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175

I have never seen “Volcanoes”—
But, when Travellers tell
How those old—phlegmatic mountains
Usually so still—

Bear within—appalling Ordnance,
Fire, and smoke, and gun,
Taking Villages for breakfast,
And appalling Men—

If the stillness is Volcanic
In the human face
When upon a pain Titanic
Features keep their place—

If at length the smouldering anguish
Will not overcome—
And the palpitating Vineyard
In the dust, be thrown?

If some loving Antiquary,
On Resumption Morn,
Will not cry with joy “Pompeii”!
To the Hills return!
 Oct 2022 Toyo Douglas
requiEM
Sapphic sapphires glisten in the moon
These ladies say that Hades makes them as dry as a sand dune
Maleficent and Cruella mark their spells on their heads
And quietly they tiptoe and sneakily their treads-
Move with a rhythm only grace can create
Enchanting are these women, seeing them is fate
To be an audience member to their auras and their moves
Is an opportunity that is divine, spiritually proved
Indigo in color, L words leave their lips
Straight and curvy bones and fat   vibrate from their hips
They mesmerize, they enchant, they let their inhibitions soar
Until they dance away, unhinged, and you can't see them anymore
Remember this encounter, it is one that will inspire
It will make you feel a type of way, it will ignite a fire
I read the word 'sapphic' and it alone inspired this entire poem
 Oct 2022 Toyo Douglas
Aer
my love.
folded behind dog-eared pages
you're a book I've yet to finish
yet before I've reached the ******—
I shelf you with a bookmark
that will never be revisited.
writing in class, thinking of books.
I cannot believe you're really gone
Disappeared in blink of an eye
Many things I would change
If I had another try
You meant the world and more to me
NoI'm stuck asking the universe why
You would take someone I love so much
Before even saying goodbye
My mom passed away and now i feel hopeless. I can barely muster the strength to go on.
 Aug 2022 Toyo Douglas
Ciel Noir
we are alive because we won
some cosmic lottery of laws
a battle versus antimatter
everything we know and are

we are alive because we won
the perfect distance from the Sun
where water flows and life may grow
upon, along, above, beyond

we are alive because we won
a litany of love and war
we wonder from atop our tree
where have the other branches gone

between the void and kingdom come
between infinity and none
and of that number
only one

we are alive because we won
 Aug 2022 Toyo Douglas
AE
Dream
 Aug 2022 Toyo Douglas
AE
Dream, tell me
what have you heard
from the gossiping stars?
did they let my wishes
fall into the hands
of hummingbird nests?
did the quiet ocean blue
bring waves of things untrue?
Were you deceived by piano keys
lingering songs & eulogies?
Does the sun cleanse your lethargy
or are you like me?
Where it never reaches you in time
before everything fades to a quiet dark
tell me, Dream.
 Sep 2020 Toyo Douglas
Mikey
runaway
 Sep 2020 Toyo Douglas
Mikey
let’s run away to a faraway land where train tracks meet the stars
where flowers bloom in the moonlight
where trees are evergreen
where the skyline is painted pink and yellow.
let’s run away.
let’s leave behind this world full of forced smiles and fake laughs,
let’s leave the world that’s polluted with corrupt governments and unlawful laws.
let’s run away.
a place we can be free.
to be you and me.
Outside of the library,
On a wet, wet day,
You smiled and said
'I love you'
Before walking away
Towards the platform, where you depart,
And I know that I will always feel this way
About you.

You run your fingers through my hair and with them bring
The cool, fresh air that
I have longed for, all throughout the
Winter.

The green flecks and
The blue hues of your eyes
Connect you to this current season:
Springtime.
Through your warmth and light,
You have given me
New life.

I have been told that said eyes are the window to the soul, so
When we kiss we must never keep our eyes closed;
An exchange of hearts for an exchange of souls that will continue, and
Never grow old.

— The End —