gentle streams
row row row your boat
gently down the milky stream of dreams
row row row until your far from home
breath the fumes in
tuck your eyes to sleep
turn that bass up
melt into
chocolate chipped
rhymes
row them hips to the lyrics
sink into the floor
melt
down into the carpet
fall
down
into
the empty
rhymes
and subtonic
notes
jump into bed
and
row far
away
from the
creaking
doors
of misery
locked the door
and
get
lost in the fumes
let all the pain
go
and
drop
it low
bring
your hands to the sky
and sway into tomorrow
push them headphones
deeper into
my head
and drown
out
the
pelting
thoughts
row your boat
gently
down the stream
of tears
baby reach your epiphany
The Forest
To put it simply, I was lost.
Pretty hopelessly, I might add.
I don't take orders well. Or heed warnings.
So when I heard of these woods, whose leaves were said to come alive at night, I couldn't resist. What can I say? My curiosity knows no bounds.
Of course, I didn't stick around to hear him finish saying every soul to go exploring here never came back. So here I was, probably not coming back.
Honestly, I had to stop doing this.
If there ever was a trail, there wasn't one now. How odd, I thought. I couldn't remember coming in. I couldn't even remember the treeline.
It was when that realization struck me that the trees began rustling with a certain restlessness, bushes started shaking excitedly, and vines seemed to move of their own accord.
Everything seemed...enlivened, in the worst way.
My surroundings darkened, and I looked up to find limbs closing over me, blocking out the sky.
That's when I realized the enormity of my mistake.
When the first leaf separated from the rest, I panicked.
I wasn't getting out of this one.
Alive, at least.
***
I woke up shaking.
Er, being shaken, rather.
"Damn it, Shay! What the fuck were you thinking?" I blinked open my eyes to find above me a blurry, familiar face, etched with concern.
"A...Aidan? Where am I? What are you doing here?"
Before he could answer, I passed out.
***
My memories came flooding back, and I bolted upright.
The swarm...
"NO! Aidan, hurry! We have to run!"
He held me down. "What? Shay, run from what? We're inside. You're safe."
I stopped, and stared around me in disbelief.
Sure enough, I was at the inn. The crackling of a fire blazing in the hearth, the comfort of my room. I was in bed, a chair pulled up next to me. I shook my head. This wasn't right. None of this was right.
"You fell down the stairs, remember? I found you, early in the morning while everyone was asleep. Scared the daylights out of me. What were you doing, anyway?"
I blinked.
I fell? It...it was all a dream?
"Aidan, I was..." I started, then stopped.
The longer I thought about it, the less I remembered.
"It must have been quite a knock for you to wake up like that. Are you sure you're alright?"
I swung my legs over the side of the bed, paused, and looked at him. "I'm...okay. Um, are you sure you didn't find me...anywhere strange? In the forest, by chance?"
He gave me an odd look, then stood to leave. "Shay, your mind sure does throw me for a loop sometimes. Besides, you know not to go exploring. I told you, those woods are dangerous."
Right before he closed the door, he winked. "Especially for a pretty girl like you."
I blushed, glad he couldn't see, then winced at the sudden throb at the back of my head.
Glancing out the window towards the trees, I decided it was a dream.
A really, really vivid dream.
***
That night, he stood at the heart of it all, at the end of the disappearing trail.
Where he'd found Shay splayed across the stump in front of him - an altar of sorts - right in the nick of time.
"She's mine."
Vines slithered about his feet.
There are not many who venture here.
"I don't care. You can't have her."
Limbs swung menacingly above his head.
You do not control us.
"Ah, but I know the one who does. Did you forget, so soon?"
The harsh whispering of shrubs quieted.
Who will feed us?
"I will. Do it now, before I lose patience."
As the host of tiny, winged fae detached from their plants and bit into every visible inch of his skin, he gritted his teeth. And waited the required time. He had to pay the price for her life, after all.
When it was done, he spoke.
"The tithe is paid. Leave me."
As their fangs left his flesh and they flew back to their places, a collective chuckle sounded.
You are a fool.
"Once every three moons, I will send a traveler here from the inn. In return, you will disclose what you know to no one. Is that clear?"
What you seek is forbidden.
"Or do you wish me to tell your master that you're close to growing beyond his control? Surely, you know what will happen then."
Silence greeted him.
"I will ask again. Is that clear?"
Yessssssssssssssssss.
As he left the wood, he sighed.
Damn her. She'd caused a lot of trouble for him.
Oh well, he thought, and smiled.
Such was the nature of falling in love with a human.
Sigh of Whispers
Taking one step at a time
sailing vessel toward promise
struggling to find the joy within
moon intertwines with the sea
Taking one step at a time
footprints of my journey
salt-encrusted banks of life
shored up by sea oats
Taking one step at a time
butterscotch moon smudged
by my aqueous tears
crushed fantasies transformed
Taking one step at a time
wandering beneath diamond stars
shining like bulbs, cracking
misty web of fog
Taking one step at a time
shadows spun by dawn
deserted in the sand
life’s troth leading way
Taking one step at a time
embers of new beginning
smoldering pillars of tenacity
leaving thin air of the past
A solo journey led by the sigh of whispers.
better together with a bit of chocolate
there is a Jack Johnson song by the title of “Better Together”. it sums up how much better life is when you have that one special person alongside you conquering life. a little less than 8 months ago, something amazing happened in my life. this amazing guy asked me out. that was the best thing i’d had since i received clarity about my home life. he treated me like any good man should treat a girl. during dates, he would stand up when i had to use the restroom ,he opened my car door every time we got in a car together, along with countless of other sweet and respectful gestures. but he is not perfect. he has his flaws, as i have mine, and as everybody has theirs. his imperfections make him to be the most perfect person that i could ever want. i have discovered that since my life, leading up to this point, has not been the most beautiful, i have been given the sweetest gift — a companion to love, hold, and take care of me. we’re better together. life is not a delicious piece of cake that we can gorge on. life is the most bittersweet thing you will come across, like extra dark chocolate. when one thinks of chocolate they think of a sweet tasting treat. but with dark chocolate, there are a mixture of emotions that come along with indulging in this treat. i call it a treat because as chocolate is a treat, life is a gift. the two can be sour, confusing, and absolutely wonderful. but sharing chocolate with your love is better, like sharing life with a handsomely exquisite human being.
