Sensing determination, the aliens fled.
She waved goodbye then danced.
Conniving cows collectively conquer Connecticut.
Because I could not wait for death
she kindly pause beneath the willow,
as I sorted dreams from worries,
that lay upon my pillow
When at last the task was done,
with no more days to gather,
we met beneath the harvest moon
and she sang as to a lover
Come rest with me, she softly spoke,
find peace here in the shadow.
A hand stretched out in search of mine
erasing every tomorrow
Tired, indeed, bone on bone,
rest seemed the purest melody,
to set aside at last these cares,
lay down the burdens given me
And so we rested beneath the tree
encased in greening tendrils,
cascading down to hold us there
among the singing whip-o-wills
Rest, she whispered in my ear,
find peace here in my arms.
And with a final, uncertain flutter,
my heart was quieted by her charms
Come look for me in greening meadows,
come search for me along the brook,
by day or night you shall not find me,
no matter how earnestly you look
For I await my call to rise up,
into the eastern sky,
where I shall be transformed eternal,
In the blinking of an eye
You drank too much
and made us uneasy strangers.
You were cruel and cold.
Words curled around cigarettes,
sent to do the work of a dark heart.
Your brother fell
beneath the crushing fist of death.
We were left alone.
Slow days scraped over small bones,
and we bent beneath the weight of grief.
But years gave way
to lives reshaped by faded dreams.
Reality worn.
Eyes opened to callousness,
and we guilty of not reaching out.
You weren’t a drunk
but lived as best you knew how.
I can see that now.
You lacked the strength to be there,
in the moments when we needed you.
And we too failed
to acknowledge successes.
To offer respect.
I wish we had shared a beer,
as judgement and fear sat by the fire.
Acorns snap crisp beneath my feet
A stream of emerald green calls out
Cold water
Swift and sure
Browning seed pods brush fingertips
Grasshoppers uncertain grumble
Wild turkeys chatter unconcerned
Gathering what they do not sow
Grubs and grain
Earth candy
The peeling bark of river birch
Collected swag for my mantle
Clouds tumble out from hidden urns
To drift through skies of azure blue
Bees collect
Unaware
Toil set down from time eternal
All these things such striking beauties
Yet they live as just reflections
Sky and stream
Bird and bee
Trading shadows for immortal
Open clouded eyes Creator
Mine foremost lacking truest sight
Remind me
All I see
Displays Your character for all
This beauty
These created things…
Don’t let me replace You with trees
Ocean
Stars
Sky
Words on a page
Across thousands of years
Burning sands
Consuming fears
Songs of promise
Feet on waters that churn
Eternal plans
Of Your return
A glass darkly
Our vision dim, unclear
Hope remains
That You are near
Voices lifted
Joy, pain, and requiems
Cries for more
Than ancient hymns
When the sun shines
Your name is but a whisper on our lips.
When the storms rage
We cry out for Your help.
Oh to live always in a state of gratitude.
I would pull you into me
Held tight
My breath in your hair
The rise and fall of your belly against mine…
Until we are quiet.
Still.
I would pull you into me
At night
Arms wrapped around you
Until our hearts shared a single rhythmic tune
Until we are quiet.
Still.
I would pull you into me
Daylight
Whisper in your ear
To dance unashamed and so we would begin
We dance.
Dance in the Light.
Bathed in the mercy of God’s love.
No longer quiet.
Free to laugh.
Free.
It is strange to think
that on a day like this
under a sky so blue
the sun dragging its fingers across my skin
pines whispering in response to unseen breezes
here in such beauty
my heart is cleaved in two
and I miss you so much
that this beauty hurts.
Noah Matthews 