Mirage.
In my darkened loneliness
memories of you dance before my eyes
so vividly in technicolor
and a lump rises in my throat
as your name floats about in my mouth
traversing the undulations of my crooked teeth
and teasing the sense regions of my tongue
I whisper your name
as if I were ascribing divinity
to those simple syllables
as if my incantations could bring you back to me
as if it were anything more
than words tumbling onto the hardwood floor.

And Abba Played In the Background.
When it no longer hurt to hear your name said out loud, a friend asked me what it was like being with you. He broached the topic cautiously and with an apologetic smile on his face.

I said it was horrible. He said, "What? Why?". I told him that the way you treated me, with the constant to-ing and fro-ing of emotions, left me with a bad case of emotional whiplash.

Then he said, "Isn't that what love is? Love makes you confuse what's up and what's down".

I told him it's only ever worth it if you end up with the person. After all, no one remembers the runner up to any race. The winner takes it all, the loser has to fall.

This Here and Now.
If you’re browsing
for choices
go to the five-and-dime store
if you ain’t got the cash
whatcha still standing here for?

This ain’t no thrift shop
this is the real deal
there ain’t no ‘made in China’ burnished on my skin
if you want this
you gotta play to win.

I’m not here
to settle down
but I won’t take a
here-today-gone-tomorrow
type of love either.

I can pick myself off the floor,
open my own doors,
change my own lightbulbs,
and check own my black oil.

I don’t need
diamonds in my bathtub
but don’t think I’m just some old plaything
you can pull off the shelf
every time you get lonely at night.

I am not a phase
I am the whole damn cycle.

Treat me like your princess,
and I’ll treat you like a prince
but if you treat me wrong,
then I’m (not) sorry
but you’re gone.

Wasted too much precious time on Jokers,
it’s time to deal me a King.

You Are.
My dear, you are rousing
  Exciting and stirring
    Soul searing
      Tear jerking
        Heart pounding
          Earth shattering
            But never mine to begin with.

Better Off In the Long Run. 
Don't tell me that it's better off in the long run
That this will do us good
When I'm stuck living in yesterday
And you're spending my tomorrow
with somebody new. 

Sorrow isn't a goodbye
It isn't forgotten dreams shared over cups of bitter coffee
Sorrow is having love walk away
And realising it's taking with it your best friend.

What of all those plans
Left out in the sun to dry
Old tarnished remnants, of how it used to be
Standing like monuments
Chiseled by the winds of time, until nothing remains.

That's you riding shotgun beside the victor
Sparing a melancholic glance at me through the rear view window
I'll wipe my face but you won't see
These tears that stain
So as rivulets of black carve canals down my cheeks
Don't you dare tell me that it's better in the long run. 

Awe.
Quieten your mind and steady your heartbeat
Close your eyes and listen
The wind she howls
And lightning paints streaks across the skies
The mountains they tremble
And thunder she rolls
I am unafraid and yet, moved to tears
This life is an adventure in your abode
You my mother, my Earth,
I will spend a lifetime
Deciphering your code.

Our Story
We ignored all storm signals
and scoffed at the rolling thunder and flashing lightning
but when the skies opened and she cried without end
we stood our ground and cursed the Heavens above,
we were never good at building boats
and as the ground shook beneath our feet
we bit our lips, and tried to raise the Titanic instead.