A Simple Seashell

A single candle lit the room

where many of our nights prevailed.

Enough light to reveal

the soft curves and the warm glow

of her naked body.

Enough light to expose the details

of the small seashell

she wore around her neck

on a thin silk ribbon.

It was a shell I had found for her

on our first walk by the ocean.

It was a simple seashell

very smooth, highly polished.

It had a golden translucent hue

with a naturally worn hole

where she attached the black silk ribbon.

She wore the shell everywhere

and every day

right up until the day she left.

She left it hanging from the rear view mirror of my truck

where it hung for a time

reminding me of her beauty

and of the pain of her departure.

It hung there until my next visit to the ocean

where I held it in my hand for a minute

before relinquishing it back into the sea. 

Always The Same Questions

a simple glance
instant romance
hoping for
an honest chance
a second look
is all it took
write your number
in my book
the slightest touch
I’m in your clutch
hold my tongue
don’t say too much
a little attention
no apprehension
my thoughts defy
all comprehension
Am I too needy?
Am I being greedy?
Are my emotions
just too speedy?
How can this last?
Am I type cast?
Why do I fall
in love so fast?
How do I feel?
Is this real?
Is this just simply
sex appeal?
Happy ending,
just pretending,
or is a new romance
impending?

Rainbows At Night

searching for things that just aren’t there
things I can’t find anywhere
but I keep looking just the same
I think that she might be to blame

she keeps me seeking things that can’t be
like a meaningful relationship between her and me
I’m looking for something I just don’t see
like a spark of compassion or some sympathy

but I keep on trying to figure her out
and keep giving her the benefit of doubt
she’s not there yet but someday she might
while I go on searching for rainbows at night

Denial

I know that she is into me
although it is hard to tell
she never even looks my way
she hides it very well

she walks right by
she doesn’t smile
she never stops
to talk a while

pretends she doesn’t
know my name
can’t fool me
I know her game

she’s into me
it’s plain to see
I’ll wear her down
eventually

how long, who knows
this ruse will last
we’ll be together
once it’s past

it won’t be long
just wait and see
oh, I can tell
she’s into me

Perfect

I thought that she was perfect
until she pointed out her flaws to me
which made her all the more perfect

Mistaken Love

An oversight of self-admission,
mistaken love, misguided vision
but fallacies were so exciting
filled with grace and so inviting.
Reality with such intrusion
made me ponder my illusion.
The eternal love I’d waited for
was just a dream and nothing more

Basement Apartment

it was dark, it was small
just a hole in the wall
we could hear all the sounds of the street
but the time that we spent
and affordable rent
made us forget about walls of concrete

So, we made it our own
and we called it a home
though we still couldn’t wait to get out
but with our lack of space
packed in our little place
we learned what true love was about

but that was the past
and it just couldn’t last
now, we live in a big house of wood
when I think of those days
of our underground stays
all the memories I have are all good

A Small Stone

A small stone sits on a lonely shore
nestled in the silent sand,
but soon the tide approaches
and the stone, encompassed, embraced,
disappears from sight.
The sea retreats as gently as it came
leaving behind a smooth, clean , beach.
I am that stone.
Your love is the sea.

Tattoo

might have been a childish thing to do
but I threw away all my pictures of you
trashed all the letters that you sent
box and all, the whole content
ticket stubs from our first date
I remember how I couldn’t wait
the birthday cards, little love notes,
all the poems you ever wrote
every gift you ever gave
there’s nothing that I want to save
nothing left to remind me of you
but my memories and this damn tattoo

Poker Face

if you have any feelings
you’ve hid them from me
I look in your eyes
but there’s nothing to see
I ask pointed questions
they act as a test
but you hold your cards
so close to the vest
I really can’t tell
if there’s anything there
with your great poker face
and your solemn, blank stare
so, I come out and ask you
as straight as can be
if you have any feelings
in your heart for me
“the game isn’t over”
is what you reveal
“if you want to keep playing
then shut up and deal”

Stolen Property

I trusted  you with my possessions
never thought you’d steal my stuff
now I’m waiting for your confessions
hoping things don’t get too rough

all I want is my property back
return the things you stole from me
although I really didn’t keep track
and don’t expect an apology

the goods which are of most concern
my sense of humor and my sanity
and while you’re at it please return
my heart, my soul and my dignity

Cloaking Device

living in obscurity
right in plain sight
living in oblivion
in broad daylight
surviving right before your eyes
not as if you even care
living life without disguise
you don’t even know I’m there
cast no shadow, no reflection
doesn’t matter what I do
like being in witness protection
living right in front of you
the only down side I can see
with my new found invisibility
is that even if I beg or plea
you’re just not able to see me

Chasing Unicorns

better leave me alone
I’ve had a rough day
I’ve been out looking
for things nobody else can see
I’ve been chasing unicorns
I’ve been searching for leprechauns
looking for pixies , elves and gnomes
pursuing  fairies, seeking an imp
ok, maybe I don’t believe in these things
but she does and I believe in her

You Are

You’re the dog that ate my homework 
You’re the fish that stole my bait
You’re the reason I’m so tired 
You’re the girl my parents hate

You’re the pebble in my sneaker 
You’re the stain that’s in my bed
You’re the handprint on my window
You’re the song stuck in my head

You’re the monster in my closet 
You’re the gum stuck in my hair 
You’re the snack I crave at midnight
You’re the knock when no one’s there

You’re the spider in my shower 
You’re the cork in my Chablis
You’re the nail stuck in my tire
You’re the reason I am me

Same Old Words

I have to use the same old words
to say things you’ve already heard
I can only string them together
hoping this time comes out better
and the message can get through
although the words say nothing new
I’ll send my feelings off to you
and hope you feel the same way too
well here goes my latest try:
in with love you fell I

Blue Moon

didn’t really mean anything
it was just the tequila
that’s what we said
our last real kiss
so long ago
it was your birthday,
it was a blue moon
almost twenty years later
another blue moon
on your birthday again
and I’m writing about that kiss
that didn’t really mean anything

The Awakening

She woke me with a whisper, not a shout
reminding me what life was all about
of all those things that I have lived without
since I was young and not so full of doubt

She woke me with a whisper, not a scream
made me realize I’m not too old to dream
Perhaps life is not so hollow as it seems
and we can help each other fill the gaps between

She woke me with a whisper, not a yell
I was awakened to the magic of her spell
Eventually, in love with her I fell
though I kept it to myself and did not tell

She woke me with a whisper, not a kiss
just another of those things I’ll have to miss
and find another way to reach my bliss
She may not be ready for a love like this

Placebo Effect

I didn’t get the real thing
what I had was fake
but my effects were genuine
and that was no mistake
the feelings that I had were real
the words I said were true
the information that was false
was what I got from you
you treated me with placebo
who knew that it would work?
I swallowed the lines you fed me
now I’m feeling like a jerk
all the things you told me
I believed them at the time
just words made out of sugar pills
but they made me feel so fine
now everything you tell me
I just assume is fake
no matter how sincere it sounds
it’s a bitter pill to take

Dance for Me

It would all be clear to me
I’d understand your history
unravel all your mystery
if only you would dance for me

Part of my philosophy
is never mess with destiny
let things happen naturally
and hope that you will dance for me

Locked inside my misery
only you can hold the key
maybe I could be set free
if only you would dance for me

Some things I may never see
places I may never be
when they write my biography
I hope they say you danced for me

Shades of Grey

She paints a picture just for me
with colorful intensity
in hues that never fade away
and paints them all in shades of grey

She talks to me in black and white
and things are either wrong or right
She always knows just what to say
and says it all in shades of grey

I sometimes wonder what is real
and often don’t know how I feel
but when I start to drift away
she pulls me back with shades of grey

She never wears the color red
but opts for white or black instead
and when she feels she wants to play
she dresses up in shades of grey

She simply lives life day to day
doesn’t have a debt to pay
she won’t let love get in her way
just lives her life in shades of grey

I look at her, to my surprise
find beauty in her emerald eyes
She looks at me from far away
I fear she just sees shades of grey