Author: poetryfest

We step in still undressing
The time to take on risk
Running out

Her hands are small like mine
Half of our fingers interlaced
Her other five wrapped around an orange–
Bright like bait and sweet as a strategy;
Palm-shaped and water-full

The steam carries the citric mist
Hissing when we crack it open
We let the peel fall
Resting around our feet
Like the butchered map of a round world

And we eat like
It’s the only thing we can say to our ancestors
Divided by everything flowing and breaking in the earth
And we eat like
3000 years of guilt
Is gathering in the drain

We hold each other while the window rattles
While something small inside us shivers
And I know
God will find the goodness between us
In the same unconditional way
I must love everyone to love someone shifting
And I know
Evolution will find a purpose within us
In the same unthinking way
It lets things live that are good at living

But we do not ask permission to be enticed
We let the stickiness spill
And trust the falling water to keep us clean

I think I’m falling in love like they do in the movies
Or romcoms or something like that
Not just because when we lock eyes and I start feeling butterflies
But because for once in my life my head and my heart are in agreement
And the rain is romantic and not inconvenient

He has those eyes that mesmerise me like fireflies in the sky
He says I’m out of his league but that just leaves me more intrigued
Because I’m falling more in love with him with every passing day

So if I’m falling in love like they do in the movies
That would make sense
I’m kind of shy but he’s the kind of guy to always speak his mind
He’s kind
And if I could I’d press rewind to live every moment with him one more time

I have my faults and I know where they fall,
but when I overthink it all, he over explains
Over and over again
Reassuring me with the: “that’s not true, I love every side of you.”
In every possible future in any possible universe
I see myself beside him, for better or worse
And this has been in the back of my mind for quite some time but
it’s always been you, even before I knew that to be true

I’m falling in love like they do in the movies,
I know I didn’t exactly follow the script
But so far, we’ve had some real fun with it

He still gives me butterflies and they constantly multiply
I know we aren’t following a typical storyline
And I’ve definitely kissed him at some inappropriate times
But surprise, that’s okay, because we can improvise

I’ve been remembering.
A time when you and I
were all each other needed.
You were all I wanted.

But all we do now is scream and shout
for days and nights, with burning
throats— our love gasoline.
The words turn darker as they
scorch our minds and souls,
too late to be taken back.

Now the black tar in my stomach
stirs with satisfaction.
And I feel sickness
as the pain in my chest grows.

It’s raining…
let’s have a threesome!
You, me and Clive Christian
in the back row of the Capitol.

Give me exactly seventeen deep breaths
against the nape of your neck –
that forbidden space
seen by all who meet you,
but known by me alone.

Ronnie’s boy;
or the girl scooping popcorn,
they don’t know the scratch of your stubble.
They’re not held captive by the mineness
of iris and amber.

So, take your seat
away from the smudged reflection of tail-lights,
away from the scent of petrichor and noodles,
and allow me aspiration.

Come, Lover,
let’s have a threesome!
You, me and Clive Christian,
in the back row of the Capitol.

This poem first appeared in the Tales of Dominion Road anthology.

Grab my hand and take me somewhere new,
For my broken heart aches for deliverance,
For I am dying to feel your sweet embrace.
Kiss me beneath the blood-tinted skies,
As the world seems to be crashing down.
I need you more than you will ever know.
I need you to undress my deepest fears.

Hold me close, let your warmth melt my pain,
As we dance in the shadows of forgotten dreams.
Whisper softly, tell me it’s all right,
That we can rebuild what’s been torn apart,
With every breath, with every touch,
Revive my spirit with your gentle love.

Take me to a place where time stands still,
Where our souls can intertwine and heal.
In your eyes, I see a future bright,
A beacon of hope in the darkest night.
Wrap me in your arms, let the world fade away,
In this moment, let’s create our own forever.

For in your embrace, I find my home,
A sanctuary where my heart can roam.
Your love is the light that guides my way,
Through the stormy nights and the weary days.
So, take my hand and don’t let go,
Together we’ll face whatever comes, just so.

For I am yours, and you are mine,
In this dance of life, our hearts align.
Kiss me beneath the blood-tinted skies,
As the world rebuilds around us, anew.
I need you more than you will ever know,
I need you to undress my deepest fears,
And in your love, find solace, true and clear.

swallow me
put your lips to
my skin
soothe your
sandpaper
throat

wet your tongue
with mine
sip from my
eternal pool
at midnight

let me drip down
your face and
rinse your brain
with something
cold and
fresh

think of me
when you
smell the ocean
when spray
kisses your face
asks you to
come home

by the sea
bottles sink
bodies float
on bubbles that
hold the secrets
we share
when we
can’t sleep

we drift
beyond the shallows
let your mind reach
foreign isles and
deep lagoons
lose your bearings
for a moment
drink

tides will always
pull us in and
lead us home

you’re right:

i never dreamed of this and
it took me too many years to
find the words to say it.

you: the wet door jamb to which partial leaves cling.
you: every pinon pine i’ll ever smell again until i die.

i told you to turn my ashes into a tree but knew
you wouldn’t be around to uphold my being eternal.

you: the cloudless white desert,
the last night on land,
the tallest tree on the planet.

I’ve heard about love in a poem,
I’ve heard about love in a song.
I wish I knew how to love,
Because I’ve been doing it all wrong.

What is love?
Where does it go when it’s gone?
Have I missed love?
Was it there all along?

I know anger dissipates like steam in the air,
If managed properly, it won’t leave your knuckles bare.
A broken heart heals if given time,
But it seems that rule doesn’t work for mine.
Sadness, too, they say, will fade,
Along with helplessness and being afraid.
A cut bleeds, but stops with pressure,
And won’t get infected if taking the right measure.

Is love meant to disappear?
Is it meant never to return?
Does it lie somewhere dormant?
Is it waiting to be earned?

I’ve read that there are many types of love,
But only one of them is true,
When you find true love,
It will come without a clue.
Before you find true love,
There are trials to get through,

And if you really want to find true love,
Here’s what I wish I knew:

First, you must get past heartbreak,
Trust that you’ll make it through.
Endure the love that’s fake,
And the tears that will ensue.
Learn from every mistake,
Or the mistakes will accrue.
If you learn to be patient and wait,
One day, true love will find you.

I had only read about love in a poem,
Only heard about love in a song.
Now I know how to love,
Because I’ve learned from doing it all wrong.

I want to sleep.
My eyes droop and fail to stay open.
Their weight is more than my will to be awake can battle
I want to curl into the ever-warm cloud
That is my bed when you are in it.

When your arms pull me in
My body feels comforted and loved
Your presence brings me peace again
So I can finally rest

Without you there, the warmth is gone
It feels more like dry heat
Everything burns there, leaving me in misery
I need you to regulate the temperature

Like the forest fire needs the trees to thrive
Or how a drought needs rain to resolve
You are quiet in my hurricane
And the sun after all of my storms

So when I lay my head down
In an attempt to get some sleep
The feeling sets in, I can lay there forever
But no matter the sleep I get
I won’t be rested until you’re home again

Followin’ the day of the local fiesta
crew ‘n cat’re startled from their siesta
A snowy egret flutters in through the hatch
an’ for Woody the boatcat an easy catch

On the cabin sole this bird alights
an’ Woody’s got it in his sights
In an instant that Yankee cat’s there
givin’ this poor bird a lethal stare

With Woody’s nose inches away
the bird closes its eyes an’ begins to sway
This catbird situation’s tense
the crew’s watchin’ in great suspense

Woody kept cockroaches off the boat
chased away birds wantin’ to rest an’ float
Now the crew’s seein’ somethin’ strange occurin’
‘cause Woody the Yankee cat’s a purrin’!?

On one leg, snowy egret’s standin’ there
the other leg’s tucked away somewhere
The little bird’s head cocks to one side
the snowy egret stood there an’ died

Of what might have occurred the crew’s certain
but somehow, Woody knew this bird was hurtin’
Cause a purrin’ cat with no tail twitchin’
for a fight its not itchin’

How Woody was aware
even a guess we would not dare
But somethin’ else the crew’s not understandin’
how a bird could die an’ on one leg still be standin’?!

Dennis McGuire
From the “Ballad of Calypso”
“Rhyme of the Modern Mariner”