What you feel is life, what you live is another story.
Out there, an echo,
The heart crying,
Howling like wolves in the moonlight.
In here, a voice,
The mind screaming profanities,
Cursed be the beasts I loath.
Which master served?
A poet befuddled by his own words,
The rain falls softly in the meadow.
He’s wanting home.
I love, And I just don't know what else to do. I'm peeling off the layers of my self, Throwing my identity into the fire. Tossing all those preconceptions to the wind, Letting us build this from virgin dust. Because I love, And I just don't know what else to do. Bit by bit I whittle away All the stuff that serves me not. Painful though it is come look at what is there, Beauty in the bandage place. I have discarded so much refuse, The inferno warms my soul. What once comforted me, Now keeps me from my dreams. What once helped me stand, Now drives me to my knees. I throw it all away, I am but an infant in the learning. But I love, And I don't know what else to do. I've loved you for a million years, I'll love you for a million more. Though this life's dust has settled on my heart, You wash it away with just a whisper. Now, settle in my arms, Let me read you our story and never say a word. Because I love you, And don't know what else to do. ~TG
"What burdens you, my love," Says the empath across the way, "You look so sad and lost, On this bright and sunny day." I shrugged my shoulders in a truth, Resigned to my own fate, "It's not the love that saddens you, It's its absence that you hate." I nodded in a short reply, The old woman began to smile, She had a story she wished to tell, "Come sit with me awhile." It was as if I knew this soul, There was something in her eyes, Perhaps it was the way she looked at me, That took me by surprise. "I loved a man from over there," She pointed across the mountains free, "And the first best day of my entire life, Was when he fell back in love with me." "At first it was not so easy, To love across that epic span, But what I knew and could not forget, Was the love embodied in that man." "So step by step we closed the gap, That kept our lips apart, Always knowing there was no space, Between us in our hearts." "Then one day our paths converged, He stepped onto my shore, We held each other for some time, And then we held each other more." "See a distant start can be a gift, As you will shortly find, You'll never take a kiss for granted, Or any touch from her in kind." "What burdens others you won't see, For you'll remember nights alone, What matters most is the hand you hold, And the love you both have known." I take a breath and give a sigh, For what she says is true, "She's coming love, just be prepared, For her dream is also you." A tear forms within my eyes, And I smile all the same, For a simple man such as me, Shall find his truest flame. I thank her soul for the kindest words, Her wrinkled hand now holds my own, "Don't worry love, she's got your back, In the tenderness you've shown." "You remind me of the man I love, I should go kiss him, it's been a while, She kind of winked and then she laughed, And with that a familiar smile. "We came here just to meet with you, We know you've come so far, So come meet the man I've always loved, He's waiting in the car." With that she stood and took my hand, I followed her out the door, Her aged gait was slow but sure, I had walked with her before. We arrived at the car he sat, "Now Tom, relax and you will see," She needed to say nothing more, The old man I saw was me. She turned and hugged me tight but true, "See, I've loved you for all my life, So much I had to come to you, And then become your wife." The old man gave me an "I love you" sign, The old woman hugged me tight, "Just remember you are the one I love, When the nightmares come at night." She pulled away and looked up at me, Her eyes filled my heart with grace, My love, much older yet still the same, Now wiped the tears that soaked my face. "I'm coming love, just you see, There's nothing we need do. For the greatest gift you gave to me, Was the love you held so true." "You taught me more than I could know, In that I must confide, For the truth of love I learned from you, Just by standing by your side." She turned and got back in the car, And kissed the old man tenderly, The love I found in her it seemed She also found in me. So much had changed that Summer's morn, I began to release my doubt, Uncertainty was soon replaced, With a truth that lived throughout. Sometimes Love will come to you, Even when you do not pray, As had happened to me in a flash of time, On an uncertain Summer day. It is really up to us in love, If it is a truth we want to hear, Or if we choose to believe, The liar that is fear. May one day you come to know, Love's encounter, tried and true, And realize that all you seek, Is also seeking you.
That hand, Where I find my truest purpose, In a simple touch, Though there is nothing simple about it. That hand, Where a strong man crumbles, Then finds the source of strength to rise, His surrender to love complete. That hand, The one that holds me in my resurrection, A truth beholden like no other, She caresses me alive. That hand is the one that answers, All the questions of my wandering, Stills the racing in my mind, Birthing patience to my heart and soul.
My love,
See the light that is just up ahead?
It's a Torch lit for us both,
Burning brightly in the narrows of a darkened path.
Shall we go see that space?
Play with the dropping embers of enlightenment?
Feel the warmth of our dance in the glow of promise?
We watch the dust come alive
As our feet move in the rhythm of our destiny,
Fresh air above as we stand tall above the cloud.
Though dark some parts may be,
Can you see that light that is just over there?
A Torch lit for us both,
The crackling meant to signal our arrival,
As our shadows make love
Swirling in the New Moon's prayer,
She hears us both,
Shaking in the chill of the evening air,
Searching for warmth,
As the wolves cry just beyond the tree line.
Winter's chill may come,
But can you feel that warmth coming through the forest?
It's a Torch lit just for us,
It's warmth meant to guide us to that ground,
Sacred, were lovers are meant to be.
It warms us even that the snows may fall,
Beads of sweat forming in its radiance,
Come, we fall into each other,
Knowing we are safe in this,
That home that we've discovered.
There are no walls where we call home,
But can you feel the safety of this shelter?
There hangs a Torch lit just for us,
Let's be there, in harmony with Source,
Guiding us toward holy spaces and each other's faces,
Kiss me in the flickering truth,
Freely finding your place among the stars,
While knowing I am always there,
Smiling in your honor,
Feeling your smile in return.
Storms may come but there is wisdom in the thunder,
A beautiful, scented fuel,
For the Torch lit just for us,
As the Sun shines down, it burns away the darkness,
Paints the fields green with love remembered,
Where a mentor seeks our attention,
In the plushness of our home,
Forget the storms, for they are rarer in the making,
Just stand here with me,
And feel the sunshine on your hair.
For nothing is more powerful,
Than two lovers, surrendered and awakened,
Guided by a Torch lit just for us,
Like the center of a galaxy,
That is the heart of a newborn Universe,
Fear beaten, trampled like a heartless serpent,
The gift of love abounds,
It the safe embrace of a heart you've always known,
Made real since the days where we were but dreaming,
When a spark lit that flame eternal.
I feel like a fool.
For she takes my preconceived notions,
And twists them,
Crushes them,
Pulverizes them to dust before my eyes.
All my childish notions,
All my child-like fears,
Vanish in the instance of her arrival.
For there in the face of her,
That beauty born is blood to my wretched heart.
Everything she says,
Everything she feels,
Echoes in the caverns of my soul,
As if she was etched on the canvas of my life,
Long before either of us was born.
Now I stand,
Naked and humbled in front of this altar,
A tear blazing a trail upon my face,
Awed in the face of what I thought I knew,
For I called, and she came, and what a prayer it’s been.
Today, a renewal,
As the sultry sun rises on a snowy scene,
I beg for her presence, and she’s there,
My hand upon my chest, her name on my breath,
We watch the scene together.
In the moment we were each conceived,
A promise of our reunion was born again,
The trail blazed in loving-colored green,
Scented marigolds pointing the way,
To that willow tree where a testament is given.
I say hello to the promise of this moment,
Goodbye to the shallow horror of the past,
Let’s be rooted here like the tree that we stand under,
Blowing in the breeze like its strands of branches,
Cascading down raising goosebumps on our skin.
Kiss me now, for I am not a fool,
I am simply a man in love with you.
That there is true love all around, Fearless it shall be, Blanketing me in waves of green, The heart jumps though it can't see. Who am I to question? Lip bitten, red droplets to the ground, Sprout loving life where they land, Red marigolds I've found. I seek something I know is near, Fragrance bathes my heart in gold. A Red Cardinal lands on an empty bench, "Come, sit with me," I'm told. I heard him sing a little bit, A melody so wanted in its making, The Beast within me soothed once more, A true lesson for the taking. "You've walked so long and fought so hard, You've finally arrived, Do not cede this space for anything, No thought or fear contrived. The wounds, my son, have finally healed, Why open them again? The truth is right before your eyes, There is nothing left to mend. The plight of others is not your fault, Just give it all you've got, For in the end that's all you have, Don't make things what they're not. For as long as love resides in you, The pain, it will subside, For flowers sprout right where you stand, Fertile tears are what you've cried. I've flown so far to tell you this, For we've always known your heart, And when true Love does trust in this, You will never be apart." I sat with that a little while, Knowing all he said was true, For when set free a bird in love, Will always fly back to you. I watched as he took off in flight, I swear I heard him say, "Don't be sad when you're alone, Sometimes things are meant this way." I turned and walked from that spot, I knew I was blessed to be, And when fatigued I found a spot, Beneath a willow tree. With heavy heart and aching soul, Exhausted I did fall, Yet no final bell had rung that day, I hadn't given it my all. I breathed, I sighed, I even cried, There are some words I'd love to hear, Yet in the end that willow tree, Was all I could find near. I pulled and threw some golden grass, Watched blades surrender to the breeze, Soon winter would finally come to me, And all of this would freeze. I stood up tall and stretched a bit, Caressed the tree with an open thumb, Perhaps life would be so much easier, If I felt completely numb. To find that strength, and pull away, Let destiny decide, I left my heart in some other place, I could not find inside. In each of us there is a place, It may look just like a cave, One thing I've found that is for sure, It isn't necessarily a grave. Refreshed I stood and then I turned, And whispered to the tree, "Willow my sweet angel true, Your love has set me free." I turned to watch the Sun come up, A soft branch caressed my face, I knew in our instant shared, I had found a sacred space. For trusting trees and golden grass, Has never been my way, Yet in that space something changed, I carry to this day. For once someone loves and trusts you so, Though frightened she me seem, She is the greatest light of strength, That you have ever seen. So never take for granted this, When your mind is wracked with strife, That a Red Cardinal may sit with you, And help you change your life.
We are not here just to be comfortable.
We are here to be scared.
Scared out of our minds
And into our hearts,
Where love exists,
And where you and I shall dwell forever.
Come, dance with me,
Let me feel your soft flesh in my arms,
Your breath on my chest
As we spin to music of our making,
Loving in the sound,
Turning noise into the sweetest harmony.
Come, lay with me,
Take the open heart of your man,
And care for it,
No monsters here to squander this,
Just the light of now
Radiating brightly into tomorrow, a holy balance.
Come, sit with me,
See that star shining, rising into day?
There, the smallest specs of nothing much,
Collide into something seen forever,
Like you and I,
In the natural flow outside our weary minds.
Today, we agree to stand together,
Slaying dragons as they come,
Basking in the sunlight,
Dancing in the moonlight,
The flesh united lights the soul on fire,
The sky need not be dark forever.
The soul that’s slave to fear,
Loses sight of the light within,
The soul that’s afraid to be human,
Loses sight of its sacred purpose,
The man who fears his shadow,
Loses sight of the Sun above.
If there is love,
They will be togetherness,
Sometimes crawling, sometimes running,
Sometimes just resting on a bench,
Writing words they know as truth,
Cuddling in the autumn air.
If there is togetherness,
There will be love,
Casting dispersion all aside,
Relishing in the triumph of their footfalls,
On once-barren soil,
Where now marigolds bloom in all their glory.
We fear the dreams we see as nightmares,
Hide behind some masquerading voice of fear,
Pretending its love is all but assured.
Yet keeping us from the water our souls
Were born to drink.
Maybe it is just time to trust,
Throw caution to the wind,
Like colored leaves on a city trail,
The winds scattering about a warrior’s intention,
Meaningless he is to the wind,
Stoic blood stains the altar where he stands.
Whichever, an understanding.
One which will birth his tears,
Tears of joy or tears of sorrow,
Only the ether knows which are due,
His flesh torn,
Either in ecstasy or the darkness of the night.
Whichever, he has seen both before,
Once fierce, protecting souls
Now have left him abandoned,
His solitary fears left unguarded,
His solitary tears left unrestrained,
He could not tell the difference.
Maybe it is time to stand,
Be counted in the hourglass’ sands,
Am I just a grain,
Or am I the entire shore?
Which to you would I be,
And which to you matters most of all?
Ah, to those doubters I say,
Her beloved, what a beautiful thing to be,
I cannot help what truth burdens a heart,
Ripped from the chest of its contentment,
I cannot help what tears the wings,
Of an angel born to love you.
Please laugh with me,
The challenge that I’ve issued,
Hollow in its force, and bewildered in its song,
Is just an ego poking at a Lion,
I mean nothing save the space that we do share,
I see nothing but your smile that melts my soul.
Honestly, there is nowhere I can go,
Save to you,
There is no answer that I hear,
Other than the one that spells your name,
No truth I dare to say,
Other than the one we’ve found together.
I thank you for indulging,
A certain part of me that wonders,
That part of my heart,
That beats its black and blue.
There is nothing here but love,
Certainty, truth and honor in its making.
Waiting for the midnight Sun, To paint those mountains white, A single soul in solemn prayer, As the day is born from night. When darkness cedes its destiny, To the calling of the Sun, It's the Warrior who's standing firm, Against the chaos the night has done. For in his stubborn heart a truth, Learned from wicked, bleeding scars, That nothing can provide his heart, What resides in midnight stars. To his love he knows that he'll be true, To his soul he knows the same, To the voices that try to break his heart, He just stands and says her name. For no truer path has this man walked, Though he's traveled very far, It's when the night hides the path below, He just looks up to find that star. When the darkness turns to blue, And the warrior can sleep, He dreams of a certain poet's touch, And other things so deep. Yet when the night returns again, And the evening has begun, He stands so firm and knows his truth, She is his midnight Sun.
In a salty dream, He sees you walking, walking in the woods, Forever lost in some whimsical story, Writing it as you go along, Picking colorful leaves up from the ground, Painting a lover's canvas with a kiss, Distance closed, love has met the truth indeed. Truth in distance is forgotten, In the touch of love's sweet hand, The agony of demons since begotten, He is lost in the dizziness, Swirling as the earth spins and the bell tolls, The stars become a blur before before eyes, What lies before him surely not withstanding. Who is he to tear at weathered cloths, The veils birthed to keep you warm? His gloved hand comes poking through the smoke, Born to hold so tenderly, But empty, the soul's voice cries out There is nothing he can do... But succumb to the raging inferno surrounding. Frightened like a child, He hears the voices echo beyond the walls, Demands the voice within him, To tear down all in his way, Those voices...run as he nears them, The walls appear thicker to the touch. You seem further than you've ever felt before. As the fire burns around him, His thoughts go back to the moment when, He first touched your hand, Held you closely outside the elevator doors, Your nervous voice lifting him beyond, Your eyes driving him deeper into love. Forget nothing, his heart forever changed. Awakened still, He feels the embers falling on his soul, Calling out your name, Perhaps with his last breath... The voices on the other side Still taunting him with the failure of his quest. Laughing, haunting forever etched upon his stone. The walls begin falling all around, He feels them falling before they break his wanting bones, Still, he remembers how the leaves looked falling behind your face, How your smile made heaven seem so real, To touch your hand once more... To hear you shout your love for him to the stars above. Around him, though, the silence he has dreaded. The calm before the storm, Save the mocking laughter of the voices from beyond. All that was is all that he will ever have. What he had hoped for will remain as just a dream, Just another step is all he needs, But alas his legs shall fail him. When the end comes, he shall be ready. He has seen his lover's face, And felt her nearer than his heart. Through the haze of this mortal calling, He can only hope he's given her his all, And his all is what she's found in loving dreams. No air left to fill his lungs, Destruction surely to engulf him, A tear falls, a testament to his final thought... Just a second more, just one more memory, Kiss me as the night does fall, Sing to me your sweetest lullaby. The leaves fall slowly in his mind. The end.
© 2024 The Writings of Tom Grasso
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