renato mascardo Poems

a paean to you

like Mame you coax the blues out of the horn
like Mame you charm the husk right off the corn
...

the yearning and the longing
the needing and the craving
unanswered and requiteless
i feel
...

let me not mar your leaving
with my commendable intent
let me not inflict on you pain
with an unwanted embrace
...

the bricks of the road
that you and i tread on
that time has yellowed
that despair has sallowed
...

over three hundred miles
separate me from you
tonight/ free of devoted demands
i lie in bed with solitude instead
...

hanging like crucified thieves on their tippy-toes
the yellow square signboards tilted askance
screamed in bold black words
Bridge May Freeze Before Road
...

pirouetting
with a playful breeze
the maple leaf plunges
slowly to its death
...

He looked at the road after stealing a glance at her
She looked straight ahead avoiding his eyes
It was a routine between them when
Driving home from Sharon
...

unmuffled
unconstrained
and unguarded
so sensual
...

i can’t make you happy
you alone can do it
i can not touch you
i will not hurt you
...