ten 'till six

i woke you with dreams not your own
against your will, but you didn't mind
you waited for me without knowing the kind of
chance you left behind

i ruined an otherwise restless sleep
with a single moment of heart: fulfilled,
of denial denied, of paralysis stilled, and
resistance finally killed

i haunt your waking world with shades
of burgundy-red, and black, and white
my echoing images, fading light in
eyes that steal your sight

i ghost around the corner of the
memories you'll never truly know
of futures far too far to show, now
twice-bathed in lunar glow

i anchor you to unsaid words, to the
debt of kisses and pain of uncaught tears
they fall to mark the lonely years that
feed the spirit's fears

i speak your name to startle you into a
life that has a life of its own
you fail to confess how much its grown from
all the wild seeds sown

i keep you chained to moments passed by
by passing glances and that random smile
that captivates you for that little while with
just a little guile

~ ~ ~

i bring you closer
to stars not wished upon
to romantic visions, long gone

i bring you closer
to a love not yet understood
but if you chose to, you would

i bring you closer
to the one who draws near
only to turn back around, in fear

~ ~ ~

ten 'till six, and all is well
wishes to grant, and secrets to tell
morning ends mourning, night brings more pain
your loss of resolve is my gain

again

i remind you of when
at the start of the end
of the year of our dance
i gave you a chance
then took it away
along with your day
along with your stubborn complacency
but only enough so that you could see

that what you can't find
you see in me

that what you can't see
is found in me