Alio - Hello Poetry

Alio May 2023

When I close my eyes I feel the air of one warm summer night
When you and I were closer than before
When the sea met the mountains with no desert in between
And we danced in the thick ocean breeze without care.
No one was there to see us blossom and flower
And it was beautiful that way
Because the bees hummed in harmony
And the sand hugged our bare feet
And the fire’s light licked your face
Casting the most magnificent moving shadows

And you and I were basking in our prison of solitude
Like the birds that tangoed overhead
But calming clouds above can be deceiving
And floating pillows turned to billows of rain
And thunder ripped us apart
It shook our houses and roared in our ears
And its lightning charred us
till our flesh seared to bone
Fire and brimstone and the end of the world.

And I never saw you again…

#alone #together #love #forbidden

Alio May 2023

Falling

It’s like I’m slipping in slow motion
I’m the only one who can notice it now
But eventually I’ll fall
My gut tells me to grasp at the straws
I planted to steady me
But their roots are shallow
And stalks are withered
And when I reach up they brush past
My fingers and our connection fails
And I
F
    A
          L
               L
I fall too fast in slow motion
For anyone to help
And all this time
I felt it inside
Knowing somethings wrong
And I said nothing

#yikes #falling #cycle

Alio Apr 2023

You’re Not Gay

I’m tired of dreaming of holding your hand
Of long drives with just you and me
Of things that will never be

I’m tired of thinking you’ll ever love I
With your sunshine smile
And moonlight eyes

You can’t drive my car
So you sat by my side
And silently took hold of my hand

I shift gears with my left
So we wouldn’t let go
But, really, in the end
I should have known

That was a dream
That felt far too real
Now it’s something I don’t want to feel

I’m tired of waking up
From these horrid little dreams
Chalked full of dread
And leave me more worn
Than my winter tires’ treads

Last night I had the most terrible dream, I woke up more tired than before. He tried to drive my manual, didn’t know how. So I drove, laughing, flirted with me, slowly and silently grabbed my hand. We drove smiling, not saying a word. Then I woke up.

#nevergonnahappen #dream

Alio Apr 2023

Translation

Fragmented:

Silk sleeve, ah! No sound
Jade courtyard, ah! Dust grow
Empty room cold and still/silent/lonely
Fallen leaf lean on doubled door-bar
Peer-after that beautiful woman, Ah! Where find?
Feel my heart not-yet at-ease rather

Translated:

O your silk sleeve! In the silent
Jade courtyard. O how dust grows
In a cold and empty room, lonely in stillness.
The fallen leaves lean on the barred double door
Through it look at my beautiful woman, O where does she lie?
I feel my heart not yet at ease, rather skipping beats

Fragmented is a word for word translation of "Lament for a Dead Concubine," by the Emperor Wu of Han (Liu Ch'e, 140-87 B.C)

Alio Apr 2023

Power On

Booting…booting…booting
Power on
Channel change
Weave through channels
Comical in a moment
Historical in the next
Melodramatic then bold
Tailor made for for the masses
Everyone has a channel they like
And I tune to all

But what when alone?
No channel to choose
A dark reflective screen
Replays a dark mien
I am a TV
For you to watch
Delicately balanced
Too easy to botch

#extendedmetaphor #selfexploration

Alio Apr 2023

Delete

~Disgusting
Click, hold, pause…
Nahhh
Click, hold, pause…
Nahhh
Resume —resume—
Watch               —
    Watch            C
        Watch        O
            Watch    N
   ~Beautiful
            Watch    S
        Watch        U
    Watch            M
Watch                E
   ~Disgusting  —
…
Click, hold, pause…

#socialmedia #struggle

Alio Dec 2022

Wants Aren’t Real

I want to go to the gym
I want to run on the treadmill
I want to burn off all my fat
and burn off all my skin
I want to lean out of my window
and puff the cigar that’s collecting dust downstairs
I want to slip ***** in my drinks
and sit in the below-zero weather
I want to feel a different kind of warmth
I want to fill my lungs with a different kind of air
A different kind of burn
I want to learn how to play the piano
I want to take care of my voice
I want to be better with my father
As if I have a choice
I want to be happy
I want to write this down in pen
I want to be free
But, frankly, in the end
Is it really up to me?

#wanting #wishing #christmaseve