The nest is empty
and without the chicks holding them together
some birds fly in different directions.
Job done.
So sad,
for others find the absence of young
brings far more joy in one another
than they could find while struggling
to satisfy the demands of youth.
The empty nest is the next gentle chapter
where romance can thrive again,
when laughing songs of
swooping lovers twitter through
the afternoon air and soft whispers
fill the nights.
I am cracked earth,
parched red clay
shrinking in the sun.
You are water,
not a flood
pouring over, but
a gentle, constant rain,
infiltrating slowly,
waking dormant seeds,
bringing blossoms,
to barren hopes,
remaking me.
love
tolerance
dutiful service
.
love
tolerance
dutiful service
Her body next to him is not enough
For him to believe in love.
He must believe he is lovable,
in order to love someone else.
If she is worth romancing,
would she be with him?
He must believe he is lovable
in order to love someone else.
If he is unworthy of love, how can
he encourage her to love him
through hearts, flowers, and love letters?
He must believe he is lovable
in order to love someone else.
I love nestling next
to your naked body discussing
psychological theory.
I know you love me
because you left this grieving heart
the last crumpet.
Again.
.
.
.
But if you’re reading, darlin’
I wish you’d worn your kilt today.
It wasn’t much to ask, was it?
Just sayin’.
What’s Valentine’s Day for?
Sure she’s there
yesterday, today, tomorrow
but don’t forget
love needs fuel:
a compliment
a coffee
a night out
a gift of time
a smile
a kiss.
She needs to know
every day
that you would do it all over again
that she’s your only love,
that she makes you a better man.
What’s Valentine’s Day for?
Sure he’s there
yesterday, today, tomorrow
but don’t forget
love needs fuel:
a compliment
a coffee
a night out
a gift of time
a smile
a kiss.
He needs to know
every day
that you would do it all over again
that he’s your only love,
that he makes you a better woman.
Valentine’s Day is just a day,
but it’s day to remind you
that you shouldn’t take you lover
for granted.
If you don’t want to buy expensive
flowers and heart shaped boxes
of bad chocolate on February 14th,
pick dandelions and find good chocolate
every day.
Here
Soft light.
Glimmering.
Singing voices.
Dancing embers flash.
Kisses, flowers, chocolate
Is that what love looks like?
Romance on demand?
Trustworthiness.
Commitment.
They last.
Here.
.
.
.
This is a formed poem. Each line adds a syllable to 6, then reverses the pattern.
Magic dances on your finger tips;
You transform the day.
Enchantment unwinds in glistening threads
and tangles between us.
Your spell has ensnared me,
but I’ll never tell that the gleam in my eyes
came from a cauldron of your promises.
Her belly is hollow.
Once it was filled with him,
but she has been excavated
and spun into emptiness.
.
Her head is hollow.
Once it was filled with him,
but she has been desolated
and spun into heaviness.
.
Her life is hollow.
Once it was filled with him,
but she has been devastated
and spun into enviousness.
.
Her hope was hollow.
Once it was filled with him,
but she has been extricated,
and spins into readiness
Shawn L. Bird 