Summer Sonnet
Matt Conklin
He loved her like the sun loves open skies,
A blaze that warmed the months they made their own.
Her laugh was July’s wind, her touch surprise—
Like sudden rain that finds you all alone.
They chased the light through fields and midnight streets,
Barefoot, unplanned, and drunk on every hour.
The days ran sweet like juice on sticky sheets,
And love bloomed wild—no fence could hold its flower.
The nights were endless; stars would pause to see
Her eyes in firelight, shining back at his.
No clock dared move; the world let them just be—
Two hearts held close in summer’s boldest kiss.
Now every breeze recalls her breath, her name,
And every summer burns with just her flame.
Beneath the Boughs
Matt Conklin
The moonlit path lay soft and still,
Beneath the yew on the shadowed hill,
Where time wore thin its ancient thread,
And whispers stirred what words had fled.
The brook sang low, its silver tongue,
A hymn of love when the earth was young;
Each pebble kissed by its fleeting grace,
Reflected stars in its embrace.
We stood where silence blooms and grows,
Where frost-kissed branches bend in bows,
And in your eyes, the twilight gleamed,
A fragile world, half-lived, half-dreamed.
The way was dark, but your hand in mine
Made stars align where none would shine.
Each step we took, though rough the tread,
Bound hearts where fear and longing bled.
For love is not the blaze of noon,
But softer light of an autumn moon.
It warms the chill, it soothes the night,
A steadfast flame, a tender might.
And though the path may twist and wane,
Through woods of joy, through fields of pain,
We’ll walk until the dawn appears,
And love will echo beyond the years.
My Eyes
Matt Conklin
My eyes adore you,
As a silent witness to your grace,
Tracing every moment,
Etching your beauty into sacred space.
They worship from a quiet distance,
Where hearts dare not collide,
But still, my eyes, they hold you
endlessly,
A truth I must choose to hide.
My eyes adore you,
Through the veil of time and place,
Watching you walk just beyond reach,
Yet lighting every empty space.
Your laughter dances like sunlight,
Your smile ignites a thousand dreams,
Your presence is a quiet flame,
And though my voice stays silent,
My soul whispers your name.
My eyes adore you,
Every glance a quiet offering,
To a love I couldn’t pursue.
They hold you closer than words could,
In a world where dreams reside,
A feeling unspoken, yet eternal,
Forever burning inside.
No touch, no words, no stolen kiss,
Just the memory of bliss.
For even apart, my heart stays true—
Forever and always.
My eyes will adore you.
Why, Baby, why
It all begins with an idea.
Matt Conklin
Why, Baby, why, do you stay in my soul?
I sigh, Baby, sigh — your love makes me whole.
You haunt all my nights and breathe life through my days,
A whisper, a flame, a soft-burning blaze.
You dance through my thoughts like the wind through the trees,
A song I remember, a sweet aching breeze.
Why, Baby, why, am I bound so to you?
What spell did you cast that still feels so new?
Why, Baby, why, does your touch linger still?
I try, Baby, try — but I bend to your will.
You live in the silence between every word,
In glances and heartbeats too loud to be heard.
The world turns around us, but I only see
The shimmer of fate when you're looking at me.
Why, Baby, why, do you echo my name?
Just hearing you breathe sets my blood into flame.
Why, Baby, why, do you shine in my days?
I try, Baby, try — but get lost in your gaze.
The stars could burn out and the oceans run dry —
Still I'd crave your warmth like the sun in the sky.
No place ever felt like your arms in the night,
No touch ever stayed like your soul holding tight.
Why, Baby, why, am I hopelessly true
To a fire, a kiss, a forever in you?
As the Day Begins
Matt Conklin
The dawn leans close with a gentle sigh,
A tender blush in the waking sky.
The night withdraws, the shadows part,
And morning rests on the beating heart.
The meadow blooms with a breath so sweet,
Each flower stirs at the day’s soft feet.
The breeze runs light through the whispered trees,
A lover’s hand on the world’s bare knees.
The rivers shine with a golden flame,
They speak in music, they call your name.
The sparrows lift their song to the blue,
A hymn of wonder, a hymn of you.
The sun climbs slow, with a painter’s care,
It warms your skin, it lights your hair.
And every glance the daylight weaves
Is stitched with love the soul believes.
For every dawn is a vow renewed,
A secret gift, a tender mood.
The world awakens, the air is true,
As the day begins—
And begins with you.