it was sweet like grandma’s dessert after dinner
made me comfortable like a bonfire
it was the dream I had envisioned but soon a nightmare
my intuition was singing to me like canaries in trees
warning me of the soon to be
two passing ships, we shared our hearts and got drunk off of lust
never meant to last, we were just enough for each other until it began to rust
knew you weren’t going to be my last, silence filling the room
you moved and I moved on without telling you
you sensed my indecision and had a vision
I wasn’t yours and you weren’t mine
but once upon a time, we shared ties

Gazing at you this morning, your face was pale and your body appeared Fragile;
This brought tears to my heart!

Not long ago, you were full of energy, looking vibrant with life; so Beautiful!
Your smile was soft, your scent was delightful.

Without you,
Life won't be the same;
Fall will be long, winters will be cold and empty!
You are my beacon of peace, love, and inspiration!

I will miss you,
Yet, I will be waiting for you
At the corner of love and hope, to see you bloom once again with such life.
Enchanting me with the joy and beauty you bring.
The chance to admire you will be absolute bliss!

Hussein Dekmak

The Divide
by Michael R. Burch

The sea was not salt the first tide ...
was man born to sorrow that first day,
the moon a pale beacon across the Divide,
the brighter for longing, an object denied,
the tug at his heart's pink, bourgeoning clay?

The sea was not salt the first tide ...
but grew bitter, bitter ... man's torrents supplied.
The bride of their longing forever astray,
her shield a cold beacon across the Divide,
flashing pale signals: "Decide. Decide.
Choose me, or His Brightness, I will not stay."

The sea was not salt the first tide ...
imploring her, ebbing: "Abide, abide."

The silver fish flash there, the manatees gray.

The moon, a pale beacon across the Divide,
has taught us to seek Love's concealed side:
the dark face of longing, the poets say.

The sea was not salt the first tide ...
the moon a pale beacon across the Divide.

NOTE: "The Divide" is essentially a villanelle despite the non-formal line breaks.

Published by Neovictorian/Cochlea, The Eclectic Muse, Freshet, Better Than Starbucks, Sonnetto Poesia, The New Formalist and Pennsylvania Review

Keywords/Tags: Villanelle, sea, salt, first, tide, moon, pale, beacon, Divide, love, concealed side, dark side of the moon, longing, passion, desire, lust

Remain humble and kind
always let your light shine.
Like a beacon of hope
to those wary, lost souls
on the hunt for a lamp
to light their barren path.
setting each step aglow
out of desolation.