A Modest Preposition
Such a simple thing it was,
Two letters, no more or less;
With them you moved me,
Spirit it did effervesce...
You had said you loved me,
If only to match my words;
And ease my hungry eyes,
As we flitted, entwined lovebirds...
I was the lover of the words,
I never dreamed of such power;
You wielded it softheartedly,
My gentle, loving vanquisher.
A modest preposition, well placed,
And my heart ceased to beat;
The words which I once owned,
Left - their chatter I could not entreat.
Only now have the words returned,
Hoping to sing of joy that eyes might not;
The happiness which I never knew,
Quaffs of upper air for so long sought.
You have my life, my love,
For what it might be worth;
You are "in love" with me,
My feet shall never touch the earth...
Jackson's Cafeteria
In my job I make deliveries to earn my daily bread,
The highway to the city is lined with stores and shops;
But the one place I seem to see every time I pass that way
Is Jackson's Cafeteria; as my heart it drops.
I remember you toyed with your fries, I barely touched my tea,
I felt the weight of your torn heart, green eyes told the tale;
You felt my hunger and my thirst, you saw it in my soul,
Gentle words cut like coldest steel, my breast there to impale.
I couldn't tell you what I wanted, there was too much to say,
How you were more lovely than the angels, God's gift to those below;
You belong in fields of flowers, or high on mountaintops,
You belong up in the heavens, your fiery eyes aglow.
I wanted to tell you of my love, the fire that burns for you,
How there could never be another to do the things you do;
But you were going back to him, and in his arms you'd stay,
There to live and there to love, to me you bid adieu.
I felt confusion and I felt pain, in you as well as me,
And I watched you drive away as heavy tears began to fall.
You weren't quite sure which way to turn, but then you pulled away,
You rolled down the blacktop, my spirit nestled in a coffin's pall.
In my job I make deliveries to earn my daily bread,
The highway to the city is lined with stores and shops;
But the one place I seem to see every time I pass that way
Is Jackson's Cafeteria; as my heart it drops.
I remember you toyed with your fries, I barely touched my tea,
I felt the weight of your torn heart, green eyes told the tale;
You felt my hunger and my thirst, you saw it in my soul,
Gentle words cut like coldest steel, my breast there to impale.
Distant Dream
It must have been a distant dream, a figment of the mind,
I thought I felt warm arms and a heart, loving and kind.
A lover's kiss, an angel's breath, and me awash in flame,
But this path does not lead that way, to that I am resigned.
If this life is no more than dream, perhaps then it was real,
I know that is was glorious, my very essence thrilled.
Hands were touching places long since lost to me,
Dancing fingers, darting tongue - from whence was love distilled?
I don't know who the spirit was, long lost before my birth,
But limbs and heart and very soul, I was an eager slave.
And there beauty was increased, for I found my spirit safe -
Love alone was there in unseen eyes - and that love did I crave.
White-hot heat penetrated the emptiness of lonely years,
Wetness crashing soft - then hard; taking away the tears.
In the dark I thought I saw a face - I vainly tried to touch it -
Elusive as my hopes and dreams; leastways it so appears.
I was washed in ribald sweat and then washed in pure light,
And then I was just left there; lost in that strange, dark night.
You are better than this world, your taste won't leave my lips,
I hunger for my angel's kiss, the wet flame you did incite.
Won't you touch me, won't you take me, one last time again?
I've never known pure love before, at least not in this life.
I buy my love with broken dreams, sometimes a bone or two,
Take my body, take my soul, where wings and love are rife.
It must have been a distant dream, a figment of the mind,
I thought I felt warm arms and a heart, loving and kind.
A lover's kiss, an angel's breath, and me awash in flame,
But this path does not lead that way, to that I am resigned.
Avalanche
Climbing up that rocky slope, reaching for the silver moon;
I heard the sound of angel's songs, I felt their breathe up there;
But my support did give away, and I fell crashing down,
I fought for a handhold, and offered up a feeble prayer.
Now I'm flying past the trees, at last I found my wings,
Boulders bust my ass as scrub brush tears my jeans...
There is no way to steer this drop or soften up the end,
What can you do but cry for help, hope someone intervenes?
You knew I was afraid of heights, haven fallen down before,
But you promised me you'd be there, soul mates to the end.
With heart and faith I began to ascend, with my dearest friend,
But the end came sooner than I thought, I could not comprehend.
You went against your words to me, you took away the light,
You closed your ears to my cries as I fell into the night.
When I slipped, where was your hand?
The lifeline you once offered taken back again...
When I slipped, where was your hand?
The lifeline you once offered taken back again...
Life with Love
Whether tragedy or comedy, I just don't know;
I know only this life seems ill-suited for my soul...
Awkward and painful, with true sustenance so rare,
I search and flounder - clinging to hope, out of control...
And yet there are days when my tired eyes shine brighter,
You'll know then that I've seen her and the light has taken hold.
Hope stronger and soul bolder, seed and song begin to grow,
Tears form for strangest reasons when you exit from the cold.
There are days of lighter footsteps, my essence floating high;
Then you'll know she's touched me ere I go drifting by.
Tingling and aglow, with old heart pounding hard,
Tears fade fast and singing soul is reaching for the sky.
More and more comes heat of sun and fiercer heat of moon;
Then you'll know she's kissed me, fiery love begun to bloom.
Born of cold and bitter darkness, I don't know what to do,
Shaking seedling in the light, the best parts to exhume.
And if you see my soul a-flying, chains broken on the ground,
The you'll know my Angel loved me, and life will know no bounds.
For then I've touched the face of God, her tight within my arms,
Neither tragedy nor comedy, as life with love resounds.
Diamond Eyes
Eyes that gleam like brightest diamonds,
Angel tresses falling softly, profuse grace...
Honeyed face, sweet dulcet vision,
The stars are there, of earth no trace...
Diminutive hands belie the fiery touch,
Fervent arms that hold both flesh and soul,
Moonlight suckled from heaving breasts,
Sustenance from heart of purest gold...
On ruby lips darts the slightest quiver,
Does it follow that gentle curve of spine?
A trace of earthy heat in sublime thighs?
Encompassed in womb; fire and love divine...
Lost in those eyes, reaching for promises unspoken,
But you speak without speaking, my heart I can't stay.
Do you know your own essence, my gem amongst rocks?
Do you know how you touch me, my soul you do play...
Tell me the secret - what enchanted words do I say,
Or show me your feral demons and dragons to slay.
Enigmatic angel, cryptic keeper of my soul,
To feel your light into any darkness I will foray.
You hold me in your hand as one would hold a glass,
And once your thirst is satisfied, my value will be nil;
I want to be a part of you - two souls forged in fire,
To espy the key to precious heart, pure love to distill...
Eyes that gleam like brightest diamonds,
Angel tresses falling softly, profuse grace...
Honeyed face, sweet dulcet vision,
The stars are there, of earth no trace...
Your Whetstone
Beaten, bruised and bleeding, even Jesus knew the pain,
The love of hate, the tears of life - he touched upon our shame.
In doubt he cried, "Father, why have You abandoned me?"
And as the world turned dark, our souls all felt the blame...
In my time of greatest need, you left me here to die.
My soul cried out in agony, and you left - no reason why.
Do you think it's kinder to leave the beast alone?
Or were your words mere lies? My spirit your whetstone...
I love you more than my own self, more than this tired earth,
You promised hope, you asked for faith - this I gave to you.
You said that I was of the light, but you turned your back on me -
What value now - this indigo spirit - this soul that you eschew?
Don't speak to me, if you can't speak the truth;
Sugar coated arsenic, behind sweet soulful eyes.
As lonely as I am, I prefer cold steel of candor
To the false honeyed hope, the kindest deadly lies.
In my time of greatest need, you left me here to die.
My soul cried out in agony, and you left - no reason why.
Do you think it's kinder to leave the beast alone?
Or were your words mere lies? My spirit your whetstone...
Come to Me
I was born of darkness, born of pain;
I am a child of night.
My father was a wicked master,
He trained me in my plight.
My mother could not find her love,
For me or anyone.
And so I left to search the world,
In search of absolution.
I found a friend and cast my lot,
My spirit found a home,
He found a bullet, and he died,
And left me here alone.
I found a lover, took a mate,
Ten years we shared a life,
But she left my spirit empty,
She filled my soul with strife.
I dreamt I saw a pair of eyes,
A million miles away.
I dreamt I found a kindred soul,
To touch this heart of clay.
Somewhere in this never-ending night,
Is there something that is real?
The gods are too high above me,
I need human hands to heal.
Come to me, please come to me,
Somewhere in the dark.
We'll leave this frigid aperture,
To a higher life embark.
Essence
A glaring moon, corpulent and cold,
Reigned high overhead barren trees.
Icy light filtered through cutting wind,
Light insults added to greater agonies.
But the winter mood so set was ethereal,
Sublime, celestial magnificence on earth.
On three sides light danced off lake waves,
Driven hard by furious vapors in birth.
Alone on the point, alone in the world,
At least as far as this night world seemed.
And yet in the beauty of that frigid mist,
There was no loneliness there, and I dreamed...
The air of this cathedral was filled quite full
With the voices of the absentees - the dead to life.
And the life, heart and soul of the dead back to me,
No cold I felt, just majesty, in air warmth was rife.
And true friends reminded me of those left still,
The best part of this plane of life, precious souls.
Loyal then and forever, their words do not break.
Treasure found worth any pain, ice converts to coals.
To those long lost souls I drank a toast,
And to the angel whose arms I'd found.
And the distant God who never forgot,
He tended me though I was quite earthbound.
Mounting my steel horse, she roared in empathy,
Together we flew back to the arms of the angel;
We sliced through the ice in the cold winter air,
Afire with bonds of the soul, light imperceptible.
Touching the real in a land of illusion,
A glimpse past the veil, essence sanguine...
Lover of the Words
She was a lover of the words, or so she said through sweet lips
Which caressed my soul like warm, flowing honey in June heat;
And being of like mind my heart was soon lost to me.
There for a time our spirits danced in verbiage and dreams,
We opened like God's flowers to the rain and to the sun -
The music of our words filled us with hope and love.
Higher things than this crass life engenders - better things.
We were closer to that state in which we are born and it was grand;
More angel than dust, more moonlight than shadow.
The words were me - no more or less, I was the song I sang,
But time was cruel and her heart crueler, the music was untrue.
Her words were but a tune to be played for a time and ended.
There was an emptiness in her; she sought diversion from life,
A game, a distraction - a dalliance with the lover of the words.
The words were not her; like wind there was no substance there.
She was artful, she was skilled; her locution rose and fell and darted
All in time with the movement of the spirit and I gave myself to it.
I was enthralled by the eloquence of her song, her cunning symphony.
And in her time she ended the recital - she went on to other pieces,
She went on to other patrons, and left me there alone without a sound.
She took the words and left a void greater than the one she found.
The soul is built on words, the spirit sails on ideals high -
Nothing else is more than empty dream to deceive poor fools like us.
The cruelest lie is the truth of the moment; sing your songs forever...
Or do not sing. Stay in the safety of your emptiness. Live your lie alone.
The Fly on the Mountain
A brilliant sun fought hard to heat the mountain breezes,
And my climbing bike sang out a song of raw power;
Sucking in the lofty air, leaning hard into the curves,
Flesh and metal, she was my lone conspirator...
On a switchback there it loomed above us -
The biggest damned thing that I had ever seen.
I had to climb that mountain to see from there above;
To taste the might and majesty, the beauty crystalline.
Slicing off the highway and cutting up a trail,
Though made for other purposes, my mount she did excel.
Then the path turned into trees, and I went on alone,
My heart was snared, by what my soul could not foretell.
At last I reached the lofty peak, and on it a great rock,
My pack unslung, I sat down there to look upon the world.
I rolled myself a hogleg of fine Columbian Gold,
Well aged bourbon chased the smoke as the world unfurled.
Time was passing nicely, as I watched the earth,
The land went on forever, and the clouds were within reach;
Until at last there came a buzzin' around my airy perch -
And the drone went on forever although I did beseech...
Then a thought - though crazy - he might want to share,
And so I blew some smoke his way as he flitted ‘bout my hair...
My friend did seem to like this, it calmed his furious flight,
He sat right down beside me, now easy to forbear.
Knowing the feel of cottonmouth, I looked down at my pal,
And sure enough he did seem parched - though it was hard to tell.
We found a crevice in our rock, and filled it with some nectar,
Kentucky's finest there before him, his thirst he did soon quell.
That done I turned back to the world, to contemplate my life,
But then a voice did come to me, though faint it was quite clear;
"I'd like to thank you for your kindness, most folks wouldn't care,
If you could what would you ask of a minute mountaineer?"
Now I've always had an open mind, but this struck me as quite queer,
Still, I'd always heard that wisdom was on the highest mountain found.
So I turned into my deepest heart, and touched upon its pain,
"What is real, and what is not, in this life's grisly battleground?"
I discovered tears falling from my face, at this I was surprised,
The door opened, I shook and moaned, and listened for the words.
"In you the river of all rivers, runs close there to the surface,
But your question - you want to know what it is that this life undergirds?"
"Three things are real - three things alone - in this the world you see.
All else is illusion. The first is matter, swirling atoms, these are you and me;
We are everything, but we are nothing, we are just alike,
No intrinsic value here, just some cosmic aberrancy...
The other two, there's the crux, so simple but complex,
The reason for the rhyme, the seed for all life's songs.
All that remains is love, and then the lack thereof;
For these the fragile heart does beat, the river to them belongs..."
"You lie to me, my newfound friend, we must be more than that;
What of our intellect, our words, the poetry we write..."
"You lie only to yourself, my child, you speak of intellect?
The rock we sit on knows more than all who walk upright.
"The only true knowledge is that there is so little known...
Electro-chemical flatulence!" With this he gave a laugh.
"Name the poem not born of love - or the pain of its absence.
And words! They are hardly fit for mankind's lowly epitaph.
I came down from the heights above, so that I might speak to you,
Most words are empty, vibrations in and lost upon the air.
People prattle to comfort themselves, more than anything;
The buzz of humans - with anything so plentiful, beware.
"Words are less than dreams if they're not acted on...
Shakespeare wrote not one word - he wrote love,
And his love moved generations, even heaven up above;
Love is real, and it means more than the dust we are made of..."
I sat amazed at my small companion, yet tears still fell like rain.
He said, "The window's closing soon, our time here is short.
Like most you don't say what you mean, you dance about the point,
I'll try to help with this deep pain, some hope to you export.
I cannot see the future's hand, I only know what is,
The eyes you see when you close yours in the early morning.
Those that pursue you are the darkness, antipathy of love,
And then the eyes that you pursue, it's too late now for warning.
The flower from the garden, strongest light of love,
In those eyes you'll lose yourself, the darkness falls away.
She said she'd always love you - that she would walk through fire.
These words that you believed led you down an alleyway.
Little hope for you I hold, it saddens me to say,
But you must still pursue the love, the light of fading day.
You are of the light and love, despite the disarray.
Follow your heart no matter what, from that path do not stray.
My last advice to you my friend, lover of the words,
Speak only words of substance, words you will support;
Say nothing that you do not mean, sweet lies cut the deepest,
Absence of love in sight of love will make your soul contort..."
With this my friend took flight, he left me there alone.
And darkness fell upon me, as my loss I did bemoan.
I closed my eyes and saw her there, that which was the real,
I left the mountain and took up quill, to those eyes once more appeal...
The Mountaintop
It was you who brought me here -
You are all I am.
Standing on this mountaintop;
Halfway to heaven, but forever out of reach...
Halfway to hell, down there in the breach...
Meatloaf sang of life's dark side,
"If I gotta be damned, I wanna be damned."
Melissa told us all of "precious pain."
We've all got some weakness -
Some Achilles' Heel...
No one stands here with me,
So why do I taste you in my mouth?
Why do I feel the fury of those tender hands?
You're there in every long dark night,
All flaming kisses and wet thighs...
I got no wings with which to fly,
And I can't exorcize my soul.
There is nothing left of me
That you don't control.
High up here you can see the world,
But it you cannot touch...
A leap of faith is coming,
Blind hearts know no wrong.
So grant me wings or make a place
There in the fiery pits...
My RPMs are off the tach,
This heart is past consumed...
Just tell me this, it's all I want to know -
Why is it that angels make you cry?
Why is it that angels make you cry?
It ain't supposed to be that way...
Forever lost there in your eyes,
Bound by cold steel instead of
The arms I seek, I am removed.
Your breasts at once gave comfort and heat...
You are the light
But I can only see you in the dark.
So I'm going to the darkness
To burn with you for eternity...
No one stands here with me,
So why do I taste you in my mouth?
Why do I feel the fury of those tender hands?
You're there in every long dark night,
All flaming kisses and wet thighs...
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