All senses engaged
Whisky washes the week from the soul
Through the tongue
Orange oil’s fine mist awakens
Through the nose
He smokes the Holy weed
Between his lips

Leaned on the counter
Orange juice sucked through the pulp
Through my lips
Cheap wine’s aroma is nostalgic
Through the sadness
I tell him say it again, he says, “Honey”
Between his lips

On tattered cushions
He strums something new
Through the pain
All senses engaged
Through the music
“Always and forever” I say
Between my lips

It ebbs and flows
Sometimes big, powerful, tall, overwhelming. 
Sometimes little nips, tickling my toes, just reminding me

People walk by, children
Play around me, on me
Without seeing what is happening. 

It rushes in some days, taking me over,
Sucking in everyone around. 
I feel like I may go out with it,
But I’m still here even though
It takes a bit of me
With each wave. 

Rushes come and go, I feel it
When it’s gone.
My constant companion. 

You can lose things in it
Time, people, ideas, reality, yourself. 
It transforms you,
The grit wearing down the rough edges
Leaving behind bubbles, dents, debris, and sometimes treasure. 

It is a part of me
But somehow still a stranger. 
We roll through each day together
Trying to be gentle, hoping for an ebb 
And flow instead of a crash
But we never know
When or where the crash will come.

There's too much to catch up on, 
So you just don't.
Keep it light
On the surface
Very high level.
Tell other people's stories
Carefully avoiding your own.
The wall between isn't tall
But the tales we tell ourselves
Are.​

​My body is rotting
It has been for years
I find the detritus
In the bowl of my ear
"This is disgusting"
I think
While I massage 
The trails of well-kept 
Snails
Moving slowly
Slowly dying.