liminal spaces

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/ forgetful
regretful
a mindful path of
multi-storied 
v  e  r  s  e  s /

                 searching
                 for liminal
            s  p  a  c  e  s

observing
those pondering
f  a  c  e  s

*

    . . .  o p p o n e n t s
       aware
          contenders—
       beware
             
      of those doubtful
         intentions
               unspoken
  d i s s e n t i o n s . . . 

sketched
on damp paper—
and never 
aired

*
/ forgetful
regretful
a mindful path of
multi-storied 
v  e  r  s  e  s /

                 searching
                  for liminal
            s  p  a  c  e  s

fierce like 
assonant
traces

you can
now 
view— 

though
I  n e v e r
b   a   r   e   d

gravity

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rarity
gravity           
       willowy 
s i g t h s

sensing
the
fears
that pierce
through your
body
mind
soul
and
thy
h 
e 
a 
r 
t 

* 
rarity
gravity           
       magical
n i g t h s

drying 
these tears
all sensing
the fears
that pierce 
through the
body
mind
soul
and
my
h 
e 
a 
r 
t 

* 
rarity
gravity           
       subdued
star
l i g h t

tearful,
silent,
day-dreaming
we stumble on
           willowy 
s i g h t s

*
drunk with
wild wonders
day-dreaming
we tumble,
we write, 
dream, still,
humble,

f  l  o  a  t  ,
     w  e  i  g  h  t  l  e  s  s  ,
t    o      n     i    g    h     t

sweet dreams

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shake things up             
            shake things down        
shape things wild   
        a    n    d  
 
b           o              x 

      t     h    e   m   

          i      n 


          right 
                 or 
               wrong 

                 it’s all  

 t h e y ’ v e  
b   e    e   n 

* 
they’ve seen 
                   g   r    e    y  
they’ve seen 
                    b    l    a    c    k , 

demure shades— 
a field of 
d      r     e     a     m    s 

         right 
                 or 
               wrong 

                 it’s all  
 t h e y ’ v e  
s   e    e   n 

* 
now, 
    and then,        
          been... 
...and seen, 

tonight, 
      grey worlds, 
                 be
                   come     

s     w      e        e       t 

d          r         e         a        m      s 

tambourine

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D
    r      D
      u       r
    m            u
                       m ,

little women's army
splatter walls—
dressed in
war face
p     a     i     n    t
                        
magic hands
can turn out
wonders, 
now they're sleeping—
shan't be
awoken
y     e     t

close 
the shutters,
no light 
streaming—
they deserve
a darkened
dreaming
b     e     d

D
    r      D
      u       r
    m            u
                       m ,

little women's army—
splatter walls
dressed in
war face
p    a    i    n    t

dark smoke verse

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Smoking 
French 
     poetry whore 
cigarettes
o n e,  
         a f t e r  
       t h e  
o t h e r

i wet my lips,
i puff—
frail
particles of
d i f f u s e d 
s   m   o   k   e

                                 S
                    d                       u

               n            m    e            r 

                    u                        r 
                                 o
       
i bat my eyelids,
i stare away.
and puff—
o n e 
        a f t e r 
    t h e 
o t h e r

still no
words, yet
i perceive
some 
d a r k 
v e r s e  
s  m  o  k  e

has subtly 
embraced
— p  o  s  s  e  s  s  e  d —
my  f e a t h e r e d
d  r  e  a  m  s
 
and, 
while
i type
a widowed
v e r s e —

for a poem
i may
have dreamed—
but will
never, in ink,
b i r t h

smoking 
French 
     poetry whore 
cigarettes
 o n e,  
         a f t e r  
       t h e  
o t h e r

a drunken 
song
waltzes 
  around
  i n 
      m y 
            h  e  a  d 

                  “they’re not good for you.
              he’s not good for you.
             stop wasting
                     y   o  u  r 
           b      r      e    a   t    h
                     a            w            a            y 

remember—
smoking
      ain’t good
for 
    the 
l i v i n g .”

   i     n      h       a       l       e.
 e       x       h       a       l       e.
s  m  o  k  i  n  g
   o n e , 
        a f t e r 
   t h e 
o t h e r

         a
       subtly
    s o o t h i n g
               d a r k ,
      s  m  o  k  e  d
                v   e   r   s   e

                                 e
                    s                       m

                e           m    e            b 

                    c                        r 
                                 a
       


burgundy nights

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wording wondrous wreckage
imagining feasts of rhyme
and lusting after 
verse-full fancy

ty p i ng  
              t
               h
                 e 
                 
                   e
                  n
                 n
               u 
          i 

    a            w         a           y

through burgundy
written
stanzas

as 
     the 
           drama 
                         Queen 
                                     she
                       wasn’t
          meant
     to
be
   .
      .
         .
          y e t — s h e ' d   b  e  c  o  m  e
       .
    .
 .
       and
 then
   she closed
              her eyes

                 p
                  r
                  e
                  t
                e 
             n
           d
         i
      n
       g

   n o t h i n g

  h  a  d   

 e   v   e  r

h     a     p      p     e     n     e     d

H e r o i n e

Photo by Luca Nardone on Pexels.com
You hit me /
Immense high /
Dried ginger clouds
Mischievously 
Embrace me /
While I float away
I n  g o d l y
S  o  u  n  d  s  c  a  p  e /

I start
Sliding down
To viscous darkness /
Engulfing me / 
U n a w a r e /
Faintly blurring away
Y o u r  t r u e
E  x  i  s  t  e  n  c  e /

Hopelessly 
I hit
The ground /
And dive into
The murkiest
Depths
I ’ v e  e v e r
I  n  h  a  b  i  t  e  d /

Junkie dwarfs
Deftly conceal
Your
Exit 
plan /
To my blankly
S i l e n t
E  y  e  s /

I’m certain
You will
Never 
Say 
Sorry /
For those games 
Y o u
P  l  a  y  e  d /

You were Pure
Heroine /
And into
That gutter /
I do not want /
Again /
T o  fall /
W  i  l  l  i  n  g  l  y  /

One last 
Poetic killer
Card 
You hide /
As again /
Y o u   h  i  t   m  e
V  e  r  s  e - l  e  s  s  l  y /

You
A r e  n  o  w
G   o   n   e /  I  /
               A  m   n  o  w
              G   o   n   e /
B  o  t  h    b   u   t     f  a  i  n  t
S        m       o       k       e /

Of  w h a t 
W e
O  n  c  e
W  e  r  e/
            W h a t
            C o u l d /
           H   a   v   e /
           B    e    e    n /

/ I 
  Am 
  Ever
   So / 
   Sorry /
   F  o  r
             O  u  r
                        L   o   s   s / / /

P.S.

I resurrected /
That is 
The epilogue
Your literary eyes
Will 
Never
G e t  t o 
R  e  a  d /

So /
As
I start 
Combatively
Writing 
M y  
O w n
H i  s  t  o  r  y /

I stop
Mourning 
Us /
And
Become /
T h e  h e r o i n e
i n  m y  o w n
S  t  o  r   y /

I    n    s    t    e   a    d

sea breeze

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the chapters
we stopped writing,
subtly smeared
like a
B   r   e   e   z   e

the words we
never uttered,
all forgotten
like a 
B   r   e   e   z   e

crushed ice,
some bitter grapefruit,
drowned with vodka
like a
B   r   e   e   z   e

enjoy the 
subtle solace
of those berries
like a
B   r   e   e   z   e

breathe on
an empty stomach
of love poems
like a
B   r   e   e   z   e

love with
a puzzled mind,
ruby caresses
like a
B   r   e   e   z   e

a new
unwritten chapter
unpublished opus—
w r i t t e n
B   r   e   e   z   e

gone ---
with 
the 
s  e  a 
B   r   e   e   z   e
.
.
.

fun
thing is,

it wasn't

e v e n

a    c  o  c  k  t  a  i  l 

N      I      G      H      T