Good Morning, Good Night

I thought about you

So I texted to say good morning

And then I thought about you some more

My text, as useful as an unsent one


I thought about you

So I texted to say good night

Then came dawn, but no response

And so I thought some more


Something about a good morning text

A little sweetness to my day,

Something about a good night text

Soothing, for some sound sleep,

Like a pinch of salt or a spritz of perfume,

Blush on my cheeks for a pop of color,

Like a drop of water, making a mighty ocean

The little things go so far

The fewest of words may change a day,

For tomorrow isn’t given

The fewest of words, may be the last you ever say,

Because sleep may come and be deep

So good morning, my dear

I thought of you

And I pray you have a good night

Godwilling, you hear from me on the morrow

The Man with One Chair

The man with one chair

Likes to sit alone

One will catch a glimpse of him

When the worn out country sun

To the horizon, has gone


The man with one chair

A beer for company

But in his thoughts

Miss Alabama, is wandering

Can you fathom this mystery?


That man with one chair

Won’t be alone for too long

Till sweet lil’ Miss Alabama

Goes sashaying his way

Wowing just enough, to capture his gaze


A capture of two now in her trove

The man with one chair

May soon give out his seat

Props out to Miss Alabama

For stealing his gaze, his heart and now, his chair

“I know I can trust you, but…”

Trust, like a tree in autumn

Questioned by the unknown

I know I can trust you, but…


Said branches to leaves

Said leaves to branches

Trust may break

Trust may be shaken

Trust may be lost, completely


Like a leaf in autumn,

One may feel betrayed

When suddenly let go

By whom they thought as their backbone

High up on cloud nine

Left to a plunging, cold fall


Like a branch in autumn

One may be shockingly abandoned

By leaves that leave

One may be made a fool of

By leaves that threaten to leave

That may be you, shaken, broken inside


Trust, like a tree in autumn

Broken by the unpredictable

I know I can trust you, but…

Pockets

A day at a time

A tear that will dry

There is a reason,

There is a season

But still there is despair

A hug to say all is fine

A word of encouragement

To calm a racing mind

But there will still be that moment

Hands in pockets, and emptiness felt

Such is a revisiting sorrow

That comes in waves

Such is a daunting anxiety

That comes uninvited

Such is the guilt felt

For shifting the mood

So I ask that you bear with me

You jolly soul, best friend, confidant

One day it may be well

One day the pockets may be filled

With something other than emptiness

Something worth remembering,

Something that will carve a smile

Undoing

To know that, she’s had you

Over and over

I want to understand

When you say you’re committed

Just how many times must I have you

To teach your body something new?

I say that I’m fine, but these words…

Need undoing , revealing that I’m not

Miss Shelly

Miss Shelly

I call her

For she’s spared these eyes

A humbling moment


I hope that I too

Will someday be a Miss Shelly

She’s clothed in dungarees, blonde hair in a messy bun

She cradles her wee one, who’s also matching her khaki jacket


Miss Shelly

Ever so protective

Very much the doting mother

She loves on her little one


And me? I watch

Till his eyes meet mine

Baby chuckles in delight

What a wonderful sight to behold


Ah Miss Shelly!

She’d do anything for him

She’d put herself last

Miss Shelly, go on and be blessed


And I can’t help but think

Of all the purest connections

My eyes have made

With the very young and innocent


I wish they’d remember

I wish that, this could someday make them smile

I wish they’d know, how for a few minutes

They had made a stranger’s day

He held her close…

He held her close and she lay her head on his chest. The silence competing with the tension, till the latter could no longer bear it. Counting three breaths, she mouthed, “Are you sure we’re not lost in ourselves?”

He held her close and she cuddled up to him, like a koala baby and its mother. In that moment, nothing could shift attention from a bond, formed over distance, over texts, over a forged, genuine love. A bond, now released to temperaments and the intricacies of the human connection

He held her close and they experienced a feeling so familiar, previously emanating in waves, now static. This was home, their home. This love had traveled and finally arrived at its final destination. Sunflowers had always been her favourite. Today in full fictitious bloom, they gave their approval. Joy has cometh

While Minding My Business

A fortnight later

And he’s gifted me

A glimmer of hope

This, while simply minding my business


He could be the one

But he often disappears

Then I’m left to ponder

My only warning, being a moment’s notice


Then he reappears

As if to make amends

My heart jumping with joy

As if to tell me, “Didn’t I say so?”


Who does he think he is?

Leaving me in disarray

Telling me about his day

Then gone in a whiff


I better stay calm

Guard this heart of mine

Lest she warms up to him

For the grandest of falls


A fortnight to come

I may be left morose

And so maybe it’s time

To dish out my trusty detachment

Broken Wells

I know a thing or two

About broken wells

Consequence

Of a broken heart

Quenching their thirst


I know a thing or two

About the broken-hearted

Drawing and drawing,

The well, almost bare.

And when broken, none seems to care


I know a thing or two

About these two, broken well, broken heart

But I wish I had earlier known

That one would leave

Right after the mend and quench

The Rush

Evening rush,

Before the orange sky blackens

Bustling crowds, awaiting speedy trains

Seconds during transit,

Offer a glimpse into life

Be it, the crying toddler

Or the witty beggar

The diligent station janitors

Or a trio of giddy teens.

But someone’s felt a sudden rush

Fleeting, yet evoking appreciation

When locking eyes,

With a charismatic passerby.

Both strangers perplexed,

By the unexpected gaze

And what shouldn’t have lingered a second more

Had just birthed a “What if…?”

The answer to which,

She, passenger, would never know.

The train doors shut.

What then lies ahead,

Is another chapter of some story,

Perhaps, another mutual connection made,

Before final destination.

I Should Go

My eyes must unsee
False hope and regret.
Before we lose our sanity
I should go…

My hands must unlock your grip
Know a freedom of their own.
Before we pull back into embrace
I should go…

My body must unlearn
A home it once knew.
Before we cross the line
I should go…

Have I Settled

He’s in the shower
I sit at the nightstand
Wiping off lip rouge
Taking off my dainty pearls

The moon appears
And I can hear the wind whistling
For a moment I’m fixated in a distant past
Remembering vividly, the tryst, that tryst

A common visitor, this curiosity
Mere seconds only,
I cannot help but ask…
‘Have I settled?’

If

If I knew,
That my goodbye would be stolen,
By the silence that is
I never would have been your friend

If I saw,
You treat me as an outcast
Like I was an easy page to turn
I never would have looked at you twice

And if I envisioned these tears,
Tears because of your doing,
That pelt my face every night
I never would have let you see my soul

At the table

The guests do the recap
Table talk about you
And I see myself in transition
From a high to low
A low I knew before you
And they are witnesses
At the table

I once thought never
I envisioned forever
But today is the curtain call
Today is the last pour down
If it takes some time
I know we’ll see the sun again
I know you’ll be fine

At the table
The hallucinations, the flashbacks
The chattering from the guests
All too familiar
Much overwhelming
This is all in my mind
Their murmurs are the voices in my head

I won’t, I can’t.
For the last time
I greet each memory
With the fondness of an amicable farewell
Because they have to go grey
Maybe one day, when I close my eyes
You will not appear so vividly as you do now