Tag: romance

26/06/20 Morn

~ Layla ~ Leave a comment 
Soft raindrops on the balcony,
A shivering feather on the foliage,
Crimson petals on the tiles,


Is it a gust of wind,
Or is it the breeze?


Is it a wave of cold,
Or is still still summer?


The sparrows are bickering on the bush,
The great tits are wondering on the lilac bough,
The doves are whispering on the cherry tree.


Leaves shivering,
Feathers fluttering,
Petals scattering,


Can I still smell the honeysuckle?
Can I still smell the eucalyptus?
Can I still smell the winter jasmine?


I don’t know.


Lost between imagination and reality
Lost between intuitions and facts,
Lost between the world and the invisible,


I never know.


I just follow the trail.
I just follow the call.
I just follow the breeze.


If I sit really quiet,
Will the sunshine return?


If I stand really still,
Will the birds return?


If I founder really slow,
Will the butterfly return?


Listen my love,


The blackbirds still greets,
The sparrows still chirp,
The swallows still sigh,


Although the sun is veiled.


My gentle wing,


Will you return to my words?
Will you return to my songs?
Will you return to my garden?


This month our table is laden with cherries
Next month our plates will be laden with blackberries
Next season our baskets will be laden with grapes.


The roses are weeping petals,
The hydrangea are promising rosy days.
And the daisies never fade.


But you are quiet,
So quiet.


But you are cautious,
So cautious.


But you are silent,
So silent.


Will you return?

26/06/20

~ Layla ~ Leave a comment 

Summer is


Sinking into my skin
Covering my hair
Swirling in my stomach


Like golden tendrils.
Like crimson bursts
Like velvet silk.


Warm,
Blinding
Soft, so soft…


They warn me…


Storm is brewing.
Clouds are gathering.
Lightning is winding.


The storm will come.


Will my heart break,
Will my soul quiver,
Will my dreams crumble,


Tell me, love, will I die this time?


I do not fear the blinding sparks,
I do not fear the torrential downpour,
I do not fear the heart thumping racket,


I fear silence.
I fear the dawn,
I fear the emptiness.


Summer filled blue haze,
Thunder filled dark foreboding,
Rain sodden wispy hope.


Will you stay?


While the storm rages,
While the windows tremble,
While the doors are slammed,


Will you stay?


Or will you remain


A draft 
A thought
A regret


I cling to when I cannot sleep?


Even in the middle of the night,
It’s palpable


Even in the darkest hours,
It’s glowing.


Even in the coolness of dawn,
It’s burning.


Burning,


My heart
My soul
My mind.


I cannot escape


This glare,
This heat,
This scent,


You’re everywhere
Even when you’re not here.


You’re everything,
Even when you’re not here.


You are every breath,
Even when you’re not here.


Not here,
There.


Not here,
Over tere.


Not here,
Over and over that way.


Far away,
Never here.


But you never leave…


The moon will wane and wax,
The heat will  drop and rise,
The wave will splatter and crest


You will leave and you will return.
You will deny and you will confess.
You will take a step back and a step further.


You will return.


In the balmy evenings of summer
In the deliciously fresh dawn.
In the ever glowing afternoons.


And you will stay…


Will you?

21/06/20

~ Layla ~ Leave a comment 
The smoke has faded,
The dust has settled,
The mists have receded.


There are no footballer and no singer.
There are no husband and no wife.
There are no lonely scholar and lonely mystic.


There’s a priestess,
There’s a princess,
There’s a wild creature,


Racing through marshes and woods.
Hurling through vales and peaks,
Howling through hollows and mounts.


Panting,
Growling,
Hollering.


Can you hear the call?


You are lying in the bed you never made.
You are lying in the ruins of your own words.
You are lying in a hollow of dried hopes.


Can you hear the call?


You are fighting that longing.
You are drying that well.
You are bottling up that hope.


But you cannot sleep,
Can you?


But you cannot escape,
Can you?


But you cannot forget,
Can you?


It’s a breath,
It’s a whisper,
It’s a a cry.


There’s a door,
There’s a path,
There’s a book,


You’ve opened.


It haunts you,
It calls you,
It beckons you.


Wake up,
Why won’t you wake up?


Sit up,
Why won’t you sit up?


Stand up,
why won’t you stand up.


Your body is shivering.
Your heart is quivering.
Your soul is glimmering.


You found her.
She came to you.
Both ran apart.


Why,
Do you wonder why?


Of course you do,


Fellow traveller,
Friend,
My love.


As you toss and turn,
As you fast and pray
As you wait and listen,


I pray,
I sing,
I weave,


A few lines


To keep you warm.
To keep you safe,
To keep you sane.


… And light your way.

10/05/20

~ Layla ~ Leave a comment 
Yesterday,
The wind blew through the deadwood.


Last week,
The rain trickled through the thick woods.


Last month,
The wet slaps stole the young blossoms.


What a night!
What a week!
What a month!


My cheeks remember.
My fingers tingle.
My heat beats.


Beats,
Beats on.


Beats on,
Beats on and on.


But the winds faded into a sigh.
But the rain faded into a puddle. 
But the tempest faded into a raft.


Leaving the nights silent.
Leaving the ground splayed.
Leaving the horizon empty. 


Until the dawn returned…


Decked in gold,
Covered in gossamer,
Dressed in glory.


The swallow had barely made it.
The butterfly had barely survived it.
The rosebuds had barely endured it.


Colorless wings,
Feathered nests,
Scattered petals.


Where did these songs go?
Where did those dreams go?
Where did that hope go?


Scattered words,
Hopeless dreams, 
Songless nights.


When the day returned,
When the calm returned,
When the mariner returned,


There were no words left to greet him.


What could she say?
What could she write?
What could she pray?


… That hadn’t been whispered before?


The first day,
The oak tree was a stranger.


The first week,
The stranger was a foreigner.


The first month,
The foreigner was a kinsman.


Silence after silence,
Monosyllable after monosyllable,
Rose after rose,


The oak tree became a home again.


For the skittish squirrel,
For the fluttering swift,
For the mountain rose.


Oh but for how long?


Until the next storm,
Until the next war,
Until the next flight,


This is where I raise my tent.


The season will come and dance,
The winds will come and whirl,
The sun and moon will come and go.


Fluttering the flaps of my tent.


You will leave again.
You will return again.


Fluttering through my frazzled heart. 


Will you stay this time?


Ask the forgotten forest.
Ask the foggy horizon.
Ask the bedewed rosebud. 

01/05/20

~ Layla ~ 4 Comments 
Every dawn,
Every sunset,
Every single day,


She went to tread on the edge…


Her lips salty,
Her toes sandy,
and her cheeks too, salty.


Golden waves after waves.
Crimson caresses after caresses.
Midnight mantles after mantles,


And the sky ever present.


All those colors would make her sigh.


Pink hues,
Blue wisps,
Dark velvet.


The whisper of the ocean,
The glimmer of the stars 
The dance of the moon,


Would keep her company.


One day, she would whisper back,
One day he will return, she would holler back,
One day he will return to me, she would cry.


Teardrops feeding the ocean,
Songs pouring into the splatters,
Dreams buried deep in the sand.


She was always there.
He wasn’t.


She was always hoping,
He wasn’t.


She was always standing,
He wasn’t.


But she kept on


Wandering
Lingering
Waiting.


Will he return today?


A ship broke the dance


Of the waves 
Of the seagulls
Of the old hermit. 


She knew that banner,
She knew that ship,
She knew that voice.


But she didn’t know her own voice.
But she didn’t know human language.
But she didn’t know her own name.


Words had flocked away.


Who was that hagard old woman?
Who was that wind beaten corpse?
Who was that staggering creature?


More bones than flesh,
More grey than gold,
More ragged than soft.


Tear after tear,
Whisper after whisper,
Vigil after vigil,


What was left?


He did return, the admiral.
He did return, the knight.
He did return, the sparrow.


Did you see his eyes?


Thundering waves.
Blistering despair.
Earth shattering droplets.


What had become of his ladylove?


Down to his knees,
Face in the sand,
Hand to his head.


Where was his gentle lady?


Bony twigs in his hair.
Sodden feathers on his forehead.
Sandpaper against his cheeks.


He looked up.


Those eyes…


A beacon in the dark sea.
A flare in the stormy night.
A star in the endless mist.


Those eyes….


He knew.
He missed.
He cherished.


His hand found her cheek.
His lips found her lips.
His arms found her frame.


The dawn revealed them,


Nestled like birdlings in the storm. 
Meshed like ivy on a crumbling wall.
Merged like a comet in a crater.


His tears found hers.
Her pleas found his.
Their heart found their hearth.


As the sun rose in the blue sky,


A tired seaman stood with an old woman.
A wandering knight stood with his beloved lady.
A young boy stood with a little girl. 


Hands linked,
Hearts tied
Souls entwined.


One day, he did return to me…

26/04/20

~ Layla ~ Leave a comment 
There was a green light
There was a gentle breeze
There was a hushed prayer


Now there is only silence.


They said that the internet is a haunted place.


I can hear the echo of your words.
I can feel the whisper of your warmth.
I can sense the gentleness of your farewell.


But you are not here.


The stars dance around,
The moon waxes and wanes,
The waves come and go,


You are really gone this time. 


Yet,


One page after the other,
One flutter after the other,
One tear after the other,


You remain here.


Isn’t this what I always do….


Cling to the vanishing morn. 
Hold on to the drifting crest.
Reach for the hazy mirage.


My eyes don’t see.
My brain doesn’t compute.
My hand don’t hold.


But my heart tells another story.


Before you came through the path,
Before your burst the dam,
Before you carved through the cave,


My heart was hidden under a cairn. 


You dug and dug,
You drag and drag,
You hurt and hurt


Until you found it.


The cascading stream,
The rolling boulders,
The crashing wings,


Oh so such a racket!


You woke up the dead.
You woke up the dreamer.
You woke up the damsel.


No more dreams,
No more sleep,
No more escape…


You were here.


A solid oak.
An everlasting sequoia.
A bending willow.


You were here.


In my thoughts,
In my dreams,
In my words.


I ran.
I hid.
I turned around.


I ran, to you.
I hid in your arms.
I retuned to you.


Until you left.


Perhaps,


I long for a rush under my wings,
I long for a crumbling tower to flee,
I long for absence to weave a song.


This is why I always choose,


Those who run.
Those who fade.
Those who drift.


Leaving me,


Bruised,
Alone
But free.


Or, perhaps,


I long for the impossible.
I long for the unreachable.
I long for the intangible.


And chase something only I can sense.


But what about you?


My sparrow,
My oak tree,
My gentle love,


What do you long for?


I listen,
I write,
I pray,


… Only silence. 

28/03/20

~ Layla ~ Leave a comment 
If you were mine,
Like a rose.

If you were mine,
Like a cat.

If you were mine,
Like a gem.

I’d keep you from the storm.
I’d keep keep you from the cold.
I’d keep you from the dust.

Safe,
My love I’d keep you safe.

Happy,
My love I’d keep you happy.

Loved,
My love, I’d keep you loved.

But there’s a web between us.
But there’s a veil between us.
But there’s a road between us.

Like a foliage,
Like gossamer,
Like a helix.

Dusts 
Summits 
Galaxies.

Closer and closer,
Farther and farther,
Eternally and eternally.

There a thread, 
There’s a hope,
There’s a breath,

that can travel through space
that can travel through time
that can travel through universes.

I didn’t choose it.
You didn’t choose it.

It was written.

Where?
How?
Why?

You
&
I.

Here.
Now.
All over.

I follow you.
You follow me.
Linked to each other.

But you are not here,
You are never here.

But I am not there,
I am never there, 

And yet,
The seeds do sprout.

And yet,
The sprouts do shoot.

And yet,
The shoots do grow…

Into an oak tree.

Where nightingale can sing.
Where sparrows can hide.
Where thrush can nest.

If you were mine,
I’d be the robin on your shoulder.

If I were yours,
I’d be the cherry tree against your back.

Until then,

Your heart breaks and you worry for me.
My heart breaks and I worry for you.

You are the first.
I am the first.

Still,

Our hands never touch.
Our breaths never mingle.
Our eyes never meet.

If you were mine.
I’d be your comfort.

If I were yours,
You’d be my safety.

Until then,

I am a hope.
You are a dream.
We are a fairytale.

That we whisper to each other,
With a rose.

That we keep from each other,
With a promise.

That we bestow on each other,
With a greeting.

08/03/20

~ Layla ~ Leave a comment 
Can you hear her?
Can you feel her?
Can you hold her?

A soft chirp,
A gentle flutter,
A lithe heartbeat.

There’s a song in your heart
There’s a feather in your beard,
There’s a warmth in your palms,

But you cannot see it.

Your branches are high and wide,
Your foliage is battered but blooming,
Your trunk is caved but strong.

An oak,
A cypress,
An aspen,

That survived the Flood.
That survived the Plagues.
That survived the Furies.

Time and time again.

In a world full of coal,
In a world full of smoke,
In a world full of oil spills ,

You thrived.

You know of darkness and the return of the Light,
You know of loneliness and the return to the Presence,
You know of bitterness and the return Forgiveness,

… But ever so lonely.

High there,
Deep within,
Far away,

How cold you must feel,
How silent you must feel,
How tired you mus feel….

But even in this land,

The pale dawn must return,
The gentle breeze must return,
A hopeful spring must return.

Like in the ever expanding darkness,
Like in the ever exploding supernova,
Like in the ever silent galaxies,

There’s a distant glint.

It’s a speck,
Its a dust,
It’s a star.

You looked up to the night sky.
You searched for the crescent moon.
You found an unexpected gleam.

Something you carry with you even in the brightest sunshine.
Something you protect from the fiercest storm.
Something you hold on to even in the bitterest cold.

But you cannot grasp it yet.
But you cannot clasp it yet.
But you cannot wrap it yet.

In your arms.

Your heart yearns for that moment,
Your chest tremble for that embrace,
Your soul shivers for that treasure.

But she isn’t a queen,
decked in diamonds and pearls.

But she isn’t a saint,
decked with distance and perfection.

But she isn’t a prize,
decked with gold and jewels.

She is but a human.
She is but a woman.
She is but a wanderer… Just like you.

A poet, sometimes,
A lady, other times,
A bird, most of the time.

What about you?

Who are you?
A solid oak tree.

Who are you?
A timid sparrow.

Who are you?
A safe valley.

I wish you were a tree
I could rest on.

I wish you were a foliage
I could shelter under.

I wish you were a foret
I could lose myself into.

Instead,

You are a few sentences,
You are a few heartbeats,
You are a few clicks,

and a dream,
and a hope,
and a prayer,

That I have bestowed to God.

One day,
One night,
One magical moment,

My love,

I shall tell your everything.
I shall give you everything.
I shall offer you everything.

One day,

When the time has come.
When the decree has fallen,
When the waiting is fulfilled,

I shall be yours.
You shall be mine.

If God has ordained it.
As God has ordained it.
When God has ordained it.

Until then…

There’s a song in your heart,
There’s a feather in your beard,
There’s a warmth in your palms,

— A bird on your shoulder. 

28/09/19

~ Layla ~ Leave a comment 
 To that robin redbreast
 To that yellow tit.
 To that kind sparrow.
 

 I will never forget your sweet song.
 I will never forget your gentle fluttering.
 I will never forget your shy hovering.
 

 Every morning,
 I look for you from my window.
 

 Every afternoon,
 I feed you from my balcony.
 

 Every sunset, 
 I sing to you from my bower.
 

 Ah,
 songs and poems
 hopes and dreams
 wishes and whispers
 

 Are all we are allowed to have. 
 

 I served crumbs of truth
You pecked it away.
 

 I was careless
 I was hopeless
 I was lonely.
 

 Oh so lonely,
 So very lonely.
 

 But you know about that bitter taste.
 But you know about that cold rapture.
 But you know about that voiceless song. 
 

 You’re the same.
 We’re the same.
 

 Yet so very different….
 

 You speak like badly translated subtitles.
 I speak like a never-ending soliloque. 
 We try to cross the sea of words and meanings. 
 
undefined
 But we always drown…
 

 In misunderstanding.
 In our own feelings.
 In so many dreams…
 

 But your heart,
 But your song,
 But your sigh 
 

 Echo into the night.
 

 And I yearn.
 And I hope.
 And I graze 
 

 What doesn’t even exist.
 

 Are you even real?
 

 Across that golden web.
 Across that stream of numbers.
 Across that ever growing distance. 
 

 Did I?
 Did you?
 

 … fall like feathers.
 …. scatter like petals.
 … melt like the sunset.
 

 Did we?
 

 Or was it just a string of incoherent words.
 

 And so much longing.
 And so much desperation.
 And so much loneliness.
 

 Engulfing us into a sleepless dream. 
  

20/09/19

~ Layla ~ Leave a comment

And I come back to you,

Like the waves come back to the rocks,
Like the leaves return to the ground,
Like the wind howls again between the trees.

My heart resiles.
My soul mounds.
My eyes replenish..

Is it a habit?
Is it an addiction?
Is it true love?

What do I know ?

I talk to the whispering night
I talk to the snoring neighbor
I talk to the pernicious wind.

That always returns.

Without a word.
Without an embrace.
Without a confession.

Just a filtering cold.
Just a sinister whimper.
Just a chaotic tumble.

Is it foolish?
Is it loyal?
Is it romantic?

Some would laugh scornfully.
Some would turn away impatiently.
Other would run for the hills.

Like you did.

Always running.
Always fading.
Always crystalizing..

Never returning.

I could have a handful of goldenseals.
I could have a pocketful of bluebells.
I could have a life full of soft buttercups.

I could.
But I cannot.

Instead I turn my face to the blistering cold.
Instead I turn my heart to the carving howl.
Instead I turn my soul to the ever burning core.

Burning,
Turning
And bursting.

In total silence
In complete stillness.
In utter peacefulness.

What noise do stars make in deep space

When they collide?
When they collapse?
When they burst to life again ?

In tiny tiny
growing growing
burning burning

embers ?

The same bursting silence,
The same gentle bustle.
The same voiceless awe

That echoes in your words.
That mingles with your breath.
That cadences your heart.

soft soft like a hummingbird’s exhalation.
hushed hushed like the night after the tempest.
empty, empty like a breaking heart after a dream.

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I always return to you,
But you never do.