On This Canvass

On this canvass
I create our life
With no trepidation
Large brush strokes
Of color-soaked hues
Paint the sky brilliant
Fushia sands
Meet a metallic sea
And a rose sky of honey
Purple waves roll laughingly
Toward the farthest horizon
It is here
Where our lips meet
On this canvass
The beauty is breathtaking
The air is pure
Summer breezes
Of pure silk
It is here
Where we lay our heads
On velvet sand
Your eyes are emeralds
Your hands are steady
Bluejays sing sweet symphonies
The sweet salt air
Envelopes us
We feel each breath
Inside each moment
My dear,
It is here
And it never has to be otherwise
Fear is extinct
And dreams endure
On this canvass.

Everafter

I met you
Misty eyed
In another realm
And found you
Here
Beside me
Everafter.
Perhaps we never met
But always were
In that starred mist.
You had pinpoints of light
In your hair
And tenderness
In your eyes.
Perhaps we never fell
But only rose
To this place
This
Everafter.

Who Have You Become

I loved the way
You pursed your lips
Emphatic
Always in control
Lest your rage
Explode
Then, cathartic you
Implode
And then
Who have you become?
I no longer recognize
Your countenance
This manifestation of betrayal
Your touch is shallow
Now
Your words are hollow
Wasted sound
Who have you become?

The Only Road

If you do not love hard
You die a slow death
Languishing atop barren dreams
Slouching below absent heartache
We miss the beauty
When we shield the pain
Bittersweet paradox.
Safety is the bedfellow of regret
Avoidance is the bedfellow of malaise
Living without abandon;
It is the only road I would walk.
I would take each heartache again
Innumerable times
Every feeling
Each sigh
Emotive cacophony
While my ears are ringing
And my eyes are weeping
I am grateful
That I have experienced this chaotic range
This symphonic wave of feeling;
It is the only road I would walk.