These fallible bodies getting in the way
Of our universal souls meshing
Tracing Rorschach designs on her hip
My mind erases upon naked flesh
She caught me caught dancing in her slip
& the glory of sunshine after the rain
She smiled in spite of being nervous
Hoping life could begin without the pain
Running a finger upon the spines
Treasures of unrequited wit
It can be difficult to wear a smile
When you always feel like shit
Fingerprints on the dusty shelves
Disfigured; in need of some rest
Looking for inspiration in the pages
Slowly drowning despite doing my best
Feeding page after page into the typewriter
I feel like a Saint from a forgotten realm
They could really write back then
Keeping an even keel with one hand on the helm
I’m not the pirate you bargained for
Simple words of varying degrees
I write of the love you’ve desired
But when I only smile, you call me a tease
A spinning beauty upon the mirror
In a perfect white dancing gown
A pirouette for all eternity’s memory
A lady of such illustrious renown
A sunny smile in the cold, cold air
Our frozen ballerina silently wept
Whispering French words softly
Freedom tasted when she first stepped
The glories of a sunny morning
Smiling into my coffee; subtle credo
Trying to create my masterpiece
But, I’m distracted by my libido
Looking for my stunning bride
Maybe get a little taste under her skirt
A surefire way to get artistic juices flowing
Interest shifted; she can only help, never hurt
Where is my absurd little coffee this morn
Claiming to be something or other
I rise slower, wiping Pixie Dust from my eyes
Never forget the dreams they try to smother
My gorgeous blonde lady sleeping peacefully
Our love burnt brightly into a passionate fire
I stretch my legs & smile at a job well done
She’ll slumber for a while, for she’s kind of tired
I love you, dear woman
You make this life worth living
You always know how to make me smile
You really care & are always giving
I’m proud to call you my wife
You’re beautiful with ample –
Damnit –
What rhymes with cleavage?
She’s strolling down the sidewalk
Stepping on these crunchy leaves
The smell of fireplaces reassures
Autumn has come to finally relieve
A heartening smile crosses her lips
Not knowing if life could be better
As I approach, I take her in my arms
My love looks amazing in her sweater
Walking down the street on All Saints’ Day
Victrolas on display at the corner store
A flirtatious greeting with the local beauty
She always smiles, but never asks for more
You’ve created another aura within her
Casting her as red-blooded in your pulp fantasy
A polite lady with those vicious high heels
Mental interludes without consent, it seems to me
Take your dreams & exit stage left
You tried to court & failed, life’s not fair
Let a true gentleman whisper elegant words
She’ll open up her passion, exposing her silky pair
You have your notions of me
Whether it’s my rugged good looks
Or I’m a notorious scalawag
Though, I’m neither a hero nor a crook
I’m not a man of much persuasion
Nor am I a wild west outlaw
I choose to wear the eyepatch
But I’m more of a gentleman with flaws
I write fast & love slow
Without a care of what they say about me
When you have faith
You never have to wait & see
I quietly find my secrets within
Descended from that beautiful literary brogue
To hell with the naysayers; we’re gonna have fun
I’ll be your host tonight, the swash-unbuckling rogue
Many out there won’t warm to my charm
Not their cup of tea or simply they’ve no style
But you of good taste & renown class
Come share a spot with the one with the mischievous smile
The carcasses of inspiration
Wine glasses with Burgundy residue
Speaking to late nights & early mornings
Scribbles in the margin on the follow through
Feeling parched as I wake
Noticing your lipstick stains
Upon the rim of the glass
Reminding me of the dreams that remain
Bleary eyed, drinking the coffee grounds
Searching for a fate within the dregs
Fumbling over these typewriter keys
Lightheaded when I see your naked legs
Your smile is a distraction
But you pop a button & then one more
I’m at your complete mercy
Once the nightgown hits the floor
Image by TastyCinnamonn from Pixabay
Dodging trains with the Lost Boys
Feeling free in the midnight hour
Nothing can keep us on the ground
Laughing in faces of those who wish us dour
Freedom begins with your own soul
No matter the toilsome tasks or nautical miles
I’ll smirk & continue to play
For there’s a revolution within my smile
Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay
I’ve bought you fancy dresses & heels
Those diamonds – symbols I’ll always care
I love to see pearls upon your décolletage
But still – a smile is my favorite thing you wear
Radiating a positive vibe henceforth
A smile & skip in the most mundane chores
Yet perceptions of domestic divinity
Always can accomplish just a little more
Backlogged Cinderella fantasies
Dancing amid a swirl with a feather duster
Cautiously watching; epically vulnerable
Wondering if my heart might trust her
It’s no fairytale ending, but a good life
A drink & a fire, quietly getting better
She’s content without our consent
Cracking a book, curling up into her sweater
I can use all the proper words
When needed, I can even be discrete
Whispering the sauciest story you ever heard
My dear, because of you, I am complete
I tend to be modest, but our love is real
By your coy smile, I know I’m on the right track
Your fingers trace & slowly reveal
My God woman! You have the loveliest rack!
The beat making my Diesels sweat
This is beyond my usual scene
Usually I can’t dance without regret
Needing a lot more alcohol & caffeine
Glow sticks & the whole lot to lampoon
I can’t live life with digitized crap
Moving my body like an analog buffoon
I need to find a pretty lady to sit upon my lap
I spy one in my dizzied & frazzled state
I could definitely make her my new habit
She’s smiling at my attempt to communicate
My God, I see curves like Jessica Rabbit
I shake my head allowing reality to seep
Good fortune has shined down in this nightlife culture
I straighten my clothes; thinking ‘don’t be a creep’
& I flash the Cheshire grin of a hungry vulture
A small smile
Like she always knows
More beautiful
Than any summer rose
Don’t rush me, woman
I’m making sure you’re real
The invigorating magic
Of the slow reveal
I liked her Summer dress
A muse’s vulnerability in a pile
She spoke in perfect verse
But I loved best her smile
Welcome the heat
Sunshine reigning down
Everyone loses clothing
Summer finally around
Ice cold drink clinks
Leaning into my relaxing smile
Allowing for a subtle tan
Get used to it, gonna be awhile
Taking time to reside in detail
Coaxing ghosts off the Sunshine Coast
A temper & a crooked smile
The truth when we needed it most
Knowing differences of our secrets
Diligent with passing the changes
I’m fluid in these manipulations
But for her I am, keeping me strange
Reading cracked-spine paperbacks
Wandering by; gently grabbing her waist
Creating space & sending archaic signals
Standing proud, knowing silence accustomed to taste
“Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor… Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.”
–Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
You don’t see me when you look my way
Like a ghost – I just don’t seem to appear
Faded into the background of life
Unable to compete with all you hold dear
My kind smile & open arms aren’t a reality
Merely static in your fashion-conscious day
I’m over here trying to catch your eye
Yet my shadow is not even in your way
What more can I do to attract you
The uncool of America
Not enough flash
Eagerly & quietly industrious
But we’re still short on cash
You’re out here ridin’ high on your horse
I’m down here with my heart broken
You’re clearly oblivious to my existence
I wonder if you’ll ever be woken
Imagining a Springtime
Sunshine upon my field
Thriving in a hopeful lilt
Winter’s shield has been peeled
We dance slowly
Your body feels inviting tonight
Our smiles meet in a twirl
Our eyes soaking up this delight
Thoughts of another calendar year
The hopes & dreams you wish to achieve
Dropping needless burdens – disappear
Regrouping; returning to what you believe
How do we move forward toward our goal
To be resolute & live to be heart-whole
***
Authentically alive with a smile & a pure soul
Finding that smile
Extraction from the routine
Knowing the fatigue
A surprise seldom seen
But we can be happy
In spite of our stress
A little twirl to start
& then off with your dress!
I see your pretty smile
Discovering it’s innocence disguised
This walk marked by confidence
Always keeping me surprised
A mischievous look upon your face
Nervous energy I can feel
Your skirt slightly flares
My lips part before you even kneel
My interest has already piqued
Amazed as you love me still faster
Truly a breathtaking moment
As you call me your lover & master
You’re a fresh of breath air
Please let me fix us another
For you make my heart smile
Dressed to instantly kill
No use for a Wonderbra
The sass in your hips
You’re clearly bourgeois
Dancing beside the bar
Telling me some dirty jokes
A subtle, seductive attitude
Smiling between the sly tokes
The band is still playing
Accustomed to rooms so plush
Focusing on my quiet charm
Your attention makes me blush
I’m trying to keep up
But I’ve only been with local girls
You lead me by the hand
& soon only wearing those pearls
What could be more perfect
A night with my hands on your hips
Never letting go of your beautiful sight
Except when I lean in to kiss your lips
A sweet tune to dance upon
Losing clothes with each bottle we drink
Our eyes smiling within true love
My hearts still skips when I catch your wink
I wish to feel her heart
To feel every loving beat
She makes me smile
Ever since we first did meet
I wish to touch her heart
For it always gives me hope
A silly grin creases my face
With my prolonged grope
Image by Tino Ehrhardt from Pixabay
Hey there, ballerina
Graceful upon your toes
A pleasure to view
I’m not as innocent as those
Need to kiss that smile
Are you always this chipper
A wink & a taunt
I’m going to destroy that zipper
Returning to the world
Finding life left unraveled
A smile never so grand
Home the best place traveled
Warmth of simple comforts
Never trading precious delights
Beauty in these open arms
Darkness eclipsed by light
She wore white to the hanging
Fingers smudged from setting the patriarchy to burn
She wore a guilty smile
For they would never ever seem to learn
By her beauty, they were always distracted
But her brains they never could comprehend
Once the fire went viral
They wished they could call her a friend
They picked such an angelic foe
Yet kept her bound by tradition & canon & law
But you can never chain ideas down
Imprudence by the state was the final straw
Continual pandering as a cultural trait
Overwrought force; their idea as the solution
The spark still smoldering in her eyes
Never again the victim, she’s the whole damn revolution
*This is a reaction to rewatching the movie Cat Ballou with modern eyes.
Rigormortis of the soul
Dejected along emotional failings
Tempered seas begin to roll
White knuckles; hold fast to the railings
Sorting feelings like a rolodex
Trampled yearning from Jaguar years
Unprepared for survival
Causing the most elaborate of your fears
Processing out foreign memories
But the answers just get in the way
Undisciplined in self-diagnosis
A sturdy smile in the face of the seaspray
Relaxing in my hammock
Feeling the gentle breeze
Trying to close my eyes
But visions of her tease
My head starts churning
My heart begins to race
Need to stick the landing
Without falling on my face
Along the way in
I’m shedding all my clothes
By her sly smile
My beautiful woman already knows
The illustrious words of Hunter (the elder)
We ante’d more than our parents’ share
Broken cups of mottled modeling clay
Abstinence leaving you lonely & bare
Chanting Yeats without a voice
A rye smile at the lively night’s end
Cocktail girls when only a wife will do
Looking to the heavens to make amends
Time is failing on a tractional level
Bleak mornings to come calling back
Needing to move without giving notice
Resurrection only possible with coffee this black
A dancing, twirling girl
Caught up in the bedglow
Free from the concerns
A proper lady to surely know
Chamber chorus versus Jazz
She couldn’t guess where I’d be
That’s what kept us apart
Improvisational styles she couldn’t see
Cocktails in the early afternoon
She liked her whiskey neat
A traditional, proper beauty
But couldn’t meet when it came to the sheets
Striking poses within silhouettes
Admittedly swooning from my words
A wry smile & another sip
We sit naked, listening to ‘Trane & Bird
The poetess vixen
Trying to seduce my intellect
Whispering those sweet thoughts
Paused by my pen; time to reflect
But I’m not one to cave to pressure
Her pretty eyes leading me to temptation
I can appreciate & smile back
Without any need for erotic retaliation
Sometimes you just need an excuse
To do something completely irrational…
Small moments creating larger smiles
This party is increasing – It’s going National
Jerry’s singing loud, making me dance
Wave that flag, wave it wide & high
Light the fires, let’s make it count
Happy Birthday, America! – on this 4th of July!
No visible injuries
Never fixed by a Rx pad
You’ll pat me gently
“Oh, it’s not that bad”
You’ll shove me back
& I’ll maintain & pretend
I’ll smile & laugh
Even when I need a friend
We’ll always ignore
The darkness that looms
You’ll never care
As long as I resume
Endless hours of love on café sidewalks
The world was beautiful & we were free
We were together; we were holding hands
& we were as happy as we could be
But then we were separated & deprived
The days are not so lovely & bright
I shall never let them get the better of us
For I shall spend every day in this fight
When they ask me why I can still smile
‘I know what true love is’ will be my reply
This world is weak compared to my love
Know that you are always the gleam in my eye
By day, you’re out fighting wars
Wherever politicians decide you need to roam
Diplomacy by air, land & sea
& the lucky ones get to return home
But your training doesn’t include this
Unsure how exactly to be a regular guy
Babies & tiaras & unicorns bebopping around
How to explain a child’s smile can make you cry
Image by Sally Wynn from Pixabay
Picturesque; popular version of perfection
Flawlessly designed for an afternoon tryst
But there’s something broken in her smile
It appears her panties are in a twist
Few could have complaints on her form
With that yoga toned & sculpted derrière
Feeding on kale & interweb attention
But her soul smelled more like dairy air
Crisp ocean force winds
Gentle fresh citrus scent
Lost upon the eternal sea
Forgot where beauty went
A treatise of delicate love
Evidence of a ghost
Smile your sweet smile
I’ve left for the coast
Sound of muted voices
She’s a little too cute
Allowing no more secrets
Down through my roots
Burdened by the oppressive nature of the living
Yet a smile can be substantially subversive
Rising higher than even our expectations
For when we love, we love in cursive
Now that I’m old, there’s no chance to be cool
I’m that creepy lurker passing the delicates isle
Finding myself lost in nebulous thought
Youth dropping their eyes while I try to smile
You can’t be friendly when you’re a certain age
Somewhere along the line, I missed my cue
Oblivious to the graffiti on the decaying walls
I’m slowly dying, more with each day that’s through
Stuck before I can be the wisened old fellow
Conversations with alter egos as I deliberate
Taunting life with my aggressive apathy
Father Time impatiently waiting for my cryptic fate
A litmus test for fragile character upon my days
Emerging from adulthood with wisdom in my head
Never again a victim to society’s whims
Pushing past expectations; my own hero instead
Rising higher than their own trite requirements
Still not accepted & still the silly old fool
Sketchy, weird & perpetually the outcast
Damn, there went my last chance to finally be cool
Excuse me, Miss
I need help between the books
You look down your glasses at me
Don’t worry about their errant looks
You’re dressed mighty nice
I think it’s by the back shelves
It seems I’ve gotten us lost
Oh my, I think we’re by ourselves
I pull you in close
A hand sneaks under your skirt to play
You moan aloud; onlookers’ smile
Apparently we’re still on display
Image by Eli Digital Creative from Pixabay
The Lord created me for one purpose
To show you passion & keep you happy
I’m here to reciprocate this smile
Though it might come off kinda sappy
I want nothing more than all of you
To take your hand & forever dance
Please excuse my directness
I’m hopeless when it comes to romance
Blue skies are returning
We’re running headlong into Spring
Shake out all these Winter cobwebs
Let the sunshine wake my soul to sing
The flowers are returning to the earth
Seasons change and its turning warm
Let’s smile as we head outside
Time to stretch out your glorious form
Your dress looks lovely upon your skin
Alas, its time to remove some of these clothes
Let them fall away with Wintertime sadness
A blessing of rising mercury, Heaven knows
My thoughts are strikingly inappropriate
I suggest we blame it on this stifling heatwave
We’re in need of getting into the fresh air
To be free and once again unabashedly misbehave
Our olden fantasies
Not quite matching casual conversation
The heart’s silent secrets
Masked by our gilded incantations
A kind smile to hide our fears
The dreams left by the tragic shore
But there’s always a way back home
To drink from the hopeful waters to finally restore
You stand there aghast
I smile with arched eyebrows
What’s the matter, Lady
But all you can say is “wow”
Letting the thought marinate
You begin your quiet pleas
My smile just widens
I can tell you’re weak in the knees
I feel like a bull in a China shop
I feel ugly next to you swans
Not wanting to detract from you
I wander off into the rising dawn
I try to find a genuine smile
I feel like I’m pressing my luck
I’m not meant to be amongst beauty
For I’m not pretty; I’m just a duck
Please tell me a story
Give me a reason to smile
Distract me from this distress
& forget these damn trials
One day, these will be a memory
A nightmare of us being apart
But until that blissful moment
I’d love something from the heart
My love rests beyond the ocean
Beyond the miles I can’t control
The one I need to return to
The one whom is intertwined with my soul
Marking stitches upon the globe
I’m stuck on faraway shores
Missing the girl who makes my heart smile
Knowing I don’t want to travel anymore
The world holds no interest to me
For without my bride, I only see greyscale
Time & distance, mere obstacles
I’m coming back, even though I no longer sail
Image by Milada Vigerova from Pixabay
Bumper to bumper traffic
Snarls, passive aggressive smiles
Suburban assault vehicles
& this goes on for miles
Botox, plastic & hollow souls
Perfection to drive you insane
The things real housewives will do
To get their child from the pick up lane
Image by Erich Westendarp from Pixabay
Captain Q 