How do you sit down and talk to your sister
and tell her that her Daddy has gone?
It's easier explaining the meaning of death
and why people die and draw their last breath.

But Daddy, he's gone to no peaceful heaven.
Instead he's in prison and serving a seven,
so how do you sit down and tell your own sister
the whys and the reasons her Daddy has gone?

"Listen, sis, you'll need to be strong.
Daddy has done something terribly wrong.
He's gone into prison for quite a long time,
and this is what happens when you commit crime."

"Daddy still loves us, he'll phone and he'll write,
ring you to wish you goodnight and sleep tight.
We can sit down together and write him a letter.
It'll make Daddy smile and make him feel better."

I tried telling my sister with emotional tact
the truth of the matter, but you can't hide the fact.
Her Daddy has gone and has gone for a while.
You can't say it with flowers or manage a smile.

So how do you sit down and talk to your sister
and answer her questions why Daddy has gone?
All you can do is just tell him your way
and pray to the Lord he'll be home soon one day.

he had this light in his eyes.
i never thought i would see “home” so vividly
until i looked into those eyes
those sweet brown eyes
filled with light.

i look into your eyes now
searching for the light he had
and i see nothing

i ask you thousands of questions
to understand you
like i understood him-
or so i thought i did-
but you say nothing

you make me smile
but not laugh like he did
volcanic eruptions of pure bliss
now valleys of yearning

i fear i’ve gone too far
and i can’t go back to him
what would he say anyways?
he still wouldn’t want me
though i was so sure he did

and you’re smiling at me
and you’re complimenting me
but i’m looking right past you
trying to see if i can see him
through the crowds and swarms of people

you look at me, and i smile back
but i’m staring into your deep brown eyes
searching for a light
that only he had

Returned to where I grew up
the house was there
home was not

My dad tells me
That you aren't "the one"
And that somewhere deep down
I know that's true
But he's got it backwards
Because its somewhere deep down
That I wish it weren't true for me

When something about you
Regarding me, and us
Is supposed like that,
I am intrigued
Like a shadow, in my peripheral
I do a double-take
And swing back around to it

If anyone else can believe
That you aren't the one for me
Why can't I do so?
I want to know how
To come to that conclusion
I want to rewrite my beliefs
I want to write you out of them

You had never done much wrong
You never gave me less than love
But we still ended up apart
And it doesn't sit right with my heart
To wonder if that girl you work with
Is your "the one" instead of me
Or any girl for that matter

I don't know how to move on
When deep down somewhere
I believe we are each other's fates
I don't want to move on
Just as much as I do
It begs the question,
"Is this how I know our love is true?"

But that doesn't make sense
I think love might be felt in bones
I think it might be safe and secure
I think it might be obvious
So, is that my answer?
The fact I don't know how to feel
Is how I know?

I'm so wishy-washy
I'm so back and forth...
Is this how you felt
When our love had run its course?
I wish you'd come home
I wish I could go home
But I wish to forget home too

With a bit of mud upon their peak
a pair of tiny birds ventured into our abode.
I asked my mother, tinged with excitement
“Mother! Why have they graced our home?”

“To craft their dwelling,” replied Mother.

My childhood routine altered—
to oversee the endeavors of those winged beings
and witness the splendid nest they shaped.

Then came the day when Mother uttered,
“The swallows have birthed their offspring.”

Swiftly,
the fledglings matured, mastering the art of flight
and on one uncertain day
they soared away from the nest
yet didn’t return.

My heart echoed the emptiness
of the now-deserted nest.

Mother sighed and shared,
“It appears, the fledglings have departed their nests.”

Weary of my persistent inquiries
regarding the rationale behind their departure
Mother, one day, responded with irritation—
“Their progeny has blossomed into adulthood
they’ve left the haven of the nest
bound to their mates
busy crafting a new abode afar.”

I rushed to Mother
clasped her in a tight embrace, and
with resolute tones, proclaimed,
“Mother! I’ll never make another home!
I’ll stay forever young!”

-०-

I want to drown in you,
To dip my face in your waters,
Rapid or smooth.
To know the parts of you,
Nobody else ever could,
I need to feel you.
Your fingers like tear drops,
Running down my face,
Left deep in a loving haze.
So can we come together,
Ignore all the things that push between us,
Your name ends with my favorite place,
The sea.

Your name ends with home,
My home is you.

This one is for the ones we miss,
Sweet memory's translucent kiss.
For the boys and girls back home,
Friendly faces I know.
This one's for the things we never said,
For the ones we wish we did.