The Boy

A smile, real sweet; a naughty look;
Words of love in my autograph book;
On the playground, a birthday gift;
A word, or two, spoken swift.

After years, an online chat;
A midnight call after that;
The boy I knew, so naughty still,
Inside a man of iron will.

Passionate; a brilliant mind;
Creative; thoughtful; witty; kind;
The boy I met inside that van -
I'm glad to know him as a man.

A Lesson In Chemistry

Carbon gives warmth; Oxygen, breath;
Entwined with each other, they both give, death

Undefined

To find and lose
Is better than
Not finding it at all,
They say...
But what is it
When finding it,
We let it go...
Or throw away?

One Moment's Distance

I could see her in the distance,
Looking at me, not moving one step;
I watched her... not waving,
Nor smiling, nor calling to her...
Silently yearning to touch her,
I remained where I was;
I guess, even in my dream, I knew
It'd take me years to cross
One moment's distance

Siamese Twins

Born at midnight - siamese twins
Torn asunder by brute force,
Leaving wounds that will not heal;
A lifeline shared - once strong - now frayed
In a tug-of-war that does not cease;
The pain diminished - no, numbed -
Still visible in weary eyes -
And though reflected, still not seen
Through the veil of indignant pride.

The Leap

I watch silently
As life passes me by.
I want to seize it,
Stop it,
Until I'm ready -
But it does not wait;
It has no patience,
It does not care
For my doubts
Or my fears.
It taunts me -
Challenges me
To take a leap
Into it,
To love it,
To feel its pulse -
It knows I want it,
Desire it;
Yet I hesitate.
My desire grows
Until it surpasses
All my fears,
And I take what's mine.

A Child's Paradise

(written during the Iraq war)

A display of fireworks lighting up the sky night after night;
Cherry bombs exploding in celebration of everything that's right;
Everyday a holiday - no school to attend, no homework to complete;
The entire world a playground, with toys, and packets of food to eat
Falling from the sky.

No parents to scold you, no aunts and uncles to complain anymore
About your childish misdeeds - no restrictions, no responsibilities to fulfil as before
Towards them; the entire world is in mayhem - freedom and liberty for all...
And but for the fear, the pain and the sorrow, you could truly call
This a child's paradise!