"The Wisdom of a Tree"

Have you ever looked
At a single tree…
An object of total beauty?

Have you ever seen
The way parts of it
Are growing and flourishing,
While other parts of it
Are dead or dying…
Old, dry and brown?

This, to me is symbolic,
And dripping with a lesson
We could all learn:

Life and death,
Mortal enemies…
Yet somehow
They have learned
To work together…
They have learned that
Neither of them 
Can exist without the other…
That they can share space,
And still do the job
For which they were created…
And do it
Splendidly…

Why can't we?


"Ride…"

Let's pretend we are a carnival
Full of exciting rides…
Let's mount each one of them…
And hang on, baby
For dear life…

Let's live for the thrill of it
For the moment
Oh so divine…

I'll be the Ferris wheel
You can be the coaster…
Let's do this, baby…
Faster, faster…

Reach inside of me
The way only you can…
Take anything you want-
Everything I am
It's all yours anyway,
You-
The reason I was born…
Release me darling…
Let me take on that new form…

A caterpillar…
A chrysalis…
A butterfly reborn…

As we reach that peak, darling
Let's not look down…
Let's close our eyes
Ride, ride, ride
Round and round…
Faster and harder
'Til we can take no more…
Oh my god…

THIS is what I've been living for!



"Gilded Cage"

From the outside
It looks as if you
Have it made
From the inside
You know you're living
In a gilded cage…

I was not there
The day he made you his…
Did you know
As you walked down the aisle
It would all turn out like this?

As you promised to love him
Forever and a day…
Did you know
You were really
Giving your soul away?

You've tried and you tried
To be the perfect wife
And in doing so
You've given so much of 
Your life…

You try to stretch your wings
Maybe fly…
Be free…
But he thwarts you
Controls you…
Can't let you be…
A life,
No longer beautiful
But full of misery…

The soul within you
Screams in rage…
God, how you would love
To even momentarily
Step from your gilded cage

You cannot
You will not
There is no way…
You promised to love him
Be there for him
Never walk away…

You're doomed forever
To live in your tiny
Gilded cage…

I know,
I hear you
As you say
"It's okay-
He loves me…
Takes care of me…
Meets my every need…"

My question is still
There,
Will forever remain…
If this is true,
My friend…
Then why does your soul
Scream to be free?

Yes, 
From the outside
It looks as if you have it made…
But I,
Someone who loves you
Can see
You're living in a gilded cage…



"The Missing"

As long as I live
I don't think I'll ever understand
How people can come 
Into your life…
And fill your 
Head/heart/soul
With promises
Then turn around
And without second thought
Leave

Without saying a word

Do they-
The missing-
Not understand
The damage they do?

Do they-
The missing-
Not realize
That there ARE still people
In existence
Who forget humans
Know how to lie?

Such pain
The missing
Have caused me…
Such heartache
And sorrow…

Perhaps I should
Conform
Become more like
The missing…
Perhaps this should become
My motto:

I'll love you tonight…
I'll love you forever
Our two souls
Will truly unite…

But this promise,
Like forever
Expires tomorrow.


"I Love You Doesn't Mean I Love You Anymore"

I remember the day
You told me 
You loved me-
How the magic filled the air.

I was so happy,
Completely filled with joy…
Thinking, "At last
I've found someone…
Someone who understands
And truly cares…"

Well, I love you 
Doesn't mean
I love you
Anymore.

I don't understand-
Where you've gone,
Why you had to go-
Why you couldn't say goodbye.

I guess I love you doesn't mean
I love you 
Anymore.

Do you hear my soul screaming?
Calling out your name?
It is in agony-
It doesn't understand
This pain…

It doesn't know that
I love you
Doesn't mean
I love you
Anymore.

I guess 
I love you means
I'll hurt you-
Every single chance I get
And
I'll draw you in,
Take your heart,
Earn your trust,
And then suddenly disappear…

I love you 
Just doesn't mean
I love you
Anymore.

I wonder how I'll survive
With this new found knowledge
(I love you doesn't mean
I love you anymore)
On love my heart and soul
Thrives…
But it doesn't exist

Because 
I love you 
Doesn't mean
I love you 
Anymore.

Please god,
Take me here
And take me now-
I don't want to exist on a planet
Where 
I love you 
Doesn't mean 
I love you 
Anymore.


"The Other Woman"

The other woman-
It sounds so romantic…
Conjures up images
Of great passion-
A special love

One so great
It draws the attention
Of someone already taken

But
If you look
Just a little deeper
You will see
The reality:

The other woman
Has no rights-
Cannot question
Cannot be there
In times of need

If something happens
The other woman
Is the last one to know…

If her lover
Suddenly disappears-
She can only worry…
Can never know
Never learn
The truth
Or if it comes
It is secondhand…
Therefore questionable.

The other woman
Has the loneliest 
Of all lives…
The most painful

The arms that hold her
Cannot hold her forever…
Only intermittently…

The soul that has claimed hers
Can never be hers-
It belongs to another

The very love
That has set her free
Imprisons her
Because it can never
Truly be…

The other woman
Forever walks alone…

The other woman-
That's me.



"Madame X"

Anonymously
She comes to me
Enveloping me
In her mystery
Demanding my attention
Without a word being spoken

Quietly
She speaks to me
Shining so very little light
Onto her identity-
WHO she is,
But at the same time
Showing me her soul-
WHAT she is…

Enthralling me
Making me want to move closer
Closer to her-
Making me wish
So desperately
That I could reach out
To kiss her
Or touch her
And making me hope, 
So breathlessly,
That I find her lips/arms there
Waiting for me to fill them

How can this be?
I ask myself
How can this happen?
I want to know-

How can it come to pass
That you, 
Madame X-
My nameless, 
Faceless one-
Have managed
To steal my heart?

Please tell me,
Madame X,
I want to-
I have to-
Know.


"Goodbye Too Soon"

I got your email today-
The one where you told me
You were leaving…
You had to go…
You had been so wrong…

I cried as I read it
And I smiled as I read it
Cried because it hurt me
Smiled at the fate of it all:
Life-with all of her twists
And turns
Can be so rude…
So completely cruel.

I have no choice, my friend
But to "let you go"
You want to leave-
I can't make you stay…
My policy in life 
Is 
"Take no prisoners":
Pull no strings
Play no games
To make people stay…

I am saddened that our 
Friendship is over…
It seems it only just began…
There was so much 
Feeling there
Between you and I
So much intensity
Who wouldn't get scared?

Take these thoughts with you
As you leave, my dear…
Let them touch your heart
As you turn and walk away:

We were supposed to walk
Together,
Just a little longer…

We were supposed to share
Just a few more
Things

Our mission
Our purpose
The point of it all
Will forever
Be left unfulfilled…

I will miss you,
Truly miss you…

Our goodbye came
Before I was ready…
Prepared…
Our goodbye came
Way
Too 
Soon.


"The Sacred Place"

Open up the doors
Behind which your heart hides…
Let me walk around in there-
Let me peek inside.

I want to see
And feel
Those things which
Have made you who you are…

I want to kiss away
Your pain…
I want to make right
Every wrong that has ever
Been done you…

I want to return to your heart
Its wings 
That were clipped long ago…

And then, 
My friend, my love…
I want to watch you

Fly….


"No Shame"

I see the ring
Upon your hand-
The ring that tells me/
The world
You "belong" to another…

I feel as if 
I am being split in two…
My mind is telling me one thing
My soul another…

I meet you in our
"Special place"
I hold you close
Kiss your sweet lips
Dance with you
For awhile…

And somewhere
In the far, far distance
I hear a voice screaming
"Have you no shame?"

Have I no shame-
Distracting you from your lover?

Have I no shame-
Whispering my sweet seductions?

Have I no shame-
Feeling all that I can't help but feel?

I try, oh how I try-
To find the shame-
To feel it-
To own it-
Claim it-
Hoping that in doing so,
I might be repelled,
Able to look away…

But the shame,
It does not come…
And my heart-
It grows fonder…
Wanting to hold you 
Even closer
Dance with you
Even slower
Share kisses with you
More passionate…

Please do not blame me
Or think me weak…

You see, it is not my brain
But my soul
That is giving me…
No
No
No
No shame.