apprehension. anxiety.
breathlessness. bliss.
catastrophe. cunning. chance.
doubt. denial. desire.
ecstasy. elation. envy.
fright. flirtation. fiasco.
guarding. glance.

A fantasy series,
a fictional dream,
the hook to my novel,
my thesis, my theme.

A folktale, an epic,
an essay, a play,
a climax, a conflict,
a word-splattered page.

with you
hours pass like minutes
and days as long as years

with you
outbursts of devotion
fuel the fires of my fears

with you
at times, a stark enigma
perspicuously clear

with you

“What are spoken words but foolishness, hanging densely in the empty air, like smoke in a humid place?

three in the morning
sprawled across the floor
soaking up stale clichés buried in the rug.
words long forgotten,
meaningless, overzealous little quirks
bring me comfort on nights like this.

Yet another teenage crisis
stretched, distorted, blown out of proportion.
Hearts oozing. Synthetic frenzy.
Spotlight! shine down and blind them.

Stretched, distorted, blown out of proportion,

Your vile deceit and pretense
Casts shadows on my name
Cry out to pristine angels for
I've beat you at your game.

I conquered you in daylight
I've vanquished you in dreams

two hearts
each beating like a slackened drum
across the cosmos
melding into the milky way
swirling in the star-jutted sea.

two hands
reaching, grasping, seeking
locked in the moment

If patience is a virtue, I'm corrupt.
My tolerance runs low at best, it seems.
This mounting tension threatens to erupt;
I wish that I could shake you from my dreams.

STRUGGLINGTOSEEWHATTHE
TEACHERHASWRITTENONTHE
COLDDARKCHALKBOARD.ALL
OFTHE
WORDS
AREJU
MBLED
ANDBL
URRED.
ONEUN
CLEAR
PICTU
RETHATICANNOTDECIPHER.
EYESBURNINGHASTYTEARS

The rules of mathematics don't apply
to love and pain. For then, my friend, you'd see
that a+b should not be undefined,

but a+b should equal you + me.
Moreover, you are blithely unaware

the key lime pie my father made
has been sitting in the freezer
for weeks.
i never particularly cared for
that key lime pie my father made.
limes are tart and
pies mushy.

darkness falls on spruce street
punctured by the glow of lonely apartments
and oncoming traffic
while starry-eyed hopefuls are courted by the shadows of the evening.