In every heart there is a room, a sanctuary safe and strong, to heal the wounds from lovers past until a new one comes along.

No one has written music more like I imagine it better than Billy Joel. For me there is Johnny Cash, then Billy Joel, then Dave Matthews, and all other musicians have a long way to go to crack the top three. This title comes from a great song of his called And So It Goes. I am proud to tell you that Billy has a new box set out next week and has announced a tour next year!

You know what those three deserve permanent link status. I'm doing it.

This is a poem I wrote last year and reworked tonight while I couldn't sleep. Don't try to read too much into it. (Especially you mom) Am I this guy? Yeah, some moments of the day. I'm the guy he wants to be sometimes too. Hope you all enjoy.

When I Realized I Had Lost My Flavor
By J.D. Rose

The cinnamon had lost its flavor,
So I spit my Big Red into the bottom of the splatter guarded urinal
then remembered how much I hate people that do that,
fished it out, and washed my hands four times.

In the mirror I saw this broken man
washing his own piss off his hand.
Where did I go?

Somewhere between our first meeting and this moment
I had been sucked dry of all my charisma,
vampire bitten and relieved of my charm by a red mouth and green piercing eyes.

Now I was a man running late washing the waste off his hands.
The old me would’ve shaken his head at the new me.
He’d have used him as his motivation to work hard
lest he become that guy in the bathroom the other day-

The guy living the splatter guarded life afraid to take chances,
so conscious of hurt that he defends the urinal’s honor.
The one in remission.
The one so afraid of infection he washes his hands four times.

As I rolled the paper towel dispenser down,
ripped off three squares, and looked away from my reflection
I felt for the first time the full weight of all I had lost.

And it wasn’t you I wanted to see again.