WeSwallowTheSun

stars are provocative—the harlots of nature 
they cry to us with a seductive wink 
revealing only the faintest glimmer 
a flicker in the twilight 
edging us on quietly  
through whisper and code 
captivating through sheer mystery 
compelling us out of slumber
into the thick guise of infatuation
to slip out of the skin we knew so well 
to abolish gravity, to subdue 
the natural laws of physics and time
to move past the atmosphere
on a whim and irrational leap
to skim the unthinkable 
with the backs of our hands
to glimpse at eternity   
through the finity of our eyes

~weswallowthesun 

we live in an origami city
curled up quietly
in a cold glass of gin  
waiting for the stars to show
with crows on our shoulders
feeding us lies
dead winters, dusty skies 
all dreams have died 
in hollow eyes 
douse me down with gasoline 
strike a match up to my brow
(watch me burn, see if i squirm) 
they glued us up with feathers 
but told us not fly 
and in the wrinkles of their 
palms they held out
pomegranate bombs
and told us we’re just kids  
at best newspaper sailors
on a soggy cardboard sea
but i swear there’s a light
that never goes out and
we’ll all see it before the end  

~weswallowthesun
 

Shadow puppets on the walls, flashlights late at night under covers till mother gets upset, the creaks in the floorboards, laughter through the vents-we cover them up with stuffed things like bears and pillows, bundled in blankets, ghost stories, old leather bound books and Jules Verne adventures, milkshakes and raspberries, cheesecake and canned cherries, a cup of black coffee, the smell of tobacco from an old wooden pipe, Christmas staircases, old sycamore trees, a tire swing, catching crayfish in the creek, toads in your pockets, paprika in the cupboard, wind chimes and summer nights, aliens in the clouds, cornfields and fireflies, the trees bend and sway, snow tunnels, snowed in for days, power outage, schools out, crackle of the furnace, dying embers, ash floats up the chimney, picture books, watching dogs chase their tails, wiffleball in the backyard, bruised knees and a mother’s kiss, rose colored cheeks, a father’s embrace, freckles, first glass of champagne, New Year’s confetti, a secret admirer, a Valentine’s day kiss, constellations in a clear and cloudless night, colored memory jogging strings tied around your finger, tree houses, neighborhood friends, hay rides, getting lost in corn mazes, summer movies at the theater, opening night, high school plays, water slides in trash bag swim suits, talking in accents, wishing on stars, campfires, burnt and crisp marshmallows with warm melty bellies, applesauce, crickets chirping, the scent of pine needles, scary movies, wooden rocking chairs, reading poetry aloud, a cat purring in your arms, kayaking on the lake, autumn leaf piles in the yard, first buds of spring, pen pals, getting letters in the mailbox, warm breath on windows, white lace, walking the dogs, a half eaten moon, swimming in the ocean at twilight, ring bubbles underwater, community pools, fireworks and sparklers, baseball games under the lights, grilled hot dogs and sirloin, the porch light, soccer in the rain, after game snacks on the sidelines, swim meets, the sky and smell in the air after a storm, cold nights under covers, seeing your breath in the winter air, mittens and snow boots, wool scarves, knitted hats, Easter Sunday egg hunt, perm pressed pants fresh out of the dryer, mother playing piano as you fall asleep, late night whispered phone conversations, glass bottles of chilled Coca-cola, brush burns, wrestling on the carpet, Saturday morning cartoons, sunbeams through Phoenician blinds, sail boats on a champagne sea, coin collections under the bed, memory boxes, strategy board games that never end, the attic, hide and seek in the dark, freeze tag, corn on the cob with lots of butter, first time driving a car, hand me down clothes that never fit, crackle of a record as it turns, VHS home entertainment, getting lost in grocery stores, first roller coaster, cafeteria food, mother’s packed lunch, Captain Crunch, the ice cream truck coming down your road, sugar cereal for breakfast lunch and dinner, the snap crackle and pop of Rich Krispies, family movie marathon nights, carnival lights, Star Wars role playing, grandma’s perfume, a turkey in the oven, mashed potatoes, green beans and gravy, prayer before Thanksgiving dinner, waking up to a yard covered with snow, school cancelled, shoveling the driveway, frost in the window, chapped lips, catching snow flakes on your tongue, your first broken heart, stage lights, standing ovations, a red curtain, drop cloths with painted city skylines, tap shoes, mud slides, baked homemade apple pies, music blaring in the car with windows down, falling asleep on your father’s shoulder as he watches the late night news, sleepovers with friends, fantasizing about traveling to foreign places, church choir, track and field, recreational basketball teams, indoor pools, the smell of chlorine, roller blading, ice skating, milk boxes, homecoming dances, football games, big band music, playing under the bleachers, laughing until you hurt and crying until you laugh…

~weswallowthesun 

I believe I am relatively new to everything. I think I’ll remain that way until the day I die. When I grow up, I hope I’ll find myself to be a stranger. For you and your experience of life transforms with time, evolving little by little in the smallest ways. My affections for what I adored as a child to the passions that have grown in me slowly as an adult. Some things may appear to stay the same- the feeling of a cool summer wind or the first snowfall of winter. Laughter. Tears that stream down your face. Even though I have cried more than I can remember, every tear more will never feel just like the last. The world is new, and raw, and reckless. Please, never lose that. Everything has passed in an instant. So, allow yourself to be moved. We tend to resist when all good requires embracing. Let your heart always be aching to be filled with beauty and beauty will never be lost as long as you have lungs to breathe into and a heart that is eager to see. When you have come to a place where you feel like the world is rotting before you, you are not growing, or perceiving. To live is to find freshness in everything. So, the next time you stand in front of a mirror, look past the image you have grown to see and find the person that you have grown to be. When you hold the hand of the one you love, let it always be as if it were like the very first time. When you share laughter with another, know that it is original, that there are secrets hidden between every inhale and exhale. If you find the world to be dull, you may be the only one who is. 

~weswallowthesun 

Fog flooded the air and all 
was painted with a misty 
grey. Upon the shoreline, 
fingers and toes sifted 
through sand and sea glass
as the cold, broken tide lapped 
up against pale, moonlit skin 
and the back of our hands. 
A deep vibration riddled the sky-
the ghostly hum from the horn
of a ship miles due west from
the coast, along the horizon, 
sounding like a whisper, like a
trumpet. Its flickering lights
masked by the low lying clouds.
As the note trailed on over the
waves, it almost seemed to
announce the breaking of dawn-
a world renewed with hope. 
.

.

~weswallowthesun

The moment I begin to feel that for once I deserve something, anything beautiful- love, companionship, the smallest form of kindness-that is the very moment when i’ve sincerely forgotten what it means to be human. For every good thing that I have ever had the privilege of calling my own has never been mine. All is but a gift and a mercy, given only to give back. Something received, not earned through merit. My response to all beauty in the world should only be that of a posture of humility and gratitude. For I had nothing and now have everything to gain in Christ, which is the most beautiful and underserved of all. The only justice I ever merited, the only thing I have ever had a right to, that I have ever earned, for who and what I used to be, was retribution, which through the mercy and love and the broken heart of God has been nullified. For this, every cell in my body should turn with joy and febrility to stir up the world and share the benefaction and hope that I have received in full through Christ by faith and grace alone. 

on busy sidewalks after a rain 
strangers walk in silence
as if they hear it all-
the cadence of the stars  
played out through every
breath and sigh and beat 
of every heart. maybe, 
only maybe, we’re not 
so distant or so strange.
our necks bent over sollen
shoulders with eyes that
sweep the streets and
shadows (washing over,
blending) when if we’d only
raise our heads, we’d find
at once we’re all connected
by a single thread 

~weswallowthesun
 

The true test of freedom stems from having the capacity to love selflessly, forgive unconditionally, find peace in chaos and discover joy in suffering

the sirens call, the dark 
ignited with electricity 
a current surging through 
every pore in the cracked skin 
of the earth. the world stills
every hair on end
sparks, fire, dust, wind
trees fold and sway,
the roar of thunder
through blackened cloud
and stinging rain, the storm 
grows, building like a choir 
until waves of sound 
dip into a subtle hush 
on the glowing horizon
wide-eyed and gaping 
we look on in silence  
to remember we still 
have breath in our lungs  

~weswallowthesun