arms ...

arms ...

sometimes
arms slip into the darkness
stretch and stretch
and reach for
the impossible
but sometimes those arms
catch hold
of something not so impossible
sometimes grasp
something firm and solid
and sometimes those arms hold on
for more than a minute
more than an hour
more than a day
more than a month or a year
sometimes those arms hold
and hold
and hold on forever
never ceasing to be strong
and sure
and coaxing
and caring
and convincing
those are the arms
i surely need now —
i'm not asking that you
try to hold me from
passing from this life
only that you're there
so that i may not slip
into the emptiness
so completely
alone

Here's what I'm listening to this morning ...

Christina Perri ♫ Arms

 

Polaroid Girl ...

Polaroid Girl ...

your body
clings to me
like ivy finding its way
in serpentine patterns
over the cracks
and crevices of
an antique brick wall
and i still remember
the way you turned
your face away
even as you pushed
your naked breasts
into sharp focus
when you first became
my Polaroid girl

you watched and giggled
when i fumbled to find
the perfect angle
to capture
the passionate collision
of Venus and Mars
my finger snapping the shutter
and igniting a sudden flash of light
that made me flinch
"Quit moving," you cautioned
"Or you'll just get a blur"
and how could i not
instantly watch my love develop
there with you
my Polaroid girl

the years run past
like shadows overlapping
sunny daisies
and somewhere in a shoe box
or beneath the underwear
in my drawer
a younger woman
with a body serene
(although slightly tinted bluish green)
lingers in my memory
the you in you
who discovered that the freedom to be
exists far beyond
the clunky white borders surrounding
my Polaroid girl

Here's what I'm listening to this morning ...

Frank Turner ♫ Polaroid Picture