Imprint (So Many Ways Suite)

Featured art by Carlos Quevedo

Listen to Imprint by Richard Charles Stevens (So Many Ways Suite)

Listen to So Many Ways by Humanizer

some say i’m a keeper
but i’m not the only one
to bare my heart
to wear a scar for every trophy won
i’m not the only one who blossomed well into my teens
i’m not the only one to need a belt around my jeans
i’m not the only one to head through breakdown to see beauty
i’m not the only one to shun my nailed down civic duty
to process information in a different way to many
to give so many damns that i don’t come away with any
i’m not the only one to bleed
surrounded bloom renewed from seed
agreed to treat each failure
as sound reason to succeed
through raging flame and breaking seas
remain the same way facing
seen to graze the plains of great esteem
to gaze upstream
with angel eyes appraising

i’m not the only one to take great pains to find their place
to undertake crusade of rediscovery
some say i’m a keeper
but i’m not the only one
to have the faith to stage a late recovery

footprints
in the snow
imprints of another time
another place
a lover’s troth
of sacred oath
to one fine day
return
and burn a timely flame
bestow my naked soul
creative role
bid native oak hello again
go against the grain
compose an ode to hope in lowercase

for all the years that got away
a lifetime more inclined to stay
no finer way to close one’s day
than in repose of tidal phase
each crashing wave
impassioned
brave
and fashioned from the finest lace

a hideaway
from time of day
to shy away from night’s betray
for all the years i pined away
revealed to me this quiet place

midst skies ablaze
a private space
to reignite a dying flame
the fire clay beneath my roots
delighting in a simple truth
that bleeds from veins
of flowers bloomed
bones of shallow graves exhumed
souls relinquished of their chains
tickled pink with armour chinks
in partnership with years that got away
long forgotten of embrace
yet nevermore of longing taste
romance in inspired array
each crashing wave
impassioned
brave
free to roam this quiet place
unbroken from the bind of lace

twisting
turning
home fires burning
memories
in kind returning
flushing meadows blushed and bathed in lustrous rays midst lusting fays with stardust busts they thrust to claim terrain of title certain

footprints
in the snow
and behind the final curtain
steeped in fine white lace
the kind of face
with ancient eyes of starlight chased
imprints of another time
another place
a lover’s troth
a sacred oath
to one fine day
return
and reignite a timely flame
regain the dreams long chased away
then make a lifetime more awake

some say i’m a keeper
but i’m not the only one
to bare my heart
declare my art the fairest scar i wear undone
i’m not the only one to bleed
surrounded bloom in true belief
renewed to see cohesion to each reason to succeed
through naked flame and waking seas
remain the same way facing
seen to graze the plains of great esteem
to gaze upstream
with angel eyes appraising
i’m not the only one to take a time to find their place
to long outstay crusade of rediscovery
some say i’m a keeper
but i’m not the only one
and every single one of you is lovely

bleeds from veins
of flowers bloomed
bones of shallow graves exhumed
souls relinquished of their chains
tickled pink with armour chinks
in partnership with years that got away
long forgotten of embrace
yet nevermore of longing taste
romance in inspired array
each crashing wave
impassioned
brave
free to roam this quiet place
unbroken from the bind of lace