Perfection

A butterfly in the wind,

The further I reach,

The farther it flies,

Ever fluttering

Just beyond my fingertips.

I should catch it.

I must catch it.

It is what's expected;

It is what's necessary.

Whispering, it taunts me,

Knowing it lies

Beyond my grasp,

But I must pursue it

Anyway.

There should be no mistakes.

I cannot make a mistake.

No errors are permitted;

No blunders are acceptable.

In one hand, I hold knowledge:

It is impossible.

In the other, I hold desire:

It must be reached.

"Or Else" is not an option.

Azure wings against azure sky

Unattainable

Irresistible 

Perfection.

Outburst

 I had another outburst.

My bottled feelings boiled over,

Spilled down my shirt,

And scalded both of us.

Sometimes I'm able to step away

When I feel those feelings roiling,

But more often than not I notice too late,

And more than myself gets burned.

Part of me would rather be liked,

But the other'd rather be right,

And my righteous, preposterous rage

Frequently fills me with regrets.

Emotional outbursts scorch the earth

Like dragon's fire, uncontained,

And even though I'm terribly sorry,

I know it'll happen again.

My Friend's Book

 I like reading my friend's book.

Not just a book she recommended,

Nor one she gave as a gift -

The same book that she read

Before handing it off to me.

I like reading my friend's book;

I come across places with curved pages,

And imagine her reading with one hand,

Suddenly needing to set it down

But not ready to close it quite yet.

I like reading my friend's book.

I find a crease in the corner -

The dreaded, horrid, dog-eared page -

And I know it is a place where she stopped,

A place where she had to come up for air.

I like reading my friend's book,

For I find places she marked.

A folded page corner that didn't get smoothed

Marks a place she found significant

And left for me to find.

I like reading my friend's book,

But I wonder if reading it

Was as hard for her as it is for me.

I wonder if it happened to her,

Or if she knew it happened to me.

I like reading my friend's book

And knowing we turned the same pages.

I like the wonder that reading it brings;

I like how strongly I know it is hers;

And I like how she knew to give it to me.