Oil paintings garnish the walls of our enclosure Scents of bergamot and rosemary wafts all over Sweet string melodies serenade us through the gramophone Carnelian curtains hide us away so we can finally be alone You offer your hand out to me with a playful smile Deep sapphire eyes dazzle and beguile Despite all my sorrows, you are my treasure I keenly accept your gesture Pressing bodies begin to sway and dance Words are o...

Compassion, to him, came naturally He would consistently find empathy and humanity When circumstances were dire, he understood the gravity Rain, snow, or shine, he was there for his family Classic rock, motorcycles and adventures Sunday dinners, Christmas lights and scriptures Hockey, renovations and lectures He carries on in our hearts and pictures In times of strife, he constantly adapted Despite adversity, he never sta...

He sits wearily on a withered throne Rummaging through the consequences he had sown He cannot cast blame; His choices were his own Left to handle the destruction; alone Citizens cry out in the city streets An alarm reminding him of his defeats He grips the armrest as he recalls the deceits This king would trade everything for peace Men of the court bang on the oak doors Trying to cheer him up with booze and whores Riddled...

The road before you is perilous What lies beyond the fog is dangerous Legends of creatures ever so treacherous Shall you choose to be cautious or adventurous? Nothing can truly prepare you for this journey You pray that the gods may show you mercy Your hands shake as your heart fills with worry Shall you be triumphant or return on a gurney? Something just moved in the trees, You hope that it was only the breeze Yet your u...

How many times have I been here? One step forward, three steps back In my confusion, I’ve lost track Dragged further and further into the black The shadows have claws, they dig into my skin Biting at my flesh, sinking their teeth in My tenacity is wearing thin Will I ever escape the darkness within? This cycle began before my prime Should I let the rot consume me one last time? Shall this be my final rhyme? No, I just nee...

Across an extensive, moonlit labyrinth Intricate trials must be faced and won Innumerable traps hidden in hedges and plinths All to prove that you are my sun Stepping over immobile skeletons Past suitors who failed before me My darling, they are irrelevant For I shall gift you love as endless as the sea Navigating through winding paths Bones aching, muscles burning Focusing on the memory of your laughs You are worth a tho...

Riding the coattails of false hopes Hoax, Hoax, Hoax Illusions of a stable safety Built on a delusive contentment reality Hollow questions and responses Promises, Promises, Promises Devastation occurs even with good intentions Honeyed words fall flat without actions Shakes of excitement, quivers of anticipation Expectations, Expectations, Expectations Fantastical plans without any initiatives Results in forlorn alternativ...

Stories of your illumination were once told Across the land and sea of old A man carved out of sunlight A disciple sent from Apollo to end the night You travelled across rivers, deserts and mountainous terrain To condensed cities and vast planes Providing shelter from darkness Smiting blights who dared to harm us Word spread across the globe Of a hero who wore a sun-etched robe “Lightbearer! Sun-Walker! Lifebringer!” We’d...

I was akin to darkness Secluded from the norms Disconnected from conventions Until you lit a match It sparked up the world around me Casting shadowed figures That foretold of endless possibilities A chance for invigorating adventures However, I did not foresee, That you would toss the match at me Igniting the clothing I wore Burning away layers like never before The cloth quickly turned to ash on my skin You sat back watc...

Play for me your unwritten melody Be authentic as you tickle the ivory Reveal yourself with each note unabashedly Entrance me with your musical honesty Play for me haphazardly Free yourself from the confines of conventionality Sing your reality off-key Hypnotize me with raw poetry Play for me your harmonious art Worry not if you’re witty or smart Worry not if you do not sound like Mozart Simply strum the strings of your h...

Clinging onto faded photographs Rigid poses that were choreographed Blurred bodies and echoed laughs Locked in stasis for a time and a half A mirror to glance into the past Sparking memories specific and vast Faces of Youth gone too fast Fleeting moments were never meant to last A tool invented allows us to remember Sunsoaked summers and chilled Decembers Waves of joy and hearts in embers A time conserved together Hollowe...

Bones roast on an open fire Bile boils in a cauldron Grind my teeth to dust Add a pinch of despair to the potion Twitch in my eye Tug at my skin Gnaw in my stomach Bitter tongue in my sour mouth Nails ripping off skin Shivers of disgust Pangs of envy Doubts warp into distrust Tar builds up in my arteries Steadily spreading through my body Constricting my motion Restricting my expression Viewing the world through candy-gre...

I recall a time when I used to view the future clearly Planned out every minute detail purposefully To ensure my life was lived successfully I laid every brick intentionally Nothing could have prepared me, When the boulder rolled down the hill suddenly And when I turned around, the space it once held was empty I broke out into a sprint attempting to halt the inevitability Fixated on the chase, I could not see A cavernous...

I pigeonhole myself in these roles Forcing circles into square holes Pursuing hearts that are unspeakable Clinging onto the unfeasible Contorting to fit their mold Yearning to be worthy enough to hold Breaking every bone in my body In hopes that they’ll find value in me Unable to unshackle myself from this pattern Unable to stop riding the rings of Saturn Swallowing air without oxygen, repressing heartburn While assuring...

He seduces smoke silhouettes Compensating for the loss of his duet Desperately attempting to see past the vignette During lonely hours, he clings to his rosette He lies among the ashes Memories splatter through his mind in splashes Perceiving a monster through rose-colored glasses As every ounce of trust leaks out of emotional gashes He quests for human connection To quell his dichotomy, he turns to physical affection Doi...