Unloved Skin

I lay here in unloved skin with a ghost surrounding my unwritten pages
I lay here in a whirlwind aching for you to fulfill my desolation with worn out tears
I lay here with shadows crying and spelling your name with my fingertips
I lay here in a cloud of passion missing your serenity wrapped around with my flames

Cover me in a blistering love
Cover me in tender confetti
Cover me in a bold yearning

“Come a little closer and don’t be afraid to feel, let’s get lost with what we know is real, Come a little closer and give me your recklessness, Come a little closer and fulfill my emptiness”

I lay here in unloved skin with an unhinged appetite boiling within
I lay here in a frenzy circling for you to entertain myflammable wishes
I lay here with fantasies exploding in luscious air
I lay here in obscurity of devotion sweltering on the inside

Cover me in a sky of hope
Cover me in tears of respect
Cover me in a weeping bliss

“Come a little closer and breathe in our scent, come a little closer and feel where our dreams went, come a little closer give me what I long for, come a little closer and see you are all that I adore”


My books are available here .

To me, music and poetry go hand in hand. I have a playlist that I consistently update weekly. I really enjoy finding musicians or artists that are hidden gems. I tend to add music that is gut wrenching, heartfelt, and voices that stir the soul. I will play the song multiple times to embrace the music and lyrics separately before adding to ensure it fits the playlist. I call this playlist “Breathe in, Breathe Out.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzcXdc7wKyc&pp=ygUeZWR3aW4gbWNhaW4gSeKAmXZlIHNlZW4gYSBsb3Zl

This playlist is cleansing and makes me think of so many things. This kind of music makes me reflect, reminisce, cry at times, and inspires my writing. I call this playlist “Breathe in, Breathe Out” because it brings clarity to the essence of life when I hear it. The music just makes me think about what is important and what isn’t.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I5nf56SlQA&pp=ygUcbGVyb3kgc2FuY2hleiBpbiB0aGUgc2lsZW5jZQ%3D%3D

My son consistently listens to it as well and it’s priceless to hear him singing the words to any song. I love hearing him sing. He sings so passionately and with joy. It’s a blessing to watch how music impacts him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUU9kHgOYiQ&pp=ygUdd2lsbCBob2dlIHdoZW4gaSBnZXQgbXkgd2luZ3M%3D

I have added a few songs in this post to share what songs that have been on this playlist. Feel free to provide songs that I can add to this playlist.


My books are available here .

Endless Wildfire

I’m not craving attention but your lightening connection. I’m not craving lust but the magic in our distance. I desire the conversation that is entwined and pure. I’m not craving anything hollow but the hunger within your desire. I’m not craving a fixation but the beauty of your gust.

I love how you make me feel, the ecstasy burning is real. I love how the flames surrounding never seem to get low, your brilliance always has an extraordinary glow.

I’m not craving the physicality but your alluring intelligence. I’m not craving your nails but your provocative touch. I desire the thirst and the hurricane between our fire. I’m not craving your luscious skin but the magnetic pull between us.

I love how you make me feel, the magnificent sensation is real. I love how the blaze within continues to rise, your affection was always smoldering in your burgundy eyes.


My books are available here .

Second Hand Smile

I was born with a second hand smile from the sunset. I walk with a tiny wheel in my pocket that won’t roll and converse with a novocaine tongue. I have a brother that uses me as a punchline in off color jokes and a sister with suspicion waltzing in her eyes. I have a mother who was buried at the Brookside cemetery under a choked up moon. I count my blessings rather than my drops of misery. Every now and then she looks at me says “It’s been a while since I’ve seen your second hand smile.”

I’ve tried to turn off the waterfall and dive into the river of flames. I’ve tired to stare into my silent villains and face my inward wars. I’ve tried to run from the screams but I am still in this seared skin. It feels like I’m never going to win.

I was born with a tattoo of a tear on my left cheek. I fumble through the streets with my blood not moving a centimeter. I have a snapshot of my apprehension and a voice that no know wants to hear. I have a mother that appreciated the words I tucked away from the heartless universe. Every now and then she looks at me says “It’s been a while since I’ve seen your second hand smile.”

I’ve tried to shrug off the heartache and walk away from senseless battles. I’ve tried to keep my swollen chin up and to listen to the fireflies in the pitch black. I can keep running in this burnt skin. It feels like I’m never going to win.

I was born with doubt flickering like a light on the inside. I stumble throughout the darkness gripping on to the glow. I have fluttering secrets and camouflaged my excuses to try to erase away the damage. I have a mother who wore a grin throughout her scowling hours. She defied being defeated nor broken down. Every now and then she looks at me says “It’s been a while since I’ve seen your second hand smile.”

I’ve tried to lose my biographical sighs and replace my intuition with logic. I’ve tried to step into my perspective and turn my head to see another view. But all I can feel is you. I have no where to begin. I’ve learned to accept that I just won’t win.


My books are available here .

Tears of the Wind

I photographed the cruelty spoken from your lips
I no longer needed your warmth
I photographed the lies that reverberated in your façade
I no longer needed your touch
I photographed the memories that had cracks with less meaning
I no longer needed your approval
I begin to dream wide and fell in love with the colors of my passions
I photographed the emptiness and your signature dipped in carelessness
I no longer needed your comfort
I photographed the deceit and the war in your stubborn eyes
I no longer needed your backbone
I photographed the distance you created from the lack of affection
I no longer needed your devotion
I begin to see my strengths and embraced my weaknesses
And you faded into the tears of the wind


My books are available here .

Tear’s Autograph

I’ve kissed your mysteries with amplified eyes
I’ve kissed your dead secrets with bloodshot lipstick
“And now the love story takes a curve, seeing I won’t be the last and was never the first”
I’ve kissed your metaphors with agony in my throat
I’ve kissed your afternoons with scalding black coffee brewing
“And the now the love story cuts me deep, I’m not myself and see you in my sleep”
I’ve kissed your tragedies with a sea of glitter covering up your sins
I’ve kissed your lying mouth with my ignorance sealed
“And now the love story is coming to an end, now my life can truly begin”
I’ve kissed your piano concerto with whispers fluttering in my ears
I’ve kissed your villain with accusations stripped and shredded
“And now the love story fades into my past,
no longer do my tears have your autograph”


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She use to be my enraptured muse
A mystical raindrop that drenched my entirety
guided by purity, kindness and authenticity
unveiling the sentiments in navy ink
written in the coveted firethorn notebook

In the afterglow she disappeared
Stillness was the enemy

She use to be the prayer between both hands
A snowflake cleansing my weary tongue
navigated by a sweet hummingbird whistling
displaying the verses with a keen eye
penned in a diary surrounded by flames

In the afterglow she vanished
tranquility was the rival

She use to be my northward carnival
A buzzing gypsy crooning in my orchestra
maneuvered by truth, sympathy and light
revealing the lines with unseen impressions
authored in a journal of mysterious flare

In the afterglow she escaped
serenity was her shadow boxer

I couldn’t make her remove her beloved wings


My books are available here.

Dandelion skin,
your consequences hang from your eyelashes
your backbone has an invisible crack
your tenacity wallows in the closet
your cheeks are filled with solitude
your apprehension feels like a heart beat

Grace from within witness’s a glimpse

“I can’t hear what you are saying, I’m too
busy fading”

Dandelion skin,
your affliction surrounds you like a cloud
your sheath carries an uneven stigma
your serenity is deep in your lungs
your perseverance sleeps with obscurity
your illusion is smeared and splattered

Grace from within is numb and worn

“I can’t run from the silence any longer, I can finally see parts of me that are stronger”

Dandelion skin,
your uncertainty plays hide and seek
your strain trips over your kindness
your sway crumbles in your defeated fingers
your delusions disappear in the fog
your trance whispers in the shade

Grace from within has the answers

“In this garden, I will blossom and continue to grow, the grace from within will finally show”


My books are available here.

Grab a copy!

“The journey of self discovery is never ending.”

From the mind of Braeden Michaels, drink from this cup, the raven’s poison, a concoction of his collected poems all about the human condition. Imbibe in the rainbow of emotions found in the soul’s colors and taste the bitter aftertaste when you’re drenched in rage.

Indulge in the reasons beneath dripping lust before absorbing all the ways we experience our wide-ranging flavors of love and finish off with a sip of self-destruction. This is us. Humanity. All the layers stripped away and arranged for your pleasure.


My books are available here.

Neurotic Romantic (Mia Alcott)

Would you be my savior between the echoes and my morning screams? Would you paint the daffodils in my lucid dreams? Would you erase the smirk from my face? Would you ever remove the melancholy from my darkest place? Would you ever silence me and rip the rhymes from my tongue? Would you gather all the pieces from my heart and mold them back to one?

Will you be my joy and sorrow dripping from my eyes? Will you be my forever and never say goodbye? Will you make promises that you won’t break? Will you learn from the blisters and the comforting mistakes?
Will you hold me until the midnight cracks? Will you always have your tenderness send shivers down my back? Will you be my thunder and lightning that my pupils adore? Will you be the one to beside me forevermore? Will you be my waterfall when the wind loses all control? Will you fall in love with my weaknesses and the fragrance of my soul?

Could you be the one to calm my rattled nerves? Could you be the one to hold me when our road curves? Could you be the one to have all the answers to my endless questions? Could you be the song with a sweet hidden message? Could you be the one that makes me smile and laugh in the afternoon rain? Could you be my constant when everyone decides to change? Could you be the one that sets my heart on fire? Could you be the one to fulfill all of my desires? Could you be the one that feels my heart beat? Could you be the one that makes my life complete?


My books are available here.

Northwind Voice

I can’t recognize scattered pieces in my overwhelming puzzle
I can’t recognize the fragments that I let go
and the ones I grip onto
“And I hear the voice in the wind deliver me a message
I have less answers but I’m always full of never ending questions”
I can’t recognize the fears that seize me and the ones I destroyed
“And I hear the voice in the wind deliver me a song,
everything that was once here is now gone”
I can’t recognize the shadows that follow me and the ones I left behind
I can’t recognize the wisdom in my hands and the mistakes on my shoulders
“And I hear the voice in the wind tell me it’s heard me cry,
But there’s something magical and wonderful inside”
I can’t recognize the distinction between my emptiness and hunger
I can’t recognize the difference between laughter in the rain and the tears of the storm
“And I hear the voice in the wind scream don’t give up, you are amazing, extraordinary, you are full of abundant love”


My books are available on Amazon.

Wildflower and a Whisper

For you, I was your wildflower and a whisper
I was drowning in your crimson flames
Letters from my jagged and jaded soul burnt
Free falling, lost your touch in the summer rain
I was sleeping in your elastic and lucid dream
a snowflake evaporating on your sleek tongue
I was just a temporary fascination and wonder
For you, I was your wildflower and a whisper
I was descending in your artificial paradise
Letters written from my heartbroken tears
Slipping, invisible to your smooth-spoken ego
I was growing dimmer in your nebulous eyes
a blanket you never wanted to feel and cradle
I was too invincible and priceless for you to hold


My books are available on Amazon.

I am a connoisseur of analogies and a lost paragraph. The expectations are nonexistent and the inconsistencies are bloodletting. I’ve washed my hands in rain and rinse them in agony. I hate to stare in my complexion of mediocrity. I walk around with a fistful of aspirations and cough up restlessness. She keeps the awakening truth inside her shell. She ignores the knock on the door of confrontation.My knuckles are shaking. I spell out my fantasies in luscious ink as she pretends to read them.

I am the cerebral nighthawk that dances in the moonlight and dreams like a joker. I follow the road without a sign, just the sound of dragonflies, and the heartbreaking temptations.She’s made claims that I have acquaintances and sidekicks. She’s joined in holy matrimony with a introverted cynic who’s dying on the inside as the second hand moves. She holds in her frustrations and the fears stuck to her palms. I play with riddles and hide between the ten feet conundrums. I play with her subconscious and the ghosts that appear in her sleep. The end is just the beginning and the beginning is just a part of the end.


My books are available here.

Coming Soon!

Between shadows and memory, one woman’s diary elucidates relationships come and gone, those who helped shape who she is from the inside out. Turning the rain into something beautiful, the opening petals of a rose now blooming.

Veteran poet Braeden Michaels crafts his seventh collection of poetry into a mold of vision. Like pages from a twisted fairy tale, he narrates using his unique poetic style and perspective, first dissecting emotion before reconstructing and reimagining each one.


My books are available here.

She slumbers in jitters and uncertainty

She slumbers in quietness and nervousness

She slumbers in angst and needles

She slumbers in frozen butterflies

She slumbers in a catatonic atmosphere

And the all knowing and powerful listens

She slumbers in misguided beliefs

She slumbers in thin confidence

She slumbers in pale rose petals

She slumbers in the down pouring dismay

She slumbers in cold feet and horror

And the all knowing and powerful listens

She slumbers in cynical exasperation

She slumbers in headaches and irritations

She slumbers in deadweight

She slumbers in mishaps and misfortune

She slumbers in blame and agitation

And the all knowing and powerful guides


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Exchanging histories, undiscovered blessing
She was born with silent violet butterflies
dancing in her “catch my breathe” eyes
A surreal connection, depth with curves
She walks with simplicity dripping from
her mysterious and irresistible lips

And she sings with heartache and strength
And she sings with brilliant magic
And she sings with white hot conviction
And her inner beauty is a magnificent star

I walk through the forest listening to her enchanted voice
I walk through the forest following her footprints

Kindhearted edges, carrying wreckage
She carries invincible wings over her
worn out and distressed shoulders
crystals floating in her periwinkle soul
She lights up in the dark like a firefly
armed with blistering faith

And she sings with heartache and strength
And she sings with brilliant magic
And she sings with white hot conviction
And her inner beauty is a magnificent star

I walk through the forest concentrating on her enchanted voice
I walk through the forest guided by her dazzling spirit


My books are available here.

Bitter Honey

Bitter honey, the aftertaste is drowning
the affection once pure turns into ink
Disjointed and spots of spite stick to
my worn-down tongue, I dwell inside

I lost my existence but found my shadow
I lost my fears but found my perspective
I lost my pride but found my character

Even in the despair, the calm was burning

Bitter honey, the aftermath is devastating
the devotion once concrete crumbles
Frail and specks of turmoil rushes down
my frightened throat, I wallow inside

I lost my independence but found my direction
I lost my truth but discovered the lies
I lost my innocence but gained my wisdom

Even in the melancholy, the silence was light

Bitter honey, the afterthoughts are distant
the tenderness once snug is crippled
Cracked and traces of sorrow drip from my
serenading eyelashes, I cringe inside

I lost my thirst but found my hunger
I lost my laughter but found the jester within
I lost my ghosts but found my guardian

Even in the dashed hope, the fall was awakening


My books are available here.

I applaud you for the tenacity you carry on your shoulders
I applaud you for the worth you see in your sensitive skin
I applaud you for the struggles you slowly shed
I applaud you for the fight you possess

Deep into the traces of your veins
lies the sterling wings of a divine messenger

I could fall for your grace on stage

I applaud you for the courage that’s woven on your heart
I applaud you for the compassion in your finger tips
I applaud you for your articulate and sharp tongue
I applaud you for the irresistible flame that burns within

Deep into the traces of your veins
lies the sterling wings of a divine messenger

I could fall for your backbone in the limelight

I applaud you for the drops of heartache you turned into strength
I applaud you for the affliction you endured and overcome
I applaud your for not staring into your past with sinister eyes
I applaud you for the intuition you carry like a candle

Deep into the traces of your veins
lies the sterling wings of a divine messenger

I could fall for your aurora without touching your skin


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I was sparks of eccentricity and she wore a hat of gumption
I was a humming conundrum and she was a silver flask I barely sipped
Yet I was polarizing in her sapphire eyes
Something I will never understand
I was a battle scene from bloodshed and she was a vase of harmony
I was filled with indifference and she was full ofdrizzling kindness
Yet I was magnetic in her sapphire eyes
Something I will never comprehend
I was a cookie cutter of complexity and she was a polygon of wonder
I was a man of calculating conditions and she was overflowing with affection
Yet I was appealing in her sapphire eyes
Something I will never digest
I was a pinch of numb nerves and she was a calm sea of beauty
I was the king of carelessness and she was quite serene
Yet I was engaging in her sapphire eyes
Something I will never inhale


My books are available here.