Off the record, off the charts, off the books. Nothing is wrong with my memory. It tells me what I saw, how it was. You like a mirage through the rain. “I’m in a mood for you,” you sang, “for running away.” Sweeter words were never swallowed. I almost faded waiting to hear you again. But even your words shine through a dim day. The taste of you and the reminder of your touch remain. Never fading. Never growing old. Like in that perfect instant snapshot, clinging to a love that would always be a hallowed figure, dancing in the rain.
still standing
I’m slayed
amazed to still be standing
oh it was so worth it
the waiting
the anticipation
the hopes I kept
on the blackest nights
are dim now looking on
the other side
is a richer green tasting sweeter
the words I’m fumbling for
seem inadequate
not enough
the thrill of right now
washes over
and I won’t be able to look back much longer
Stuck in Yesterday
it’s tomorrow where you are
I’m stuck in yesterday
like a scratched recording
you keep coming back
haunting my daydreams
bending my insides like warped boards pulled from the old barn
my view is of mottled cobwebs
the song I hear is a dirge of loons
my face is etched with lines of turmoil
the words linger like a wine stain
if there is a today
I’m too listless to fix anything
so I lie amid wreckage
while you dally with the latch at the gate
letting in both invited and intruded ones
the sweet minstrels
and the vultures that would bite their tongues
being stuck in this place with others like you
still feels vacant sometimes
when I realize it’s all tempting
but it’s not real
The Word Rummager 