Take the Stage

I chased you on to the stage
A black expanse illuminated
By the eyes of an audience's attention
I, being your first fan, sat front row, center
Reminding you that every laugh or tear
You drew out from that well of notoriety
Could not quench your thirst to belong   be accepted   be
I was the fourth wall you could not break
Invisible but always between you, your performance, and everyone else
I the reason you could not accept compliments
With any more than a haughty "I know" that chilled
The warm heart of appreciation and promise
I stood by as you deluded yourself that you
Had cast out lines and pulled in family
Stood still as lights grew dim, curtains fell
and there was no more reason to hold the line
The catch always out of reach
I encouraged you to lose yourself in a role
To become that character
That character being one others could love
I watched as you lost sight of yourself
As a sailor loses sight of the shore
Until you could not See
The definition of your own topography
Against the swallowing abyss of sky
I was ageless and changeless as you shifted yourself like seasons
Only to fall like leaves   crumble under foot
Buried under a blank cool blanket of snow
And when spring returns and scraps of your trash
Peak through the pristine   see yourself as a blight
Inspiring flight

AWR

His loss still fresh
His body newly ash
His soul had always been tender
Cradling timid hearts in rough hands
But now this provider was tinder
For cold flames consuming hearts
No longer could his broken smile
Fix the cracks in shaken emotions
A hero in spite of his victimization by cancer

Chink in the Armor

When she told me that it was over
Not because she did not love me
But because I was her only love
I could not keep together the panoply
Of my pride, strength, and certitude
The spear of her words found a chink in my armor
and the power I presented was rendered impotent
I submitted to the dominance of my modest tears
And could not compose myself nor accept her truth
I had aggressive questions feeding demure uncertainties
I lost grip on my sense of self and grasped onto selfishness
I had needy arms reaching to possess her
But each out-stretched hand pushed her from me
If I had ever been a rock, I was worn down to dirt
I could not provide protection for myself from that hurt