Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day


I wonder at the inner workings of your mind,

Your true intentions at the start,

Remain unknown to me, even now.




For Valentine's Day, you cut out my heart

And placed it on your empty plate.

By candlelight, you carefully carved it

Into a thousand little pieces,

But upon tasting the tenderness,

Decided it was not to your liking.




While I, left with only this hollow place

Where my heart once was, so full of life

And love, could only watch helplessly,

As you scraped your plate clean of me.

The remains falling away, one by one,

Coldly discarded, like just so much trash.




Waiting for some words of comfort from you,

Wanting to know what was to become

Of our long anticipated love,

I sat silently, as the candles continued

To burn, their soft light casting long shadows

Over the once romantic scene.






You never returned to the table,

Choosing instead to leave, taking

The truth with you, and leaving me alone

To wonder, and watch while hot wax dripped

Onto the table, as the flame slowly died,

And the room descended into darkness.




Silence is a painful and wicked weapon,

And one you know how to use well,

A highly specialized form of torture,

Reserved for the especially cruel.


MWA
041507

Shroud of Gray

A Shroud of Gray



A shroud in every shade of gray

Wraps my world in shadows.

The bitter cold wind blows,

And cuts straight to the bone

Exposing to the elements

All that lies within.




The bruised heart bleeds too freely,

The uncertain soul seeks answers,

Until, in the end

All peace of mind is lost,

As the fury of the storm

Rages all around.




Seeking shelter, I choose solitude.

Self imposed confinement,

Until these dim days pass

And the dark clouds break

Something other than my spirit,

Which is now so profoundly wounded.




Search not for me, my friend,

For I long to be left alone,

To seek my solace in silence

And with painstaking effort

Attempt to piece back together

What is left of what once was.

MWA
071507

At the Edge of the Sea

At the Edge of the Sea

Standing still at the edge of the sea,
The smell of salt hangs heavy in the air,
And as the scent of it enters my mind,
I suddenly feel so alive.
So very alive.

The surf softly swirls all around me,
The water making its way back out to sea,
And as the sand shifts beneath my feet,
I suddenly feel so unsteady.
So very unsteady.

Yet, this is the way of life,
Always in motion,
Ever changing.

With each passing second,
Life is altered,
Never to be the same
As it was
Just a moment before.

I've learned to adjust my stance,
To suit the new conditions,
Shifting with the sand,
Working with the sea,
Instead of against it.

This is the one lesson
That we all must learn,
Again and again.

To be embrace the unknown,
To be at peace with the unpredictable,
To move with all that surrounds us.
There is great joy to be found
In the surprises unseen.

Let the swirling sea surround you.
Let the sand shift beneath your feet.
Feel the rhythm that is life.

Trust in the wisdom of the world.
It is as it was meant to be.

MWA
082807

Requiem for Love

Requiem for Love



When darkness blinds from deep within
Sound becomes the primary sense
And the melody of memory
All the more meaningful

The disconcerting strains
Of our long forgotten song
Resurface without warning
Reminding me again

The nocturne is no more
Our resonance has been replaced
By a libretto of lament
A requiem for love

MWA
091907

Eclipse

Eclipse

Softly, morning's first light
Shone on the distant horizon,
While below, the earth in flight
Was spinning towards tomorrow;

Fading into the night,
and the dark recesses of memory,
Yesterday, once so bright,
and all that came before,

Was eclipsed by the sight
Of the brilliant approaching star.
In an instant, its white
Hot fire illuminated all existence,

Leaving me blinded
By the beauty of it all.

Ascending

Ascending



Put me to the test.
Do your worst,
Then your best.
I need not be first.

Make me dip into
Untapped reservoirs of strength,
Dig deep into
The dark recesses of my soul,
Prove that I am here
For the full length
Of the journey,
And that my role
Is ever changing.

I am not static
But ascending,
Acrobatic,
Never ending.

mwa
021308

Oh

Oh



Oh, but were I a sorceress,
Possessor of some secret spell,
Capable of casting enchantment
On the object of my desire,

Creator of confusion
Completely in control,
Then would I be so bold
As to confess my love.

Oh, but I am a mere mortal,
Steward of the still tongue,
Unable to utter even a word
To he who does not know.

MWA
021408

What I Have Left

What I Have Left

I surround myself
With a million means
Of silent speech
Paper and pen,
Paint and palette knife,
Lights, camera,
Action

All intended
To fill
The empty hours
To fill
The endless void
Left in my life
By the absence
Of reason.

In the process I
Pour what remains
Of the thin
Liquids of life
Blood, sweat,
And tears

Onto the page
Spread them

Across the canvas
Instill them
Into the image

And do what
I can
With what
I have left.

MWA
031908

Do You

Do You



Do you ever wonder
What might have been
If you had done this
Instead of that

What might have been
If time or place
Had been something
Other than what it was

And where you would be
Now, if you had the chance
To make your choices
Better informed
Better prepared


Uninformed
Unprepared
I stumble blindly
Trying to feel my way
Forward…

MWA
041108

The Puzzle

To hell with it
I am just too tired
Of trying
To figure it out

Working from the outside
In, piecing together
The smooth edges
Matching pattern and color

Carefully constructing
What I convince myself
Will be a complete
And perfect picture

Only to find
The most important
Pieces of the puzzle
Were lost long ago


MWA
081208

Sfumato

Sfumato

To understand
Life's mysteries

Stand back and see
The overall effect
Of overlap
And underlay

Come too close
And clarity is lost
For there is no
Definition

No bold outline
Nothing clear
Or cut and dried
Only the soft

Suggestion
Of what is
Here and now
And yet to come

MWA
112108

In Sleep

In Sleep
In sleep, I slowly drift
Towards nowhere
I know,
Though I have been there
So many times before.
A place of silence,
Sweet serenity
I feel,
Though all around me
Others work their magic.
Awake, I am aware
Of providence,
I am
Whole again once more.
So much to live for.


MWA
121808

Conventional Wisdom

Conventional Wisdom

I find myself
Asking, all too often…
Is there time
Left?
Is the time
Right?
To ask you…
Why you
Left?
When it was so
Right?
I want to ask…
But then again,
No.
Because what I don't
Know…
Won't hurt me?
Or so they say…
Right?
So again I am
Left…
Alone, with my question...
Thinking, that in this case,
Conventional wisdom just might be
Wrong.


MWA
122708

Moments

Moments


There are moments,
Small and silent,
That fall
Between the cracks
And crush
Of time
And tasks
Undone

And I realize
The rush
Is self inflicted.

There are moments,
Soft and solemn,
I stand
Beneath the trees
To hush
My mind
To hear
The whisper


Of the wind
Amongst
The leaves.

There are moments,
Few and far between,
Of reverence
And respect
For my small place
In the scheme
Of things

And I am awed
By the beauty
That surrounds me.

Lately
I find
I need
More

Moments
Like these.


MWA
080509

The Fallen Petal

The Fallen Petal


So much time
Lost
In the myriad
Of mysteries

The jumbled
Puzzle pieces
Failing to form
A photograph
Of the past

And in the present
There are

Days spent
Trying to remember
How it all began

Nights spent
Trying to forget
How it all ended

These endless actions are
Nothing more
Than the delicate dissection
Of memories misplaced

Empty hours
Reminiscent of

The vase
Once filled with
Purple iris
And pink roses

Still
The fallen petal
Waits

Remembering
The moment


Of beauty
Of grace
Of promise
Unfulfilled

The fragrance
Now so faded
Lingers yet

In the mind
Lost
In the myriad
Of mysteries.



~MWA
122609