believe me

every poem

is a love song

for you

*Displayed in The Art of Recovery exhibition at Edison State Community College

thesis

i don’t write

because i need comfort or love

or strength

i already have those in spades

from the one who crafted me

long before

mother even carried my torch

i write because

far too many people hang

their heads low

sink into their shame

simply because they still

believe someone else’s filth

dirties their bodies

and forever taints their souls

*Displayed in The Art of Recovery exhibition at Edison State Community College

acceptance

today

i will do nothing more than float

float in the infinite ocean

of what could be

face up

arms open as wide as the universe

ready to feel

to embrace

the dark

the light

the sanctity

of all that is

and all that will be

*Displayed in The Art of Recovery exhibition at Edison State Community College

spark

when i cannot feel

the pulse of love under my skin

i run my hands

over grass warmed

by the sun’s tender light

there i say

is the key

that touch

that connection

zip lines to my heart

and says open please open

you are safe

*Displayed in The Art of Recovery exhibition at Edison State Community College

a simple truth

only after i forgave

could i smell the bloomed rose

*Displayed in The Art of Recovery exhibition at Edison State Community College

upgrades

i traded

his salt for honey

his venom for medicine

and that

my loves

is how i survived

*Displayed in The Art of Recovery exhibition at Edison State Community College

take my hand

at what point

will every last one of us

admit

we hold more pain

in our bodies

our minds

our hearts

than we have the strength

to carry alone

*Displayed in The Art of Recovery exhibition at Edison State Community College

dissonance

you say

there are no dirty rooms in your soul

yet i

have been cleaning them each night

*Displayed in The Art of Recovery exhibition at Edison State Community College

kiss of autumn

one tree

starts to blush

*Selected haiku, Seasons of Haiku Interpretive Trail at The Holden Arboretum