at bay

find her hiding amongst the river reeds
laying wait for the fireflies to light up the night sky
only the tepid water and creeping fog keep her
waylayed heart at bay.

-rohe

mine

i would like to leave an imprint
on the inner rim of your coffee cup,
stain your pillow cases with lash marks,
and when you find a remnant of my presence here
i hope you find an aching sensation -
in knowing your no longer mine

- rohe

pristine

you found a reckoning in
the soft folds of your mothers dress,
pressed and pristine - and your tears
smattered tiny stars onto the linen

- rohe

heavens bones

i'd rather let it go tonight
get lost, a little smothered in the fright -
to find my lips, damp from sweeping visions
of love that was never meant to be mine,

i figure i will find my god
on the way, written between the lines or on
a passing sign -- cause most of the time
I'm just driving blind
lost baby - lost little heart,
saintly gold and mother mary  never let me know
the curse of bringing innocence from praying lips,
so, i just keep on walking onto heavens bones

- rohe

exuvium

does it matter where her mind lies,
if her body whipers of immortality,
as her hand lays listlessly at her breast,
a vapid pout painted on her lips -
your sordid claim leaves her wanting,
what more is she - than dust fallen from
unclaimed celestial bodies - an exuvium
of constant evolution, evoked by the
ensatiable nomad within her wanton heart

- rohe

pacified

some days
you and i will hide,
beneath a blanket,
on the other side of life

you will go here,
and i will go there,
somwhere familiar
that we don't share

guilt and shame
lay pacified,
todays not yours
nor, tomorrow mine,

who says loves the answer -
when heartbreak
quantifies this heart
of mine and -

some days
you and i will hide,
beneath a blanket,
on the other side of life

- rohe

barefoot

clustered forms
overlapping in a curious hum
of ochre on charcoal,

sharp twinge of regret,
soft clover -
pushed between toes
and swollen skin.

- rohe

balcony

there is a balcony
into my soul,

but you must stand
at the very edge,
until you feel your ears
dip off the ledge
and your head
turns the sky
into the sea,

when flying feels
more like floating
listlessly by tide -
you will find me,

tangled among
the books tossed
at summers edge;
glory of youthful
wonder passed,

torn pages bent
from satisfaction
and craving,
my heart is a
memoir - a treasure
trove of urgency,

i beckon to you,
come into the chambers
build of devastation
and overgrowth,
lend a moment in time,

does she whisper
of longing - ever near?

- rohe

unruly

i want your
unruly gaze,
words run together
wearily,
i try to concentrate
heavily on
the cigarette
melting into empty
space,
i know this isn't
mine to take,
but i'd rather
have this moment
in space,
a little slice of heaven
beneath your
dave matthews band
poster,
with your sigh beneath
my hand.
lets leave it on the
shelf,
so you can show me
what time means
to you,
more than cross cultured
revenue,
let me know
your universal peace
by taste

- rohe

swallow

save me
for i cannot
swallow anymore,

words are useless
the coaxing of your
hands are merciless
to me

relentless
weary daze,
leaving me chapped
aching for words
in a new take,

leave something for
the rendering


- rohe

cling

a memory
  that clings,
like overgrown ivy
gracing abondoned
  chapel walls,

like bad religion,
  it came and went
when the darkness
broke, leaving
  the stars at bay -

a windswept
  city of muddled
faces

 - rohe

concrete

crushed beneath
  three feet of concrete,
struggling to feel complete

thirsty for sweet drops
    - heavens breath,

cracks between fingers
  until  the moss creeps
and struggles here,

solitude, worn
    - heavy and still

- rohe

gypsy

you smell of life -
a heavy breath of sunshine
warming your skin,

your tongue tastes
of history -
layers rich and deep,

your tone is of
gypsy mire and
london, spilt
in fury and love

your name lays
heavily on my lips
and my heart only
whispers of you -

rohe

who says "no"

i walk away
because saying "no"
means nothing to you,
you think the lipstick
i wear, was painted
just for you;

where along the line
did you begin to assume
that i was created
to simply arouse you

- so i have become a
woman, who says "no"


when i say "no"
its because, you have
not heard it enough before,
you still think
my pleasure
is yours for the taking

- so i have become a
woman, who says "no"

where along the line
did you assume
that i would simply
unfold, and
gift you my sacred
furrows

- so i have become a
woman, who says "no"

in saying "no"-
i say "yes"
to everything i am,
i say "yes"
to all  i desire to be,
i belong
to my unfolding -
so i have become a
woman, who says "no"


-rohe

aftertaste

so life -

is all that i have made it;

the deepest pits of hell -

and the coming of age

the aftertaste of love

that struck you to the core.

the bittersweet odor

of a lovers musk on your skin

or the slippery blood

that drips from broken 

finger tips

so life -

is all that i have made it

uncertainty

i have stood
my soul tossed
loitered upon the heaving
sea of uncertainty.

here i am still,
when most ships crash
to the depths,
i am still tattered - weeping
to her glorious sea
longing like a salted
tongue

for these sorrows,
such tremors - are not just
of my own making -
but rather of the aching
souls who struggle
along side me'

who am i
what are we -
where is life
without uncertainty.


rohe

I'm not sleeping

Ive planted a seed of disaster,

and its just the devils playground

when i saw it in your eyes, sir  -

but there's no way to bind my hands,

'cause trust me I'm

not sleeping -- if I'm walking

in your head 

yes, sir - pray for forgiveness

while your crawling back to her,

but she wont leave you breathless,

after i leave you sleep walking,

with a taste of poison honey, so sweet

how many cities.

for wonders that aren't my own,

how many deepened skyline,

when this creepin' feeling brings

my shadows around your head.

when every bed seems 

like vast, desolate spaces

and the liqueur just another

traitor come the mornin' light,

keep on singing the blues baby,

I'm in Satan's darkest corners,

'cause trust me I'm

not sleeping -- if I'm walking

in your head

- rohe

stone

tell me something
as if it meant nothing
- a heavy stone at sea

-rohe

locks

i rid myself of the horror of a veil,
i didnt need locks of gold --
no heavy tresses to echo my maidenhood.

- rohe

muse me

make me wild like dahli
and as virginal as renoirs girls

- rohe

encompassed starlight

pivot the hips
and dip a little deeper
into the wonder here,
the waning crescents
of my waistline,

let the ripple of light
guide your eyes
to the opalescent
wonder - that is
encompassed
in the starlight

forgive me -
for  this hasty pleasure,
before you awaken from
this dream alone

-rohe

haunted uncertainty

you know sweeping motions of the heart, only when it is torn assunder. you became all to familiar with smothering hands that crushed your sense of wonder. the days when your tears filled the honey comb - bittersweet cups of uncertainty. And in the dark you felt the shadows of women who came before you, their souls whispering from the broken doorways of a haunted life...

rohe