Artist: Taras Loboda

Personal Blanket

She wanders absently in the house
Cold silence echoes off the walls

Her fingers grasp the material firmly
As she folds the covers around her

She holds tight to his promised words
‘I’m your personal blanket – always’

She stops – breathes deeply in his familiar scent
Feels his warmth slowly sooth her worries

She pulls him tight around her body
Sits on the edge of the bed

She knows he will return – he has to
She sits – anticipating – waiting – drifting…

She feels his presence long before she hears him
Her skin electric as he enters the room

She wonders if this is part of a waking dream
The words escape her lips, ‘Are you really here?’

His arms surround her as he kisses the words
‘Your personal blanket – always’ – his smile on her lips

Michael

Artist: Taras Loboda

A Voice Within

It starts as a whisper – deep within
She purposefully tries to ignore it

Familiar feelings surface from the shadows

His touch flows through her – takes shape
He caresses her soul – so hard to ignore 

Michael

Artist: Taras Loboda

Path

As the cool breeze flows pass, Emily slows her pace. The wispy sensation on her skin triggers a familiar feeling within. She instinctively extends her fingers – expecting his touch. She hesitantly opens herself to a flood of buried emotions – her desires …

The rustle of leaves to her left brings Emily’s thoughts back to her surroundings. With a vague feeling that she is returning from another moment in time, she slowly starts to look around. Trees line the path in front of her – ‘how far have I walked – and how long?’ she asks herself. She tries to remember if this is the place – the place she always seems to feel him.

Emily smiles as she hears his whisper on the breeze – softly teasing her. His voice flows within – resonating in rhythm with her heart. She strains to hear his words – always so close … and, yet always just out of reach. He’s here – she knows it – feels it. She breathes him in with the sweet smell of soggy leaves wafting in the air – enveloping her – protecting her.

Something within drives her to the edge of the path – to a particular elm tree. She feels the tree breathing – branches swaying – leaves dancing with the breeze. A shadow movement behind the leaves catches her eye – tricks of the sunlight filtering through the tree, perhaps. And then … and then … she smiles as she sees it appear – a hidden path – the first time it is visible to her.

“Today”, his voice says within her as she takes a step inside…

Michael

Artist: Taras Loboda

Shadows

With her mind in overdrive, Emily tries to calm herself by gazing at the woods from her bedroom window. She loves her woods … and especially at this time of night. She is entranced by the ghostly shadow patterns dancing in her view – created by the full moon peeking through the trees and a mischievous breeze teasing the leaves.

Emily turns to look at her clock – 2 AM and she’s wide awake. Her mind refuses to rest – a voice within her insists on being heard. Even so, she is determined to ignore it. She turns back to the window and begins to focus on the fleeting shadows. It’s strange though – there’s something familiar in the flowing shapes – she feels it.

As she concentrates on the shapes, the voice within her begins to fade – as if giving her space. Emily starts to discern a pattern with the moving shapes – “parts of a whole?” she wonders. There is definitely something familiar – something almost life-like about them. She’s not sure why they seem familiar – and a feeling of caution rises in her.

And yet – ever so slowly – a distant thought surfaces above the caution. At first, a hint of vague memories – dimly formed. Her eyes narrow as she tries to maintain focus on the ghostly shapes – she senses conflicted emotions and wonders…

Emily almost jumps out of her skin when she hears the laugh. “Where did it come from?” she hears herself thinking. And then – she hears it again. She must be mistaken – “it is probably just an animal deep in the woods making that sound” she tries to reason … and yet, she knows that laugh. Yes, that laugh she remembers … and the memories begin to flood her mind – her internal walls no longer hold them back.

Suddenly, she sees his shape in the previously amorphous moving shadow patterns – and the memory of his voice floats around her. She smiles at the memory … a quiet sad smile. Her mind races again – as she wonders at possibilities. Ethan has been out of her life for so long … he must be far away .. and yet … he feels so near right now.

The sound of a pebble bouncing off her window momentarily stops her thoughts…

Michael

Artist: Taras Loboda

Thoughts of You

In quiet moments
I feel your lips caress my face

In quiet moments
I feel your fingers trace my chest

In quiet moments
I feel your body – electric – against mine

In quiet moments
I hear your sensuous whispers in my ear

…

In quiet moments
Thoughts of you flow through my mind

In quiet moments
I feel you within me – I breathe you

In quiet moments
Yes, in quiet moments – you are…

…

In quiet moments
I smile you – whispers in the dark

Michael

Artist: Taras Loboda

Shadow

With her mind in play tonight, Emily tries to calm herself by gazing at the woods from her bedroom window. At this time of night, the combination of a full moon peering just above the tree line and a mischievous breeze work together – to cast ghostly patterns with lights and shadows – fading in and out of the darkness below.

It is 2 AM, but her mind refuses to rest – a voice within that insist on being heard. Yet, she is determined to ignore it. She begins to focus on the fleeting patterns of light and shadow. It’s strange – there is something familiar in the flowing shapes – she can feel it.

With the mental distraction in place, the voice in her head begins to fade – and details from the ghostly shapes emerge. Emily begins to think she can discern a connection among the pattern of moving shapes – parts of a whole perhaps? There is definitely something familiar – something almost life-like about them. She’s not quite sure why they feel familiar to her – or whether she really wants to know what that familiar shape is.

And yet, ever so slowly – a distant thought surfaces within her. At first, a hint of vague memories – dimly formed. Her eyes narrow as she tries to maintain focus on the ghostly shapes – she senses she doesn’t want these memories to return.

Emily almost jumps out of her skin when she hears the laugh – “where did it come from?” she hears herself thinking. And then – she hears it again. It must be an animal deep in the woods making that sound she tries to reason – and yet, she knows that laugh. Yes, that laugh she remembers … and the memories begin to flood her mind – her internal walls can no longer hold them back.

Now – she sees him in the previously amorphous moving patterns of light and shadow on the ground – and the memory of his voice begins to surface in her head. She smiles at the memory – a sad smile, still the same. She wonders at the possibilities – he has been out of her life for so long and he must be so far away … yet he feels so near right now.

The sound of a pebble bouncing off her window momentarily stops her thoughts…

Light

With his mind in play, Ethan continued his late night walk along the path in the woods. It was nearly 2AM, yet with the full moon at his back there was plenty of light. It occurred to him, not for the first time, that she seemed to surface with intensity in his mind during a full moon.

Emily was always close to the surface of his thoughts, but the full moon brought thoughts of her in waves washing over his walls. Although he tried to forget, he knew why – the last time they were together was during a walk on such a night as this.

He quickly forced his mind to concentrate on the woods around him. The trees seemed alive with movement – the leaves dancing about in light and shadow as the breeze flowed through. The woods at night always seemed to calm him – except that one night with Emily … “Damn it, stop thinking about that” he tried to will himself to obey.

Her voice deep within him – normally buried away – persisted in being heard tonight. “You have to face this and make it right” she said. Ethan sighed and let the thoughts wash through him. She was the most beautiful light in his life at one time – but, he let her go that night. He thought he had convinced himself it was for the best, but now…

He walked these woods almost every night – never turning down the trail that led to her house. Funny, he could never convince himself to move away from her – yet, he stayed out of her life. And now … he was unsure if she would see him even if he came to her.

But, her voice was strong inside him tonight. He was half-way along the trail before he realized he was heading towards her house. “Now what?” he wondered. Then – two birds darted across his path. Cardinals he hoped, as a remembered memory made him laugh out loud. It was a sad laugh all the same – an involuntary escape of emotion from deep within, he knew.

And there she was – standing at her bedroom window – and she seemed to be looking right at him. But, he knew she couldn’t see him – at least he didn’t think she could. He smiled wistfully at another memory and hoped this would work – as he picked up a pebble and tossed it at her window.

Michael

Artist: Taras Loboda

A Voice Within

a voice deep within
resonating from her heart
echoes of his love

Michael

Artist: Taras Loboda

Within Me Now

in quiet moments
i invited thoughts of you
you’re within me now

Michael

Artist: Taras Loboda

Nature’s Art

with each lightning flash
he marvels at nature’s art
and… she’s in his arms

Michael

Artist: Taras Loboda

Chasing Shadows

She feels his touch with the cool breeze
The sensation on her skin – so familiar

She hears him between the rustle of leaves
Whispers that resonate magic within

She smells him while walking through the woods
The sweet aroma of soggy leaves wafting in the air

She tastes him in strawberries and M&Ms
Temporarily satiating her hunger within

She sees his image in fleeting moments
Always moving – never quite clear

He teases her senses with an elusive smile
She’s chasing shadows – or so it seems

And always – just out of reach
And then … And then …

He kisses her

Michael