,

fading words and cracked leather,

a shrine to what once was,

all silence and clutter.

Breathe out.

the clatter of yellow rain boots on ancient floorboards,

pigtails bouncing in time with a schoolyard song,

all chaos and smile and youth,

small hands grasping at ancient tomes.

This one, grandpa!

Can we read this one today?

The mind tells us what to do,

our hearts tell us what to feel.

https://voicespice.com/Player.aspx?c=p&h=98F73126&j=1C9C4E

The Past

I roamed the seas in search of true adventure,

never failing to woo a damsel’s heart,

or quell the rage of an enemy vessel.

Lo’, I was a man among the many;

then one night, age crept up on my bones,

and I died.

The Present

Traversing city streets in search of adventure,

failing to find real love,

or cure the sadness bound to my soul,

I walk the concrete city alone.

I am my own man,

And couldn’t hold the hurt inside me.

The empty bottle beside my bed,

tells the truth of my story.

The Future

Scanning the tele-prompter in search of adventure,

failing to find the perfect match;

selecting the next best option, I sigh,

thinking this will have to do.

Pressing vision-mode, my future is laid before my eyes:

pleasure the woman of my choice,

crush out tyranny of mine enemies,

or cure sadness of the heart.

To stop death would assure my future,

but I cannot.

“Only one short-lived moment to a customer,”

say the instructions.