A Sliver Moon Poem by Lonnie Hicks

I give you all my secrets from the passenger side
to me it felt like verbal orgasms

and you made love to them

stroking my soul

under a sliver moon

by the lake

bonding us in a velvet chain;

you place it around me with your silent lovings
your words caressed my willing heart-
my felt understandings

punctuated by your strong kisses rising.

We were mouth-breathing our histories
our burdens
preceding our tender,
reaching, grapplings
amid “I have never told any one about this ever' desires and failings;
our bodies quaking deep inside in unspokentries
and furtive profile looks
signing breathless smiles
those clutching recognitions
where your hands
moved deep into my spirit
into my body soul
awakened
by my unknown tremblings
our melding seethings
between our “we shouldn’t haves and our driving needs
under nature’s moon;
between your two jobs and mine
our midnight meetings
my fierce cravings
between our car foggings
our soft sighings
our heavy heavings
our longings and needings
exploding shudderings
our soul wrenching joyul weepings;
all that from that first kiss
given and received
in that secret night
in our delicious
penetrating oneness
that only the innocent and the young know.


In youth’s angel breaths
in the night mist
in our openings
our first amazings, first frightenings
first clutchings
left us teetering at ecstasy’s edge
amid irretrievable soft murmurings
in our collapsing into each’s warming arms.

And I say
to you “I have given more than

I have ever given.”
and you say “I love you true, '
kissing my hand

breathing into my open heart;

where right then our marriage began

and was later consummated at the church social
when you knelt

before me
secrets now fled
and I was terrified

as you said
for all to hear
”I love you and want you to be mine
openly
now and forever
day and night
and I ask
that you say yes.”

I did

because fairy tales
give up their secrets
when daylight arrives
and when the sun shone brightly
that New Years Day.