Peaceful Dark
on the drive home
it’s snowing
gently onto window sills
powdered sugar dusted
a blissful peace among evergreens
a delicate lift in the cold
as you trust
everything is okay
and shall be soon
on this stretch of road
and the next
you are safe
to wake in the morning
to a feeling such as this
Heaven on Earth
are you born from the snow
an angel?
or something real
phosphorescence, incandescence
I double over at the sight of you
you call my name
I’ll carry you
to the Heavens
we’ll rise
but I’ve forgotten
my back doesn’t come with wings
so you rise while I
f
a
l
l
all I want is too high
so I lay in the snow
where I found you
This is where my voice is
Socotra coffee house is a sea of color
And when I order my small adeni chai I feel at home in a language I don’t understand
My heels hanging on to a metal seat frame
Typing busy bees, the meaning of indeterminancy, and complaints of capitalism
“And when you cross this divide, you’ll get what we’ve all been denied”
I call my mother because I’ve finally found the right line
Note from the poet:
This is the first poem in the new Written in red series, which are poems focusing on the personal, creative, and political
But I can’t eat
I’m sitting on a couch
The same couch where one message from you once caused my hands to shake has me shaking again
The same couch where I finished my musical
Where I kissed a mistake
Wrote emails and gossiped and found crumbs
My stomach is empty
But I can’t eat
“Once I’m done with people they’re gone”
You’re gone but your name has never come up more
I’m thinking of you hoping to rewrite your name into acceptance
Or suppressing every thought to forget your presence
Maybe if I get rid of all your stuff I’ll feel full
if I go to Blue Llama if I go to Pinball Pete’s maybe I’ll be comfortable in chaos
My stomach is empty but I cannot eat
I can’t watch anything I’ve never seen
I cry when I can’t ge a refund for a cake at coldstone
I sleep with my back aching under LED lights at christmas time
…
When the pit passes
I find a few moments where I’m freed
My stomach is empty and I see through the haze
I finally eat
Before one message sets me off again
Weather
always be prepared
for it may
snow
rain
hail
sleet
mist
scorch
burn
blow
drizzle
dip
dive
dance
in Michigan
A fresh crop of withered leaves
Emerge from the unbroken snow
Letting the sunlight engulf my cracking face
It is cold, it is warm, I wish I could stay
Being at peace smells like
Sundae cherries, dirt, and soap
Now, waiting here among thoughts of
Empty chairs and amethyst stones and
Bread I baked last Saturday, long ago
Never tasting quite as sweet as
I’ve heard others say
But I’m happy they enjoy it
It’s been a while since the snow
There is a fog covering the
Lights of the apartment buildings
Floating like makeshift stars in the rain
And there is a warmth in the white fairy lights
And the band playing in the market
And the folks that shuffle close together
In and out of Main Street
There is a song tonight
And I am happy to join it
