Today's poet

[freckle]

in the abscence of snecklifter i turn to romantic poetry to soothe my soul...the old sop that I am!!!!

That Kiss
Louise Chilcott

Anyway, what did you do with that kiss I gave you?

What did I do with your kiss?

Well, I took it off when I got home, in case my mother saw it.
I tied it onto a blue satin band, and round my neck I wore it.
But I could feel it glowing there, here, upon my breast,
And I felt sure that she would see it glinting through my dress.

So I ran upstairs and laid it on the pillow in my room,
Where it shimmered and sang with all the magic of the moon.
It sang so bright I feared she would see its light beneath my door,
Or hear its heartbeat rhythm and its rainbow colours soar.

All night your kiss turned iridescent cartwheels through my dreams,
Until my mother woke me, and saw the kiss's sleepy gleam.
But she cupped her hands and cradled it, saying "I remember such a kiss.
And I remember, now, it being just as beautiful as this.
Cherish it, my daughter, let it sing, let it shine,
And may your kiss prove as honest and as magical as mine."

Isn't that just so lovely?..................................

It reminded me of boy wonder's signature which is something like ..."you gotta sprinkle a bit of fairy dust over it..." (or words to that effect!!!)

[Mossdog]

Desire

in my dreams
I hold my lovers
next to me all at once
and ask them

what was it I desired?

my hands are full
of their heads
like bunches of cut roses
blond hair, brown hair, red, black,
their eyes are pools of bewilderment
staring up at me
from the bouquet

what was it I desired?
I ask again

was it your bodies?
did I hope by draping
your flesh over me
I could escape
boredom
loneliness
gray hairs shooting
towards me
from the future
like thin arrows?
did I think I could escape,
by taking your breath
into my mouth,
did I think I could escape
the responsibility
of breathing?

what did I desire in you?

sex
knowledge?
power?
love?

did I expect the clouds to
crack
and blue moths to fly out of the stars?
did I expect a voice
to call to me
saying
"Here at last is the answer."

what
I yell at them
shaking my lovers
what did I desire in you?

their ears fall off like petals
they shed their faces
in a pile at my feet
their bewildered eyes
pucker and close
centers of fallen flowers

the last face
floats down
circling in the darkness
at my feet

what did I desire in you? I whisper

the stems of their bodies
dry in my hands
-- Mary Mackey

[freckle]

Desire

in my dreams
I hold my lovers
next to me all at once
and ask them

what was it I desired?

my hands are full
of their heads
like bunches of cut roses
blond hair, brown hair, red, black,
their eyes are pools of bewilderment
staring up at me
from the bouquet

what was it I desired?
I ask again

was it your bodies?
did I hope by draping
your flesh over me
I could escape
boredom
loneliness
gray hairs shooting
towards me
from the future
like thin arrows?
did I think I could escape,
by taking your breath
into my mouth,
did I think I could escape
the responsibility
of breathing?

what did I desire in you?

sex
knowledge?
power?
love?

did I expect the clouds to
crack
and blue moths to fly out of the stars?
did I expect a voice
to call to me
saying
"Here at last is the answer."

what
I yell at them
shaking my lovers
what did I desire in you?

their ears fall off like petals
they shed their faces
in a pile at my feet
their bewildered eyes
pucker and close
centers of fallen flowers

the last face
floats down
circling in the darkness
at my feet

what did I desire in you? I whisper

the stems of their bodies
dry in my hands
-- Mary Mackey

Bloody nora Mossy! this is just stunningly good! Oooooooo....I feel all enlivened! thank you

[Nathaniel Lee]

That was the week that was.

Black clouds overhead,
Set adrift in a sea of one,
Close call should be dead,
No more pain if i'm gone.

Razors kiss on my wrist,
Vertical not horizontal fool,
Clean cut can't have missed,
Getting sloppy you lazy tool.

Christ what an awful week,
Blood,sweat and tears,
Luvees try straightjacket chic,
More meds don't take away my fears.

By Matt Harmston.

[Mossdog]

Bloody nora Mossy! this is just stunningly good! Oooooooo....I feel all enlivened! thank you

It's a pleasure Freckle, and I'm really attracted to this one too...(especially the notion, "I'm a landscape ...to walk in myself..."). What remarkable imagery.

Zeroing In

"I am a landscape," he said,
"a landscape and a person walking in that landscape.
There are daunting cliffs there,
and plains glad in their way
of brown monotony. But especially
there are sinkholes, places
of sudden terror, of small circumference
and malevolent depths."
"I know," she said. "When I set forth
to walk in myself, as it might be
on a fine afternoon, forgetting,
sooner or later I come to where sedge
and clumps of white flowers, rue perhaps,
mark the bogland, and I know
there are quagmires there that can pull you
down, and sink you in bubbling mud."
"We had an old dog," he told her, "when I was a boy,
a good dog, friendly. But there was an injured spot
on his head, if you happened
just to touch it he'd jump up yelping
and bite you. He bit a young child,
they had to take him to the vet's and destroy him."
"No one knows where it is," she said,
"and even by accident no one touches it:
It's inside my landscape, and only I, making my way
preoccupied through my life, crossing my hills,
sleeping on green moss of my own woods,
I myself without warning touch it,
and leap up at myself--"
"--or flinch back
just in time."
"Yes, we learn that
It's not terror, it's pain we're talking about:
those places in us, like your dog's bruised head,
that are bruised forever, that time
never assuages, never."
-- Denise Levertov

[freckle]

That was the week that was.

Black clouds overhead,
Set adrift in a sea of one,
Close call should be dead,
No more pain if i'm gone.

Razors kiss on my wrist,
Vertical not horizontal fool,
Clean cut can't have missed,
Getting sloppy you lazy tool.

Christ what an awful week,
Blood,sweat and tears,
Luvees try straightjacket chic,
More meds don't take away my fears.

By Matt Harmston.

You have been a real miss this week Tri....this is a gut wrenching piece and executed with skill, your poetry never fails to impress me

[Hes]

Just back from my run then dashing out again - DT, Mossdog, Freckle, HHH, Tri-mind...you are all on great form as usual. Those two love poems were incredible. What a brilliant thing this thread is!

I enjoyed your haiku anagram HHH, that's a great idea and I think I'll try it myself sometime. This is from my run


running through woods
thoughts untangle as mind stills
and then - two deer


they appeared fleetingly in front of me...magic!

[Hes]

You have been a real miss this week Tri....this is a gut wrenching piece and executed with skill, your poetry never fails to impress me

Hear hear!

[freckle]

Just back from my run then dashing out again - DT, Mossdog, Freckle, HHH, Tri-mind...you are all on great form as usual. Those two love poems were incredible. What a brilliant thing this thread is!

I enjoyed your haiku anagram HHH, that's a great idea and I think I'll try it myself sometime. This is from my run


running through woods
thoughts untangle as mind stills
and then - two deer


they appeared fleetingly in front of me...magic!

what a great story and a lovely haiku Hes...it reminded me of the robert frost "two look at two" i tried to cut and past it but no joy, worth a look

http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/robertfrost/12109

[Nathaniel Lee]

Guilt free meat.

Scientist grows pork chop in lab,
Now i wish they'd grow a kebab,
The pork chop is silly,
As it's no good with chilli,
And may end in you having a jab.

By Matt Harmston.