When you said

I think about death all the time

my heart shattered

as someone who has lived with death

invited him over even

once or twice

the sentiment was nothing new

we’re old friends, he and I,

buddies;

but you,

You

who have always loved life

who never entertained thoughts

of mortality

never wanted the trip to end

who found joy in each phase

life threw your way

for you, for me, this was devastating

a normal stage of progression,

perhaps,

but one I’d hoped you’d never meet.

When you said

“Sometimes I go there

only to look for you”

It surprised me and made me feel

unbelievably good

But perhaps a little skeptical too

That the presence (or absence)

of someone as ordinary as myself

would ever be noted

by someone as extraordinary as you

But as time went on

I learned that

though you are blunt

deceit is not your way

So I want you to know

that because you took the time

to share something so simple

It has made all the difference

in how I view myself

even to this day

Thank you

When you said,

"I wonder what the poor people are eating,"

I smirked.

When I looked

at the bland mashed potatoes and meatloaf,

I wondered:

Were Dad's words

deluded, a lie, or kudos to the chef, Mom?

When I grew up,

I saw Dad's words for what they were:

A declaration that perhaps

he has climbed into the middle class

through sweat and love

for his wife, his family, and grocery bargains

like meatloaf and spuds.

When you said

those words, I didn't realize we were barely scraping by.

I didn't know

that your hard work would end your life

at sixty-five.

I wish I could again hear you say,

"I wonder what the poor people are eating."

when you said all men are bad

did you think that, maybe

you always picked bad men

scumbags, losers, creeps

guys you thought you could change

with your unrealized superpowers

but when you met that smart guy

who liked movies, who talked about them

who didn't need any changing

you didn't like him at all

and when you said a man's thing looks terrible

did you think that, maybe

you didn't need to say that to me

and when i was 15 and dropped out

and you said you wished i'd just

find a girl and settle down

did you think that, maybe...

oh mom, when you said these things

to me, your son

when i was just a kid

what the fuck were you thinking

When you said

I had looked at you

With an intensity borne of yesteryear -

And with the utmost sincerity

Had asked such a thing,

I was left to wonder in the extreme.

Why would I – your adolescent child of five –

Look at you, the one who is my mother,

My elder, she who gave me breath,

And pointedly ask the question:

“Remember when you were the child

And I was the mother?”

Insanely nonsensical, was it not?

Still, I am left with the mysterious intrigue

Of other realms of possible existence,

Parallel planes of distant realities,

And forgotten or repeated lifetimes

Intermingled amongst us,

Much like floating butterflies,

Leading us along a path

Of inevitable fate and destiny.

When you said,

Family isn't blood,

It's who you choose to let in,

I was in the back seat of your car

When you had never been the one to pick me up.

Tears streaked down my face,

And I had just asked why the devil and I couldn't get along.

I hadn't called you,

I had called my Angel,

But there you were.

She must have heard the panic in my voice,

and called you in her own panic.

You dropped everything to pick me up,

even though it was before your waking hours.

I should have known you loved me then,

For a man so unyeilding to upend everything.

But there was always that doubt,

That poison that stops me from saying those words even now.

So when I saw you for the last time

And you also said the words "I love you,"

I should have let you in.

"When you said...you loved me"

I believed you,

I was young then and naive

I didn't know the truth that laid behind your smile.

No one could have prepared me

but it happened

You said you loved me,

but did you really?

Do you ever think of me?

Years have passed and still no call

No visits not even a good-bye

You said you loved me

It's hard to imagine I'm grown now and I still can't trust

I despise anyone who looks out the window

it reminds me of myself waiting for you to come.

No one took me away

You just didn't want me.

You said you loved me

Then told me I wasn't yours.

I carried your name

Your name engraved on my birth certificate

I called you father

and you still walked away

But you said you loved me...

When you said,

You had a secret,

I wish you had simply told me.

When you said,

It was best we spoke in person,

I knew, it couldn't be good.

I waited for the day,

We would meet face to face,

So I could stop the fear from growing.

That day never came,

You were gone before then,

Never again to be seen by mortal man.

Now, I wonder what it was,

The secret tucked inside your chest,

Hidden away like buried treasure.

It has been committed to the Earth,

It's depth and its meaning.

I am left to wonder.

When you said you loved me

I wanted to strangle you

Suck the air out of you and leave you breathless on the floor

You beast

You savage

You are a creature of lust

Made to pin me down and fuck until the bodies are satisfied

Not meant to have and hold

When did you decide to become a creature of love?

Was it when you had my face buried in the pillows

Your name echoing off the walls?

Was it when you had me on my knees

Your fist in my hair

Your eyes on mine?

When you saw that I was no better than you

A creature of lust

A savage

A beast

Who wanted you to suck the air out of me

Strangle me and leave me breathless on the floor

When you said you loved me

When you said y'all would have all our power on by Wednesday, you flat out lied.

Day six looks like it's fixin' to turn into day seven - what spin you going to weave next?

Don't make promises you can't keep...leave that to the loco politicians

Here's a tip don't give an interview with a thermostat right behind you either...

Not a good look, it's not one that hot and angry Texans appreciate.

I know we cannot control Mother Nature as she is fickle.

Beryl was a beast that whipped winds like I have never heard nor seen from any Hurricane.

The mishandling of a bad situation well, y'all got room for improvement.

The "Be Someone" mural on I-45 is legend, and now there's a new kid in town

and it can be found under I-10

Kudos to the artist who expressed "CENTERPOINTLE$$"

Well done.