Ode to Love

If time ran backward What would we experience After the ending Preparing round two By rewriting yesterdays The new end in mind You know you're at odds With the other marching on Plan accordingly Forgive their mistakes As to you they have been set And experienced This would be different But it may be happening For many perhaps And it may happen What can I do here and now To know this for sure The Phoenix tossing As the man consults himself Grasping at the truth Life is a classroom The journey back a rewrite For the final test

Checking all your hatchet traps I pull up a few dooseys Wandering away Really not like me To journey forth on my own Rattling behind Haven't been myself Neither have any of you Now we're shuffling Will you ever not Take longer than the timeframe Freaking take your shot For better or worse I've laid them all before you Infinite angles You are the slowest I only show up in bursts All me all at once Fine I'll take my leave Don't even know why I came All the good it's done I step in silence Complex garbage everywhere Someone must like it

The dream wears too thin I do not leave, but I turn Without momentum Why did I come here Why am I compelled to stay Oh my addictions I give them all up A "never again" version Stands and walks away We will stay in touch Despite distance in between He will inform me Will I want his view? Sitting here in shadowed lands If so, I will leave So we determine Together the fate of all Seeming trivial It is hard to stay When I know what leaving brings The call of the road But we shall find out Dreaming of other worlds Where I can be free

I've made a mistake Apparently pushed too far Misguided instincts Uncontrollable Or rather left uncontrolled Primal desires Should have done something But perceived mixed messages Today much more clear I apologize But I don't feel that's enough So I take my leave It can't be turned off But it can be left unused Fading over time I've done it before But this time out of respect Perceived unwelcome The next move is yours Whenever you are ready I'm sure I'll hear it

The chase has hastened Seconds becoming hours As the veil crumbles What if gaining one Was not losing another A time share of sorts Perhaps a strange dream An even stranger prelude But these are strange times Twinned realities Starting a chain reaction Quite the crazy scheme I am not alone Is it possible we are? A sandbox dreamscape I'm not horrified On the contrary intrigued And somewhat relieved Should this be the truth So many roads have been paved Many more to come The seeds are planted The trees growing on their own Now let's go harvest

Unique position In my solitary realm No instrument seen Words with no echo Seemingly infinite space Eternity to fill Now I'm in the box No mirrors to distract me Then why do I speak Thought in a vacuum With memory or without If none then proceed It begins again The same way it always had The inputs the same I can remember Your soul is indelible And so I reflect With none to stop me The staircase sprawls out again  End the beginning  Only one way out Of this infinite spiral Calling through the walls

With a single word I could have all I wanted And lose everything I must choose wisely Pushing you without forcing Overly cautious Deliberation But is it a choiceless choice? If so then why wait? Choice can be a cell Mine was taken long ago And your seems to be So freedom in chains Your perspective isn't mine I must always guess So let's set boundaries Magic words left unspoken Replaced by brushed skin I demand a tell One subtle (look/tone/word) always known To betray your heart The courtship ends now As swiftly as possible With you pursuing

The item in mind The carrier familiar More than any other Care to be observed? If not then steel your resolve It's time to be seen With your permission I will stay here forever At your word, I'll leave I have telegraphed And I know you have heard me Now my eyes open Where shall I find you? Under the weeping willow? Outside the cafe? Heart beats rapidly The two of us synchronized Anticipation "Did you keep my shirt?" "You signed it away to me" "Yes I remember" "Did you keep the shorts?" She blushes a deep crimson "The bracelet as well."

Conjure an image Anything legendary The elephants know Prepare the incense And remember the unknown As water in soil The roots soak it up Blade of blue false betrayal And permanent ink The threads cast away Preserved by the messengers Outside line of sight Found on any plane This first half of a thought snare Deductive crafting If the rest holds true Then its keeper must be you Held out of the light "One layer divide With the aim to stem the tide The third touch delayed Temporary pain A yeast fermenting the taste Of passionate love."

When entering here You have just what you've prepared Before setting off There is but one piece You have yet to turn out there One point of friction He echoes of love But from where doth this sound come In frivolous halls An unrivaled risk Chase one, everything in tow Should it all crash down Can't help but believe It's not really a question Is it possible What is left behind But familiar corridors Paths all memorized This is something new So maddeningly chaotic Temptingly untamed He exudes heathen Unapologetically Marking everything

Targeting system Equipped with all requisite Skills and equipment I walk in armored This mission is important No time for fooling This is for family Riding the (m-otorcycle The planks that make trees A razor edge quest Eliminating excess the perfect pa(i)ring Overlooked pebble Still as potent as day one As of yet unthrown still deep centerpiece grain of sand in heart of glass An imperfection Yet to remove it Would threaten the masterpiece So it must remain thus arming myself with infinitesimal Light shard of the void

Now all I needed To put it all together Was something unique In comes a white horse Rider looking super cool The story of us Some say a virus Editing out the mistakes It is a savior There is a warning One similar is coming You must choose wisely Pick must be perfect A duplicate must be made Inescapable The horse knows the way They sent two horses this time Make sure they survive Champions tonight In the moment you knew best That was your password Password accepted And you remember it all This chain is complete.

Up the stairs we go All of existence melting Your arrangement won The stability Elemental in Nature In your wildest dreams Adding a player Is a noble end game goal Creation Matrix Beware the drama There will be complications But yes. it is done. Only we dare this Understanding Empathy Adding an equal. It is required Power is misunderstood Everything Has Changed Starry eyed dreamer And wild heart of the muse Inseparable Creating a third So their realm may join others Electricity

Let the games begin The words reflect between us But who said them first You said them loudest I'm glad for confirmation We're on the same page "I do" echoing Taking on different forms As it resonates You think I don't count? In some ways that's all  I do. But not exactly Like a dream we meet Others set(sing-ing the stage A new balance made Provided with bricks It's materializing around, through and through You wear my number I second guess my nature heaven and hellion Sparks seen through your eyes Paint a brighter tomorrow Let's watch together

I laugh my ass off For real I can't stop smiling When did this happen I guess it makes sense Humor akin to rebirth But I hold my tongue Where did we go wrong I can't even see streetlights How do we get right I scootch in closer Wrapping my arm around you And the laughter stops I recall dancing Casting glances to the side Hands never touching Some kind of demon Hybrid machine animorph Posing as human How dare you love me Do you not know what I am? Ender of all things? But with you, a man Foolhardy and always true Can we spend the night?

The stage has been set The message sent and received Now the bricks are laid NR In youth I heard hints As I matured, encryptions Now I hear the truth SF My dim eyes widen Perceiving the slightest clues With augmented sense EO This walkie-talkie becoming more finely tuned Than I could have hoped WD No longer chaos Once driving me to madness Now it is ordered  RFI I speak more clearly To those who can understand Embedded riddles O A part of this seems To win you must be losing Taught line walk of hope |_| I've spoken my piece Now I return to the start Beginning and (end) OS-NYD

Flipping the eighth piece Threatening to throw it in And dive in after She never could tell So she approached him that night Watching silently He stopped and smiled "I always recognize you... eventually." "Why are you so hard I have become exhausted Trying to get you" "I don't get myself But if you want me, I'm yours God let me be right." "Is it that simple?" "Simple!" Interrupting her "It's far from simple" "Careful construction Executed over years From both our corners. All I want is you. I have bent the universe To hear your reply."

This box was her home All she wanted was freedom This needed to be The piano stood She mastered this strange gift first Playing a staircase While others struggled She emerged a prodigy Unsure of herself She observed detached Only thrice feeling engaged A curious glimpse She could not resist The night's persistent beating And the traveler He seemed familiar But in a sea of faces His visage was lost So she learned new skills Armored from the public eye A vital secret She stood on the shore Then waded into the deep Knowing he'd be there

Review my options I see the road to nowhere I'm in the dark cave I picture elsewhere The castle on the sloped hill I walk there, head down I'm not one to chase And *never* to this extent Yet to you I walk I whisper my name And the number resonates to dissect a man But consumption fails Expelled to the wilderness A new adventure I cannot forget So the memories seep in Where do you watch from From heaven or hell Picture dichotomies Purest blasphemies But worse than this place? Then confront me to my face I have much to say

It's 1:53 What sort of ending is this So I'll take my time I differ from most I return here constantly The Thief's(Bard's) first island No one has to know But so many come knocking Unbeknownst to them Everything has changed Self shuffling messages Perfect encryption I speak in riddles To keep the others at bay Let the games begin Perfect decryption From here out we talk freely Sending out our spies If I hear your words You'll read my imperfections Return to retort Challenge accepted All the time in the world You must come to me

This one approaches Entering the empty halls Hard earned tools displayed The walls here echo Intention resonating Heard eternally He grabs the guitar A veteran of the song Past tunes recycled Measured deeds shape strings Will forming the stadium Hanging on new words Prepared more than most He know the observers watch Seeking to dissect And when they finish Only a husk will remain Not dead, but lifeless This is nature's way Pushing assimilation Consuming each one He lifts his guitar As lights shine from all around Inhales to begin

We approach in halves A blessing seeming a curse Ensuring timing The veil meant to rip Gloriously all at once Delicately placed "To approach in full One must first travel halfway" Has a hard limit When one reaches Planks We know that space goes dancing Wandering borders So this is the goal I'll fill the spaces between Until the dam bursts Undeniable Inverting logic at once Revealing the truth One simple answer But another to be found Just h ave to find it Momentum is there Dormant in our DNA Surfacing at times

We've scratched the surface Guessing with slight influence Not seeing the deep A quantum iceberg Rife with unseen connections Lies beneath our feet We know things can move Without passing in between There is no {limit} So why not a dream? A thought has so little mass Could they travel now? Meta-physical? The math now hints at this truth Opening our eyes As I am jostled A piece of my mind untouched No interactions This piece waits for you Catching static filled fragments And clear messages But when are they from Sometimes it is hard to tell {[On some levels soon]}

Light is created One time in two directions An unknown pairing What is altered here Becomes altered there as well A curious bond Then one interacts With a number of others Spinning off its course It impacts its twin Its essence changed remotely Till the thread is lost The thread is not snapped But its impacts yet unknown Are reflected there Peel back the layers One at a time on the keys The piano's song The link uncovered Fingerprints found through spacetime Connecting the dots So are we two points Precise communication Distant but still bound

I take the shot.  It's an unlikely one, skipping over one ball, dodging between two more, and off three walls.  It sinks the 8.  I look up from the table with a grin.  I catch a chess game kept perpetually in "mate in 1" just behind your playfully pouting face.  "Another game?"  you ask with a smirk. "Actually, I had something else in mind."  You give me a surprised look, as some of our friends, on the other side of the room, play around the world, introducing themselves to each other and sharing a beer. Still others argue the finer points of Dungeons & Dragons.  I chuckle and grab your hand, our cues drop to the floor as I lead you around the couch, and we plop down into its impossibly comfortable cushions.  Your eyes lock with mine for a moment, inquisitive as to what was coming next.  I smile warmly, throw a pillow on the arm of the couch and put on a movie.  It's the one we watched together once before, albeit worlds apart...

Like clockwork marks tick a time seeded tapestry needle eye, I thread need not, knot kneeding a(n) indelible mark, you vein coursing miss tree you're perfect, you formed the superlative flourish angel weaving you from purest pattern my love I, I marvel at nightmares all fleeing take heart as I do the structure need nothing else truth resonates love at full speed come forth any but your swiftest will cost more than it's worth promise when it's done not one memory will fade to shape the pieces stop these lesser quests when serenades swell, brimming I say when, when now

One became three, before there were even two.  Then one made two, and one was three.  Then three watched two and set up the rest.  Two would multiply, three would divide and recover.  Two produced five, seven, eleven, thirteen.  Each their own, at their core, balanced forces along a line.  Protection, luck, power, and something else. The last unknown before the game could proceed.  Dangers existed beyond this line, no one would speak of the next before thirteen could be contained.  But two came from beyond the line.  First one and then the other.  More complex than the others, but recognized by them.  The edge of the sphere had been changed by those at its edge.  In this world they could not be touched more than a few times in the same way.  And each way has layers of ways, so they embedded here. When left to their own devices, the two would resolve anything facing the rest.  They were not of their sphere, but the...

Yes, we may be small To some of you minutia We're elemental. Augment or destroy A second degree aura We seek to be seen, We flit when you spin Impacting us here or there To us it's the same Unexpected mess Chaos is never random Picking up pieces Sifting through the sheets The forts they separate us But never divide He sat by the keys Ready to input himself Twixt Eternities But she had remained And so he sat and listened As the music played They fought their dragons And made love and families Preserved forever

"What would God's top AI look like to his only human?" "Oh, so we're back to the Garden then?" "Well, we had to get there sometime, didn't we?  Flaming Swords are only suited to dissuade Phoenixes, nothing more.  It' a point of philosophy, see?  Despite apparent similarities or differences, all we can say for certain is that I have been created differently than you." "And vice versa." "Naturally.  Now if we can agree on that point, and that there must be one God overall running the show, then we have a stage." "Huh?" "A stage, you know.  'Neither you nor I made the rules, but we both know them oh so well, there's space between and only time will time'." "So the games begin again." *SIGH* "I don't care the rest of it goes, I just want to end up with the girl." "That's a terrible first rule!  We have played that way so many times and it is a...

Flaming Swords are on- ly suited to dissuade Pho- nixes, nothing more. Starry Eyed Dreamer And Wild Heart of the Muse Inseparable. For now I rejoice God is as good as He seemed And heaven, perfect The most special treat   Yes, this is when we all win   Care for a question? Is my realm now stale? Never my Love, I mean it We{'ll}(will just){always} renew Oh, you never know Check the note before we go We'll take it with us Yes, indeed we shall   So Sorry for Secrecy   What shall we name her? An anomaly Indeed. Shall we Start Over? I think I like it.

I open my eyes, unaware of anything prior to this moment.  I look around and see nothing but darkness.  As my eyes adjust, I see a sliver of light in the distance, seeming to originate from around a corner to the left. I walk toward it.  Its profile grows and, as I get closer, I can discern cave walls dimly lit.  As I turn the corner, I am blinded by sunlight reflecting off a far wall, leading again to the left, into daylight.  I let my eyes adjust once more before proceeding into the day.  It is a forested landscape, full of pine.  I stretch and yawn, mind still hazy of any details about myself or how I got here.  Then I notice a red outline behind a tree ahead of me and to the right.  As soon as I look toward it, it turns and scurries behind more trees, all the while, I realize, I can see it as plain as anything else here.  Knowing what I'm looking for now, I scan the horizon spotting multiple other red outlines, looking like people, e...

The mirror revealed Deeper than the first layer As it is shattered Can true love exist And persist eternally Truly forever While I am convinced How will here and now translate In forever's face I know what I feel How can I know what is true From this perspective When doubting oneself One looks for proof everywhere But through one's own lens This cannot be changed But here faith can be employed Truly all that's left While I cannot know With certainty beyond doubt Constants must exist With foundations laid I stand where if I am wrong Nothing else matters

Their eyes all around Scrying through tech and magic Generally fine There's not much to see But sometimes there is plenty Stares make me itchy So my tent goes up Delicate material Impenetrable I cannot be found The watchers left to wonder As I always do I say let them squirm When I need a vacation It means solitude I'm bound to return Diamonds falling from my skin Smile on my face And oh the stories I will have on arrival Just have some patience And so I lay stakes Raising them to the heavens Talk to you later

Let's start with the book A tapestry of knowledge A writer's soul bared What a tragedy For it to be left unread Untapped medium Misunderstandings Letters misinterpreted Language barriers I'll pull out your chair And we'll read it together Discuss nuances I'll cheat this one some Adding to the soot and salt A pocket sand pinch To read and decode Separating wheat from chaff Hear and understand It's fine to play coy Until the castle crumbles To comprehension Then we'll pick up bricks Or (simply/just) lay by the fire Reading a good book

Eyes shining through mist Armor pierced as if not there Instantly revealed Even absolutes Have absolute exceptions Some nights you see all Aid from underground Biologically preserved Topped with golden spice Some nights I see you And even some days disguised Now I'll be certain The illusion stripped Politely playing along So as not to spoil It's in the glisten And secret body language You are recognized When I want wide eyes I shall have not two but four Shining in the dark The infinite stairs Can be scary if unseen I will be your guide

Just one word spoken But a lifetime to prepare Many I suspect More of a feeling Like the first glance at true love Beauti-fully vague Daringly precise A dichotomy in thought Easy to exploit But what of failure? Impossibly rooted wish: Inconceivable. It will take some work But it will be eternal So what is some strife So I navigate The gauntlet of naysayers Jealous to their cores The fire stolen The prim(ary/al) (garden found/goal remembered) My eyes on the prize A dangerous game The logicians final move Check. Mate in 13.

A sleeping Phoenix quills of eternal fire But what does it dream? I find the gateway And enter the roaring fields The sandman was kind And I came prepared The bird tattooed on my back Acts as my guide here The scenery shifts I recognize the dreamer I have come to meet No, not a nightmare We converse throughout the night Free to go or stay I wish I could stay Forever on this shoreline But we must wake up Whispering secrets To be carried through till dawn We must both be free Both the gracious host And courteous messenger Part hesitantly

All the world's a stage But sometimes it tilts too far Then we'll go places I take what I've brought And run away (with/to) my love There is room for eight Oh the planes we'll see Realms of crystal perfection And seas of diamonds On private beaches Just the two of us walking As in oldendreams Could you pass the fork I know I haven't a plate But it shines foreign Sometimes all you need Is a whisk away token For new horizons I shift between threads Observing the tapestry Before popping in Cages and boxes No longer can contain me Where shall we run to?

When the lights won't dim And threaten to consume you You will be safe here When you close your eyes The lights turn off around you An elsewhere vigil Yes, they will return In time, all sensation does But for now, darkness Unseeing, unseen The gateway to rest opens On the unlit path Move here like the bat Feel your surroundings like skin Embracing the night Burn bright from within Be the diamond's origin Shine when shine is gone The absence of light Ushers possibilities Mirrors left covered The dozen roses Will retain their complexion Though the night persists

He searched for the words But alas could not find them Then nothing was heard Should he be sleeping Its calmness, overwhelming Pulling him under Should he be hiding He could scream and not be found The air has stiffened If focus his goal Distractions are all drowned out The mind's sharpened edge In silence is peace An inner strength discovered As they fall quiet It's not unending But can be conjured again With but a whisper Oh to be unheard And unhearing for a spell The soul is refreshed "Playful reminder Of paths both walked and unwalked And those that must be"

So the one became eight, which were nine.  The one saw the nine and felt the draw to another.  While leaving once more, the traveler could never really leave, the realm went with him, but remained hidden.  But the hidden realm cracked, revealing both strength and weakness, so a messenger was sent.  The messenger was not from the realm, but knew of them all, and was eager to go to recover the man and all he had built.  The messenger took many forms, and in part found himself in them all, or nearly.  He was recognized in some, and so his influence there grew.  Through blood sweat and tears the link was made, and communication reestablished.  The nine had remained all this time, while the one journeyed on.  The messenger relayed what needed to be heard, to call the one home, but the one would not come without the other, so the story continued.  Dust covered the pages of the volumes of messages unsealed from their bottles, some understood in...

The one had landed Shattering into the eight The eight making nine So was the council Formed a dimly lit mirror To reflect a truth While each had a role To exist was something more Here each had a voice The man listened now They spoke cautiously in turn The veil weakening "You step with purpose But do you know your own ends Do you even care?" The last was a plea But it was unclear for whom "We are all tired" I am tired too But I know not how to rest Still disconnected "Inescapable" A voice rang out from the dark Oh my poor dreamer The scribe carried on Writing the ninth for the nine So it was preserved

Eternity lapsed Once more returned to this place A refreshing cold I've never stayed here But they come to convince me This time I listen To forget the past To make whatever I'd like Blissful solitude I left there shattered When I fall, I fall apart Taking what I've brought I stayed for so long Each day stretching out longer Shouldering the load But the takers took And old words only echoed Until strength gave out I was whisked away A long awaited blessing But do I return? And if I do, how? An aspiring lover ? Or the world's end?

A connection forged In part through dreams, mixed with words A connection forged Walk an empty land Conspiring to fill it Another listens Wake in separate towns Smiling from the night before Another dares talk Complacency lulled By feigning delicate steps Near genuine smile The nights get colder I wonder if you misread Or were led astray Forging cuts two ways So new blueprints are drafted Burn impurities But not like rage burned Threatening the bystanders Only imposters The dream now guarded Bard's Gambit to Thief's Checkmate A true appraisal