O darling, I’m in agony!
I crave the synergy of our
Impassioned, sensuous romance
& yet I must languor in wait.

If only the blow of a kiss
Possessed the strength to sweep away
Each cheerless, dilatory day
That separates the two of us.

O the irony! The days are
So long & yet life is so short.
It seems that time is torturous
& every tick is but a tease.

Yet days are docile when eclipsed
By the timeless resonance of love.
A kiss is a token of
Forever; a boundless embrace.

& so perhaps the blow of a
Kiss cannot diminish the days,
But in the spirit of forever,
That supple kiss shall outlast them.

For the destiny of a kiss
Is to flirt with infinity.

I remain dazzled by
The subtle flash of your
Enchanting, sistine eyes,
& sweet margarine cheeks

My heart extends its wings
& glides with all the doves
Upon hearing the sound
Of your soothing giggle.  

I’m at the mercy of
Your immaculate touch;
My adulation for
You is ineffable.

& yet, despite it all,
The pungent taste of a
Love turned sour remains
Fresh on my seething lips.

O I wish I’d never
Been tickled by the touch
Of love; & I wish you
& I’d never spoken!  

It seems I’ve been cursed
To love what can’t be loved,
& hate what can’t be hated.

coats of dust & pollen settle
on an unoccupied desk;
clumps of rust sprout
on faded typewriter keys.

marmalade pages with
elaborate strokes & scribbles
shrivel like mango slices
suffocating in tropical heat.

a dozen lolling envelopes
with awe inciting addresses
from San Francisco to Shanghai
each wither like aging flowers.

the room once gleaming in
luminescence now hoards darkness.
brandeis blue curtains drape
the windows, stifling sunlight.

sober emotions linger
in the thick, musty air;
overripe creativity decays
into the unwashed floorboards.
rhyme, rhythm, & reason
of the mind cease to bloom;
curiosity & inspiration fall dormant
in a chilling, thoughtless winter.

the mind of a former poet
is an unkept garden;
an Eden of ideas abandoned
in favor of myopic trivialities.

though unattended, the
garden is never barren;
cultivate your imagination &
you will always harvest beauty.

**it’s never too late to pick up your pen;
water your mind & your garden will grow!

“Veronica”
Whisper her name & let the word
Linger within the anthem of
A whistling, sultry summer breeze.

Enunciate the word again
& let each syllable flow through
My weary bones & longing heart.

The sound fosters a melody
So sweet and proud; I’m overcome
By gentle dreams & gallant goals.

“Veronica”

Alas, every sound & every word,
& every person fades away
Like the dying of a rainbow.

Echos disperse & colors melt;
Promises of forever are
Only meant to tantalize.

Despite it all, I will grapple
With nebulae of space & time,
Seeking a chance to make things right,

And rekindle my lifeless love,
“Veronica”

gnarly wooden tentacles
itch at Earth's gritty soul,
puncture its spongy surface,
& descend into the deep.

the strands of juvenile oak
maneuver the hickory soil,
strangle desolate tectonic pipes,
& ravenously slurp the dwindling liquid within.  

this is how it began.

slithering branches hiss at the sun,
& suffocate the placid sky in  
crusty juniper leaves;
like infantry banners they flutter
triumphantly in the erratic, apocalyptic air.

beneath them lies the fractured animal kingdom,
scavenging on rationed rain and sunlight
drizzling through the foliage gaps;
this is the cost of conquest,
punishment for a war unwisely waged.
humanity spurred by ambition
falls victim to the wrath of the forest
& subsequently into eternal darkness.