parker h
the answer is easy: emphatically, yes
it's there when you kiss me
or tug on my dress
you'll find what you're seeking
is simple to find
the words i'm not speaking
are all in your mind
i do love you, baby
the reasons are clear
just look in your heart
we've got nothing to fear
i am loose in my definition of dark and light
the fabric seems not to mind
and when the reds seep into white
i marvel at new shades of pink
skin on skin shows contrast, too
i close my eyes and call to mind
the many shades of brown and tan
that touch and blend and make me think
of ice cream, toffee, summer treats
that leave our hands all sticky sweet
the smallest taste can make me smile
lost in memories for a while
in those moments
when i cracked my guard
watching the brittle shell
crumble in my hands
i expected grit or even gravel
not the silky stuff
that blew away into the night
leaving me with nothing of my own
now i am exposed
with nothing to protect me
lost without the layer
that shields your heart from mine
soft summer rainfall
awash in this redemption
rescued once again
today i escaped
by the, no shit, skin of my teeth
how i talked myself out of that one
remains a mystery
you called it a minor miracle
and now i'm compelled to believe in something
but i don't know what to call it
damn, most days i don't know what to call you:
lover? partner in crime? baby?
you looked into my eyes
to force a confession
i wonder why you need to hear me say it
when i know that you can feel it
in my lies
slender as an eyelash
enchanting all who gaze
upon the melting sliver
that is moon
when you comprehend
the depths of this, our longing,
we'll likely have drowned
quivering moment
in time-there but not quite there-
shimmering prelude
it's all your fault
that i'm aflame
scorching
burning
barely sane
as you watch me
melting down
i wonder do you
feel the same?
sweet words coat my throat
like milk and honey flowing
golden drops expressed
twin beams of light show
my past and present twining
memories as roads
rhythm of the surf
coconut oil on my skin
i melt on the shore
these tears hold me captive
'til drowning is a blessing
i've been throwing up roadblocks
diversions and dead end streets
so you'll be lost and i won't be found
but you're sure the map is in here somewhere
lodged in the glovebox with curling concert tickets
beneath the blue bic i hid there
in case i started smoking again
my world is paved with crumbling bricks
that hold the warmth of summer days
i've slid along the banks and fallen in the water
breathing all i lost and all i want to save
you kneel and peer into the pond
i am just below the surface, waiting
hoping that you brought enough
oxygen for two
addicting flavor on my tongue
connection is a tonic
lovely twist of lime
i watch you lick the salt
then rub it in my wounded heart
remember those things things
that made me love you?
i'm so tired of liquor and nicotine
when i wake, i have a craving
for something pure and clean...like air
fresh from mountains, river streams
but now, it's like trying to live on dust
making meals out of memories and
i'm starving
and i hate that i need you
but i just have to tell you
that you treat me like spare keys
dropped so carelessly
or left hanging near the door
in case you need me
i'm cautious of inertia
and so begin again
to build a fragile window
as paper marries pen
there is a ray of shattered sun
that echoes on my page
i look inside my poet's heart
and gather words into a cage
this will never be enough
to show you how you touch my soul
these scraps of rhyme and loneliness
i gather in my beggar's bowl
