The Arrangement

I have bought you ~
You are mine ~ to do with
As I please ~ for the
Next twenty four hours ~

I have met your price ~ and
You have met my terms ~
And honest lust is all that
We will have between us ~

I am in the final years of
My life ~ and I would not end
It without feeling ~ once more ~
The ecstasy of flesh on flesh ~

I want to come alive in my
Lover’s arms ~ to waken from
The half-doze I have fallen into ~
To feel something once again ~

To regain ~ for a brief while ~
The passion that once was
A constant companion ~ and the
Driving force of my very life ~

We will keep the lights low ~
I will not court your pity ~
Although you have the look of
A kind and generous lover ~

And afterward ~ we will not
Speak of it again ~

The Courtship

The lace-edged handkerchief
Came first
And then you sent me a single
perfect rose
It’s the twenty-first century and
you’re courting me
Like it’s eighteen hundred
and ninety-five

Where is the red-hot passion
they talk about
Where is the look so filled
with meaning
That it can bring me right to the
edge of surrender
Dizzy and steaming with heat
and blind with lust

You’re one of the nicest men
I’ve ever met
But what I’m looking for now
is a bad boy
With an attitude and a two-
day growth of beard
Who will turn me upside down
and inside out

You say I’m asking to get
my heart destroyed
And you could very well
be right
But years from now as I sit on
my porch swing
I’ll remember this moment in
time with a smile

Colors of Love

My love is black ~ or so he tells me ~
My adoring eyes see only sweet warm brown ~
To match his eyes and complement his hair ~
My skin is fair ~ my hair pale gold ~
My eyes are blue or gray to match my mood ~
And when we lie exhausted in each other’s arms ~
Our limbs entangled and our breathing slow ~
We make a lovely picture ~
In the spill of moonlight ~
On the bed ~

Is It Biology

Perhaps the craving
That I feel for you
Is simply Nature’s way ~
Of making certain
That the human race
Continues ~

As for myself
I have my doubts ~

The raw desire that
Floods my every cell ~
And all the molecules of
Which I am comprised ~
Has naught to do
With science ~ and
All to do with lust ~

So I’ve an itch that
You can scratch ~
If you’ve a mind to ~
Let’s keep it simple
Shall we now ~
No promises
No long goodbyes ~

And we will drink
To one another ~
When we remember ~

(Originally published April 21, 2014)

Amid the Ruins

I followed you last night ~
But in your feverish rush ~
You didn’t even notice ~
The taxi that kept pace
With yours ~

I’ve known for some time now ~
That all those late night
Business meetings you just
Had to be there for ~ were
No such thing ~

And when I saw you use your
Latchkey on her door ~ I knew
That I had lost ~ and I wept as
I watched her throw herself
Into your arms ~

I wonder if she knows about me ~
I wonder if she cares ~ or if
She is blinded by passion ~ as
You seem to be ~ so heedless
In your cruelty ~

It breaks my heart ~ but I must
Take action to protect myself
And our dear children ~ whom
You seem to have forgotten
In her arms ~

But when the ugliness is over
And we can speak again ~
Perhaps you will be able to
Explain to me ~ how loving her
Destroyed your love for me ~

The Love That Dared

Clarice was the name
That he cried out ~
When he woke last night
From a troubled sleep ~
My name is Laura ~

Of course I’ve worried ~
And I had hoped we had
More time ~ but I fear that his
Subconscious is warning him ~
He watches me so closely ~

I know he loves me and
I’ve tried so hard to love him ~
To keep my promises ~ but
It is in Clarice’s arms ~ not
Stephen’s ~ that I go up in flames ~

It seems as if my body is as
Barren as my heart where
He is concerned ~ so there
Will be no child to care
For us when we grow old ~

There is no help for it we
Must leave soon ~ I will take
My dowry ~ which he does
Not need ~ and I will leave
A letter and my wedding rings ~

By the time he reads it we will
Be long gone ~ sister widows
Who will share a quiet home
By day ~ and nights
Filled with secret passion ~

(Before anyone asks, this is not personal to me, but is one of the stories waiting in the ether to be told.)

The Gift of Love

We plunder the landscapes

Of each other’s bodies ~

As if in search

Of buried treasure ~

Greedy and aflame with passion ~

We strain to be closer

And then closer still ~

That shimmering horizon

Surely is within our reach ~

And there in that too-brief

Transcendant moment ~

We glimpse what beauty

There could truly be ~

In living every moment

In this lovely and exalted state ~

Unable to sustain for long this

Breathless level of existence ~

Inevitably we fall back into

Our accustomed lives ~

But not without the gift of grace ~

Granted to those

Who make the journey ~

(Originally published January 19, 2011)

The Sacrifice

Was it my breast ~
Which barely grazed your arm ~
Or was it you ~ who
Initiated the subtle contact ~
The small caress ~

I guess it doesn’t matter ~
But I do know it was that
Unexpected touch ~ which
Ignited the conflagration
That flared between us ~
Destroying the careful
Balance we had maintained ~
Until that fateful moment ~

For you are no more
Free to love than I ~
And there are hearts aplenty
To be broken ~ should we not
Turn our backs and deny
This ill judged passion ~

So far no lines have been crossed ~
No words said we cannot take back ~
But if we would both keep
The promises we have made ~
The vows unbroken and
Our honor still intact ~

This moment we have not
Acknowledged ~ must be
The only one we are allowed ~

Our eyes meet for the first
And last time ~ in this reality
We will never have or even speak of ~
But we will remember ~

Fair Warning

I am a simple soul ~
I take my pleasures
Where I find them ~
And while it’s true
That I may linger ~
Where passion leads me ~
I will not tarry longer
Than a day or so ~

So do not count on me ~
Don’t let me be the one
You build your hopes on ~
I can’t be what you want
Your dream of love to be ~
There is a restlessness
Inside ~ that moves me onward
Toward my destiny ~

Perhaps I simply fool myself ~
Ashamed of my inconstant heart ~
But either way I am a guarantee
Of heartache I would spare you ~

So I will leave you here untouched ~
Or I will love you and move on ~
You know I want you
But the choice is yours ~
And you must take the chance ~

If I can change for you I will ~

The Pearls

I reach for the pearls
That you gave me ~
And clasp them
Round my neck ~
The last gift that
You gave me ~
My last tie to you ~
Lies cold and heavy
Against my skin ~
The way my heart
Lies leaden in my breast ~

And I wonder if
It will ever go away ~
This chill that ices
My bones ~ and
Makes all thought
Of warmth and comfort ~
Seem like a mirage
Or a magic spell ~
From long ago ~

Sometimes I think
I should rid myself
Of this last reminder ~
But I know
I never will ~ just
As I know that I
Will never be rid
Of the memory of you ~

I wonder
If you ever think of me ~
If you ever remember
The good times ~
Before it all went
So very wrong ~
So very quickly and
So finally ~

So hate me if you will
But don’t forget me ~
I could bear anything
But that ~

If I would go on ~
I must believe that ~
So long as this world
Shall hold us both ~
You will remember me ~
As I remember you ~

(Originally published November 29, 2012)