I arrived in California with a whisper in my ear.
“All you have to do is save the world, little Darling, have no fear.” Step by step, I climbed the mountaintop where stars all kissed the sky And found a place beyond the trees, where I began to try - I thought if I could save you, the world would be saved too. So, I picked a dozen flowers, and I carried them to you. "Take these flowers, breathe them in, and grow if you can." A tear rolled down your cheek with the flowers still in hand. "You stole a life." You said to me, as you plucked leaves from the stems. And wove a thread through every one and hung them in the wind. You must not take from those that need, you shan't give to those who merely want. It offsets the balance of the universe, and that balance is all we've got. Impulsive actions breed regret. I hadn't thought it through. The world was my mission, yet I was pining over you. I raised my voice beyond the skyline. Called out to the valleys below. Intelligence is freedom. They can't understand what they don't know. So down the mountain I began to trek, much slower than the climb. Treading lightly not to destroy the earth, her words fresh in my mind. The world is so much bigger than the spread of our four wings. In truth, I wasn't saving her - maybe she was saving me.
0 Comments
(Inspired by Amy walker's "Tribe.")
“Free your soul. Find your tribe. Because life is wild.” She says. My heart is pounding. I am crazy. So is she. Together we run. Smoke billowing Through the air Circling us like Promises. These days are long But the weeks short And with you I am unstoppable. The ocean held us Arm in arm. And now it Tears us apart. But your faith Recognizes mine. It is a beautiful thing To keep without reason. Israel to Los Angeles I love you And I mean it. You are never alone. Miles nor years Could keep me from you. Memories are only A thought away. The plane engine roars, a reminder this is not my forever home.
You’re not here with me, but I still feel you resting on my arm. It’s strange how a face in the crowd that I’ve seen so many times, becomes the solitary face that I can’t get off my mind. You’re a mountain climbing gypsy, with flowers in your hair. A rough and tumble hipster, with intelligence to spare. Many times in history I’ve tried to shape the woman, wild and fair. But you have shown me that my wildest dreams still cannot compare. Never in my life did I think you could exist Until the night we laid in your bed answering questions from the list. As you approached the last one, you sighed with hesitation. You said quietly “It’s tough for me to get close to anyone.” A tear rolled off your cheek, as I struggled to breathe. Mesmerized by this woman whose soul was staring back at me. I pulled you against my chest, and held you while you cried. In awe of how much emotion rested beyond those deep brown eyes. You have this wall of separation that you’ve built around your heart. It’s the only thing you trust to keep you from falling apart. I’m not here to tear it down. I just want to be let in. To show you how much I care. To prove you’ll always have a friend. I know you don’t want to let me. I know you had rather walk away. And the distance makes it easier to let me go after today. But if you can find it in yourself to give this southern belle a chance, I know that I could show you something far more than just romance. It’s that day to day activity, a partner for everything. Falling for your best friend, even without a wedding ring. A promise to always be there, through the thick and through the thin. And to never let you feel that kind of broken pain again. You’re worth so much more than you’ve ever given yourself credit for. But I can’t be certain that anyone’s told you that before. You told me not to wait, and I said I wasn’t going to. But the truth is I’m not sure there’s anyone else out there like you. There’s a million ways you might take this. I’ve considered every one. From the hopeful “Yes, I feel it too,” to the “Holy shit” before you run. But that night you told me honesty was the most important thing. So, today I’ll take a chance with these words of poetry. It’s not the first time someone hasn’t shown up when they said they would, but it’s the first time that you’ve asked me out since we started fucking again. I grab the vegetables. Dice away, as I watch other people fall in love on television.
It is nighttime. I am alone. A text comes through from a beautiful woman that I dated when she was still a girl. We ended poorly, but she tells me that she doesn’t regret the time that we spent together. Neither do I. Her smile felt like sunshine. She was the closest thing that I’d ever found to home, but she was headed East and myself West, and time wasn’t slowing down for a weekend romance. She never knew I fell along the way. |
Tennessee Martin
|