Gossip

for D. With the righteousness of youth I convinced myself That sharing whispers -of your weight -of your diets was made nobler by the secrets (my secrets) you’d spilled like ink. Indelible, Unforgettable, Unforgivable. But ink fades.

Salt

I dreamt of salt and woke with my mouth watering. I dreamt of salt and awoke in a blanket of sweat and the scent of the sea clogging my nostrils. I dreamt of salt and woke up bitter.

Going With The Tides

Going With The Tides A Haiku Pair     Loneliness sometimes lingers like cold in your bones and damp in your soul, even when the tides that washed it up have long since moved to other shores.

Letting The Sunshine In

Their makeshift curtains are visible from the path And my windows are stark in comparison Too high to show into my soul Where my bare windows make more sense: That heat pooling in at 4 in the afternoon Falls directly on my sorrows And is the only thing that reminds me of home.

On the Distribution of One’s Heart

On the Distribution of One’s Heart (A Haiku Quintet) I had given my heart to someone who didn’t know how to hold it. Instead, they cradled it like an adolescent with a stranger’s child: awkward and uneasy, with a fear of falling head first and snapping. I gave my heart to someone who didn’t quite want it and was surprised when they gave it back. They said to keep it safe, but their fingers left bruises.

Drowning

Drowning (A Haiku Pair) I am drowning. You have oversaturated me, but I need it. You overwhelm me. I gasp for air but choking never felt so good.

The Sea

The waves sang the same siren song that had lulled me to sleep as a child and I swore that this time I fathomed them I tasted the subtle warmth of the salt in the air And I let the openness of the water trick me into thinking I could grasp her But as the grey of dusk fell away into night the dark of the sea stopped revealing the secrets of her depths It was then that I learned the truth We never stop fearing the unknown