Author: Don Morgan

silence
a singular
light that even disrupts
time to allow us each to know
ourselves

I blame it on your kiss
That pressed my lips, burst me
Like a bubble.

I blame it on your love
That transformed my body,
Left it a home only for you.

Gather the darkness, the blankets, the pillow,
your thoughts; allow the roseate paper cut images

to come. Let them
wander in conversation

if you like
you may speak with them and you will become part of a conversation

and that will become part of a story
and the story,
a dream.

the loon’s
long lonely call
the moonlight’s fixed stare
and the distance between us now
silence

I always believed that my father had a connection with God on High,
when he spoke I shook

there was knowledge behind the unfairness or illogic in his words
couldn’t be otherwise, he was in cahoots with the man who knew

and there would be understanding, salvation in his arms if I took him at his word
I would know heaven and never see hell

but as I grew, I saw him shake at my words as I shook at his
and learned that both he and I were simply hoping for the best

Swampy, loamy soil
cries are dyed blue flowers
delicate light barely fragrant
vulnerable
they
gather on the sand for waves to
wash over them.

Flame’s yellow petals lick and burn
brimming with gold, warmth, vulnerability,
resignation and soft swampy sex

Bird chippers off-blue. Fake granite, bloodless color pictures, vinyl, polyester, linoleum
and parquet. A scuffled up boy smelling of hot hair and grins.
Time has moved on. Cellophane crumpled and clouded, foam teeth broken, a busted
nose, a black eye, a bruise.

Dark hands, grease tattoo, broken brown nails, blinks and turns.

Dull headache glare, brown sugar frosting cake donuts and harsh hot black coffee,
asphalt, broken white lines, water stains, cool damp air, smell of burnt gasoline.

She has light red hair dressed in waves and kinks. Eyes roving, face clean and healthy,
ruddy and freckled, dry palms, hands moving long. Faded promises in her hip pocket and
beneath her tee shirt. She looks for him.

Unbroken boxes, fresh cellophane washed with rainbows. Out of a box, eyes still clear,
this one offers a shy smile and a memorable evening.

Tan jacket, pants barely covering buttocks and chewing something. 

Gray hair pushed over his earphones, short thick fingers, crab walk. A large plastic
(yellow, green and red) watch, an old radio, stuffing a wad of paper into his gray slacks,
white gym socks and running shoes.


He wanders from vendor to vendor looking for her.

Darkness soft but also thin in the cool evening touch quickly and then disappear.

Alone in the room-garage door french patio, plants white dutch door un-lived in dusty spiders dead plants smelling. Alone, behind the garage every weekend something in her hands tag!

Warm hot floor rug tv casts light among shadow fumble fumble candy playing cards soft skin soft hands hair thick rich pile-ettes color rich and deep soft and natural clinging to her cheek then falling gently to her ear chewing candy with mouth open white short teeth pink gums rich dark eyes dark hair memory.

nothing is better than this
but few would choose it
preferring even pain to
senseless bliss

I saw one of your friends pecking at Me Lady’s window last night,
Bald with a long billed baseball cap, he was

carrying a blue bottle of beer.
His beard was thin and wiry, gray and scant, his

Eyes still bore the reflection of the dancer
He sat with at a bar moments before.

He waved me to come near and though I wanted to join him
I did not, the two of us would not make a fitting pair.

True, He is four-square, a sturdy dependable warrior,
Ready to brawl for a night with Me Lady and a peek at her breast,

While I, just as eager for Me Lady, whisper words of love and
scribble poor rhymes for the chance to bury myself in her belly.

Alas, he and I share the love of drunken folly and dissonant desires,
But we cannot be friends and share her sweet milk and succor.

Tell him when you see him that while we can not know each other,
We can know she loves us both as she loves the night and the day.