by Eric Nixon
Like they could crack
Fall apart and break
At any possible second
We could not be any closer
Than we are right here
Standing on the curb
Car running and forgotten
People passing and ignored
Planes landing so close
And we are oblivious of it all
Nothing matters more
Than what’s in our arms
I hold her face and look deeply
Into the delicious depth of her eyes
And then everything gets blurry
And goes dark as the only sensation
Is our lovingly lingering kiss
The meeting of our lips
Wonderfully marked
With such a radiantly elegant
And delicately reserved passion
Perfectly matched for the moment
As our faces pulled away
Our fingers traced and memorized
The edges of our faces until the
Very last finger fell into the space
Separating us which grew by
Inches, then feet
Until we were no longer
Within sight of one another
Seconds, then minutes
Thinking how I miss her
Trying not to think about the pain
That will come as the separation
Is measured not in distance
But in time
September 13, 2004
Manchester, New Hampshire
I just saw Lost In Translation and that end scene really hit me and made me think how life can bring two people so close together and it all seems so wonderfully real when it’s there in your hand, but when you have to go and leave the one you love behind, the physical distance that separates becomes time, which is infinitely worse.
Drink the Giggling Murmur
Soft and quiet
So hard to hear
In the beginning
After a little more
Sipping
After a little more
Drinking
And a lot more
Time
Has slipped on by
The obscured
Becomes apparent
Comes out of hiding
Makes its presence
Known to the thinking
Ones who are drinking
More than they planned
But nonetheless here we are
Laughing and acting
Like we did back in college
When nothing really mattered
Like some long-dead explorers
We just now re-discovered
That it’s still very much the case
As we drink the giggling murmur
Being so limitless and carefree
Talking, touching, being free
Watching the candles burn down
Knowing the sun will soon rise up
Not caring one way or another
Since we are happy here together
Smiling in the early morning light
September 18, 2004
Manchester, New Hampshire
When I was down in North Carolina two weeks ago, I bought a desktop stand for Magnetic Poetry. I absolutely love it since if I’m bored at my desk, I can mess around with different phrases. The title of this was one of those I came up with.
In An Aisle
Remember that day
Out at Target
We were acting like
Giddy teenagers
So deeply
In love
So madly
Consumed by lust
For one another
In an empty aisle
I kissed your mouth
And got a handful
A light twisting pinch
Eyes jammed closed
Lips parted breath sucked in
Squirminess down below
As quickly as it happened
It stopped as someone
Inadvertently interrupted
You grabbed my hand
And led me down a few
To the camping aisle
Where you started the charge
And deftly caressed my dreams
And it seemed like heaven
Until someone happened by
And we moved on once again
Doing this all around the store
Until we couldn’t take it anymore
Drove like all hell to get home
And barely made it inside
As our clothes trailed on the floor
To the bedroom where you and I
Held a meeting of closeness
With such passion and force unknown
To anyone anywhere ever before
September 19, 2004
Manchester, New Hampshire
It hasn’t happened yet, but it will.
October
The Heavy Shadow of Uncertainty
The heavy shadow of uncertainty
Seems to fall across everything lately
Twisting the emotions I thought I felt
Ripping at the inner core of my heart
No idea of what I want anymore
No longer knowing what’s ahead in store
What’s caused my feelings or why I’m driven
My future is no longer a given
The only constant is what’s uncertain
And the now apparent need to install
A revolving door in the front lobby
For all the growing traffic in my mind
So many in such a short span of time
All of them seem so wonderful at first
But in the end they end up getting hurt
When the emotions fade, my mind kicks in
Pointing out the differences and that’s when
Doubt and second-guessing come into play
Over thinking the future of today
As quickly as they entered, they will leave
Now all alone I have the time to see
How my rabid refusal to settle
Leaves me empty in the emotional yacht
To sail the seas alone with no crew
I can only pray someday there will be two
Me and the unnamed her…happy at last
October 9, 2004
Manchester, New Hampshire
Things I thought I felt strongly always seem to fade so quickly when my mind starts thinking too much and tearing the emotions apart. Am I too picky?
As We All Will Tonight
I almost did it
Grabbed and put
My camera to the glass
Capturing the action
Tipping, pouring
So you could see the world
That I see daily, nightly
The view that I do
Of that most horrible of sights
The bottom of the glass
As it rushes up to meet me
But I didn’t take that picture
Since it’s one that I know
You’ve seen yourself
A victim of our generation
A casualty of our century
Nothing new that you
Haven’t seen yourself
Thousands of times before
Nothing new
Nothing special
So please pardon me
If I don’t take that picture
And instead why don’t you
Take a little look-see
For yourself
At the bottom of your
Flute, wine, pint, snifter
As I know you will
As we all will tonight
October 10, 2004
Manchester, New Hampshire
May the Best of Luck Be Yours
The worst curse has been broken
Now and forevermore
The depressed days are now over
Rejoice and be gl
ad that the
Worst days you can imagine
Will have an end that comes soon
Your days that felt like Buckner's
The move-away-kinda days
Will all be over sooner
Than you can now imagine
May the best of luck be yours
For now, and forever more
October 28, 2004
Manchester, New Hampshire
I’m not a sports fan (by any means) but the Red Sox just won the World Series.
2005
Right Of Way
All lights are green at a four-way intersection
No interfering stop signs as far as I can see
You and I are going to crash into each other
Full-speed because we both have the right of way
And, oh my God, I so totally can’t wait
Crash into each other
I want nothing more
Rip out the pedal in the middle
You won’t need it anymore ever
Right foot planted hard on the floor
Needing to feel this forever more
The speed, the adrenaline, the desire
The need to be intertwined together
No jaws of life can save us
Strapped in, lost in a kiss
Let us burn, tight in embrace
You and me here, face to face
Never want to find my way
Anywhere but here with you
Never want to leave your side
March 2, 2005
Goffstown, New Hampshire
What is going on?
Hopefully happiness is going on
Hopefully you won't be long
Because I'm wanting to see
Because I'm needing to be
With the one I love tonight
In bed with you curled tight
Drifting off and dreaming on
Picnicking on a French lawn
Counting all the ways
Cherishing the days
Spent together with you
March 22, 2005
Goffstown, New Hampshire
Kari sent me an email tonight with the words “What is going on?” That’s it. I, without thought, started writing and ended up with this.
Smile And Enjoy
Across your face
I see the beauty
I see the emotions
Running wild
Running free
You entice me
Spark my curiosity
Make me want more
A million layers
Under the pretty
Each one quicker
More unique
Than the last
My future life with you
Won’t reveal them all
Love returned
A thousand fold
Maybe more
When it’s plentiful
Who’s keeping score
When you’re drowning
In such ideal perfection
Just smile and enjoy
March 22, 2005
Goffstown, New Hampshire
More inspiration caused by staring at Kari’s picture.
A Stranger Wrote Me
The days filled with nothing
But lonely and sadness
When the darkness held me
Those nights when no one did
It all seems so far so long ago in my past
The solitude ended
When a stranger wrote me
Completely randomly
Said she liked my web site
That we both had a lot of similarities
All of our hours since then
Have been filled with the magic
Only known by two people
Fulfilling their deepest dreams
And living life so full of spontaneity
It’s amazing to find her
The one who shares such deep dreams
The one who knows how to live
Without regret, without fear
I can’t wait to see the life we’ll live tomorrow
August 9, 2005
Goffstown, New Hampshire
Listening to “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy” (live) on repeat. I was just so inspired that this one practically wrote itself for me.
Thank you for reading Lost In Thought!
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Other works by Eric Nixon
Poetry Collections
Anything but Dreams
Trying Not To Blink
Fiction
Emily Dickinson, Superhero – Vol. 1
Short Stories
Incident on the Hennepin
Retribution on a Jetpack
Plenty of Time
About the author
Photo by Kari Chapin Nixon
Eric Nixon is an author and poet. He published his first collection of poetry, Anything But Dreams in 2004, which was selected as an iUniverse Editor’s Choice book. In 2011, Garrison Keillor read his poem “Riding the Red Line” on the nationally syndicated public radio program, The Writer's Almanac. He is the author Emily Dickinson, Superhero – Vol. 1 and of several short stories, including Incident on the Hennepin and Retribution on a Jetpack. Eric lives with his family in Vermont where he is inspired by his surroundings and is explores his creativity through poetry, photography, and writing.
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The Writer’s Almanac: “Riding the Red Line”