Eyes Wide Open
She closed the door
To the safe choice
To the easy choice
Colors fade to black
In amusement
She’s undertaken
By confusion
Of who she was
And who she is now
Who holds her against
Impossible standards
That are met with fury
In the blurry
Architecture of life
Once held so tightly
But now viewed lightly
Through experience
That taught her
To live with eyes
Wide open
In a world
With eyes wide shut
She’s not sleeping
At the wheel
She’s grasping
The very heel
Of Achilles
And it makes
Her heart ache
But not break
With bitterness
Met with
The bitter sweetness
Of a life she chose
Not one chosen for her.
MH 3/9/26
Under the Same Moon
Love was here, and love has passed.
It was never meant to last.
A moment in time that clouded my judgment,
though deep down I knew it wasn’t
good for my soul,
or good for my heart.
Life is better now apart.
Still, I’ll remember the time we spent—
the best friend I wish I had again.
But we’ve moved on from that old bench,
and in my hands new beginnings build a fence
around my arms,
around my chest,
holding secrets best laid to rest.
And if someone should enter
this garden of secrets,
I hope he carries fewer regrets
of moments that passed
almost too soon,
as we once sat longing
under the same moon.
But here we are now.
Darling, don’t hold your breath.
The rest is simply the life we live
until our untimely death.
MH 3/9/26
Real in My Sleep
I’m holding on
to the lie
that you’ll return
to my life
Flashbacks
second chances
hidden glances
long romances
But it was just a dream
you were only
real in my sleep
I wake holding my breath
a quiet mess
It’s been ages
since warm arms
surrounded me
So tell me—
where has love
been hiding?
MH 3/10/26
BlushSpirals 