The nurse in blue
Is sick like the ones who go through
The doors each day, and all they say
Is help, I’m not well, but she tries to not dwell
On others’ emotions; poorly paid, no promotion
Just like her clothes, blue is her mood
She’s seen much death, and has no time for food
Then she gets worse, like the patients she’s taken
Cos she’s rushed off her feet, but do not be mistaken
She worse in herself, not in her job, it is safe
But push her too far, and you’ll leave it too late

There is a stone in my chest.
It is cold and
lodged in place.
Swallowed as spoonfuls of sugar turned solid halfway down-
-Something a quarter of a century has taught me is
family is fickle. There is no blood or bond thick enough to get around it.
Love is conditional. There is always such a thing as being too much for someone.
Hope is beautifully dangerous. It guides the frontal cortex and leaves the lobe, flawed.
In rose-colored glasses, all those red flags will just look like flags-

I rise early to darkness
Autumn winds carry leaves
To their eternal resting places
My cares are likewise swept away
Chasing leaf litter, coaxed into flight
An ancient archer’s angular stance
Patiently waiting with bow drawn
Bearing witness to the ages
Takes notice of my awakening

The way you looked at me made everything make sense
You held a grasp on me, a grasp I longed to keep
A grasp that hit me with something far too deep
I couldn’t comprehend it, the way I felt for you
It was real and far too true

I had a dream last night
I felt the warmth and bitter sweetness of your voice
The cadence spoke to me and maybe only me but it was my choice
To love you the way I did and for me to be so thoughtful
You didn’t deserve it, no
You didn’t deserve my affection
Not now not ever