The Lioness Within

I've had fast food,
yeah, I've had the dollar menu,
and indulged in the occasional smorgasbord,
but what I really crave,
what really wakes me at night with longing
is that slow cooked meal
where everything is organic and real.
It is a taste that can't be satisfied
just anywhere
and it is a hunger
that won't settle for a cheap imitation.

So I starve,
I starve by choice
because I would rather go without
than feed my body something
that is not healthy or good for it.
Sure I have hunger pains
that shutter through my pit,
but it is nothing compared
to the muck that gives me heartburn.

So I am a lioness,
a lioness who paces and waits
Wanting to pounce and devour
My claws extend and retract
with nothing to sink into
Wild with roaring anticipation
alone with my salivation
and heavy breath
waiting for the right moment,
the right opportunity
to feast

Neon Lies

I've kissed a thousand guitars
dancing with my ear against the amplifier
I have cried in my beer
more times than I can count

I've stood against walls
that leave residue on your fingertips
smoke filled rooms
and ashes fall to the ground

I've spent neon nights watching the door
for the one that will never come
but it is nothing compared
to pretenders in the dark

Reality breaks with the sun
viewing the lies their face
hid by the neon lights
so its off to find another one

When I had my fill
of heartbreak
scars of which I carved myself
cant plead ignorance
when deep inside I knew

So I just got up and walked out
without looking back
I traded the neon lights
for the truth of the sun

Haunted

I catch a glimpse of him sometimes

In a crowded room

In the corner of my eye

As I walk down the hall

I am haunted

I hear his voice sometimes

Far beyond the crowded street

He is whispering my name

As he breathes

And I am haunted

I feel his touch sometimes

Deep within the night

Between the sheets

Across my thighs

I am haunted

He is not a memory

He is not a ghost

He is but a dream

A wish

Of what I hope will be

The Test

She scowled at him from the other side of the table. “You are going to have to be one stubborn son of a bitch to survive loving me.” she said as if to test his willingness to get involved. He sat there looking into her eyes. He knew he couldn't look away or even blink. It was another one of her tests. Breaking the gaze she looked down. She softened as if she put down her weapons and a childlike expression crossed her face. “I will test your endurance to the breaking point and I will keep pushing till you are gone, or broken, or...' Her eyes met his again. 'I won't mean to, my defenses go into auto mode and before I know what hit me there is a whirlwind of debris and a horrible memory of what I have done....” Her voice trailed off and a tear rolled down her cheek.

Without thinking he stood up and pulled her up into his arms. Her body trembled against him as he tightened his grip, as if to envelope her and protect her from her own hell. She was probably right, loving her might kill him, or maybe he is already dead bouncing between heaven and hell. She melted into him gripping him with all the vulnerability of a frightened child. Are more of these tender moments going to be worth it? Probably not, But this is what he has and he has no choice but to take it. He loves her and with faith that if he holds on long enough the walls will come down and she will be his. “I'm as stubborn as they come.” he whispered.