to forget
the drive’s become less
noticeable with the grass
brown ing in a way
less enchanting than the trees
or you watching
they blur in greens
speed now past them
in orange attempts to forge…
you liked this drive
this highway quieter
now in this season
than when you’d switch stations
to have songs match
climate anticipating seasons
and this one come
the crispness of cold
a passenger’s seat with only
the driver’s warm
by thoughts and you
somewhere in a city
stationary looking
out a window colors turn
i drive faster by them
to forge…
to avoid remembering
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Missing Keys
Missing Keys
The thing I remember most
About loving you was the email
Everyday a page
Sometimes twice
I’d think of what you looked like under your scarf
That beautiful black
I remembered when we were
Friends, mostly as children, and foolish young
Adults and grown men and women we are now
And I find I think
Too much
Of you still and wonder if
You had kept those emails and read them
At your office in your hijab
Or at home where I like to think of you
At mine, without a barrier
Mysterious to other men
But not me with
The keys I’d stolen
for many years with each letter
pressed I left clues and now
I look for places to leave them for you
Keys and clues to remind
You of the things you read the most
When I for years
Had emailed you.
The thing I remember most
About loving you was the email
Everyday a page
Sometimes twice
I’d think of what you looked like under your scarf
That beautiful black
I remembered when we were
Friends, mostly as children, and foolish young
Adults and grown men and women we are now
And I find I think
Too much
Of you still and wonder if
You had kept those emails and read them
At your office in your hijab
Or at home where I like to think of you
At mine, without a barrier
Mysterious to other men
But not me with
The keys I’d stolen
for many years with each letter
pressed I left clues and now
I look for places to leave them for you
Keys and clues to remind
You of the things you read the most
When I for years
Had emailed you.
a lecture
a lecture
there are subtleties a man
must learn to differentiate between
the values of a
society are pillars and
between those
truths and people unaware
their behavior
greater constants than mathematics
only slighter
than affection elusive as an atom
and noticed under
the microscope
of tender unnoticed gestures like
the removal of
an eye lash
from a cheek
the blush in
brown skin and moisture
of lips when
helping with the dishes
drying
the pretense of
emotional distance and
the sound of a swallow
singing at the end
of a sentence
and this gap
a pause in thought.
there’s a science to be made
of this
a study of soft
hands and lips
close nights in a laboratory
of sheets
askew with writing
and writhing to
make a sense of why we try to learn
love what we already
inherently know
there are subtleties a man
must learn to differentiate between
the values of a
society are pillars and
between those
truths and people unaware
their behavior
greater constants than mathematics
only slighter
than affection elusive as an atom
and noticed under
the microscope
of tender unnoticed gestures like
the removal of
an eye lash
from a cheek
the blush in
brown skin and moisture
of lips when
helping with the dishes
drying
the pretense of
emotional distance and
the sound of a swallow
singing at the end
of a sentence
and this gap
a pause in thought.
there’s a science to be made
of this
a study of soft
hands and lips
close nights in a laboratory
of sheets
askew with writing
and writhing to
make a sense of why we try to learn
love what we already
inherently know
Thursday, November 24, 2005
WHEN COLOR IMPLICATE
WHEN COLOR IMPLICATES FAITH OR HEDONISM
God save me
From the trials and tribulations
Of being hounded
By missionaries
Sniffing at my door,
Stopping me on streets.
They see my brown face,
And assume the heathen in me
Dancing naked around a fire,
With body paint
On colored breasts and buttocks
Shaking wildly to devil’s drums,
In red jungles
Of the backward Eastern world.
I like to tell them
How I miss the dancing.
They ask me,
“Come join us,
We can discuss Jesus;
He is forgiving of all sins.”
I say, “Only
If I can wear my loin cloth.”
God save me
From the trials and tribulations
Of being hounded
By missionaries
Sniffing at my door,
Stopping me on streets.
They see my brown face,
And assume the heathen in me
Dancing naked around a fire,
With body paint
On colored breasts and buttocks
Shaking wildly to devil’s drums,
In red jungles
Of the backward Eastern world.
I like to tell them
How I miss the dancing.
They ask me,
“Come join us,
We can discuss Jesus;
He is forgiving of all sins.”
I say, “Only
If I can wear my loin cloth.”
among other things
among other things
two words
a breath
two more
a kiss
one almost
and you withdraw
thinking of other things
two words
a breath
two more
a kiss
one almost
and you withdraw
thinking of other things
Thursday, November 17, 2005
CEREMONY
CEREMONY
i sat to drink
a weak tea of mostly
warm water,
and sugar, I pulled from my lips
to serve you,
the rim wet,
still warm from me.
you warmed to the idea
of drinking from the same
wet cup
you put to your lips
like honey, you thought it tasted,
my saliva you sat to drink
beside me.
i sat to drink
a weak tea of mostly
warm water,
and sugar, I pulled from my lips
to serve you,
the rim wet,
still warm from me.
you warmed to the idea
of drinking from the same
wet cup
you put to your lips
like honey, you thought it tasted,
my saliva you sat to drink
beside me.
AUTUMN KNEW BETTER
AUTUMN KNEW BETTER
Let me drink you
Like cordial wines,
Forbidden like long
Walks alone
With the wind
Ushering leaves
To walk with us.
The clouds weep for us.
Bottle your musk
And let me burn it in
Your absence, like opiate incense
The smoke and smell
Of a coming harvest.
Red I am,
Falling from you
My mother love.
Breath heavily as you leave
So I may follow clouds
To where you are
And learn by watching
Seduction from Autumn,
Catch you in my breath
Steal you back
In the fog.
Let me drink you
Like cordial wines,
Forbidden like long
Walks alone
With the wind
Ushering leaves
To walk with us.
The clouds weep for us.
Bottle your musk
And let me burn it in
Your absence, like opiate incense
The smoke and smell
Of a coming harvest.
Red I am,
Falling from you
My mother love.
Breath heavily as you leave
So I may follow clouds
To where you are
And learn by watching
Seduction from Autumn,
Catch you in my breath
Steal you back
In the fog.
BAIN MARIE
BAIN MARIE
Air moist
Like it was
From your mouth
Warm like it was fresh
From your lungs
And wet
Like I was
From your womb
In your arms.
Drawn and trickled
Along my pores
They opened
To you
My secrets
Sedating me.
You discussed them
Intimately with friends
Over fondue.
You
Women knew
How to melt
A man in baths
Of subtle emotion
Like water
Clung to you.
You
Like dark chocolate
On ripe strawberries
Bittersweet and always
Addictive.
Air moist
Like it was
From your mouth
Warm like it was fresh
From your lungs
And wet
Like I was
From your womb
In your arms.
Drawn and trickled
Along my pores
They opened
To you
My secrets
Sedating me.
You discussed them
Intimately with friends
Over fondue.
You
Women knew
How to melt
A man in baths
Of subtle emotion
Like water
Clung to you.
You
Like dark chocolate
On ripe strawberries
Bittersweet and always
Addictive.
TEASING FRUIT
TEASING FRUIT
I read palms
With my tongue and lips
Lust full
And think of you
When I make love to peaches
My mouth
Whispers sonnets
The scent of flowers and words
My tongue cannot find
On your lips
Save the bitterness of love and
Aspirin you hid beneath your tongue.
I read palms
With my tongue and lips
Lust full
And think of you
When I make love to peaches
My mouth
Whispers sonnets
The scent of flowers and words
My tongue cannot find
On your lips
Save the bitterness of love and
Aspirin you hid beneath your tongue.
TANGO
TANGO
Far be it for me
To fall for your wiles
Without partaking
In longful looks
At your game of blushing
And lashes batting
At my heart.
I would not succumb
To lowered gazes
Without mocking modesty
By gazing at your heels
Striking tile,
Rattling beats
I missed with my heart.
I would not choose
The irony
Of me writing this
As I picture you turning
Into a lush
With my every glance
At you.
Far be it for me
To fall for your wiles
Without partaking
In longful looks
At your game of blushing
And lashes batting
At my heart.
I would not succumb
To lowered gazes
Without mocking modesty
By gazing at your heels
Striking tile,
Rattling beats
I missed with my heart.
I would not choose
The irony
Of me writing this
As I picture you turning
Into a lush
With my every glance
At you.
the tenacity of red
the tenacity of red skin
a press
of cherries with each other
passed like honey
on lips laced
with the flesh of the red
dark and tender
wine of fruits and ripened
skin and sighs
pursed and played
so close to one another
drawn by the scent of it
passed between them
cherries and lips
in a press
a press
of cherries with each other
passed like honey
on lips laced
with the flesh of the red
dark and tender
wine of fruits and ripened
skin and sighs
pursed and played
so close to one another
drawn by the scent of it
passed between them
cherries and lips
in a press
like feathers
like feathers
softly i slipped
from your hands
into your words
cotton brushed
into blankets
i fell with you
accidentally tossed
you words
that i
love
softly i slipped
from your hands
into your words
cotton brushed
into blankets
i fell with you
accidentally tossed
you words
that i
love
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
the last morning
the last morning
you in a voice
thin in whispers
came when i in a state of undress
had none but thin
cottons to shield me
from distances you were planning
on keeping
as the secrets we kept
this long under cotton
sheets and whispers
in whispers you told me
i in skins received them and
removed
stretched it over arm
and neck slid off the layer
deflated form of my bust once
the width of two of your hands
spread across my chest
in previous times
this time dropped over your shoulder
this skin a memento
that i let you this close
under the layers for the price
of your whispers
you in a voice
thin in whispers
came when i in a state of undress
had none but thin
cottons to shield me
from distances you were planning
on keeping
as the secrets we kept
this long under cotton
sheets and whispers
in whispers you told me
i in skins received them and
removed
stretched it over arm
and neck slid off the layer
deflated form of my bust once
the width of two of your hands
spread across my chest
in previous times
this time dropped over your shoulder
this skin a memento
that i let you this close
under the layers for the price
of your whispers
master of tongues breaths
master of tongues breaths
i came to understand
the meaning of your breath and
the pronunciation and implications
of the dialect of your sighs
an unwritten one
i remember you
taught it to me one escape
at a time
there was that one waiting
in the tunnels
you tested me and timed
it well and thought it lost
in the thunder and rush
of the passing train i noticed
more than the faces of pretty
women within it
this one was anticipation
this one wished the tunnels empty
empty so you could stand
closer by a set of inches less appropriate
teach me other sounds
by having me
having them graze the top
of my back move the locks
on the back of my head instead
of having to hide
the lessons and language
between quickly passing spaces
of subway cars
i came to understand
the meaning of your breath and
the pronunciation and implications
of the dialect of your sighs
an unwritten one
i remember you
taught it to me one escape
at a time
there was that one waiting
in the tunnels
you tested me and timed
it well and thought it lost
in the thunder and rush
of the passing train i noticed
more than the faces of pretty
women within it
this one was anticipation
this one wished the tunnels empty
empty so you could stand
closer by a set of inches less appropriate
teach me other sounds
by having me
having them graze the top
of my back move the locks
on the back of my head instead
of having to hide
the lessons and language
between quickly passing spaces
of subway cars
the shorter breaths
the shorter breaths
did i take them
from you
words and sighs
when i that close
pulled them inhaled your thoughts
lips given back to you in gasps
your mouth barely catching
up with worry and
excitement i wonder
if i made it irregular
your breathing your skin
responses
was it uncomfortable
or just new
this type of exchange of air
and adjectives
i read on your
lips moved to let it out
and i to catch
my mouth to give back to you
slowly in kisses and breaths
and laden implications
sweet with promise relief
you inhaled
i sighed
did i take them
from you
words and sighs
when i that close
pulled them inhaled your thoughts
lips given back to you in gasps
your mouth barely catching
up with worry and
excitement i wonder
if i made it irregular
your breathing your skin
responses
was it uncomfortable
or just new
this type of exchange of air
and adjectives
i read on your
lips moved to let it out
and i to catch
my mouth to give back to you
slowly in kisses and breaths
and laden implications
sweet with promise relief
you inhaled
i sighed
the smell of several
the smell of several days
i wanted to set myself rest
on your pulse points
like a musk for days
on safari when your scent
became strong and mingled
with mine and i
more subtle diffuse
closer to the details of your imperfections
have you catch me after days
in a waft while removing
your shirt and remembered me
pronounced from the days
you had placed me delicately
let me behind your ears
and think twice about bathing
just to have me on you
one day longer
i wanted to set myself rest
on your pulse points
like a musk for days
on safari when your scent
became strong and mingled
with mine and i
more subtle diffuse
closer to the details of your imperfections
have you catch me after days
in a waft while removing
your shirt and remembered me
pronounced from the days
you had placed me delicately
let me behind your ears
and think twice about bathing
just to have me on you
one day longer
we drove and
we drove and
the air passing over us
carried with it the scent of sun
struck skin and me flushed
i preferred the smell of faint flowers
shampoo that lingered in
your hair 2 days after being dried
by the wind from a car window
and my nasal breath
so close after a night
on a cheap motel pillow we drove
some more to prolong the breaths
we lost in conversation
each other and the smell
of soap that faded as our
scents grew on each other
after each nights’ rest
pressed together
in a car the back seat
sleeping the bed
of your back
and the smell of slowly becoming familiar
the air passing over us
carried with it the scent of sun
struck skin and me flushed
i preferred the smell of faint flowers
shampoo that lingered in
your hair 2 days after being dried
by the wind from a car window
and my nasal breath
so close after a night
on a cheap motel pillow we drove
some more to prolong the breaths
we lost in conversation
each other and the smell
of soap that faded as our
scents grew on each other
after each nights’ rest
pressed together
in a car the back seat
sleeping the bed
of your back
and the smell of slowly becoming familiar
the tenacity of red
the tenacity of red skin
a press
of cherries with each other
passed like honey
on lips laced
with the flesh of the red
dark and tender
wine of fruits and ripened
skin and sighs
pursed and played
so close to one another
drawn by the scent of it
passed between them
cherries and lips
in a press
a press
of cherries with each other
passed like honey
on lips laced
with the flesh of the red
dark and tender
wine of fruits and ripened
skin and sighs
pursed and played
so close to one another
drawn by the scent of it
passed between them
cherries and lips
in a press
Sunday, November 06, 2005
the long way
the long way
over passes
and bridges
under i went
with you driving winters
on waters frozen
wondered how you’d feel about
sharing a pillow
when we had two
dry highways
3 routes to a cabin
in a cold Manitoba
plated wagon you chose
the long way
for the scenery
that road found
a longer view
of your face
over passes
and bridges
under i went
with you driving winters
on waters frozen
wondered how you’d feel about
sharing a pillow
when we had two
dry highways
3 routes to a cabin
in a cold Manitoba
plated wagon you chose
the long way
for the scenery
that road found
a longer view
of your face
(wondering what you)
(wondering what you)
secret sounding
you gave me
what I
(wanted)
believed
were calcified
pearls
shucked from your
lungs and lips
on pillows
tongues
you rolled
them there
in beds
and blankets
bounding mine
with your plastic
knotted pearls
you hid
(from me)
in another
secret sounding
you gave me
what I
(wanted)
believed
were calcified
pearls
shucked from your
lungs and lips
on pillows
tongues
you rolled
them there
in beds
and blankets
bounding mine
with your plastic
knotted pearls
you hid
(from me)
in another
sleeping shirtless
sleeping shirtless
there it is again
the smell of smoke and
skin
you and i pressed
sleeping in a bag
on a mountain in a fog
smelt your hair for
last night s fire
comfort pressed you
your warm back
closer to my chest
you sighed
i wondered
what that meant
i did
i did
wish it were billie holiday (‘s)
camembert voice
wish the song in my head was like violins
smoothing it
its over
and you are not
broken twang of a country song
you came and went
over it over and again
playing it on your guitar
plucking at my petals
one at a time
did you or didn’t you
wasn’t enough that i did
wish it were billie holiday (‘s)
camembert voice
wish the song in my head was like violins
smoothing it
its over
and you are not
broken twang of a country song
you came and went
over it over and again
playing it on your guitar
plucking at my petals
one at a time
did you or didn’t you
wasn’t enough that i did
through wheat fields
through wheat fields
silence was your romance
you listened
to the grinding of the truck
the engine with a voice
the length of us
quiet with each other
silent with saskatchewan
on both sides
content with looking
out the wind shield for hours
listening
to me breath
now and then turning
to see if I was still
warm and sleeping
silence was your romance
you listened
to the grinding of the truck
the engine with a voice
the length of us
quiet with each other
silent with saskatchewan
on both sides
content with looking
out the wind shield for hours
listening
to me breath
now and then turning
to see if I was still
warm and sleeping
got away with
got away with
they were white
your lips
stunned
that I brought color
to cheeks and black
to your eyes
they were closed
you shaded them
when i did it
broke your sparse
nervous rambling with
my breath
they were white
your lips
stunned
that I brought color
to cheeks and black
to your eyes
they were closed
you shaded them
when i did it
broke your sparse
nervous rambling with
my breath
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
in the beginning...
New to the concept of a blog, I've decided, with much trepidation to post my poetry. On occasion, social commentary and photography.
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