All the things I meant to say
Disarrayed by interpretation
Disgruntled machine
...
I wonder what she's thinking now
with her head dipped down
in the fool's gold light,
her hair falling across her eyes,
...
Death sneaks up on you.
And if you're lucky, it'll be like a pretty girl
Tapping your shoulder at a party.
And you'll turn with a knowing smile
...
Perhaps I should have looked closer
when you told me you loved marigolds.
I should have seen it coming.
We sat on vernal grass
...
When they reach in to your chest
to heal your heart with scars,
remember me.
...
Today,
I read that story you wrote,
The one I loved but you hated.
I remember how you agonized over it,
...
It would be like the stars
to hide tonight,
cloudy shroudings veiling
their pure light.
...
It's so easy to let moments slip
Like scarves of silk
Sifting past fingertips
...
Spoiled me
accustomed to immediacy
In those burdensome moments
...
I must have read it over
A million times
And then once more, just in case.
...
Biography sections have always baffled me. What could you possibly discover here that is of any importance? We are all secrets from each other, every heart that beats keeps secrets from the heart nearest to it. I am nobody in particular, and if I were, I would lie about it.)
Going For Coffee
Today,
I read one of your poems
when I should have been working.
Peculiar
how words strung together
like Chinese lamps
bravely staving off the darkness
of a humid summer night
force you to my mind:
Spotlight,
Center stage,
wry smile on crimson lips.
What touches your skin now?
Who strokes your hair while you sleep?
If I could call you
casually to have coffee with me,
I'd ask about your life
and make crass comments about your replies
to make you smile,
while you flick ash and glowing embers away
from your Virginia Slim fingers.
Or perhaps you've quit,
and I'd be forced to congratulate you,
my heart cursing the way we choose practicality
over romance.
I've never been good at ending things.
I prefer to let them drift
just out of sight
without breaking the ties.
Selfish,
I know.
Which is why I was sipping
this morning's coffee this afternoon
reading your poems
instead of working.
I am old as sin and twice as attractive.
Most roses smell terrible no matter what name you give them.
Stop criticizing the grammar police. As long as you follow the rules you have nothing to fear.
There's nothing more lovely than a weeping woman.
A convincing lie should contain as much truth as possible.