set in stone

i'd surround myself with silence
if i could find it on my own time
away from words i've never heard
faces i've found only by myself
this is what everybody talks about
like living behind the me i've been
wanting what's been washed away
with careless and calloused changes
and heavy hearts taken too lightly.

yes, that's exactly what i am

erosion goes unnoticed by naked eyes
and remains unseen for days gone by
but damage is done nevertheless
though it's less like pain and more like caress.

x marks the spot

it seems simple enough to follow footsteps set out
leading down long lifelines and crossing courses
never straying from red lines and blueprints bold
but nevertheless leading you in circles inconsistent
with unconsciousness as your compass of control
and conscience compromised your failing sails
keeping this sinking ship afloat for reasons wrong
while winds whisper words of wisdom unheard.

rubbing the mud on my own eyes

don't expect to find a formula
for the feelings and the facts
the way in which they interact
and the way one ought to act
regarding wrong and right and wrong
while singing songs of lifelong love
and knowing not what you speak of
or how to tell a hawk from dove
because they're above and we're below
never knowing where to go
or what to show of what you're feeling
if it will help or hurt the healing
can't even tell the floor from ceiling
because i've blended facts and feeling.

how the load lightens my lungs

is it empathy when it's forced on me
and i can't control what weight i pull?
lightening her load while i watch mine grow
but i don't feel forced, in fact i'm fine
because watching that smile is worth the work
and calling it work seems a tad absurd
because i've never met a man with half a mind
who loved his labor to such lengths or likes
that he'd rather run than rest his legs
when he hasn't slept or sat for days.

morning air

listening to lost songs
from times left behind
reflecting memories
on the mirror of my mind
painting by number
the photographs snapped
years in advance.

piece it all together

so busy building i forgot
that taking a break is better
than not stopping sometimes
because the bricks tend to tumble
when i don't take my time
to look back over what i've built
and see if the small part i can see
fits within the framework
of the foundation that i've formed
and the walls i'm writing.