It was winter
And like the snow falls to the ground
I fell for you

Dressed in all
The bright reds and pinks
Warding off the seasons darkness
You walked along, gazing at the ground
Of course I followed

It was winter
And like the day falls into the night
I fell for you

Dressed in all
The fresh smells of spring
You held your hands, holding in your warmth
As it thawed the air around you
Of course I followed

I just wanted you to smile
When your lips were exhausted
And pick up
Your head when it was down

But I’m exhausted
And the cold has me down

I wrote this poem for you because
you smoked your cigarette
sitting on those steps in
just
the
right way
was it the smoke
or your breath
I saw in the brisk air
coming out of your mouth?
I’ll never know
but
I wanted to bottle it up
and watch it
change
colors in the setting sun

I wrote this poem for you because
you had a nose stud
that sparkled in
the
fading
daylight
like your laugh
in the warm record store
like your eyes
when you mistook me
for being in college
like your fork
as you ate another bite
of your apple pie
with cherry topping

I wrote this poem for you because
you talked to me
like I was your friend
and I don’t even
know
your
name

It was autumn
And like the leaves fall to the ground
I fell for you

Dressed in your
Burnt oranges and light browns
Those skintight sweaters and ankle boots
With their zippers undone and patterns exposed
Did I ever stand a chance?

It was autumn
And like the Earth falls into the sun
Your gravity pulled me in

Dressed in all
Your little giggles and slight smiles
Those hazel eyes averting mine
And your hand that would fit so well intertwined
Did I ever stand a chance?

I just wanted to stop you
When you said you can’t
And hold you
Until you knew you could

But I can’t
And I never could

These painted faces
Haven’t seen many places
A dusty shelf they call their home
A fake self is all they have known
They dress up and make up and
In the morning they wake up
All alone on their shelves
All by their lonesome selves

These painted faces
Will tell you what “good” taste is
Their smiles are painted on
Their happiness is long gone
But they know how to get what they want
They know how, where and what to flaunt

These painted faces
Are all dressed up in laces
They play with their food
Always in the mood
To play with their toys
And play with their boys

These painted faces
Have many shallow graces
Have one shape and one size
Have malice in their eyes
And have hearts full of lies,
But painted faces are lonely
Because in the end they only
Ever come home
To shallow, hollow selves
And shallow, hollow lies
To dusty, empty shelves
And dusty, empty lives

It was so easy to smile
For the photos being taken
So easy laughing
For the ears always listening
It was so easy acting

(For you)
               (For me)
                             (For us)
               (For you)
(For me)

And now the smiles and laughs
This whole relationship act
Stare me in the face
In this sacred place
Where my writing is born
Now so hurt and so full of scorn
And the tears, all my hidden fears
Are all so crystal clear
Through the photo frame glass
All our hopes and dreams are dashed but
It’s so easy to smile
For the photos being taken
So easy laughing
For the ears always listening
It’s so easy acting

(For you)
               (For me)
                             (For us)
              (For you)
(For me)

Like I’m happier than ever

(For you)

We looked to our gods
As they stood
Upon pedestals of glass
Humming their lullabies
In our opened ears

We learned their prayers
Sang their hymns
Spoke their words
Knew their sins

We lost ourselves in their heaven
But were still standing on the ground
We marched to their beat
Keeping our heads up in times of doubt

They opened our minds
They opened our hearts

We flocked by the hundreds every night
To look up at the stars
So we moved as one body
When they said
Fall to your knees-- We knelt
Get to your feet-- We stood
Put up your hands-- We reached

Towards them
Our faulted stars
Our pretty princes
Our ****** queens

We heard the word
And carried it to our world
It wasn’t long before we returned
With our friends close behind

We shared their stories and their lessons
As our idols stood there in angelic light

We flocked by the thousands every night
To look up at the stars
We flocked by the thousands every night
In the cities, in the streets
No one left in a seat
We placed our trust in the hands of prophets
Who told us that
Every decade is the Teen Age
So we drank their wine
Broke their bread
We took it all in
Buying into a new reality
Re-making ourselves in their image

We were lost
But now are found
And all the while
We’re still standing on the ground

Looking up
Still waiting in line at the gates
Still paying admission
Still hoping to find our way to sainthood
So that we might

Laugh and cry together
Die, but live forever

At least in memory
And look down from on high

As they flock by the millions every night
To look up at the stars