Hello Poetry
Submit your work and get some sparkles! Create free account
"craning" poems
Tunneling thoughts like rain Craning through light clouds Unsuspecting victims. The fear The tears The temper tantrums; A kind of rebuttal That won't let our feet find land We adjourned to rehearse, but our efforts were null and void Only to appease with flames that licked our shriveled bodies D r i p p i n g Kerosene Tainted like ink Spilled on Reams of paper ruined like Christmas A house warmed by Open flames fallen candles Adorning A naked kitchen My limp body, Splayed beneath the oven As darkness indulges, It consumes The smoke, Fills Each crevice In your mind Can you ever fight it Burn your way back To blissful ignorance.
0
Nov 20, 2023
Nov 20, 2023 at 1:59 PM UTC
Just another night
death bursted into my room tonight awakening a deep slumber outstretching a cold boney hand as if offering for me to go with him I felt no fear or sadness I have been waiting for death to greet me I have admired him from afar a lover who took no chance in courting me Until he was ready to give me an embrace That could be defined as loving and warm but it was sinful and alluring flickers of sparks in his eyes ignited a fire in my soul a passion that I had longed for as my hand grabbed onto his he pulled me close in the middle of the room he began to dance to the tune of our heartbeats synchronizing a beautiful symphony rang love in our ears craning his neck he leaned in close inhaling the shakiness of my breath moonlight illuminated the poison dripping from his puckering lips as an offering to taste what afterlife was it held soft undertones of an earthy aftertaste but an overpowering intoxicating sweetness left me hungry for just one more dip in his suicidal serenity moving in one fluid motion sweeping behind me a boney hand placed on an unclothed forearm slowly slid up my shoulder as another arm was placed around both hips he pressed himself tightly against me icy breath grazed across my neck making hairs stand up on my arms as a moan escaped between closed lips he whispered a seductive I love you as he tucked hair behind my ear the words I longed to hear were met with a sharp knife placed in open hands and a crooked smile spread across his face it was at that moment I came to the realization to become his fully my beautiful souls light must burn out to match his souls decayed state no persuasion was needed I longed for this moment now the time was finally right steady right hand raised the elongated blade "together forever..." death breathlessly whispered as a swift motion punctured my abdomen breath was taken out of my lungs knees buckled as death dropped me to the floor tears of bliss flowed from my eyes staining mascara streaks on flushed cheeks I peer around the room to greet my lover in another embrace with my final breaths but im alone left with a bloodied knife in hand but this forbidden passion of a deaths dance was only used to take ones soul not give it the life it craved laughing through the flood of tears not even in death was I loved
0
Apr 12, 2019
Apr 12, 2019 at 8:21 PM UTC
Passionate Death
death bursted into my room tonight awakening a deep slumber outstretching a cold boney hand as if offering for me to go with him I felt no fear or sadness I have been waiting for death to greet me I have admired him from afar a lover who took no chance in courting me Until he was ready to give me an embrace That could be defined as loving and warm but it was sinful and alluring flickers of sparks in his eyes ignited a fire in my soul a passion that I had longed for as my hand grabbed onto his he pulled me close in the middle of the room he began to dance to the tune of our heartbeats synchronizing a beautiful symphony rang love in our ears craning his neck he leaned in close inhaling the shakiness of my breath moonlight illuminated the poison dripping from his puckering lips as an offering to taste what afterlife was it held soft undertones of an earthy aftertaste but an overpowering intoxicating sweetness left me hungry for just one more dip in his suicidal serenity moving in one fluid motion sweeping behind me a boney hand placed on an unclothed forearm slowly slid up my shoulder as another arm was placed around both hips he pressed himself tightly against me icy breath grazed across my neck making hairs stand up on my arms as a moan escaped between closed lips he whispered a seductive I love you as he tucked hair behind my ear the words I longed to hear were met with a sharp knife placed in open hands and a crooked smile spread across his face it was at that moment I came to the realization to become his fully my beautiful souls light must burn out to match his souls decayed state no persuasion was needed I longed for this moment now the time was finally right steady right hand raised the elongated blade "together forever..." death breathlessly whispered as a swift motion punctured my abdomen breath was taken out of my lungs knees buckled as death dropped me to the floor tears of bliss flowed from my eyes staining mascara streaks on flushed cheeks I peer around the room to greet my lover in another embrace with my final breaths but im alone left with a bloodied knife in hand but this forbidden passion of a deaths dance was only used to take ones soul not give it the life it craved laughing through the flood of tears not even in death was I loved
Continue reading...
75
Burns Creek Climbing Chimney Rock. Dad and David Scoville In their mid 30s, Two men out to prove Their bravery, Their derring-do. Nervous, My Mother, My brother and I, Five and six, Necks craning, Wait and watch; Dad moves up and up Clings to the top. Inept and six, I stand below, Admiring my Father's Fearlessness. I am nearly blind, The myopic, thick-lensed gawker, Peering upward. The men climb down, Victorious, The day’s challenges Vanquished. Heading home, Choking dust. Old land, Deep ravines, Rattle snake domain. My father's old Ford Bumps over red scoria, Billows burning dust. Ancient land, Cindered clay, Open grazing land, Dry and hot. Memories churn From sixty years ago.
0
Feb 2, 2022
Feb 2, 2022 at 9:08 AM UTC
Chimney Rock 1966
Paper people crackling and folding Under life's pressure Blank pages, empty paper void of purpose Paper flowers, swans, trees and cranes Craning to find a crease that fits them Brittle dry leaves waiting to be made into a purpose Feint margins replace the wrinkles of a face Origami organisms awaiting nimble fingers To form features, emotions, life, purpose Like a Samurai sword, the paper has been folded many times Yet now blunted, pulped, set alight by a match, reduced to ash.
0
Apr 10, 2014
Apr 10, 2014 at 5:43 PM UTC
Origami
I’ve got plenty of ghosts I promised her. I leave them wherever I go. At the house on 711 Ellen St there is the ghost of a dog named Hessa and a dog named Mac. They don’t play together, but they pant heavy, waiting my return. There is the ghost of a cat named Charles. He chases a raccoon out of a busted window that my mother fell through. There is the ghost of my mother pacing the living room, contemplating suicide. When ghosts die, they become useful fire, burning as long as necessary, and then blowing out forever. There is the Ghost of Louie, helping me fix my car. There are the ghosts of our tall cans crushed to the curb. There is the ghost of their fullness. Little drops that are left sit in the rim of the mouth. Every moment makes a ghost. Every time you move something from stillness, there is a ghost for it. When I come to see you, I will leave behind the ghost of laughter, the ghost of my warmth growing colder. Miss it if you want to. There is the ghost or your taste in my mouth. Certain foods bring it back to life. I let the Bud Light sit on my tongue. I almost tasted it. Something is missing. There is the ghost of your smell. It tricks me into craning my neck, eyes searching for you. There is the ghost of your smile which haunts me when the ghost of your smell tricks me into thinking you’re there. There is the ghost of my cool breath dying on your neck, then dying again. The fire it becomes extinguishes quickly. Behind your couch there is the ghost of a cricket. He has stolen a harmonica and plays only the high notes. Tell his family that he misses them. There are the ghosts of apples that I skinned when I learned to make pies in high-school. I have made many apple pie ghosts since then. I will bring one to you. It will be a slow ghost. The steam rising from the middle is its spirit returning home. Home is your chest. Breathe the ghost of my pie, the ghost of my cologne, the ghost of my eyes wet with poetry I have just read. There is the ghost of poetry as it mixes with my breath and exits my chest. Let it die and die again. Let it haunt your heart, your belly, the back of your neck like a gentle hand. I make graveyards. I make ghosts. I leave them behind wherever I go. I miss some of them. There is the ghost of my irregular heartbeat, when I feel the ghosts that I miss pass by. I breath slowly trying to feel them, but too soon they are gone. Ghosts don’t stay long. I can stay long. Make ghosts in the meantime. When I come to see you, I will leave you with ghosts.
0
Jan 14, 2013
Jan 14, 2013 at 3:12 PM UTC
When I Come Over I Will Leave You With Ghosts
I’ve got plenty of ghosts I promised her. I leave them wherever I go. At the house on 711 Ellen St there is the ghost of a dog named Hessa and a dog named Mac. They don’t play together, but they pant heavy, waiting my return. There is the ghost of a cat named Charles. He chases a raccoon out of a busted window that my mother fell through. There is the ghost of my mother pacing the living room, contemplating suicide. When ghosts die, they become useful fire, burning as long as necessary, and then blowing out forever. There is the Ghost of Louie, helping me fix my car. There are the ghosts of our tall cans crushed to the curb. There is the ghost of their fullness. Little drops that are left sit in the rim of the mouth. Every moment makes a ghost. Every time you move something from stillness, there is a ghost for it. When I come to see you, I will leave behind the ghost of laughter, the ghost of my warmth growing colder. Miss it if you want to. There is the ghost or your taste in my mouth. Certain foods bring it back to life. I let the Bud Light sit on my tongue. I almost tasted it. Something is missing. There is the ghost of your smell. It tricks me into craning my neck, eyes searching for you. There is the ghost of your smile which haunts me when the ghost of your smell tricks me into thinking you’re there. There is the ghost of my cool breath dying on your neck, then dying again. The fire it becomes extinguishes quickly. Behind your couch there is the ghost of a cricket. He has stolen a harmonica and plays only the high notes. Tell his family that he misses them. There are the ghosts of apples that I skinned when I learned to make pies in high-school. I have made many apple pie ghosts since then. I will bring one to you. It will be a slow ghost. The steam rising from the middle is its spirit returning home. Home is your chest. Breathe the ghost of my pie, the ghost of my cologne, the ghost of my eyes wet with poetry I have just read. There is the ghost of poetry as it mixes with my breath and exits my chest. Let it die and die again. Let it haunt your heart, your belly, the back of your neck like a gentle hand. I make graveyards. I make ghosts. I leave them behind wherever I go. I miss some of them. There is the ghost of my irregular heartbeat, when I feel the ghosts that I miss pass by. I breath slowly trying to feel them, but too soon they are gone. Ghosts don’t stay long. I can stay long. Make ghosts in the meantime. When I come to see you, I will leave you with ghosts.
Continue reading...
18
Hops and topsy-turvy jumps ― blurred movement muddles across  the dewy meadow floor, as though dawn brushes away the sandman’s magic from the corner of sleepy eyes,                                   to cast an enchanting spell     A sudden hazy yet abrupt stop…     hastily,  halting ,   frozen motionless Stillness, as if some final destination has been reached…    Neck stretched and craning, tilted with an eye to mother earth ; a canted focus beyond interruption    In the blink of an eye,    with a vigor too rapid to capture,    as the nowness of urgency flashes ―       She stretches the earthworm    with the grasp of subsistence knowing after fall   becomes the long winterlude. The morning sun illuminates the glow of the native Maple’s glorious fiery orange and yellow color palette   A steady stream of animation rushes in and out    of the giant tree’s golden splendor Abundance perishes with the seasonal gardens decay. Mornings of blueberry and strawberry feasts have left the red breasted robbers foraging for the last rotting apples the deer have left behind.    Harbingers of spring…       Blueberry sneakers…       Gleaners of fall and winter.. “Teeek”  “tuk” “tuk” “Tseep”....         fills the overhead air    with a beautifully chaotic verve The flock returns repeatedly     to and fro     the towering Maple to the ripened cornucopia of scarlet berry clusters of the Mountain Ash The Robin’s flock ravage and gorge on the plentiful delights Soon the crimson berries fuel of flight will disappear    as if it were only an unspoken allusion           of the passing seasons The pearl gray sky is an ominous backdrop           for the fickle fleeting migrants Daylight fades as the flock disappears           into a break                in the clouds fleeting unto the ominous pending winter sky… In the blink of an eye ... life’s  senescent seasons transform the stormy whirling winds of change bearing the golden Autumn leave’s splendor    across the rolling vista like a higgledy-piggledy murmuration    of a migrating beautiful mess The naked rooted scaffold’s branches stretch across the sprawling tapestry of the wooded sanctuary. Winter flocks of Thrush and Robins,     arrive on a frosty new dawn Red breast feathers puff with the morning sun’s rays, warming the tree tops leaning toward the southern sky;    Their journey here and now, from distant mountainous horizons,    is part of a soul’s sacred circle of life… November rivers ...the final autumn entry of 2017
0
Nov 3, 2017
Nov 3, 2017 at 10:26 AM UTC
Flight of the Red Breasted Robin...
Hops and topsy-turvy jumps ― blurred movement muddles across  the dewy meadow floor, as though dawn brushes away the sandman’s magic from the corner of sleepy eyes,                                   to cast an enchanting spell     A sudden hazy yet abrupt stop…     hastily,  halting ,   frozen motionless Stillness, as if some final destination has been reached…    Neck stretched and craning, tilted with an eye to mother earth ; a canted focus beyond interruption    In the blink of an eye,    with a vigor too rapid to capture,    as the nowness of urgency flashes ―       She stretches the earthworm    with the grasp of subsistence knowing after fall   becomes the long winterlude. The morning sun illuminates the glow of the native Maple’s glorious fiery orange and yellow color palette   A steady stream of animation rushes in and out    of the giant tree’s golden splendor Abundance perishes with the seasonal gardens decay. Mornings of blueberry and strawberry feasts have left the red breasted robbers foraging for the last rotting apples the deer have left behind.    Harbingers of spring…       Blueberry sneakers…       Gleaners of fall and winter.. “Teeek”  “tuk” “tuk” “Tseep”....         fills the overhead air    with a beautifully chaotic verve The flock returns repeatedly     to and fro     the towering Maple to the ripened cornucopia of scarlet berry clusters of the Mountain Ash The Robin’s flock ravage and gorge on the plentiful delights Soon the crimson berries fuel of flight will disappear    as if it were only an unspoken allusion           of the passing seasons The pearl gray sky is an ominous backdrop           for the fickle fleeting migrants Daylight fades as the flock disappears           into a break                in the clouds fleeting unto the ominous pending winter sky… In the blink of an eye ... life’s  senescent seasons transform the stormy whirling winds of change bearing the golden Autumn leave’s splendor    across the rolling vista like a higgledy-piggledy murmuration    of a migrating beautiful mess The naked rooted scaffold’s branches stretch across the sprawling tapestry of the wooded sanctuary. Winter flocks of Thrush and Robins,     arrive on a frosty new dawn Red breast feathers puff with the morning sun’s rays, warming the tree tops leaning toward the southern sky;    Their journey here and now, from distant mountainous horizons,    is part of a soul’s sacred circle of life… November rivers ...the final autumn entry of 2017
Continue reading...
58
I glare at it During last period, Jumping too high But not high enough To reach the swinging rope. I'm in history, And some glazed-over teacher Is pointing at the Chalkboard which has Tiny scratches that look like words Scribbled all over. But I don't look at my notes, Because my neck is craning Too far back To look at the rope That is My two and a half hours of freedom. A single note is released into the halls And the students chace it And I leap into the air Because the rope Is reachable And I grab it. I begin to climb. I sit by you on the Dirt-dusted tile floor Outside the gym And we work on algebra Or english if it's a good day. And don't get me wrong, I hate the familiar stench of homework As much as The next Hunchbacked highschooler. The rope stings my hands While I climb. You numb the burn. But I have practice And the rope is easy to climb And I reach the top In two and a half hours And you get into The yellow sardine can That goes to your neighborhood. And all of my muscles ache when you go.
0
Jan 26, 2014
Jan 26, 2014 at 11:35 PM UTC
All Tied Up
Have you ever stood, craning your neck to look up into the canopy of the ancient kauri, Tane Mahuta, while peace and birdsong permeate your soul? Have you ever felt the crusty spray and the satanic whiff as the Pohutu geyser shoots aloft while a dozen languages bubble through te reo? Have you ever shivered in the receding darkness, standing in the china-white sand as you waited for the first sunrise over Makorori Beach? Have you ever sat on the summit of Mt Taranaki and eaten a well-deserved sandwich while cows grazed far below on the lush, volcanic-rich pasture? Have you ever experienced that mixture of fear and awe as an orca’s dorsal breached beside your too-fragile kayak in the shining waters of the Abel Tasman? Have you ever paused atop a ski run on Coronet Peak and reflected on the reflections of sunlight dancing on snow and water? Have you ever felt sorry for tourism chiefs and advertising creatives trapped in offices in the Auckland CBD dreaming up “100% Pure” and “Clean and Green”?
0
Feb 20, 2015
Feb 20, 2015 at 2:03 AM UTC
AOTEAROA, YOU’RE STANDING IN IT
We must live in a zoo The way that you do Cry Crocodile tears Always on cue As you Monkey around With every guy in town Slick as a Snake With the decisions you make Craning my neck Like the tallest Giraffe As my Elephant mind Never forgets And when I bring it up Say that I've had enough You scream in my face Like a wild Whooping Crane Are you serious Says this Laughing Hyena I can't take it no more Like a Lion I roar It's hard to keep up With you Miss Cheetah Thick skin I have grown Like a Rhino I'm tired of your lies This Owl's become wise Now that I think of it This all seems to fit So I'll see you later Alligator It's too hard to cage you I'm outta this Zoo
0
Feb 2, 2018
Feb 2, 2018 at 9:17 AM UTC
Our Zoo
Traveling (with Frost) down the lightly trodden path, with shoed soles sauntering over thawed earth, twisting down the narrow trail, away from the prying eyes of tour guides— Encompassed by flowery heads who mirror the sun, who burst forth with fluorescent green necks craning from the dirt, delineating our path in cascades of springing splendor. Sensing the ostinato of ambulant waters crescendo, we soon break from the budding foliage— To be greeted by gentle winds and the lapping of placid waves who break onto the languid shore onto shoed and socked feet, who sense holy ground and immediately kick off their bindings— To sink into the earth, and gritty sand reaching up between toes; the water deceptively inviting, is greeted with delightful shrieks in its refreshing chill. Secluded in our cove, we gaze over the waters where to our right rests a breathing reconstruction of the Dove; we stand awed before these waters both the settler and the native. What gods were praised on these lands, and in these woods, and in these skies, and in these waters? And on March 25, 1634, in the promising onset of spring, what had they to sing in the calm airs as the settlers crossed the threshold of the Potomac? She whispers, “Funny how the water appears green on the shore, and clear on the river.” --St. Mary's City, March 10, 2016.
0
Mar 10, 2016
Mar 10, 2016 at 11:48 PM UTC
Daffodil Gulch
The butter’s too hard. The pressure of the broken knife handle leaves imprints of alien-like creatures on her little palm. Slicing through morning rays like a red-hot blade through butter, she raises her hand, and inspects the outlandish patterns with curiosity: A school of koi carp, teeth as sharp as prison razor wire, are using their fins to harvest two-headed sunflowers which are growing from within the tip of a giant scorpion tail. Dark clouds are looming over Dragon’s Fang Mountain. The wind is howling. Ten Bone Warriors emerge from a grotto— a cavity at the foot of the mountain, where their bows shine bright, even in the fading light; wild puffs of excitement steam-fills the air— the riders’ horses’ nostrils flare— a dance of death tramples over all things white. The koi sense trouble; some dive away and hide between the roots, they disappear into the scorpion tail’s cracks and craters, others harvest as fast as their fins can work, craning their necks. The Bone Warriors’ arrows rain down on the sunflower field. Lightning strikes. Pop! goes the toaster; she walks towards the refrigerator, and rubs her hand on her Spongebob apron. Her mother inquires how breakfast is coming along; Nika shakes her head and giggles, says it’s going to be the breakfast ever.
0
Feb 4, 2011
Feb 4, 2011 at 4:16 PM UTC
Nika's Breakfast
A paradox in itself But then I saw her there across the room through flocks and flocks of 'beautiful' silly seagulls --               frivolously flocking,                                             pecking at the shiniest trash that flutters by Only to swallow pass flock, peck again -------------------------------------------------------------- She intrigued my mind    through the eye I saw her beak was flat                                y no craning,                   crooning neck                                   l                                            and could not f for she had no wings ... maybe we do not care to fly! -------------------------------------------------------------- Like the Red Sea She-Moses split through the flock to me, beakless surrounded by chronically cocking faces all but one,                                                                       all alone She had been                                                     too ------------------------------------------------------------- Now next to me                                                                                                       No wandering eye could care in soundless conversation proclaimed we                        are together as one we surely gleamed as gold too bright for gulls to see               ...Mastur-consolation? ------------------------------------------------------------- And so it's true we were                   alone                                together perfect paradoxical bliss
0
Jan 6, 2013
Jan 6, 2013 at 6:58 PM UTC
Alone Together~
A paradox in itself But then I saw her there across the room through flocks and flocks of 'beautiful' silly seagulls --               frivolously flocking,                                             pecking at the shiniest trash that flutters by Only to swallow pass flock, peck again -------------------------------------------------------------- She intrigued my mind    through the eye I saw her beak was flat                                y no craning,                   crooning neck                                   l                                            and could not f for she had no wings ... maybe we do not care to fly! -------------------------------------------------------------- Like the Red Sea She-Moses split through the flock to me, beakless surrounded by chronically cocking faces all but one,                                                                       all alone She had been                                                     too ------------------------------------------------------------- Now next to me                                                                                                       No wandering eye could care in soundless conversation proclaimed we                        are together as one we surely gleamed as gold too bright for gulls to see               ...Mastur-consolation? ------------------------------------------------------------- And so it's true we were                   alone                                together perfect paradoxical bliss
Continue reading...
43
I left the plantains you sent me on the counter. Wiped around them on cleaning days. Eyed them as they sat there, expectant and unwanted, for hours into weeks. Let them blacken and soften until they resembled the dental records of a corpse. Were they lifted from the soil of your Dominican hometown? Did you farm them yourself? The bruises speckled on its skin, were they hand-picked? You always had great aim with that sort of branding. I'm awake at the birth of morning, early enough to see dawn's rosy sun crack onto the horizon like egg yolk. From my bedroom window, I can also see a garbage truck craning its rusty claw towards the pile I set out last night. Talk about a metaphor.
0
Nov 17, 2014
Nov 17, 2014 at 10:45 AM UTC
Spotted Fruit
the black night is stiflingly humid, eliciting a glistening sheen of beaded sweat on the tanned faces of any being who dares to enter the boiling summer evening. a thick smattering of clouds create a downy blanket, the foreground to hundreds of intermittent stars and the round, glowing face of the full moon. i seat myself on the stair closest to the ground, and as it is passed around between us four, i light one long, chemical cigarette and place it carefully between my lips, cracked by the harsh rays of the summer sun. jagged, angular faces grin and laugh at us, formed by the gaps and holes in the beautiful, intricate cloud cover. suddenly, a summer breeze softer than than the winged seeds of a dandelion caresses frizzy hairs and cools the dew drops upon our moist foreheads. a split-second shift in the clouds creates the most resplendent sight my eyeballs have ever encountered in their twenty-one years. like an imposing rock formation, or the billows of smoke from a great forest fire, the fluffed gray structures have aligned themselves with the radiant orb in the sky, and her face casts beams of light through them, projecting long, fragile arms of brilliance through the dull backyard. with our four faces stretched upward as far as our craning necks will allow, we absorb the sublime, pure moonlight. i lock this picture in my mind, certain that this moment, trapped in infinity like a mosquito trapped in amber, could be the refreshing breeze or the hurried gulp of ice-cold oxygen imperative to survival. as she shines her vibrant headlight through the cloudy fog, i breathe slowly and allow my cigarette to extinguish itself, and i think that this must be how it feels to really, truly be alive.
0
Mar 21, 2012
Mar 21, 2012 at 3:13 AM UTC
moonbeam
the black night is stiflingly humid, eliciting a glistening sheen of beaded sweat on the tanned faces of any being who dares to enter the boiling summer evening. a thick smattering of clouds create a downy blanket, the foreground to hundreds of intermittent stars and the round, glowing face of the full moon. i seat myself on the stair closest to the ground, and as it is passed around between us four, i light one long, chemical cigarette and place it carefully between my lips, cracked by the harsh rays of the summer sun. jagged, angular faces grin and laugh at us, formed by the gaps and holes in the beautiful, intricate cloud cover. suddenly, a summer breeze softer than than the winged seeds of a dandelion caresses frizzy hairs and cools the dew drops upon our moist foreheads. a split-second shift in the clouds creates the most resplendent sight my eyeballs have ever encountered in their twenty-one years. like an imposing rock formation, or the billows of smoke from a great forest fire, the fluffed gray structures have aligned themselves with the radiant orb in the sky, and her face casts beams of light through them, projecting long, fragile arms of brilliance through the dull backyard. with our four faces stretched upward as far as our craning necks will allow, we absorb the sublime, pure moonlight. i lock this picture in my mind, certain that this moment, trapped in infinity like a mosquito trapped in amber, could be the refreshing breeze or the hurried gulp of ice-cold oxygen imperative to survival. as she shines her vibrant headlight through the cloudy fog, i breathe slowly and allow my cigarette to extinguish itself, and i think that this must be how it feels to really, truly be alive.
Continue reading...
42
Freckles comma made of sinuous threads Between your thighs What is a body But bread and wine question mark craning like a swan apostrophe s neck Is love supposed to happen like this colon With no one watching Kneeling before the queen Tying your shoe Is love supposed to happen like Blood in the park red earth semicolon Like hearts pounding in rooms with no mirrors We start with the physics period The graceful art of movement Up down in around Blacklights Punctuated by sound
0
Jul 25, 2011
Jul 25, 2011 at 2:24 PM UTC
Costume Shop
Yelling at a screen after-hours With old friends and passersby Getting drunk in desperation And hooking up with a boy I didn't know at all After smoking a jointswith a boy outside Who I cared to get to know, quite a bit Dancing around the house that I couldn't have known Would become a strange sort of home; Covered in candle wax and visions of Depropheria With brand new, beautiful friends Neck craning upwards in the Grove of Titans: the closest thing to God on Earth New beginnings and transient visions of forever On a magical bus ride to New York City Making love for the first time in my bed, Our bodies joining and intertwining while My future slept on the couch downstairs A teary goodbye and a journey to a lakeside In the middle of the night where that future, Which blew through like a whirlwind of a summer storm, Was foreshadowed once again Empty bottles lining your counter and you Tearing down, just before leaving, All my fences too Making love for the last time in your bed Right before the bubble of us popped, Leaving me only with a bowl of soapy water And a bendy straw: so many New chances ahead A whole community: the family to get me through That love just passed and the happy moments too- Falling asleep next to someone new And clinking glasses on the dock With a vegan pizza to top it off The final falling apart of April to August And a new heartbeat pulsing in The quiet spaces between my fingers Trying a new drug at the top of a tree And laughing all through the journey, The LSD nothing and your friendship everything Flickering fluorescent lights reminding me Of all I've lost; of all I've gained In this beautiful year Of 2013
0
Dec 31, 2013
Dec 31, 2013 at 1:27 PM UTC
A Poem for 2013
Yelling at a screen after-hours With old friends and passersby Getting drunk in desperation And hooking up with a boy I didn't know at all After smoking a jointswith a boy outside Who I cared to get to know, quite a bit Dancing around the house that I couldn't have known Would become a strange sort of home; Covered in candle wax and visions of Depropheria With brand new, beautiful friends Neck craning upwards in the Grove of Titans: the closest thing to God on Earth New beginnings and transient visions of forever On a magical bus ride to New York City Making love for the first time in my bed, Our bodies joining and intertwining while My future slept on the couch downstairs A teary goodbye and a journey to a lakeside In the middle of the night where that future, Which blew through like a whirlwind of a summer storm, Was foreshadowed once again Empty bottles lining your counter and you Tearing down, just before leaving, All my fences too Making love for the last time in your bed Right before the bubble of us popped, Leaving me only with a bowl of soapy water And a bendy straw: so many New chances ahead A whole community: the family to get me through That love just passed and the happy moments too- Falling asleep next to someone new And clinking glasses on the dock With a vegan pizza to top it off The final falling apart of April to August And a new heartbeat pulsing in The quiet spaces between my fingers Trying a new drug at the top of a tree And laughing all through the journey, The LSD nothing and your friendship everything Flickering fluorescent lights reminding me Of all I've lost; of all I've gained In this beautiful year Of 2013
Continue reading...
44
I asked what's a home? And she said "a place where we know how to turn on the water." And I thought maybe it wasn't my home. So I'll go get some midnight coffee down the street. And pretend there's no one back there to yell at me Maybe then I can keep these words in my head long enough to write them down Or maybe I'll get drunk craning my neck to see the stars And realizing it's the lights of on-coming cars. The streetlights in this town are too dim. I think that's why there's no hope here anymore.
0
Dec 3, 2013
Dec 3, 2013 at 1:49 AM UTC
Streetlights
to look at the moon on full-moon nights to feel the dark on no-moon ones remember? we used to go to a place in the shade of pines remember do you? birds flew past they recognized us the air had unknown smells under the stars we used to sit and tease and talk kiss remember do you? now they're craning that earth out and making a building there in our place where we'll never be ever again those smells are now lost love, lost love there isn't dark no pines the moon's gone too and so are we that place has forgotten us just like you've forgotten me darlin darlin everything's over over now it's no more us just me only me until i can't hold my breath sans you everyday i see that building come up i try to ****** this belief into me that you're no more but can't and no verse can even begin to convey, to say how much i miss you and want you so much so that i would rush back in time to then and just hold on to you darlin darlin ..
0
Feb 12, 2011
Feb 12, 2011 at 9:58 AM UTC
baby steps to insanity
She always wanted to be as famous as Shakespeare. Bawling dramatically in the cornfield. My flip flops stuck in the oozy mud as I followed her for safety. She sobbed on my shoulder during Titanic because she wasn't as beautiful as Kate Winslet. The rest of the cinema gave me funny looks. Soggy shoulder, everyone necks craning to listen to my therapy phrases. "Sshhh. It's okay. You're beautiful in a different way". I never told her that lipstick didn't suit her. And she still wears it now on Facebook.
0
Feb 17, 2017
Feb 17, 2017 at 5:21 PM UTC
My used to be my best friend
sweet child of the stars- never forget these bright lights and pages of gold blaze of fireflies- momentarily trapped in mason jars; glass-hewn a saturday evening in july of 1987, pottstown, pennsylvania. the moon peaks over the horizon, craning its neck at the carcasses of lost dreamers littered across the landscape. denim jacket, stone wash; unintentionally half-popped collar. a glass of cinzano bianco in one hand and store-bought iced tea in the other. eight wicker chairs on the deck; chittering and smiling and shuffling and laughing. an evening soirée illuminated solely by stars and citronella candles.  sticky, humid night. grill roars heat as yet another batch of burgers are flipped. step down into the murky dark. fireworks ignite- brilliance across nightsky eyes gaze in wonder new-age americana at its finest— we are here and we are now. the product of every moment leading up to _now_. smoldering remnants of infinite reactions, extraordinary in their own right. what are you cultivating within? what will stay and what will go? what will take hold and manifest? what legacy, what footprint do you dare to leave on the sands of time? in this sublime psalm of life, we can only dream.
0
Jul 16, 2019
Jul 16, 2019 at 11:24 AM UTC
midnight musings (haibun poetry)
It felt like a weekend night, and I was curled up on my couch waiting for you come over. It was so cold in my apartment that I had wrapped myself up in all sorts of patchwork quilts. I heard a knock on my window, but when I looked out, no one was there. I opened it so I could stick my head out and get a better look. I must’ve scoured every direction, saving “up” for last. Craning my neck, I saw you there, in a little plane, hovering just as high as the trees, just below the streetlights. You were dressed like the Red Baron, scarf and all. Your plane looked just like his too. You yelled down, smiling, “Sorry I’m late, I forgot I had promised everyone that I would make it snow.” Sure enough, you had a contraption on the back of the plane that was making a cartoonish putt-putting noise as it churned out fresh powder all over the sidewalks and streets. It made me laugh, and I pulled my quilts even tighter around me while I watched. You dropped a rope ladder down from the side of your plane, “You can come with me if you want. It shouldn't take too long.” I immediately ran out the front door to meet you. I was so excited, that the patches of my quilt began to light up—all different colors, humming electric. I was really surprised by this, and I thought maybe I had done something wrong, but you just laughed and said, “Don’t worry—it will be nice to have the ambiance up here.” (Yes. You said “ambiance” in my dream— because that’s just how my mind works. ) So I climbed into the back of your plane, blankets and all. You turned around and said, “Just a couple of things…” You proceeded to tie my quilt around my neck like a cape. I watched the colored lights catch the corners of your eyes and your smile while you did this. You were right, the ambiance was nice. Handing me a pair of goggles, you told me to put them on and just said, “There, that’s better.” We flew up and down the streets, both of us lit up in a warm, multi-colored glow, letting the snow fall on everything below. I think I’m really looking forward to winter.
0
Nov 22, 2013
Nov 22, 2013 at 12:30 PM UTC
saving "up" for last
It felt like a weekend night, and I was curled up on my couch waiting for you come over. It was so cold in my apartment that I had wrapped myself up in all sorts of patchwork quilts. I heard a knock on my window, but when I looked out, no one was there. I opened it so I could stick my head out and get a better look. I must’ve scoured every direction, saving “up” for last. Craning my neck, I saw you there, in a little plane, hovering just as high as the trees, just below the streetlights. You were dressed like the Red Baron, scarf and all. Your plane looked just like his too. You yelled down, smiling, “Sorry I’m late, I forgot I had promised everyone that I would make it snow.” Sure enough, you had a contraption on the back of the plane that was making a cartoonish putt-putting noise as it churned out fresh powder all over the sidewalks and streets. It made me laugh, and I pulled my quilts even tighter around me while I watched. You dropped a rope ladder down from the side of your plane, “You can come with me if you want. It shouldn't take too long.” I immediately ran out the front door to meet you. I was so excited, that the patches of my quilt began to light up—all different colors, humming electric. I was really surprised by this, and I thought maybe I had done something wrong, but you just laughed and said, “Don’t worry—it will be nice to have the ambiance up here.” (Yes. You said “ambiance” in my dream— because that’s just how my mind works. ) So I climbed into the back of your plane, blankets and all. You turned around and said, “Just a couple of things…” You proceeded to tie my quilt around my neck like a cape. I watched the colored lights catch the corners of your eyes and your smile while you did this. You were right, the ambiance was nice. Handing me a pair of goggles, you told me to put them on and just said, “There, that’s better.” We flew up and down the streets, both of us lit up in a warm, multi-colored glow, letting the snow fall on everything below. I think I’m really looking forward to winter.
Continue reading...
7
I taste your lips like the cotton candy of a Newark sky, laced with smog and dysentery. You lift me up, roll me over and draw me toward you. The gravitational pull-- 'on my hair and tell me you love me'-- of your shoulders and the intoxication of your voice. Craning my neck to hear--'you love me'--the grip of your hands on my throat. The city is loud. Just loud enough to gasp through the static of your car radio, pressing--'up against me'--all the buttons. Just change the station. Where we rock and undulate smoggy windows and candied skies. This last goodbye tastes different from my first time, clutching-- 'my back and etching out lullabies'-- the shift stick. Put it in neutral. We can just coast from here and take it easy--'she's so'--easy. Easy falling into and letting fall and keeping-- 'next to me forever'--from falling over and over the bricks of your building, shaking the foundation, the exact same way. You loved me like a super dome and expanded the words of your cityscape: a nice addition, in need of renovation.  The cycle of recycled buildings and veiled skies. The monotonous gossip of a Newark morning drawn out past the night.
0
Dec 8, 2016
Dec 8, 2016 at 2:51 PM UTC
Passing Through
As we lead our lives, Boring or interesting, Calm and caring for it, Dealing the problems, Elevating our quality, Freshening up daily, Greatly upscaling, Happy smiles, Intimately, Jerking threats away, Kissing happiness, Leading  brighter, Much  more  long, Newer  &  higher, Over  the  clouds, Pouring hot love, Queer  above  all, Resting  relieved, Staring night sky, Treetops craning, Up onto the stars, Violins  of nature, Waking  up fresh, Xenophilia popping, Yearning divine sin, Zesty opera of our lives.
0
Feb 5, 2014
Feb 5, 2014 at 5:15 AM UTC
Romance A to Z
Had a kite colourful sight swishing and swirling and fluttering so high craning my neck looked at my kite he looked so grand I felt a rush of pride flew him high flew him wide felt him dip down gazing at me what more I want? he is mine held the threads that connected me and him had the total control just a tug will have him snug... Sudden swish another kite not so grand came to his side. thought will play a game of war fun to watch him coil her pretty neck thought they were fighting as he tried to pull her and she fought too swaying and twirling as i watched she gained control saw him slipping going her way. I tried to right him. but before i knew he stopped fighting losing deliberately i knew that moment he fell for her she charmed him she wooed him followed him with zest. with a slight dip he looked at me it was that moment he chose her for me... the threads were cut he left with her No backward glance not a moment of regret watched him fly by dancing a passion dance coiled to each other she breathing his breath My thread to sanity opted to leave me I stood still feet firmly planted gazing at him with a loose thread in my hand.
0
May 20, 2016
May 20, 2016 at 4:19 PM UTC
My thread to sanity