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the moment i saw her
she haunted my mind,
a vision in sepia,
with color implied,

and pupils still dancing
in league with her smile
like she was still breathing -
- not frozen in time.

it left me to wonder
what must it be like
to bear such a hunger
and shine such a light?

i wanted to ask her
what lingered inside -
- what flame lit the pilot
that shone in her eyes.

in dreams i still travel
through decades gone by
to beg for an answer
she’ll never confide;

she only informs me
it’s no good to try,
however i chase her,
she’ll never be mine.

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there’s a girl who inspires me,
and her smile ignites me like a fuse.
if only i would let my heart speak
with the voice it longs to use,
maybe i could find the courage
to expose this subtle fire,
instead of pacing through my own head,
tripping over broken wires.

*
(an acknowledgement to the unnamed muse, as well as to the Jason Isbell tune that made the rhythm seem to work and the Whitman line that keeps getting stuck in my head.)

*

today I felt the need,
the need to move away;
this place is much too close
and reeks of yesterday.

you say I should prefer
to outlast, to endure
– not clamor to escape
the demons at the door;

but it’s not the same as running –
there’s a diff’rence between flight
and the things you have to do
to get back to the light.

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