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 ^{(it's beta!)}

you were light not incandescent (that would burn out) nor yet fluorescent (never long cold and blue) but more like a candle wavering, smoky, but not a candle, either, after all finally they melt which you never did. No, you were just light or when reflective the moon.

Dark waters beneath me half moon and the stars; reflect with with a luminescent smile. The water's surface taut and black reflects the lights of the city , and her smile. Serenity surrounds the moment the only intruders are the noises of the cars over the bridges hungry mouth. In the background are night sounds. Crickets, fountains, the lazy lover's chatter half muffled by the stolen kiss, or the laughter of complicity... Every once in a while a fish breaks the slate surface of the water; glancing at the night sky. giving liquidity and bringing you back, to the moment at hand. But, none of it touches me like the healing of your hands; full of charm and grace. Or your flowing smile, a second brief yet eclipsing the moon's. Or the auburn curls that frame those, twinkling and vibrant eyes; forcing me to look in another direction. The night prolonged and intense as a sigh; Boils around us in unending fury and pent-up desire.

Fickle minds they have at fifteen When even Lancelot du Lake Can but trot swiftly in one ear And out the proverbial other Leaving nothing but a golden nugget In his wake. Swordplay holds little value In the M-16 generation How, indeed, can the graceful Swish-clink of metal crossing metal Compare to the supersonic rat-a-tat-tat Of a semi-automatic? Passionate lips’ embraces Hold no intrigue for the girl Whose third base was stolen last night, Only narrowly avoiding her boyfriend’s Imminent slide into home With a teasingly chastising no. Mighty chain-mail warriors Mean nothing to the Flesh-hungered Die Hard fans Muscle-meaty men define Heroism in adolescent minds. Does chivalry mean nothing? It is frustrating fighting fire With sonnets that squelch The erudite light in their eyes Which they voice with the Lethargic yawn and roll of eyes At words I would trace with my tongue They are too ensconced In the banalities of life To dip into the inkwell before them Preferring to concern themselves With the who and where and when Than the more meaningful, why. Yet, despite their complaints Of too hot, too cold, I find myself giddily drunk From their dandelion wine, Though they do not care For it in the slightest.

Treblinka Still— A small town in Poland— Farmers, wagons, pigs, And in summer A phoenix of flowers. It carries a church, Old and worn Like a boot, like a rosary fingered, Off which mud and more May slide, smoother than faith. A train runs through Softly hissing; It is a sign of the times To hide one’s smoke, To shut ash away better. The houses are quite ash free, With a hint of growth, hushed. A shop sells Food, clothes, lampshades; And to burn, fat logs only. Some residents are also stout, Have red faces As if the blood stained their skins, Not quite burned, not quite Embarrassed by light. Must be the cold, The starkness of having nothing To live down, Not enough to burn; It can be hard work living here. You may hear the usual laughs, Shouts, whistles, the odd cry. . . . It is a quiet, ordinary place With nothing else to see now or to say, Save a clearing, sudden in the forest, Where you’ll find a field of carved stones.

A firefly’s glow recapturing when we were small, Reminding us all of the things we once loved, As we run down through the lightning bugs, we're slipping back in time, Back into the endless nights of fireflies beneath starry skies, Running through the trees, jars tight in our hands trying to catch a firefly, Calling, yelling, I’ve got one, and look, it's glowing, And that glow has recaptured the innocence of when we were small, The memories of what we once loved and when we had it all.

I guess by now I should be used to lonely mornings Memories echo of the moments we used to share But I'm cracking like your coffee mugs Under the pressure of words "I don't want you to be in trouble" So my SOS goes ahead unanswered I guess by now I should be used to empty silences That used to be filled with "Hey beautiful. How did you sleep?" And your hand in mine telling me That we made it through To another day I guess by now I should be used to the reflection in the mirror The ghost of your smile comes And rests on my shoulder every once in awhile It's intoxicatingly depressing Because I can almost feel Your body against mine I guess by now I should be used to empty days No more surprising notes No more hands covering my eyes "Guess who? I love you, darling" Now I need to learn to close my own eyes And whisper in my own ear I guess by now I should be used to cold sheets I should be used to rainy days Richocheting through my own mind I should be used to the lack of pictures Hung up on the wall I should be used to the lack of your laughter I guess by now I should've erased your number I guess by now I should've put your pillow away I guess by now I should've taken your picture down I guess by now I should've made your side of the bed But I keep hoping You'll come crawling back to me So I can say "Hey beautiful. How did you sleep?"

You ask me, “What do you think?” And I say nothing at all, You and I both know that you don’t care And you can’t make me talk. I’ll tell you what I think, though For once and for all I think That your ego is getting Bigger than that mouth of yours And one day, You’re going to choke on it.

I still see it in your eyes

Taste it in your lips

Stranger in this lonely town (this lonely town)

Don't let me forget this (forget this)

You took this hand

You promised it would be okay

I trusted you to hold my heart----

Now I'm pulling away

From you----

Even if I leave you now----

And even if it breaks my heart----

Even if I'm not around----

I won't give in

And I can't give up

On this love

You're just another peice of me

And it makes me sick to even think

Of waking up on my own

Looking for you in my sheets

Don't fade away

Even if I leave you now----

And even if it breaks my heart----

Even if I'm not around----

I won't give in (give in)

No, I can't give up (give up)

On this love

I can't just shut the door

(this love)

I never felt this before

(like this love)

Tell me the truth

Doesn't matter what we're going through

Please just hold on too, 'cause

Even if I leave you now----

And even if it breaks my heart----

Even if I'm not around----

I won't give in (give in)

I can't give up (give in)

I can't give in (can't give in----)

I won't give up (won't give up)

On this love.

Here in the dark, we stumble. We found each other by accident, but not by coincidence. You helped me find my way, and I'm not going to leave you here alone, no matter what. I'll walk ahead with you-- I swear I'll stay by your side.

Rhythmic pounding of billions of footsteps on the earth, mingled sighs of disappointment-pleasure-heartbreak-hope, sidewalks shared between millionaires and murderers, pulses racing as others slow and still more stop, taxis swerving and accelerating but always just missing, worshiping in churches mosques temples apartments life and death's eternal tug-of-war for the city's heart.