By Joseph Childress

You're hot as Hell
Not a more accurate metaphor
For what your heart stores
Vicious love
What sin did I commit
Where apologies aren't accepted
When I repent
You have
The tongue of a serpent
And I mean that
In more ways than one
You earned the deed to my soul
And buried it
In the deepest hole
Maritime trenches
For the unforgiven
At least Adam
Was warned of what was forbidden
My lack of knowledge
Of Love
Occurred at the same time
I tried to show it
My father knows
I asked, "Momma What's Love?"
And God knows
She showed it
Better than she could explain
My missteps
When I stepped to my future "Mrs."
Missed the whole point
I stumbled on the stairs
To Heaven
And I fell straight into Hell.

By Joseph Childress

Red letters
Wrapped in velvet
With heartfelt sentiment
Passion uncovered
Enveloped in naked truth
Special attention
Opening up
On birth and holidays
Old age wine
Or brand spirits
Breaking seals
To spill emotion
Untying ribbons
Expose love
In it's barest form
Intimate gift giving
Sharing time
For soul's mate
Exchanging
Our body of work
For playing outside
Enjoying
The rejoining
Of missing pieces
And coming full circle

By Joseph Childress

Beautiful woman in the mirror
You are the fairest
Of them all
More fairy
Than tales
Long and tall
The truth you seek
Can be found
Without reflection
Someone paid
Extra care
In designing
Your cover
The silk fabric
Of your skin
Was created only
To showcase
The beauty within
Like decorative boxes
Housing diamond rings
Open up
And give the world
The gift
It's been waiting for
Ask the mirror no more
As much as it reflects on life
Only you have
The power to live it

By Joseph Childress

James was correct
This is
A Man's World
Man made his story
And left
Her
Out the picture
Even after the labor
She suffered
To create him....

They call us son
Yet it ain't no shine
When she's gone
No woman
No warmth
No womb
No cry,
'Cause poppa's around
And grandpa
Taught him to shed blood
Not tears

No rain
During droughts
The fruit of life
Deserted
For artificial desserts
Man made
Destruction
And through blind loyalty
I'll continue their instructions...

No cry.

By Joseph Childress

Let's make believe
Baby,
Let's make each other believe
We don't want to be bothered
We know
What's best for us
We showed the best of us
And couldn't
Make the best of it
Yes,
Let's call it quits
We're stubborn
Stubbing are toes
Pretending we're walking
Like pimps
Kinda hard in your pumps
But it's harder
For me to pumpfake
Without actually jumping
The shot I'll take
Is for the both of us
The fall you'll take
Will hurt us both
We'll boast and brag
Like it was apart of a plan
Let's fake the funk
With our ******* lies
As we leave
And show those who don't believe us
How to make believe

By Joseph Childress

I'm not afraid of heights
I'll get high
Just to prove it
My wreck-less-ness
Should let you know
What's expected
Resting miles above danger
Enjoying the unexpected
My lack of uncontrol
Is enough to annoy
Those aiming for control
I own
A random nature
Mixed with structures
Of my choosing
I'm losing
The laws of physics
Being lifted
In the physical
Living on a plane
That lands on open lanes
Yet prone
To being blown
From pressure on it's propellers
The dwellers of trenches
Are perched on their benches
The field of clouds
Are for those out
Making yards out of inches
Taking chances
Dancing
On top of storms
Learning
To dodge the lightning
And living above the norm

You're a myth
I'm the conspiracy theorist
My predictions proved accurate
To bachelorettes
In need of witch doctors
I came equipped
With a portfolio pertaining
More to psuedoscience
Than pharmaceutical
They marvel
At my hypothetical
Dream conjuring
But you're more than watcher
You are the observation
Please,
For the sake of science
Let me bring
Your dark mysteries to light
The laws
Of the impossible will be rewritten
In your name
Save me
From the enclaves
Of society
With scientists who doubt
Supernature
Expose your perfection
My ambition
Claims I discovered you
Because Nobel's Peace Prizes
Aren't given to spirits
Yours kept me alive
Without medication
The cure
For all ailments
A killer of pain
A passer of time
With controls
To slow
Or explode it
I'm devoted
To the micro-
And telescopes
In hopes
To set sight
And tell the scope
Of possibilities