Untamed Hearts Illuminated by Streetlights

We’re born into this
into this maelstrom —this calamity of existence—
with only our hearts to guide us
We cling together, you and I,
in our lifeboat of uncertainty
Making port in bars, bookstores, and backseats of cars
Anywhere where we can feel our self.
Feel love.
Feel the thrill of life, being alive,
before the claws of reality pull us back.

We never asked to be born
so the least they could do is
let us live how we’d like

And we owe it to ourselves—to out hearts—
to live.
That way.
As long as we can.
And run when someone tells us to stop

Living the Nightmare of the W2 Collective

Days moved along
In a brutal, but accurate pace
I felt every minute
Every hour
And I wore it all on my face
These wrinkles and gray hairs
have become the war paint of our kind
The W2 tribe
Working so hard
But still so far behind

Forty hours a week
Then rinse and repeat
Pay check to paycheck
just to make the ends meet
Then when you make them meet
you can have two days off
Maybe stretch it to three, if you can fake a good cough

Who Are Your Heroes

Who are you heroes
And are they dead
Or are they very much alive
inside of your head
Or do they dwell deep in your heart
Or do they only survive for the sake of art

Who are your heroes
And what do they inspire
Do they light the flame
Or do they stoke the fire
When you hear their words, does your ribcage rattle
Do they push you to love, or more toward battle

If your heroes knew they were your heroes
Would they even be proud
Would you stick out to them as someone better than the rest of the crowd
Would they be happy, or sad, with how you’re turning out
Do their lessons and examples shed the light
Or just cast longer shadows of doubt

Candescent Glows of the Eremite

“I’m too wild to be chained to one place”
she said
”More like feral”
I responded
She took another sip of her tea and laughed a little

The sun cut through the misty morning
and the untamed ringlets of her hair
I could see that she was still smiling from my smart mouth, but also holding back
”Come on” I said “It’s not so bad here”
and motioned to my simple set up, and alluded to scenery of the surrounding valley

She pushed her hair back behind her ears then, and stretched
extending her arms over her head while arching her back

I admired how her shirt rose up to meet her ribcage
and how her hips poked out from the elastic waistband of her harem pants

“No, it's not so bad here,”
she admitted
”shitty company though”
We both smiled at that
and I laughed for a minute
She licked her lips just before looking over to make eye contact with me.
”But the beds are comfortable, and the blankets are warm and cozy.
I suppose I could stay a bit longer.”