Oh, did you hear thunder in my silence? It’s a storm I call ‘Woman’. ~N.V.

I woke up one day and it happened so suddenly. I still don’t know when my heart realized that ‘ Once upon a time’ doesn’t always end with ’ Happily ever after.’ I don’t know when my mind taught my heart that before any Prince Charming, I’ve first got to put myself and my laughter. But I do know this- -When the dusk fades into a new dawn, I’m still gonna be my own shield, because after all, I made this armour. ~N.V.

I’ll never forget the day I discovered love’s biggest secret. It was the day I learned that even you weren’t worth the risk. ~N.V.

You were an addiction so strong, you made my vices taste like virtues. ~N.V.

I stitched together the pieces of my pride, and churned my scars into a hurricane not even the strongest could ride. And this is why the broken are powerful. This is why the broken don’t quit. They try. ~N.V.

I saw you again - a wave from my past. And with the flashbacks of dull school lights & droning lectures, I suddenly remembered why you were always my favorite subject. ~N.V.

I was 12 when I discovered that magic was at the tip of a blue fountain pen. It was then that I realized I could manipulate words to do for me what I did with them. When words tumbled out of my little ink-stained heart, I knew etched on it were the notes to my own love sound. And when I grew up to discover that the only part of me not jaded were my words, I knew I’d found something extraordinary- -And I was spell-bound. ~N.V.

I’ve heard that the light at the end of a tunnel is found by those who don’t seek it. That it’s the beauty of the unexpected that most people don’t see. Maybe that’s why I found you when I was busy looking for me. ~N.V.

If you count the number of heartbreaks it took me to find my way to you, you’ll finally understand why I’ve always loved the destination and not the journey. ~N.V.

I quiver on the edge of heaven, with your fingers against my skin, realizing with each jagged breath, that I’d rather sin. ~N.V.

I always wondered why I was enamored by you long after you were gone. But then I looked at the stars and realized that even things that cease to exist can shine. ~N.V.

I was always a current too strong for the tide. A wave that crashed when calm rode the skies. A little too much when the world wanted far less. Always the one to wear the pants when I was told to twirl a dress. The one to keep trying when they said “You know, it’s easier to just quit.” And so maybe that is why, I never quite found a shoe that fits. ~N.V.

Should I? “Hey!” Or maybe a “Hi ”? These nerves got me shuffling side to side. And now the wait. How long will you take? Ping! Gasp. Did you hear my pride shake? A minute or 30, I think this is my chance. Caught in this lovers’ tango, I always knew that this was my favorite kinda dance. ~N.V.

With your lips just out of reach, I became my favorite recluse. And that’s when I knew that the best adventures are those that happen in solitude. ~N.V.

You thought you had me jammed between a rock and a hard place. But then I shook you to pebbles. And little did you know that Baby, I was an earthquake. ~N.V.

Drowsy, Drugged, And on the run. I wanna hit the road But I’m here, Disheveled, Love-drunk. Roll over, Pull back, A stranger next to me; I think I got side-tracked. Last night? Oh my! Here’s a code I can’t crack. I hop out, With a small laugh. You turned out to be lethal. And this is why- -This is why some of my best habits have been people. ~N.V.

I looked at you, my heart in the palm of your hand, and told myself you were a game I couldn’t lose. But little did I know that in the moments I spent calculating your next move, you’d already made mine. So it’s no wonder that when I was ready to make you my king, you stood there, back straight, watching me with the pride of a winner, and whispered “Checkmate." ~N.V.

Deep down, behind loud silence, under light-weight burden and faint car sirens, I gasp. Drowning on the surface; swimming beneath the graveyard of yesterday’s lovers, I gasp. Tainted but with no mark, pricked by the invisible needles of somebody else’s scars, I gasp. I gasp with each dying breath of tomorrow’s hope. I gasp, as I try to find my way back home. ~N.V.

Somewhere between finding myself And looking for you, I got lost. ~N.V.

Sigh. Fingers - traveling, roaming - It’s almost three. Some intertwined with yours, others wanting to break free. Sigh. With your heat against my lips and their fire against my back, I’m torn between lust and wanderlust, barreling down a wet, slippery not-so-careful track. Sigh. As this moment together tumbles into the spell of a lifetime, I finally rest my head against the heart of your scars and realize now why magic is so quiet. ~N.V.