Exhale

Strands of hair get caught in my eye

And brush softly against my cheek

As a light air snuggles its way around me

And ruffles the soft waves

On the back of my neck

All is forgiven

And I can feel a new calm

The questions still linger

But don't bother me much

What will I do knowing?

Summer has set in and it isn't warm anymore

We're smothered in a heat wave

Of strangled emotions, strained connections, and physical exhaustion

And struggle to find happiness

Shining through tiny sweat beads on our brow

Twisted strands of hair

Hiding ugly twisted lies

All chopped off now

Releasing me

From the bondage of guilt

A newfound freedom

An ease in every breath

Are gifts I've received.

Father

Soft and white

Sprawled out across the soft winter sky

Your arms encompassing all of creation

In fatherly embrace

Your warm hands cupping

Old carton-coloured moon

And your many thousand eyes

Sparkling

With joy, with love

A girl with withered soul

Looks heaven-ward

And finds solace and reason

To nourish and protect this

Her only possession.

Sweetest Love

Sweet love

Take my hand now

You have my heart

We shall dance

In each other's souls

Floating

Swimming

Higher and slower

Till we get lost

My dreams and hands

Mangled in yours

Do you have a minute or two?

Nothing important

I want to waste it with you

It's not easy

I'm stuck in your head

I can't seem to figure you out

I'm not so free

My head is just as bad

Pull through sweetheart

Please

Just this once

Forgive me for the traps I've laid

I've been burned

Thank You for trying

I pushed through and loved

Broken at last.

You've sewn me together

And our souls can dance again

Love is it?

It's much more my love!

Sweetest love

Let's get lost again

Here ... take my hand.

Sin

My pen is bleeding again

It's been a while

Probably got away this time

It's slipping

And I didn't notice

I need to blot it out

Before it dries up

Will you help?

Here take this cup

And hold it firm

Whilst I fill it up

And watch you squirm

You tried

You tried harder

Than any of the others

I want to place my heart

In your hand

But I'll hold you close

Because you're still trying

To love me for who I am

To forget yourself

For what I need

I tidy up my thoughts

My head.

They're still a-wanderin'

Underneath my bed

The blood is rushing

I open the bottle up

I can still smell the sweet fragrance

Apple

And you drinking up

Last year

Memories rush up my nose

And flood my head

Coagulating my mind

In restless fervor

They're not dead

Death is merely a film

You pass through it

And reach the other side

Parts of you cling on

Like wet sand embracing your skin

Thoughts like love

Hang in the infinite

Like droplets

Frozen and luminous

Freedom

Frozen in a single drop

Not thin like a bubble

Dense

Like the feeling in your heart

When it bleeds

I can't seem to sleep tonight

Or yesterday

Or tomorrow

Their blood is in my face

I cannot wash it off my soul

My sons and daughters will uphold

It somewhere

And then someday

They won't sleep a night

Or three

And maybe

Just maybe

Their pens might bleed again

Trying to wash their father's sins

Can you help them up?

I didn't think so

But thank you

For today.

Faith

Faith is a funny word

Can you have it, and lose it

And find it again?

Because if you lose it,

then it isn't faith.

So would I be condemned if I said

I had faith once

But now it's dead?

The Lord knows the battles I have fought

And won each one

Because I tried

So leave me here with my piece of faith

And may you have a morsel too.

Praythings

If I had to say

What's really on my mind

If I had to tell you I've not left

Any of it behind

Would you tear at me

With your eyes?

Maybe you would hate

A little at a time.

If I had to stray

Not all at once

What would you say?

Would you stay?

You've woken up to wasted cards

And expectations

It could be helped

If you'd looked hard

If you'd looked once

Trusting

Loving

Do you understand?

I've fallen

Into another place

It's not your place

It's not all good

It's not my fault

Or yours

This time it's just better

Left

Not understood.

Night tales

Light conversation

A few laughs

Carried by soft wind from mouth to ear

The moonlight

Still.

Like memories

Of the cold cold Delhi night in May

Goblets of wine lay half full

Like the moon that night

And the stars appear and disappear

Behind puffs of floating air

that cried awhile

Softening the earth and leaves and hearts

Of a hardened city's soul

The reunion of three friends had touched

The centre of the universe that night

Their heads slightly circling

Like the spiral staircase their feet had kissed

Just minutes before

Their amalgamated blood now inviting

Sweet slumber

And even more creative monologues of sorts.

Laughter

Again and again

And a sense of time standing thick and passing slowly

With every bite of bread

Laden with dreamy cheese

Accusations of slowly slipping into the subconscious

Never irked their wistfully drunk veins

That the Gods,

Filled with sympathy

Chose to ignore that day.