Take off the clothes

The hat, the shoes

Peel off the skin

The tissues, the nerves

Carve out the organs

The brain, the heart

And lay the bones bare

Free the soul

Let it speak for itself

Even if a whisper

It needs to speak

Just a little louder

Sit by it’s side

Just a little longer

Lean in

Just a little more

Listen

Let me hold

The flood of your tears

And the anguish in your heart

Just for one moment

Let me carry

The weight on your shoulders

And the burden of your nights

Just for one moment

Let me fight

Your fiercest demons

And your worst nightmares

Just for one moment

Let me be your muse

Your mirror

So you may see you

With my eyes

Just for one moment

Let me set you free

And let that fraction of time

Become your eternity

The moon must say it

To the last shining star

The ocean must whisper it

To the setting sun

Don’t go yet

I want more

Stay

Just a little longer

I still have breath in me

So I will speak

Will you stay and listen

Just a little longer

I am drunk but still aware

Unsteady but still standing

Will you fill my cup again

Just a little more

If we meet again

You may not know my face

You may not remember my name

You may not laugh the same

So, for just now

Please stay

Just a little longer

If you are the idol

On a high pedestal

I can bow down

And kneel and pray

I can revere

From a distance

I do not wish

To stand up or stay

If you are a stranger

Walking along

I can smile

And not fray

I do not wish

To stop or stay

If you are the God

And I the fallen angel

I remain the devil

In my own way

I do not wish

To rise or stay

If you are the sun

And I the ashes

I can scatter

My being away

I do not wish

To be whole and stay

If you are the wine seller

And I the drunk

Pour me a cup

And look away

I do not wish

To be seen or stay

Stay up there

So I may look up

For it is simpler

To adore

And want

Nothing more

For if you came down

And we were the same

My drunken words

Might give me away

Pay me no notice

Give me no thought

Whirling in

My drunken trance

I remain unseen

Let me stay

Like trying to hold water in my fist

Like trying to trap sunshine in my eyes

Like trying to bottle the morning breeze

Like trying to ride the clouds floating by

Silence is that water

That sunshine

That breeze

Around me always

But not caught with ease

Rewarding, not testing

Mocking nor sad

Wise and warm

Fulfilled and glad

The slow kiss of wine

The baring of soul

The glow of embers

The melting of gold

Silence teases and laughs

In wins and fails

Shows glimpses of self

Like the falling of veils

For I have now tasted

The silence of enough

I am hopelessly lost

Searching the rough

To know it once

Even just for a breath

Like having tasted blood

Like defying death

Searching and trying

To capture it again

Silence eludes me

I wander insane

The entire ocean in a drop

All of eternity in a moment

The grand universe in you

Your story in silence

In that one moment of silence

I am you

I become the ocean

Deep and immense

I become the universe

No borders to defend

I am eternity

No beginning or end

Leave a little space

At the bottom of the page

To come back to

Another day another time

Leave a lamp burning

At the end of the day

To glimmer in the dark

Despair of the night

Leave a little distance

At the end of the climb

To get back to

When the peak is defined

Leave a little wine

In the bottom of my cup

That I can stare into

So no one can see mine

Leave some things unsaid

At the end of day

To keep my heart whirling

Until the next time

A light goes out

With each moment

I die a little death

With each breath

The crash of a wave

The setting sun

The falling star

In a spiral burn

The leaf turned gold

The fire down to embers

The wind still and slow

The fire fly’s last glow

And then like magic

The next breath arrives

Born again

Like a new sunrise

The wave lifts up

The light shines bright

The flame burns high

A new bird takes flight

The wind rages again

To meet the mountain

A new bud starts to bloom

Life finds a fountain

This dying with each breath

And then rebirth in the next

I keep whirling back and forth

Finding eternity in the rest

If you kneeled down low

And sat on the floor

Had make believe tea

And then asked for more

Gingerly lifted the tiny cup

To your lips, and smiled

Complimenting lavishly

And unashamedly lied

….Today is for you

If you ever were brave

And sat in a low chair

Wincing inside, smiling outside

As she braided your hair

If you admired the choice

Of the mismatched clips

And looked into the mirror

Saw the wide smile on her lips

….Today is for you

If you stopped your frenzy

To sit down and listen

As he related uncomfortable touch

You saw the tears glisten

If you believed and said so

And stood tall next to him

Took on the world

And didn’t say it was his whim

….Today is for you

If you paused long enough

Before choosing to correct

Taught her to reason

To think and reflect

If you escaped the trap

Of feeling strong because you were tall

If you did not let your anger

Be unleashed on the small

….Today is for you

If you lived your own life

Without regret or remorse

And did your best

To share your own force

To pass on your own dreams

You resisted the temptations

Instead, let her truly

Set her own expectations

….Today is for you

If your mind filled with joy

And chest swelled with pride

You said it out loud

Did not feel the need to hide

If you lifted him on your shoulder

Held him up high

Gave him the conviction

He could touch the sky

….Today is for you

Happy Father’s Day!

(The Y chromosome is optional)

You are silent

Is it the silence of worry

That weighs on your mind

Or the quiet anguish

Of a broken heart

Is it an annoyed pout

Or an angry rebellious quiet

Or maybe and most likely

It is the silence of your wisdom

That knows that it knows

And does not need any more

Does not need to tell

Or hear

Of desires or dreams,

Complaints or concerns

Your silence is your reflecting pool

Complete and whole

Like you

I step back and look up

At your perfection

In your calm

I kneel before you, rise and walk on

I shall keep looking

For the one whose missing piece

I am

And until then

My wandering soul keeps walking

My restless words keep talking

Silence eludes me