"tangoed" poems
Morning pallor on a grey day
not a five cent shine
to the sun.
Bitumen hissed all night
trees tossed and tangoed
shuddered and split.
Navy clouds, blue with rain
surfed in from the ocean
racing on the wild wind
learning to scream.
The stones listened
moon listed and tried to find
a space in the cloud-tide rush
to quiet-light the gloom.
Morning Armistice on a pale grey day
of debris and displacement
refugees and leaf litter
surrender and detachment
silent and still
only a five cent shine to the sun
© M.L.Emmett
Aug 1, 2014
Aug 1, 2014 at 1:33 PM UTC
Through the masks and obscured within the lies, lays the truth unsaid in which all despise
Too much had been appraised, and much was fitfully un-right, so vastly dark within folded light
He was King, and she forever his Queen, still they hold each others hands, a thrilling vice in which they teamed
Their faces lit with withering sight, flightless eyes instead of cocky fulfilled and streaming plight
They tangoed to flooded phantom operas and darkly lit scenes, set with bloodset roses and heartfelt keys
Bowing inside the night they longfully romanced, ballerined on fruitless olden toes that would soon become cramped
Whispering together, they flee against the mournless sounds, that crept and prowled outside the bounds'
Deciding a long time ago to dance their lives away, to live within the fleeting joy and feel their heartbeats sway
Nov 4, 2013
Nov 4, 2013 at 1:33 PM UTC
Skyscrapers jut towards the heavens
middle fingers to mother nature
or sun-bleached white ribs of some poor beast
who tangoed with a Toyota
and lost.
The stench that wafts through the streets could easily strip paint
but the locals don’t seem to mind.
meandering through their mundane Mondays
like maggots in goose step
feeding upon the entrails of the mangled carcass.
Soon, their bellies full, gorged on wealth forged from blood, sweat and tears
of the less fortunate, they will pupate.
and in a frenzy of greed, gluttony and lust, they will burst
from their cocoons, and **** eat, and relish in their wealth until they die.
Thus is the cycle of the city.
a cancerous growth, a festering boil, an affront in the eyes of the lord.
this grey-on-grey urban tragedy taints the land and traps us all.
no one ever really escapes.
as their corpses lie in rot and ruin amongst the filth and viscera,
the newest generation of eggs begin to hatch,
and the cycle begins anew.
Oct 17, 2013
Oct 17, 2013 at 4:06 PM UTC
Skyscrapers jut towards the heavens
middle fingers to Mother Nature
or sun-bleached white ribs of some poor beast
who tangoed with a toyota
and lost.
The stench that wafts through the streets could easily strip paint
but the locals don't seem to mind.
They march through their mundane Mondays
like maggots in goose-step.
The cacophony of their carrion communion is grisly and deafening.
Garish billboards burn
obscene advertisements onto assaulted retinas.
Street salesmen descend upon naive tourists
like vultures after fresh meat.
Policemen **** and pillage
what they were sworn to protect and serve,
and the Mayor's fungal tendrils
reach deep into the criminal underbelly of his city.
The voracious human hunger for wealth
knows no boundaries.
The grey-on-grey urban tragedy that is this concrete corpse
is always changing. Growing. Advancing.
however, it is not without waste.
Abandoned asphalt arteries stretch as far as the eye can see.
Somewhere, in a derelict parking lot, a flower is blooming.
We may spit in the face of Mother Nature
with every tree we cut and river we dam,
but soon she will be the one laughing
over our shattered
concrete
corpses.
Dec 16, 2013
Dec 16, 2013 at 10:01 PM UTC
All through the purple grass the toads sung a merry tune.
For this night alone, my enemies were to be hewn.
So through the starry night, for you I could swoon.
All of this by the light of the deep orange moon.
It was in the purple fields that we tangoed through the night.
The poison clawed mice never giving up the fight.
They danced along my spine until the morning light.
Their blood red eyes bearing witness to my sacrificial rite.
Even though you left me in the fields where we romanced,
Even with the enemies with which I have danced,
That look in your eyes will always have me entranced.
For you, their attack I had willingly chanced.
But now here I stand, bleeding and without you.
For with my own sword they have run me through.
Don't be sad, I fear my end is overdue.
But hear my final words, and follow them through.
Over the blue mountains and across the yellow sea,
In the purple fields, below the purple tree.
When my bones rest here, my soul shall be free.
Go on to love another, as much as you once loved me.
Jun 2, 2011
Jun 2, 2011 at 7:40 AM UTC
There was a man come wandering
by with silver heels and loudly.
It was a Sunday and he asked me
to dance. We tangoed through
close and warm.
Then it was a Wednesday warm
to touch you and I did.
You ran in the rain like a cat.
I called but the dull thud of
my tears fell only alone.
There love stretched
taut to crumble. And the heat
of my life felt the scald and
stars were unseen..
Light hid in drains and
you were in the rain gone.
I see you wet and reach
toward me. Dreams don't
die and I wrap the night
In paper sliced so thin
you can see thru my veins
where I have travelled
And alone.
Caroline Shank
Dec 13, 2021
Dec 13, 2021 at 9:36 AM UTC
I'm writing this to you at the end of our first day, my legs screaming obscenities at me after all the so-called adventure
And I could tell you about how the dirt and sharp rocks wore out the soles of my feet
How we hiked for six hours off the path and I almost started crying by the fourth
How the trail we 'created' felt like descending into an abyss and crawling back out again
How the wind battered us with sand and the ocean burned our scratched calves
But baby, you should've seen the sky
The way it moved and swelled and changed
First periwinkle fading into a white horizon and hitting the sapphire sea
Then the setting sun that bathed canyons in gold and heat
Until the last rays blended into a clash of purple, pink, and orange
And when the day came to a close, the heavens opened like you wouldn't believe
The night was a pitch-black canvas, torn open by meteors that fell forever in a few seconds
While the stars pricked holes in the swirling shape of the Milky Way
Darling, I swear they danced for us
They twirled and waltzed and tangoed better than we ever could
And through all the splendor, the only thing I kept spending my shooting-star wishes on was you
Aug 14, 2015
Aug 14, 2015 at 8:51 PM UTC
*Nestled in halo of the
Moonlit sky
Two hearts tangoed.*
Jan 29, 2014
Jan 29, 2014 at 4:51 AM UTC
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…
May 10, 2023
May 10, 2023 at 9:34 PM UTC
i am
seen
clear through
yet never sure
-ever torn-
by what i see
in you
sliver in my eye
grow grow
into clearcut forest taken from the sky
observe
you can see all of me
i am bark turned
inside-out
my core yours
see me seen
and you?
the cool side of a moon
spooning the abyss after tangoed tryst
we are cosmoses
apart
there will never be a day when
you will say
*that's the day i knew
i would always love you*
because
othering opacity foreverfizz
Jun 7, 2015
Jun 7, 2015 at 2:48 AM UTC
I danced with death
It was a slow dance
I had to make
Every
Breath
Count
We tried to keep in step
For the wrong move
Took away a much needed
Breath,
Inhale,
Exhale
Keep him in your sight,
It was a tiring dance
But it was keeping me alive
We break-danced,
We tangoed many ways he tried
To break my step,
Fandango(Spanish)
Jitterbug
Ice dancing,
Was my winner, as bones don't
Do well as his **** sat on ice ,
"I laughed out loud,
He didn't take kindly to that,
*But a
Deal,
Was a
Deal,*
Another year to live
Many more breathes
Till next year death,
Till I dance once again with he called death
Oct 21, 2014
Oct 21, 2014 at 7:18 PM UTC
Remember when we first Tangoed?
Remember those summer nights where we'd FaceTime till sunrise?
Remember that night we poured our hearts to each other?
Remember when you asked me to wear your jersey?
Remember our first date?
Remember our first kiss?
Remember when our love was stronger than no other?
What happened?
-K.L.
May 23, 2014
May 23, 2014 at 1:50 AM UTC
I saw you last week. Or was it tomorrow?
Life has been a blur since age 3.
I cry blue tears.
The same shade of blue as your keychain.
The one you never let anyone touch.
I destroyed it. Threw it in the fire with your bed sheets.
Victory has been mine since before we met.
You are no match for the waitresses of Chicago.
You waltzed into my imagination.
I tangoed into your heart.
I stomp along the arteries. Dance classes from childhood have proven useful.
I laugh when I see your car pass.
You would never let me ride shotgun. See if I care.
Don't forget to check the trunk.
I left you something.
Caution; It bites.
Nov 12, 2013
Nov 12, 2013 at 10:10 AM UTC
She watched as
starlight tangoed with
earl gray dawn, and
pink cotton clouds
dripped
down the horizon line.
The crickets trembled,
kissed the dewy blades
of grass, then
departed, underground, or
into the oak trees.
And she folded her bare
knees toward her chest,
clutched them
tightly while a sun-
flower scented breeze
tickled the hairs on her arm.
The pale moon faded
into azure morning and
each constellation
evaporated into
wispy white clouds.
So she gathered her
belongings, but left
the letter –
it’s buried there,
beneath the sprawling
autumn foliage,
waiting
for you to resurrect it.
Nov 16, 2010
Nov 16, 2010 at 7:05 PM UTC
I recall and rewind to the exact moment we stumbled into each other
his smile so luring and bright
while my face glowed intensely
the most deepest shade of red
my heart tangoed in my chest
begging to unite with the unknown of his
my pulse raced
my frown quickly expelled
exposing my vulnerability
and he knew
he relished in my fascination in him
playing maps around my waist
naming me beautiful names
the way only queens were summoned
he spoke intelligently
forcing me to fall under his spells
but never did he wish to capture my soul
or discover the depths of my mind
I was his muse
his playing piece in a game of chess
and he adored every second
until
I made a move
giving me this look of great disdain
he miserably replied
“I just don’t like you back."
Aug 31, 2016
Aug 31, 2016 at 12:15 AM UTC
His love confuses me,
it came on fast
and hit me hard
so that I'm left spinning.
He took me in his arms
and practiced Russian
by whispering sweet nothings
until all hours of the morning,
until his lips could do nothing
but kiss mine.
He took me dancing,
and tangoed with me
until dusk,
until his hips could do nothing
but dig into mine.
He loved me over time,
in ebbs and flows
like the sea loves the sand,
until he couldn't help
but fall into my tide.
And now he's away,
he'll always be "away",
today Bloomington,
tomorrow Berlin.
And now I'm aching,
I'll always be aching,
today for Indiana,
tomorrow for Germany.
Jun 7, 2016
Jun 7, 2016 at 5:55 PM UTC
Flames created souls in the gusts of wind,
A spark to start a life,
Sizzled and burned so bright with magical colors of vivacious orange, hypnotic red, luminescent yellows that would light up dark spots.
Visible to the naked two eyes of all who gazed, felt by the naked bodies of those standing in the way of the cold and naked bodies.
Feeling nothing but the dark grey smoke.
No light, no warmth.
Some began to choke as I inhaled with the whole of my mere existence, and basked in the gods of freedom.
Beautiful extraterrestrial wisps, peeling off in an unknown dance, choreographed precisely with the wind.
Thankful that they let me feel the smoke on my skin, its freedom engulfed my aura, taught it how to be, how to do, how to feel.
Its cool matched my cool during those few milliseconds of heaven where we met, tangoed, felt and understood, then dissipated in the dark as its father lied to rest, and we all felt the same cold in the same way on our naked bodies, at the same time.
While some had fun memories of colors, light, and warmth, I was left with a lingering feeling of what it's like to be free.
And a lesson on just how to get there.
Jan 9, 2017
Jan 9, 2017 at 11:17 AM UTC
I was never fond of the Tango,
the dance that was never through.
But even so, I tangoed,
I tangoed with you.
Passion fuels our every step
red hot anger, crimson lust.
Everything in between
is scattered in our dust.
I wish you'd give me a signal
for I am sick of all the lies.
What are you trying to tell me
with your tired, angry eyes?
I can't see clearly when I look at you,
my vision's blurred from all the tears,
But as we dance this tango,
I forget the pain from all the years.
I was never fond of the Tango,
the dance that was never through.
But it takes two to tango
so I’ll tango with you.
Oct 20, 2017
Oct 20, 2017 at 12:58 AM UTC
the soul sometimes gets
drifted into a soulbank
gets piled on top
of other drifted souls
awaiting the next
dance with
what they love
to be embraced by the
universe and
waltzed or
tangoed or
salsa’d
into Love
patience is faith and
faith is trust in
the drift
c. 2107 Roberta Compton Rainwater
Dec 6, 2017
Dec 6, 2017 at 5:23 PM UTC
The only way you knew how to dance
Was to sway your hips haphazardly
Off beat Back and forth Side to side
to hazy savage glaringly ***** music
I would sit in the passenger seat and watch
With the car door ajar and the
Seatbelt light blinking
The only way I knew how to dance was to close my eyes and visualize the
Gospel of the orange and pink and cloud paint splatters
And so we were in perfect synchronization
Like symphonic harmony
My eyes closed but yours wide wide open
Not a moment of hesitation between one second of action to the next
Except when it came to opening my eyes
I would watch you succumb to your assimilated actions
And we would welcome
The droplets of a newborn rain storm attaching to our clothed backs and bare shoulders
Laden across a field
We were not allowed to be on this field they had football practice
but we were anyways
The air was of a room temperature and caressed our fingertips
How did we manage to articulate to each other
What it feels like to be enveloped
in reality’s arms
Your hair was almost the
Color of mine but your skin was usually a lot
Paler
But in the summer it would turn bronze
When you held up your hand and against
The cotton candy sky you looked like
A shiny brass statue of a Greek god
We thought we were Zeus and Hera but
Were Sisyphus and Merope
Bare legs meant mosquito bites but
They drew satirical constellations across our calves
Like a sadist reminder of irony
We existed in perfect destruction because
The birds had left but
The moon had stayed
I felt my ragged fingernails frighteningly grasping at
The remnants of a pathetic twilight
I don’t think I can ever look you in the eye again
And then I blinked just once and
The sky had turned indigo and the chill of cicadas and summer night set in
And I was intrinsically alone with no ***** music and swaying hips and summertime lies
Deceit had evaded me but it surrendered to you
And with your presence left my respect
This celestial ship will carry our mundane bodies back to shore
But I tangoed for one
And put on my seatbelt and closed the car door
Aug 18, 2019
Aug 18, 2019 at 11:19 PM UTC
To taste a tangerine dream
You must sit silent.
You must sit and listen
as the sun sets golden-
Pink flickers licking at the surface of the sea,
As it moves,
In time with the moon and his rising
And falling to the curve of the earth.
To see peace you must sit still.
You must feel deep and listen
To gravity's beck and call.
Watch while we twirl
And let go with the flow of it all,
Feel how slow we move
Waltzing circles round the sun.
Here you will find me -
Find us all.
If only you stop for a second,
To taste the awe of it all.
Mar 27, 2020
Mar 27, 2020 at 3:41 PM UTC