Electric Orchid

I found this Bauhinia variegata blooming outside my apartment and it brandishes quite a lovely neon flame.

Orion

I can only see you in the dark. When my eyes are closed. Surrounded by the endless unknown.

There was a time when I could watch your smile dance upon your face. I could feel the scars on your body. I used to know the color of your eyes. The smell of your skin reminded me of home. But I've never had a city to call my own.

I think I was always destined to be alone. I'm a fighter, a hunter. I love freedom. Tradition is control dressed up so the shackles feel like jewelry. Autonomy is the purest form of power. I never sought the company of others because I had no equal.

But you found me.

An accidental meeting that felt more like a collision. You were smart, charismatic, and a fighter as well. You held my interest like no one else. We could overcome the demons in the darkness with our fire. You saw the flickering moonlight in my soul and knew that was what you craved. You never tried to take me away from the things I loved. You had no ambition to tame me. Your love was real because you desired the wild.

You told me once that an extinguished passion is only dust in the wind, and you were here to play with fire.

I was always myself but in you I had someone I could be free with. I could run with you, fly with you. You never tried to slow me down. You kept up and encouraged me to be better.

But fate would take you from me. I mourned you with a flood of tears. I was used to being alone but for the first time I felt emptiness. Your absence wasn't merely just physical presence but a part of my future that was lost. Of course I can exist without you but the meaning is gone.

Sometimes I tell myself I can keep going because I'm strong. But other times I think I can feel you lying next to me. I catch a glimpse of you out of the corner of my eye. But you're not there.

People don't understand why I love to be alone. Why I find comfort in the dark. The truth is, out here, in the cold and the quiet, is the closest I can ever be to you.

Even though you are gone you still light my world.

Venus Rising

The sky over Lake Underhil Park. You can see the divide between the neighborhood and the highway echoed by the clouds. Venus, the only visible star, hovers in the darkest part of the sky. 

Bok Tower

Bok Tower was a place I had visited years ago and fallen in love with. It had slipped to the back of my mind until my best friend Matt met me there for a spontaneous trip.

Winter Bloom

A delicate, ruffled Hibiscus in the cold January rain. 

To My Lover, My King, and My Executioner

One last love letter from Anne Boleyn to King Henry VIII.


Your Majesty,

Do you remember how you loved me so? For I am not able to forget.

Your smile, your laugh, the command of your presence and the gentleness of your touch. I did not fall in love with your status but with your soul as it was laid bare before me.

Your heart was dedicated to me alone. You were steadfast and devoted but I had the misfortune of watching your affections wither away.

Truly, I was feisty. I argued. I was bold and rebellious. I could never let you dominate me. I may not have always been the wife you desired me to be but I was your match in every way. You fell for me because of my strong heart and sharp mind. 

We brought a political and religious storm down upon ourselves because we were so consumed with each other. We defied the pope and redefined our worlds to bring ourselves closer in our orbits until we were able to collide into each other's arms.

I sit here wondering when it was that you saw fit to abandon me. 

Our world was made up of sunshine and storms, of bitter fights and ardent reunions. If I was a falcon I would fly swiftly to you and profess my endless devotion. One last embrace I was ruthlessly denied. 

Was your desire to maintain control so strong that you would so willingly destroy a union that we worked so hard to create? Were you so righteous in your determination that you would deny me the satisfaction of remaining in your good graces? You felt betrayed by things that never happened and condemned me for crimes I did not commit.

You sentenced me to death but in so doing you fail to see that you have likewise sentenced yourself to a life time of sorrow and regret. My heart breaks at the truth that you may always get your way but you will seldom get what you want.

You said to me once that 'if I remember you in my prayers as strongly as you adore me then you shall scarcely be forgotten'. My love, I shall uphold my promise and keep you in my heart and prayers. You will never be forgotten.

I only desired for you to adore me with the same reverence.

Your Lover, your Queen, and your ever faithful Wife,

Anne Boleyn

Best Seat in the House

My little tiger's favorite spot is any place near the window.