30 Poems in 30 Days (Redux)

[cascadiabound]

Aprilyn 2:28

Wait
for me
my darling.
Paint me with words
Teach me in color
Brush my soul with your lips
Steady now, my eyes meet yours
Fingers entwine. Hearts beat faster
Tides, stars, and moon pull us together
Gather me in your arms, love, and dance me




**************​

 

[cascadiabound]

aprilyn 2:29

I fell in love
with him, courageous, loyal and true;
he was a man of adventure & I was his muse.

He’s funny, but he’s smart
warm like a woodstove fire on a chill autumn night
and his voice wraps me like a small child in a blanket.

The blood of a soldier runs within,
but his sword is one of protection, finding solace in nature
I felt a safety in his presence, arm around my shoulders.

He’s an artist and a writer, saving the world each day;
curled in his lap, tender kisses pepper my skin;
I close my eyes, my soul breathing free.

He’s my someone, my soulmate, my friend;
I choose him to keep me safe, as he calls me beautiful
his companion today and forever.

 

[Lyricalli]

4-25

Miss you, my friend

Calendar reminder: your birthday. The first of many you won't have.

 

[Mrtenant]

1-29

The distant rumble of engines
Dies away into the night
The wind blows faintly in the trees
A full moon's silvery glow
Blankets the night with a sigh
Quiet, unassuming, present
The mystery unfolds in silence
As it always has and always will
The cricket reveals its presence
Away off in the shrubbery
Gliding through slivery air
The night owl's great wings
Flung wide in the hunt
A perfection image of silvery magic
And then she is there
And how could it be any other way
With her songs and her verse
Dancing across the silver green grass
Soft and cool, plush beneath her feet
Her beauty shines like no other
How can I not stand in awe
As she sings of her love for me
That one perfect night
Beneath the stars and magic
Of the silver light of the full moon

 

[Mrtenant]

1-30

Most days I am the good guy
A good morning to all I meet
Kiss and hug all my people
Show up for work every day

How well I am known
Strange at times
Weird sense of humor
Yet comfortably predictable

Some days though
I just want something else
To pull someone's beard
Maybe smack that ass

How I ache for more
Just outside the norm
Today though, I'll do nothing more
Than maybe burn the toast

 

[cascadiabound]

Aprilyn 2:30

Thirty coral beads
Smooth and round
Warming against my skin
Each one brings me closer
To a time long past
Petticoats rustle
Around my legs

Unpin my hair
Until it cascades
Down my back
Neck kisses
Along red beads

Fingers release
Each hook and eye
As breasts heave
Beneath my corset

Thirty coral beads
Smooth and round
Warm
Against soft skin
Unlace me love
So I can breathe
Revealing all that I am
Under so many layers

Blushing before you
Naked
Except for thirty coral beads

 

[Lyricalli]

4-26

Middle of a sleepless night
page looming before me
in my mind
thoughts tumble
trying to land on a theme
some idea
beyond my default
the go-to that is you
yet here I sit
just writing this
because it's the middle of nights
when I miss our time most

 

[Lyricalli]

4-27

Temptation comes
goes
rushes back again
to erase the traces
drift away on the wind
dandelion seeds scattered
in a huff
to a place of new growth
or just decay

 

[Lyricalli]

4-28

Twisted desire
to tug at the sutures
open the wound
pain-curious
wondering at the depths
prods the realization
temptation to undo
what holds me together
exists always
just below the surface
and I understand me
a little more

 

[cascadiabound]

May/June 3:1

For Nina

A long time ago
In a place far far away
There was a girl
Serious and bright
With a laugh like a bell

I didn’t choose her
She didn’t choose me
But there we were together
Every day. Every night.

I was mesmerized by her
Even as she smoked
Cigarettes she had sworn to quit
And by her delicate hands
Fluttering of their own volition
As her words sharpen with intensity
Leaning forward
Positing theories with passion
Eyes rivet my soul
With each nuance

Late at night we would go dancing
Dancing in dark halls,
Blue light over the bar
Women shimmying
Kissing in shadowed corners
Ebullient and free
Her sweet red mouth
Upturned in an easy smile
Dark eyes shining in dim light

I can still taste strawberries
and clotted cream
samosas in greasy paper
spring air on the Thames

strangers became friends
in my blood, like holy wine
for not just those months
but forever after
dancing in our socks
Joni Mitchell croning
oh so bitter, and so sweet
oh yes, my sweet friend
I could still drink a case of you
And I would still be on my feet

Embracing you and your heart
Inhaling your dark hair
Your frame so small in my arms

Come dance with me
Laugh with me
Be fearless with me
Challenge me again

Our souls touch across time and space
A love so pure and true
Our souls have been shaped
By each others’ love
Dancing in the dark
Dancing in our socks
Dancing dancing dancing


A Case of You


seems I could not quit this thread. Hi Calli

 

[Mrtenant]

2-1

She is far away
Miles upon miles
Measured but lord so far
How often have I wished
And wondered
Would that I could reach her
To see her, touch her
Experience her presence
Her vibration

Show her my haunts
In my lonesome land
Teeming with millions
To pick a rose
And offer it to her
Picnics every other day
By the seashore
Listening to the steady waves

Take in a show
A live jazz band
Down at the Mercy Wine Bar
On the upper balcony
Overlooking the bar and dancefloor
Whispering and kissing
Deep in the shadows

Another turn on the ferris wheel
There at the wharf
The cool Summer air's caress
Against my skin
Draws us closer together
Snuggles and warmth
Twirling a lock of her hair
While I look in her eyes

Just down the street
Around the block
Is it the next town over
A county away
Or across the state
Past the Great Divide
A world away
And yet so close in my heart

 

[Lyricalli]

4-29

Breeze glides over skin
warmer than before
heavier
losing its spring
summer whispers
to gooseflesh
stretching slowly
relishing these last days
of naps under open windows

 

[cascadiabound]

May/June 3:2

One hundred years of women’s suffrage
Suffragettes dressed in white
Festooned in patriotic ribbons
And fabulous hats atop
Modest long dresses and petticoats
Marched in the street for voting rights
Were they perfect? Oh no.
But they did change the world
One more step towards
Universal enfranchisement

The fights never seem to end
Civil rights and health rights
Gender equity and equal pay
Eludes us still
I am tired, so tired
Of the feminine mystique
Being not seen
Or valued
Except for my womb with a view
Being defined again and again
By my relationships
Daughter, wife, matron, childless

In one hundred more years
Will we have basic equality?
Agency and voice equal to
Any man
Will we have control
Of our own organs
And our choices to
Reproduce or not
And when

Somehow I fear
One hundred years
Will not be long enough.

 

[Lyricalli]

4-30

There was a plan
gone awry
to create something special
for this space
but clever phrases
don't come to mind

I've tried
to find something in us
less than combustion
more than this not-so-merry-go-round

I know you want it too
uneasy and complicated
and maybe we'll make it work
someday
whenever you're able

Even without words
the love exists
persisting these last years
of disconnecting, reconnecting

Whatever is ahead
on the rest of this ride
whether you hang on
or decide to jump off
I know a little part of me
is always on your shoulder
riding shotgun

 

[Mrtenant]

2-2

The lantern in the dark
Dimly glowing flame
Revealing shadows
Whispers of dreams
Dipping my pen
Over and over
Scratching and scribbling
A missive for the day
A tale of hope
A poem for the night
What is the world
But a creation
Of our own minds
We struggle
Because we must
It is our nature
Also to triumph
Even as we fail
I will share my hope
My faith
My love for my people
I can do no better
Spidery thin marks
Long flowing lines
Revealing the dreams
Of a world to come
Of hope and kindness
Faith and love
Dignity and integrity
Courage
In the flickering light
Pushing back the darkness
A single lantern

 

[cascadiabound]

May/ June 3:3

Holy Detritus

Leather bound communion set
Sterling silver pitcher and plate
So small one might wonder
do they belong in a doll’s house?
Yellowed fountain pen scrawl
On a slip of paper
“saved in the SF earthquake”

given to the next pastor
in generations of clergy
carried faithfully
from that small brick church
squatting on a dusty street
to bless ranch hands
and reservation folk
before there was marching
for civil rights or
the women’s movement
Osage county – a foreign land

Ranchers sit on hard pews
Beaming at the new born girl
Holy water blessed and baptized
More than 50 years ago
Presider and baptizer now gone
Along with all the congregants
That small church closed
and sold for scrap
After a century and more
What becomes of holy detritus?
Cracked leather haunts me
There is no way back now

 

[Mrtenant]

2-3

Cool ceramic
Porcelain clay
White and smooth
Elegant curves
Organic and true
His and hers
A satisfying weight
Two fingers in
Half and half
Cool and white
Steaming hot coffee
Black and fresh
The heady aroma
Earthy and rich
Blends together
Its divine warmth
Makes my morning
So complete
Sipping its goodness
Early morning hours
When all are asleep

 

[Mrtenant]

2-4

Tangerines by the sea
Peel three for me
On the sands of Marrakesh
Mediterranean vacation
Sailing across time
Along the Barbary coast
Where pirates once roamed
A land rich with history
Exotic foods and drink
Or so it seems to me
Spices and laughter
Dances and architecture
Mountains and desert
Tossing the rind
Happy with my tangerine
With the surf on the sand
Back and forth across my feet

 

[cascadiabound]

may/june 3:4

Peering in the doll's house
so safe and pretty
for a skylark wife

They say a man
is like origami
only unfolding
for a woman

Can this be so?

 

[cascadiabound]

May/June 3:5

Tapas

Pickled refrigerator veggies,
carrots, greenbeans, cauliflower, cukes
Served in a simple half pint canning jar
Refreshing acidic flavors cleanse the palate

Grilled creole shrimp
Rich flavors fill my mouth
In one bite
Fingers stained with spice

Pulled pork with cilantro
Neatly piled on a mini tortilla
Tomatillo salsa,
tangy on my tongue

Oysters Rockefeller
Hot from the broiler
Bright green spinach
Creamy hollandaise
Layered tastes
Slurped off the shell
Dabbing my lips
After each one

Marionberry hopped cider
Cold clean berry finish
The perfect compliment
For the varied flavors
Small plates fill the table
Smears of garnish
The only remains

 

[Mrtenant]

2-5

Alone here tonight
I can write or I can sleep
Or kiss my lover

 

[cascadiabound]

May/June 3:6

ursa minor, ursa major
bears and birds
stars shine through cloudy skies
barn cats and stray dogs
bonfire light warms us
gooey marshmallows
make our fingers sticky

 

[Mrtenant]

2-6

Heroes of all shapes
Sizes, races, and genders
All stand when it's time

 

[Mrtenant]

2-7

If I do not believe
I am told that I lack faith
I heard the venom

 

[cascadiabound]

May/June 3:7

Colored pencils strewn across my drafting table. Not enough yellow.