I walk along the trail of shadows

Led by the harbinger of fire

I pursue the embers that dance

Hands of family and friends reach for me

failing to sway me from the path I have chosen

I know not where the path will lead

Nor do I take the time to look ahead

With each step I feel myself falling

further away from the light above

I must carry the weight no man can bear

The suffrage of a choice made long ago 

Every day I hope the weight will lessen

But every step adds a pound to the load

One day I know I will collapse 

The hands will no longer be reaching 

The very flames I seek to follow

will set my body ablaze 

Until then....

I walk along the trail of shadows

The sky glows with a dance

of crimson and gold 

The mountain a sentinel of

shadowing boulder 

Every color stands as one

not knowing where one ends and 

the other begins. 

Clouds dancing across the indigo 

banister. Only the horizon witnessing 

the promenade occurring above. 

The waves stir below, jealous of the 

flirtation between sky and sun, 

Little do they know that the dance 

would be incomplete without them.

For the waves waltz with the land 

as the sun sways with the sky

All to the rhythm provided by 

the breath of the earth.  

The pain persists 

without wounds

Failure poisons 

            the mind 

                          the body 

No amount of prayers

or pleasantries can kill 

the parasite  

The only antidote 

being the mercy found 

                         in forgetting 

I stare at the clock as it ticks away

Hoping that the next second will be time

Yet the seconds pass until the next day

I am left wondering what was my crime

I know that I should not feel so distraught

The silence of time is not out of spite

I try to remember all I was taught

Maybe then I can see there still is light.

Even if time passes and nothing's heard

I will still await the moment you call

For any moment I may hear your word

And then at long last I can end this stall.

For when time comes to be blessed with your voice

The dark clouds will part and I will rejoice

The sun rises and sets unwavering

The man rises first in the house

and immediately heads for the coffee

to begin battling his exhaustion

No matter how much he drinks 

he can't drown the knowledge that his life 

is far away from what he had hoped

His wishes and dreams have

fallen away like the remnants of coffee 

as it washes down the drain. 

The woman rises second in the house

She turns on the news and listens 

to one tragic story after the other

She sighs as she knows this 

is the crazy world her child will inherit

A world so full of hatred and strife

She thinks that maybe it could have 

been different had she tried a little harder

But she knows that this world was inevitable

The child rises last in the house

Beaming with innocence and glee

Unaware of the pain that she is surrounded by

She skips into the kitchen and hugs the woman

A hug so full of warmth and love unconditional 

The child walks into the other room and plays 

with toys bought by the labor of the man

Unaware of the important role she will play 

when her days of innocence are over

The family sits down for a meal

Despite the toils of the day and

the hardships each encountered

they all share the same smile

A smile of strength beyond measure

A smile of hope for the future

And I continue to listen

For when this family moves on 

I will be there to watch over the next

The sun rises and sets unwavering 

Love is patient

but Love is not kind

And i'm sorry my dear

But our Love has declined.

I used to look at you

And my heart would flutter

But now I see past you

for I now Love another.

When the day is long

and the world is just too much

I take comfort in her embrace

A lone star in the night sky

Guiding me through the maelstrom

Back to the harbor of her arms

Her alabaster skin is familiar

In the void of uncertainty

That plagues my every day

Those gentle sapphire eyes

destroy the walls I built

to cowardly hide behind

When she looks at me

I am defenseless

But I have no reason to run

She knows I am hers

And somehow... someway...

She has become mine

You dance in the clouded night

Unaware that I want to be the one you dance beside

I watch with awe as you flow through the air

Unbridled by the natural faults of mortals

I know I can never be close to one such as you

The moment I approach 

your petals will wilt,

your smile will fade, 

your dancing will cease

I will continue to watch from afar

Careful not to stand too close

For the moment I step over the line

I will leave burnt

The sun greets me

through the small slit in the curtain

A subtle warmth

caresses my visage

The tribulations of yesterday

vanish in the bird's song

A promise is made

that today will be new

That today will be better

I'm willing to keep that promise