Carry on

He still visits me
in my dreams
loves me as if he

hadn't traversed an
ocean and
decided to leave

our baggage behind



--
April PAD - Poetic Asides Day 15: dream

Pool party

the sex was a lure
sure, it grew into love
but it never should have

we watered that love
with kisses and long distances
that became a pool of longing

a refreshing drink
for parched hearts

a place to splash and play
but rarely linger

we fed the pool
with tears when we parted
and missed the cool

escape we had created
looking for oases
in others instead

never inside ourselves
never where it could actually be found


--
April PAD - Poetic Asides Day 6: trap

Morning breath

The cup on

my bathroom counter

holds two toothbrushes

and the memory of 

minty breath and 

mornings spent cuddling

under that pearly 

white down comforter; 

of lips on 

the lookout for 

a surprise attack

on cheeks or

forehead or any

patch of kissable

skin, which shivered

each time you 

smiled at me. 

Take off

At the beginning
there's a rumbling

a flutter
of excitement

as we run
hand in hand

toward some
unknown destination

where we will
both soar together

or soon
crash land

---
April PAD Day 27 - take off

Between us ...

I used to burn hot
kick off the covers at night
as I lay next to you

we would kiss and I'd
nuzzle into that sweet space on
your shoulder, press my cheek to

your chest and feel your
cool breath stick to my skin,
stick to the heat between us.

I used to burn hot
but without you next to me
there's just the cold space of

miles and memories between us.
.

---
April PAD Day 19 - cool or uncool

Last time I looked in the mirror

The last time I looked in the mirror
I saw my father's face
the double chin
the puffy cheeks
the bloated discontent

But the eyes are mine

They see the years of yelling
and trails of tears, but also
the determined jaw
the open heart
the penetrating mind

They see how the mirror lies


---
April PAD Day 13 - last (blank)

Love matters

He said he
loved her but that it
didn't really matter

She said she
loved him and he was
all that mattered


---

April PAD Day 2 - he said/she said

The great divide

The greatest distance
between two people
is sitting side-by-side
unable to speak
what is really
in their hearts

--

April PAD Day 4 - distance

Out of gas

He thinks we're at a crossroads 

that relationships 

are like bus depots 

where weary people wander 

bleary-eyed from their 

faded fabric seats 

across terminals crammed with 

travelers, seekers, 

and dreamers who hope 

their fortunes will change between 

stops in Little Rock 

and Los Angeles

And maybe he's right

But I already 

got off of the bus.

--

April PAD Day 4 - departure

Since we both like fruit

We ran into each other
at the market
poking and prodding the pears,

assessing them like the men
in our lives,
drawn in by the promise

of sweetness while tenderly pressing
to uncover the
hidden bruises that always seem

to spoil the moments we
long to savor
 

--

April PAD Day 4 - since (blank)

In the beginning

I was god
basking in your nakedness

molding the man
I wanted you to be

as I breathed life
into a dying love


--

PAD Day 1 - beginning or ending

When smoke gets in your eyes

How could I
see the smoke signals you
were sending me

when I didn't
even notice that our home
was on fire

--

April PAD Day 3 - message

Complexion

"It's a bit complex," he says.
She staring in the mirror,
analyzing her pores, tugging
at the laugh lines that make
her want to cry.

He's in the bedroom pulling on
his pants going on about
some scientific discovery he
read about yesterday, oblivious to
his own uneven complexion.




April PAD Day 22 - complex

Smittener

Inspired by Sandol Stoddard Warburg's "I Like You," the most amazing love poem I've heard, which was read at a wedding I attended yesterday.

SMITTENER
I know it's not a word
but I don't care because
you speak my language.

Weather vain

You blew in like a
hurricane, a force
of nature looking for love.

You were raw and wild,
chapping our faces
as we watched you pass.

The storm chaser grinned. He
delighted in you,
knew you'd tame to an

ocean breeze that would kiss
our cheeks and
stroke our hair. He smiles

every time that weather vane
turns, grabs his
umbrella and watches the show.