By now, waking up curled up with Stuart was not new, but it was still very nice. Though today was a new feeling as waking up completely naked and curled up with him, I snuggled deeper onto his chest, feeling his skin completely on mine and enjoying it. I turned my head slightly and placed my lips onto his, and got a slowly waking kiss in return as his hands slowly powered up and moved carefully on my back. We slowly kisse...

I fear of the verse sometimes It is like you activate a diver That goes to the deepest caves What I have drowned Mutilated Muted In the course of time What if the current is too much And diving I can not find my way back.

Today, they will tell us to celebrate women. They will bring flowers, write beautiful words, raise glasses to mothers, daughters, sisters, wives. They will speak of our strength as though strength was something we asked for. But I am thinking of the women who should have been here. The woman who never made it home. The woman who said, “I’ll call you later,” and never did. The woman whose children are still listening for h...

Five half-eaten cornfields Four evil caws Three aims taken Two birds One stone No more parasites One deserted orphan Two protecting hands Three falling tears Four years passed Five flying milestones Six young fledglings Five weekly visits Four silent minutes Three soft caws Two tearful eyes One apology No need

Burnout is a sneaky beast; It comes for you at your most vulnerable And all you can do is wait it out Until it ebbs away at last.

The pencil sat in the center of a piece of white paper divided into four squares: two of the squares held the word YES, two of the squares held the word NO. “You just balance the pencil on the other pencil crossways,” said Em. El set one pencil on top of the other, as her sister had asked. When the pencil tilted and the eraser touched the paper, Em snatched it up. “No, it’s gotta balance!” she said. “Why?” “So Charlie can...

On some days I want to tell you everything Where I was What I did What I felt I like you seeing me And the resonance On other days I want to hide in the bathroom for hours And ignore you When you call my name.

Your voice is the lyrics Your smile is the melody The tempo is when you speak in logical specifics The strings are your fidelity Your passion is the rhythm and best The kind that makes you want to move your feet Your embrace in a symphony, When the orchestra plays most freely Your snores are the tremble and bass Which brings me peace in my fearful nocturnal headspace Your compassion is the guitar Which leaves thr crowds m...

You are a piece of moon Strangely living between humans I can not believe you stand there Not washed away by the noise You emit secret light Not everyone can see And that is good I have no competition I touch you I fondle you I play with you Oh I see You are there Real Oh look I am touching you.

We were born from the void Laid at the feet of the earth Raised in its lush and beautiful bounty Attempting to avoid the curse of our birth And yet, it's ever-present in our hearts You can see it in various works of arts The destiny that plagues humanity It is the burden of the void we carry Traced back to the beginning Some tried to fill it with winning To beat the odds at any cost Be it violence, sacrifice or loss Some...

A pleading ghost One wooden guitar pick Two avoiding eyes Three discoloured coins Four scraps of bread Four scrawny legs Three tired whimpers Two pleading eyes One shared meal A shivering companion A battered guitar One favourite original tune Two admiring eyes Three crumpled dollars Four paws in a blanket

Every parent believes they know exactly what their child is going through. But the truth is, everyone is different. No one is exactly the same. I wanted to scream at her, even more so than at the boy. Why was that? Shouldn't I feel angry at the boy for taking advantage of my little girl? But perhaps it was because I could see the way she was looking at him. She liked him. She really liked him. Maybe that's why I retreated...

4.1 Boys and Dolls “He who is not allowed to sit begins to understand the weight of every step.” — The Great Pmurttii 1951, New York, Brooklyn A cramped back office, full of papers, files, and rent books. The air was thick with cigarette smoke, dust, and the dry heat of a boiler somewhere deep in the building. A wooden desk sat against the wall. Victor Kane’s father was on the phone. Young Victor Kane sat cross-legged on...

The whole Is a radiant beauty There is nothing else to do here But look at this enchanting maze.

It was strange being a parent. Despite being a parent of three and having been a parent for almost two decades, it still felt like I was a pale imitation of my own parents. I didn’t know what it was, but I felt like an imposter pretending to be a parent rather than being the force of nature my father was: absolutely rock solid in being resolute. He was the law, and that was that. And it wasn’t because he was controlling o...