Dream Beat Poem by Barry Middleton

In dreams, the soft exhale
of affection, the friendship
in a greeting hug
melts in trembling alto tones
to a lover's sigh that whispers
for me to hold her.
In dreams, the punishment
of almost intimacy
in a cousin like embrace
fades to song as enticing eyes
and an upturned chin
invite passion,
a kiss silently submerged
from atmosphere.
The melody is a fantasy,
a gentle minor key,
then like an old song,
she leads me by the hand
to secret places bright
with the clash of cymbals.
The hot jazz of appetite
is for ecstasy in her arms.
The longing in the soul,
is for the afterglow,
the cooling back-beat,
the embrace of eyes,
the skin on skin,
and for the moment,
no pain in the universe.