Soft center, waiting for your caresses. Second layer, pausing, questioning, one eyebrow raised. Next, upright stance, direct-facing…what is this bullshit? Layer four, nothing adds up. Your actions aren’t matching your words. Layer on top of layer…nothing is getting through this shield. I don’t trust you…your projections are making me crazy. STOP Back to square one…five…

I once dated someone almost twelve years younger than me. In my defense, I was 34 and thought he was 27. He was 22 1/2 and thought I was 27. The point is, it didn’t matter. He was the best guy I have dated in my decade of being single…by far. We had an awesome…

Dating you was confusing, nerve-wracking. Never knowing if you’d cancel or not show up. I believed your excuses because I wanted to. I was upfront about my feelings, and it backfired. * So…I ended it. I feel relief now. No more wondering how you feel. Your silence is my answer. * I know I’m brave….

I find it impossible to apologize for speaking out, having a brain, daring to feel and to express myself. I won’t live in darkness. Most probably don’t understand me. I am okay with that. There are a few of us who hold a secret that we share through a look, an exchange, a breath. Our…

Gen Xer here. Veteran of mailing letters and slowly, painstakingly seducing pen pals with my intrigue. Phones with twisted cords, parents mediating calls. Waiting a week for photos of my vacation to develop only to find half of them actually useable. Seeking camaraderie, I venture outside my stoop into my neighborhood to find a pick-up…

Sitting with you, I’m tense, fidgety. I can’t relax. My eyes follow every movement, every flinch. Your words are elusive. I can’t grasp their meaning. * I drink with my bestie, I’m zoned in, focused, deep in conversation. I forget time, nodding in agreement, engaging. * With you, everything is foggy, memory gone. I cling…

Dull ache turned to sharp pain. Your absence sends me into the abyss. Self-doubt creeps in, My worth tied up in your engagement. * What now? It’s simple. * A man’s attention is fleeting. Our worth is found within ourselves. True freedom is in the act of letting. Trust that love will come when it…

I spotted you ages ago. A mythical creature with your red hair and your magical smile. Your virility and your spark, a flash of recognition to what I am looking for. Over time I caught glimpses of you, moments of curiosity, palpitations, and desire. Your illusiveness drew me further in, searching for an opportunity to…

A Robin pecks at the ground nearby, signs of spring dawning. This is a time for hope and all things new. It is the season of rebirth. But I only see a world literally flooded in devastation and confusion. The cold, wet landscape bites into my nerves, forcing me back inward. What hope I felt…

Sweat, teamwork, hand slaps, exhaustion. Workout is done. It’s Saturday! Celebrating our feats of strength, we head to our favorite breakfast place. Over steaming cups of coffee and sizzling greasy grub, we banter about the workout, our week, our struggles. “A” observes something funny and we giggle. She embellishes, reveling in the hilarity of the…

One life to live Caught under a rock of expectation Wings clipped by the heavy burden of duty and survival. A glimmer of hope in the sparkle of dreams, Foreboding cut short of doom and gloom by the words of a poet. Love, suddenly accessible through visions of a future not yet written. Or are…

Are we real? Or are we constructs of a society trying to rip us of our uniqueness and authenticity? * Do we love? Or do we crave and worship the idea without truly engaging in the act? * Can we feel? Or do we numb ourselves, only to react in socially acceptable ways that force…