Another Ocean Metaphor Poem by Tate Blackman

Sometimes at night I lie awake thinking how moons create stars
And in the deep dark night
I wish for you
I beg for you to shed your skin like insecurities onto the ground
So I can see you from every angle
Get to know you
See that raw red skin burn under my gaze
I dream of happy places
Laying in the clouds
Sun on my back
As you soar above me
Your heart beside me
But on the horizon a storm brews
I think of you
Something seems off when you see me
Like you aren't actually seeing me
But tilting the blinds to glance at me
You keep me shut like tight curtains
I just want to be seen
The storm is coming
I have always loved the trees
Spoken to them like cousins when we were kids
I thought I had climbed my mountains
Yet there is rain
You are my galaxy to keep the deep dark away in the rain
You bring me stars in your eyes to break through this sad
You say the dandiest things
When I degrade and degrade my own perfections
You see beautiful fields of tulips and tiger lilies
While all I see are valleys and folds
I stand in the ashes of burnt homes
While you fly free in golden wheat
We try to mix our elements
Over time I have become an entity
That thrives entirely on your skin
Made of tombs and broken ribs
I haunt frequent places
Hoping to see you before I decay
When my love left for different seas
I stood in valleys watching stars shot from the sky in a shower of moon dust
Hoping my fireworks would hit your sea
I broke my seams
My days bled together
Scotch tape holds my broken heart in a suspended frenzy
My ribs were a cage for your love
And when you broke free
I fell
With a scream of "Nevermore"
When you smile that broken smile at me
I know when "I'm tired"
Actually means "Please just hug me"
Yet we both continue to smile our faux smiles
Pleading silently in our heads
That our deception will be noticed yet not
I jump in your sea
Wanting to drown in your salt water
I steal your dreams so maybe I will begin to matter
Yet when I fall in I just float to the surface
Let's celebrate one last time
The way our artistic creations have made intimate lovers
Yearn again
My pillow case longs for the day of warm cuddles
Instead of countless oceans