OPEN MIC ARCHIVES
JULY, 1998

Updated July 13, 1998

reunion: the closet in my skeleton

she carries her blonde close to the nape

tugging war with monday's wet

she is not my ghost

still i am haunted by a similar glory

like pillows bathed in the scent

of pre-dawn rhetoric

the child of a child's finger paintings

whose subject turns

from yard scapes

to e-scapes

and the price of life

is too dear

--brett clay miller--

-----------------------------------

for so long belongs

the blue of seasons gone

the cyclic echo

of all that went wrong

--------------------------

These are the things that I treasure

These are the things that love can't measure

Deer prancing in a field somewhere

People in love without a care

Leaves falling to the ground in the fall

The beginnings of a sturdy wall

Life is full of beautiful things

Like a baby bird spreading his wings

Raindrops on a sunny day

With rainbows across the way

Fireworks lighting up the night

Giving the world a brilliant sight

By: Becky Gross

--------------------------------------

Underneath the black velvet sky

Full of sparkling stars shining bright

Your soft gentle hand is on my thigh

And your kisses softer than candlelight

We float on a delicate cloud of ecstasy

Below the full yellow moon above

We whisper sweet nothings with sincerity

And in our hearts we share a perfect love

-----------------------------------------

We look out over the sea,

Wondering about our dreams,

I kiss your soft wet lips,

While we listen to the rain,

drip, drip

Keeping me from harm,

You hold me tight in your arms,

We sit in front of the flames,

All I can say is,

I'm so glad you came.

We lay in between the sheets,

While you tell me,

I'm yours forever

and for keeps

-------------------------------------

I MISS YOU

~Rori~

I miss you

More than any of my words could ever express

I need you

Here with me

Inside of my soul

I want your soft breath in my ear

Whispering

Sweet nothingness into my ear

I want you to read to me again

To hear your words, filling the air around me

I want your lips to trace my body

I need you

Forever and always

------------------------------------------

a fairy tale... spun from dew moistened webs..

strung along the ferns of the forest glen..

the sound of a flute heard in the distance..

and a ladybug.. landing on a butterfly's wing..

carried off...

by the dragonfly

- - val

--------------------------------------

Friends of Consequence

She looks upon me with darkened eyes

a gaze that makes my emotions arise.

From whence I came to socialize

on whether or not to scrutinize.

This gaze,

This stare,

her gentle glare,

wreaks havoc upon my inner despair.

Friends we are and will always be.

We may never know love only ecstasy.

---------------------------------------------------------

Press on

for you never know what

the dawn might bring.

Today you could

touch the heart of one

who may never see the light,

if not for you.

Today you could

bring a smile

to one who has no hope.

Or today you could

touch the soul

of one who has no tomorrow.

Press on

when you heart is heavy,

and your body is tired;

for somewhere

there is someone

who needs you

today!

------------------------------

See purple dreams- doubt everlasting fantasies- and strain to express promise- live among passion like a ghost- never hurt your heart- never be shocked by empty eyes- when yesterday dies- believe the tears you cry- make it all that I could not.

---------------------------------------------------------

a life worth living is not in hate

why do they enjoy this pain

a soul cries out for its only love

lost in all the lies from above

this death that rules all our live

is not part of the christian lie

forgiving my only breath

for uttering the dreaded name

finding my self in destruction and pain

calling my name she stands out

loving me with no doubt

together forever we say

through the pain of hell

and the horrors of heaven we shall make it

to the shores of utter bliss.

------------------------------------------

SECRET BLUE EVENINGS

Only pronounced like summer's lace:

Your eyes, your chin, your shining face

By darkest morning; glowing fresh

As blossoms burn upon my breast.

Let secret blue evenings pass our way.

Your song, like slender blossoms sway

With me as I stagger in the shower;

Your absence bruises every hour.

To think about a tendril wild

And how you laughed like liquid smiles.-

-------------------------------------------

LONG SINCE FORGOTTEN

BY:CHARITY SILLS

The eyes that once gazed lovingly into mine

Now fail to see me

The love and compassion has turned into apathy

And been replaced by an evil cold stare

The whispers of love have faded away

Harsh words have taken their place

So many promises left undone

And explanations left unspoken

The lover long since forgotten

Has never begun to forget

-----------------------------------------

Upon the one

who bore immortality

i remember forgetting

i had to mourn for

the farthest thunder

the gleam is quiet

as silent as

my spirit

How life's bleakness

stole my fate

He did not fall

he did not acknowledge to fail

For the one

i bore, just began to

realize...

It hurts to live

Elizabeth Hope

------------------------

"Windswept"

The wind tosses his mane,

as he stands,

upon the cliff,

his muscles tense,

he smells another,

he lets out,

a shrill,

devilish cry,

to warn others,

not to come near,

for it is,

the time of year,

when he will fight

to the death,

to protect his herd,

from the advances of others.

------------------------------

I soar in the day

I soar in the night

I sore all over

In my heart

Its so tight

I want him so much

To taste and to touch

He looks so delicious

So scrumptious and suspicious

I soar in the day

I soar in the night

I sore all over

Cause I can't get it right.

-----------------------------------

SECOND APPEAL

In my mind I know how you truly feel

But my heart wants a second appeal

In my mind I know that we will never be

But its a part of my heart that wants

us to be together until eternity

In my mind i'm wishing on a star

In my heart it is not a star to far

In my mind I know how you truly feel

But my heart wants a second appeal

---------------------------------------

My heart has been broken

you've made my life blue.

My words left unspoken

hidden from you.

You've taken my heart

without the slightest clue.

I wanted to be a part,

just a small piece of you.

And now here I stand

all on my own.

You will never understand

how it feels to be this alone.

You ask what this is about

I tell you it's because,

you've never lived without

this game we call love.

-----------------------------------

You're With Me

By Melissa Paradice

Your picture's on my dresser

Your chain's around my neck

Your ring is on my finger

Your presence here still lingers

Your kiss is on my lips

Your touch is on my skin

Your love is in my heart

You are the one, you're him

Your taste is on my tongue

Your song is in my head

Your name is on my books

You're in my bed

Your hand is in mine

As our bodies do entwine

No matter where you are

A part of you is in my mind

-----------------------------

Romeo and Juliet

our confusions amend.

Why must all good things

come to an end?

Our lives are a game

for some higher force,

fighting, violence, drugs

separation, divorce.

These terms are familiar

don't act so surprised,

we see at least one

in each of our lives.

Oh please don't be fooled

there are many more.

They don't care about who,

for rich or for poor.

If life is a highway

then it's a traffic jam.

Nobody said it was easy

deal with it the best you can.

---------------------------------

You ain't got no clue where you are

walk the streets in a daze

you beat me up

you bring me down

I'm not who you are

I'm not part of you

I hang my head in shame

Everyone knows my name...

Everyone knows my name

Insane as the sun

I hide myself away

The pain you give is true

walk the grocery store aisle

I run away from you

I run away from me

I try to hide my scars

Smile in ignorance

The damage shows right through

Everything about me is from you.

------------------------------------

MY POETRY

~RORI~

Lightning words

Pouring from my soul

My finger tips expressions

Of love

Hate

And all that great emotional mumbo jumbo

Feeling the pulling need, of ink to paper

Typed words to this screen

As my brain formulates theses poems

Works filter through me

Some lost

In my dizzying

Poetry mind

Understand my words

And you will get through to me

Poets forever

These words shall never die

-------------------------------------

SWF

Wife is a word that cuts me like a knife.

I can not imagine a married and stable life.

Roaming, going, loving and leaving,

These words are my style, my inside yearning.

To be in bed with a man I will stay with forever --

Just the thought makes me bored and want to shudder.

Routine and monotony are not in my vocab;

I would love to write more, but I'm on my way to rehab.

ninrinse@aol.com

--------------------------------------------

Thirty

My functioning is getting hard to funct;

And my luck is all worn out.

On the inside I've been deceiving,

On the outside I've been receiving.

Deprivation of one's soul,

Leads to a mind out of control.

Speak to me in riddles I can understand,

Put me into your strong hands.

I'm sliding down the side of the mountain,

Catch me before I reach the bottom.

ninrinse@aol.com

---------------------------------------

A Precious Gem

She is as a diamond bathed in light,

Deep, full of mystery, fiery, bright.

Deceitful fragility dissembles

While Mother Earth herself be humbled.

If you might, you may cut her deep

But shame is all you'll reap.

For once she's so scored

She'll never be as before.

------------------------------------

N othing can compare to this,

I have never seen it before.

N othing can compare to this,

A nd I wish I could see it more.

A gainst all odds I've searched for this,

U nderstanding not why I always miss.

S omething so deep, something so rare,

T hat I wish I could find it anywhere

I n my heart it's like a dove,

N othing can compare to.......LOVE!

-----------------------------------------

INTIMATE

to hold your heart tenderly in my hands

to softly embrace your soul

to gently caress the essence of your spirit

this is to be truly intimate

and only through true intimacy will one find true love

by nick philips

---------------------------

Mercy comes in the form of pain

daylight shines in the nightly rain

mind and body are as one

separate together as they come

soul will divide in the end

come together with a blend

eyes will look up to the sky

but dirt they will see when they die

out come of the end is question

the true answer is merely suggestion

semantics have the solution hidden

yet so old it may be maggot ridden

searching searching for the know

as always it evades with the winds blow

--------------------------------------

come october when i die

dressed in black the angels cry

telling stories of my life as they saw

that behind my eyes was nothing at all

thirty one days, this month of pain

in silence the leaves beat on by the rain

cry october and let the tears go

for come november, december, the snow

the first frost warns and the second one kills

october has touched and burned through the hills

now as i lay finally at peace

i know that the pain of october will cease

ms.

---------------------------------------------

With sparkling green eyes you capture

Me, in a wondrous rapture

Long flowing hair entangle

Me, in a loving strangle

Long sharp nails you scratch

Me, marked now as your catch

Your slender arms wrapped around

Me, the one I'm glad you found

----------------------------------

I no longer see you with my eyes

That's a thing that I despise

Tonight I will see you again

I close my eyes to ease my pain

In the still of the night you come

Your golden hair outshines the sun

The angel form I know so well

You take me from my private hell

Now I wish to never wake

I lost you due to my mistake

In my dreams I'm with you still

My empty heart again you fill

----------------------------------

LETTER, NEVER SENT

. . . and sometimes

I can hardly breathe

I can draw no breath

for missing you

and I know now

that what I long for

was never what I had . . .

. . . still,

I look for you

and my heart races

when I mistake a face

for yours

then I think of what

we might say and sometimes

I can hardly breathe . . .

6/12/98

camino real

------------------------------

panorama

our garden growing

dry in sudden silent suns

your shadow vanished

------------------------

when you first lied to me i thought:

white roses and strawberry ice cream

my heart forgave,

so i still dreamt sweet dreams

till...

you lie again

*nightmares now*

the ice cream's melted and the rose died

-miche'le (please tell me what you think) debraw@cigitex.net

-------------------------------------------------------

Once upon a time

roses bloomed in a meadow

where terror now reigns.

---------------------------

The Wind Whistles,

And The Thunder Roars.

As The Little Deaf Child,

Dreams The Night Away.

------------------------------

Destiny

I walk alone on a cold dark path leading to nowhere

The trees bend and bow in the wind , their leaves bend and bow in the wind

entangling in my hair .

I think to myself of all the places i would rather be

but this path is my destiny I fear

---------------------------------------------------------

Smoky Lounge Observation

Divorce her--

no dilettante she--

your sable melody raises no passion in her,

its dark tonic ring breathing magic.

I linger;

Cool piano wraps me in burgundy,

sustaining me through its amber croon.

Michael Gresley (jgresley@flash.net)

------------------------------------------

Haiku #15

celestial brain

commands man's war on gentle

species-- shoot me cold

Michael Gresley (jgresley@flash.net)

----------------------------------------

Throw rational discourse to

the dogs on the street,

embracing the essence of nature.

In her unquestioning substance,

you will observe the truth

of death and love.

Follow not the sheep of tradition;

Be an instrument of unlimited choice...

Be you...

Be free.

Michael Gresley (jgresley@flash.net)

-----------------------------------------

Haiku #18

with one careless stroke,

my bare hand breaks the steady

surface of the pond

Michael Gresley 7/6/98

(jgresley@flash.net)

-------------------------

I Miss You

in the daylight when the sun comes up

and I hear the birds sing delightfully

I Miss You

at midnight when the moon comes up

and I hear my heart beat alone in the silence

of the night

I Miss You

when I hold my pillow tight

even though everything's all right

I Miss You

when summer comes and I feel the breeze

caress me gently

I Miss You

-------------------------------------

Lost Love

I was once walking on the shore with you

walking barefoot along sand

speaking of things we'd like to do

holding each others hands

then one day you went away

to where i do not know

some foreign land to seek new love

and help from far above...

i went to the beach the other day

and looked out to the sea

wondering who you are walking with now

because it certainly isn't me

by Julie Schultz

---------------------------------------

do you realize

every time I look in your eyes,

I see something that I can not identify

but it makes me feel like I can fly,

---------------------------------

The American Dream today

feels like any other:

We live it in bed only

and forget it

when we wake up.

----------------------

who is this in the dead of night that cries to me.

a thousand cries of hate and rage,

is this voice coming from me?

a thousand cries of yes, a thousand cries of no.

what scares me is when insanity starts to make sense.

by Joe Hopkins

----------------------------------------------

please throw me a line before my wet love is drowned

every day I have to see bold people staring at me

they give me funny looks as I wax strange and profound

my beaten love hits the ground

the very bottom of an ocean, the negative of a mound

if the blue sky above can be called your true love

then my heart will be found a thousand miles below ground

to loosen my jones, just pick up the phone

talk to me like a friend and I won't feel alone

--------------------------------------------

me, as you see,

sad and alone,

fearful and shattered,

bruised to the bone,

me, as you feel,

soft as these sheets,

cold like moon,

so incomplete....

me as you hear,

thunderous pain,

agony in my voice,

each word in vain..

me as you love,

with nothing but lust,

not understanding me

as you cling to my bust....

irish523@webtv.net

---------------------------

Updated July 1, 1998

With everybody

all is well

but I feel near

the gates of Hell

I would read the Word

but all the time

I leave my Bible

far behind

I can't do this

not one more day

down on my knees

to You I pray

Help me get through

my internal strife

and bring You back

into my life

-Kesi Macon

-------------------------------

THE OTHER SIDE

GREEN GRASS IS BEAUTIFUL TO THE EYE,

BUT WHEN TOUCHED A CERTAIN WAY

IT CAN ALSO CUT YOUR FINGER !!!

Terry Setterberg

----------------------------------------------

Looking for love

It is an unlit road, late at night.

turnoffs to the left of me and turnoffs to the right.

the signs are blank, but some give warning,

so I drive unto the mourning to face the light so bright.

THE NEED

I stand alone

beneath a moonlit sky

a catch in my breath

a tear in my eye

Gregory Paul Billman

-------------------------

MISSING YOU

A candle burns at both ends,

Fire racing flame.

My mind is cluttered full of lies,

All your answers sound the same.

I don't know what to think,

Too much is on my mind,

Nothing seems the way it should,

And I'm running out of time.

The wick is disappearing,

Someone please tell me what to do!

My mind tells me that it's over,

But I'm still missing you.

--------------------------

Memories of the mrs'

ole' Mrs.

took a glimpse

outside the window

of her box.

ole' Mr.

took a memory left behind

by the sandman.

An' when he awoke...

OH, and somebody spoke out loud

and the town labeled loser stood proud,

and the children stopped cryin'

today.

Those lost found

their way.

---------------------------------------------------------

The Vase

Try to find the broken pieces,

just so you may pick them up.

Minced in ruins, fragments and stains

of life's enamored choices.

Where will the cards fall?

Cut and dealt with impaired hands.

Vain empathy, without vision

exposes the vacant heart.

To fill this great expanse,

a learned existence must wither.

New roots must inhabit, preserve the vase

that shrouds the inner man.

--------------------------------------

TEMPORARY STRUGGLE

River fury.

Streams rush, hurry

before the storm

begins to form.

Currents smash

against the rocks,

a jagged path

which water blocks.

Climb the edge

to freedoms' shore,

a sandy ledge

I've seen before.

Press my feet

within the grain.

The mark I leave

will not remain.

~travis d. keune~

--------------------------------

Right now I'm stuck

Here in this place

Just my luck,

Just in case

Now I'm here

In just one spot

No one near

The room is hot

Hold on a sec

What's this I see?

What the heck

It's only me

Trapped once more

Without hope

What's this for?

For me to cope?

I'm just fine

Here and now

Not a whine,

A "what?" or "how?"

A pen, some paper

Some pocket lent

Healing vapor,

From a vent

That's all I've got

And no more

Left here to rot

Wow, what a bore

----------------------

Because of burning sands of shifting time,

What I owned is no longer mine.

There is a need to watch the gates you see,

And that job belongs to me.

Don't be fooled by ones you have to hate,

Don't start following those who breach your gate.

Fight as a dragon and spread your wings,

Spread your wings and fly with the unicorn kings.

-------------------------------------------------

I once sailed on a stormy sea,

The only one who survived was me.

I swam and I swam till I reached a bay,

And that is how I got here today.

Help me get back to my home,

Where the grass is green wherever you roam.

Where the people dress in silver and black,

One day I will go back.

-------------------------------------------------

Remembering...

Daddy

The feel of small hands in large ones

experienced folds of flesh

worn like hide

blanketing the hands

of a novice of life

rapped safely away from harm

immobilized with pain and sorrow

tired eyes staring ahead at nothingness

---------------------------------------

Oh Addiction
how may forms do you take?

So afraid to feel

I ran and ran

finding wine, sex, and food

After wine my mornings came late

After sex time stopped, Nothing got done

then Large became my stomach

But by far the worst, was

to awake with marks

The costume became the same

Long sleeves everyday

The cowards cover

for weak spots on the soul

Trading one addiction for another

-------------------------------------

The man I once knew
will I know him again?

that passion of long ago

hidden from all eyes

came forth one night

pushed away, after, I cried

that man I once knew

gone forever, I thought

passion, hidden from eyes

came forth, on the other side

2 night it did come

pushed away , after, I understood

that passion from long ago

pushed down deep inside

into the recesses of my soul

hidden safely from eyes

--------------------------------

Missed it!

Love is like a very small train,

it comes and goes so quickly.

But, whenever it's time to board

that train, I always seem to miss it!

------------------------------------

On the verge

I sit and wait

Reminiscing

That night

Shallow tears fall

Blood everywhere

I can no longer wait

Impatient

Scolding water

Patters against my bruised face

The tiles give

Militant feelings

Death becomes welcome

But still I cling

What???

Do I have a reason

I want to give in

I want to die!

-----------------------------

Since you been gone I been missing you

Thinking about you all the time

Even though I know you are out of reach the

Past so far away now

How will I ever get over you?

Even after all this time I love you and

No one can ever take that love from me...

KRISTY20@webtv.net

-------------------------------------------

AN OLD WOMAN'S HEIRLOOM OF LUNACY.....

WRINKLES OF WOVEN LACE UPON HER FACE

SHE DEFTLY CATCHES WITH HER MIND

THAT WHICH ONLY SHE CAN SEE.

THESE MANY YEARS BEHIND THE MIRRORS

OF OTHER PEOPLES FACES.

HIDDEN THOUGHTS

UNSPOKEN

UNGRIEVED AND UNSEEN.

COMPANIONED ONLY BY THE DEAFENING

BEATING OF HER HEART,

SHE WEAVES HER LUNACY CAREFULLY

AND JUST SO.

EVERY STRAND UNRAVELED FROM THE PAST,

AND PLACED

ALMOST LOVINGLY

INTO THE LACY SHAWL

THAT IS HER FACE.

---------------------------------------------------------

Plain Jane

Had nothing to gain

so she jumped in front of the morning train

It hurt so bad

she was so sick of the pain

It hurt so bad

He won't hurt her again....

----------------------------

I PROMISE

I PROMISE TO BE THERE WHENEVER YOU NEED ME

I PROMISE TO BE THERE WHEREVER YOU WANT ME

I PROMISE TO LOVE YOU AND NO ONE OTHER THAN YOU

I PROMISE BUT DO YOU PROMISE, TOO?

TO SEE YOU FOR A SECOND GIVES ME COURAGE TO LIVE

SO WHATEVER YOU WANT I WILL GIVE

SO MANY PROMISES I WANT TO KEEP FOR YOU

JUST TO SHOW THAT MY LOVE IS TRUE

---------------------------------------------------------

HOPE

WHEN YOU THINK YOU JUST CAN'T COPE

I WILL GIVE YOU SOMETHING CALLED HOPE

WHEN NO ONE ELSE SEEMS TO BE THERE

I WILL GIVE YOU SOMETHING CALLED CARE

WHEN YOU DON'T THINK YOU HAVE ANY FRIENDS

REMEMBER ME FOR MY LOVE WILL NEVER END

---------------------------------------------------------

Love Under Circumstance

The moment I heard your voice

brought memories from the past

All of the wonderful times

and all of the love passed.

We still share a love

that cannot be found

We know the love is there

safe and sound.

We had to go our separate ways

do to certain circumstance

But one day we will find one another

and this memory will be in the past.

Charles Rodrigue

-------------------------------------------

"Silencing my sorrows"

Soothing is your voice,

That draws me near.

Silencing my sorrows,

And drowning my fear.

Soft is your touch,

That cradles me right.

Dissolving the veil,

That blocks the light.

Gentle is your hand,

That graces my face.

Destroying the frown,

A smile will replace.

Sweet is your lips,

That kiss my pain.

Ceasing the tears,

Falling like rain.

----------------------------

K-Mart

Pulse soaring, as the red sluggish savior shutters and groans

to a sudden alertness. Rolling down the black paved death

at a slow jerky quickness...there it is a head, its' destiny to

rock the dance of orange seared waves. Almost there!...faulting,

slowing, gently being let down..."Mommy you got's anoder quarter? Me fire engines run out-a gas"

---------------------------------------------------------

The World Without YOU

Is Like A dessert

Made Of Stone

Gray And Ice-cold

Dreams go on

Darkness disappears

You Are there

For one A little unknown Star

For Me a Huge Sunlight

------------------------------

The Candle

The orange candle burns.

The yellow flame high,

Heat escaping; warming the jar.

The sparkling crystal glows from the flame,

And the orange candle burns down to a lonely wick.

---------------------------------------------------------

DREAMERS

A pair of star-crossed lovers

cross each others' path

in dreams of one day meeting

their one true love at last

They dream sweet dreams

of awakening tomorrow

lying next to that special someone

no longer alone in sorrow

These dreams dream

of leaps of faith

they only hope and pray

that fate will bring someone their way

So dream, you dreamers

of all your heart's desires

for someday your dreams will come true

just wait & be patient

and it will happen to you.

---------------------------------------

Playing all of these tricks,

I am the fool.

Never finding the answers,

Never relieving this soul.

Not understanding...

Why this happened to me.

I have tried so many times,

Wanting to break free.

------------------------------

Silent Expression

Show respect and listen

All is not what it seems

Walk from corner to center

One look shows the attitude

Reverberate without an echo

Tension flares eye to eye

Emotions direct silent sounds

Display game face of expression

No words are needed to feel

Forgive and not forgotten

Exit after the entrance

------------------------------

"CLOSE ENOUGH"

Whereas the wind blows,

softly shall mine soul

land upon a blanket of

clouds

Close enough so as to

touch the stars in the

heavens.

Written By: Monica N. Hollwager

--------------------------------------

Untitled

Out of the corner of my eye

I see you looking in my direction

And it makes me wonder if you know

You are the object of my affection

Since I know I've got your attention

There's so much I'd like to say

But I keep my eyes faced forward

Because I don't want you to turn away

by: Kesi Macon

--------------------------------------

Outrun the wind

I'm coming first -

Sharp caresses on my back.

-------------------------------

"There's magic in his hands"

cried the raven through the mist

He grasped the dagger with his hands

and closed it in a fist

"I have grown full though not as others,

I've forgotten all my dearest brothers'

so today I make a stand."

He released the dagger from his hand

Blood sprang forth from in his chest

"I think this way would be the best."

He'd made it so it'd not be botched

and all this happened as the raven watched.

--------------------------------------------------

the lazy man lies on the beach

closed to the world with the loss of speach

chimney stack smokes up his lungs full

sleek slacks slippin on the sea

breachness upon stillness a big lull

the future spinning on a loom

the skies spell out doom

the whistles of the creamy white croon

echoes the craters on the sun stun struck moon

by yours truly

Daved Youngblood

if you like write me dyoung4@tiger.lsu.edu

-----------------------------------------------

Dark

As I sit in the dark;

the candle continues to burn.

Soon it runs out.

Such a sad world;

Nothing lasts forever.

Continue to watch from a distance,

Don't get too close;

It'll break your heart.

By: Erin Raab

Age; 14

--------------------------

POEMMAKING

Sunburnt sundown naked

glows like a vein of gold

on the white unruffled linens.

First: bud whispers, then roses

Soft caresses folding, unfolding.

Tongues blowing darts of fire,

Searing memories, spilling shapes

Lines that climb like rainbows

High- higher, crest thinner, finer

Brighter, Burst!

Then: one seed is sown and words

Like swollen rivers of golden sunrays

Sunflares are written!

-------------------------------

Note the slide in my step

How I float along

Note the length my arms do reach

So powerful and strong.

Note the smile on my face

That grin from ear to ear

An endearing feature to behold

On this face that knows no fear

Note the chest and abdomen

This trunk as sturdy as an oak

Muscles ripple as I move

As the ocean fresh awoke.

Note the legs and arms and smile

Note the torso strong

Note the lack of consciousness

These eyes just don't belong.

--------------------------------------

INNERINSANITY

I need to KILL again,

why won't it ever stop??

I'm living sin, iv'e no more will,

,yet a murderer i'm not.

I'm not insane, yet i crave blood,

death is all i see.

He's in my brain, he's where i stood,

hell has no mercy on me......

BY. JOHN H JONES

---------------------------------

Midnight.

With sad steps and frowning gaze, the moon climbs into the heavens.

It's glowing, sickly, yello haze, lights mans dreams with twisted maze.

It's one past midnight, all is silent yet,

nightmares live in slumber slept.

All lay silent in their bed's,

And all their joy now full regret..

John H Jones

---------------------------------------------------------

NIGHTMARE

grasping reins

sweaty palms

alien trails

silent screams

rapid beats halting

at dawn

val

---------------------------------

the treaty

silent lumination

gently falling

blanket of white

cold covering

peace

val

------------------------------

CYPRESS POD

dried and dead,

fallen

awakening,

bursting

new life form

emerging

val

(allieo@mailexcite.com)

-------------------------

So a time began

I became weary of being man

bound by earthly chains

doomed to endure these mortal pains

tearing at my soul

swept and tossed to-and-fro

on an ocean dark and brooding

depths blackened and foreboding

candle lights the path bright and true

the flame flickers as joy turns to rue

melted, faded is life's mirth

and so questioned is its worth

the mask is lifted; now I see

life is an exercise in futility

---------------------------------

Rose

Rose, a sign of love,

A feeling that glistens through your mind.

It's scent makes your nose twitch;

It's petal softer than skin...

A feeling you will always remember.

------------------------------------------

I would rather teach

Ten thousand stars

How not to shine

Than to teach myself

How to stop loving you.

----------------------------------

Anonymity of the heart

the unanswered, sought for truth

One can not be deemed as unfaithful

for mere honesty

Nor thought of as intrusive

when led to this point

----------------------------

How was I to know?

That I would feel this much...

fall that hard...

miss your touch?

How was I to know?

the pain could last this long...

you would break my heart...

like some sad country song?

How was I to know?

----------------------------

If I were granted one wish

you would see

That what you had witnessed

was often not me

Pulled from beyond

from some stranger that be

Staging a show for your pleasure

jealous hatred times three

--------------------------

You are so deep in my soul,

Complete my whole being.

Like the earth fills a hole

You fill my life with a feeling

That I am not alone in this world.

Your words give me feeling of comfort,

Can't stop thinking of them as I lay,

And my life is filled with color,

Like a rainbow fills the sky every day.

-------------------------------------

friends forever

Your friends are great things.

They help you out in tuff times.

They support you in

troubled times as well as great

times. Your friends are wonderful things!!!!

-Summer

--------------------------------------------

TORN PHOTOGRAPH

I am a photograph of my father

which my mother tore to pieces

in a moment of jealousy

I am on the floor

Lying

ragged edge touching ragged edge

incongruous, feeling Picasso-like

Dreaming

two-dimensional disjointed dreams

of being whole

Knowing

that someone is on their way

here to where I've been lying

Wondering

if they're bringing

tape or broom

-----------------------------

FIELDS OF FOG

TWO RIDERS

ONE BICYCLE.

THE ICY FINGERS OF TIME

WILL THEY GO THROUGH

TWO RIDERS

AND ONE BICYCLE

--------------------------

INSANITY

~Ivy~

Insanely I crave your touch

Needing you

My mind reeling

At the sinful thoughts

That race through my mind.

Needing a high

A quick fix

Of skin

And sex

It's wrong to feel this way

To need

To seek out

An uninhibited need

That plaques me

I am not bad

I am not wrong

So I tell my self

Again

And

Again

Is it wrong to surpress human needs?

Sex

Dirty

Hot

Craving it

(sorry had to get it out)

---------------------------------

held.

Cracks on my hands

Scars on my face

Wrecks in my plans

Strangers in my place.

-----------------------

Here's a red red rose for showing you care, here's a purple violet for showing you're there.

My friend I'll never forget you and all those times we were together, even if we never met.

Here's a orange tulip for being there whenever I fell, here's a white daisy for always being my pal.

My role model who was always there and the greatest friend who always cares.

To all who care for me who's there, forever until we all depart from our natural hearts.

---------------------------------------------------------

MAD WORLD

Mangled souls look for

Angels of death while on

Drugs, they are high and crazy.

Worthless minds destroyed by

One more hit become

Restless souls searching for

Life without death and finding

Death without life.

------------------------------------

Not As Sweet

The sun was a bright yellow

and filled my pores with warmth.

And I was speaking to you

words that form my character...

Words that stain my lips like strawberries

but, perhaps, were not as sweet.

I felt your eyes digging into my skin.

Chilling some of the warmth, making to sun

not as bright.

------------------------------------------

My Love

The worst that I have ever felt when I am with you

is better than the best I have felt without you

--------------------------------------------------------

the weary tree sends its come hither pulse.

It's vexing branches wrap around my hair,

as tight as a whip as cold as your heart.

The icicles serenade the veins in my skin.

My shows are made of rubber,

my heart of tine.

So easily mangled with,

So easily ruined

My blood is of the hardest stone.

My hands are as the thorns of a rose.

My body tells you of stories unknown.

my kiss of death

shields only me at night.

You're on your own

battling this darkness.

---------------------------------------------------------

Cooler in the Shade

I see your shadow in your window

Your silhouette's created by your shade

You don't know I stare at you

through my own window,

when the stars greet us at night

My eyes follow your every movement

as you sit at your desk and

write word after word until

your hands are as tired as your head

I wait for the night when your shade is lifted

and you catch me staring at you

In my dreams, you smile at me and tear your shade down

By Tame Ames

---------------------------------------------------------

Flowers Die (crush)

Long ago, you came with roses

and I pushed you aside.

I dropped the petals as I walked away

and told you "flowers die"

By Tame Ames

-----------------------------

clouds
by:holly herd

clouds are beautiful.

They are shapes and sizes.

some look like people and some look like animals.

clouds, clouds they are wonderful.

clouds are different colors.

clouds are high in the sky.

clouds are where birds fly.

clouds are very beautiful.

age 12.

---------------------------------------------------------

Battle

She shunned away all happiness and gladness...

and kept death close to her side.

A wild man feel in love with her... and fought to be next to her.

Then, when he was broken, she reached down and picked him up...

and kissed him on his lips.

his eyes opened, and a tear fell to the floor.

he had won...

---------------------------------------------------------

Care A Bit

I cried myself to silence

I cried myself to sleep

I cried him a thousand oceans

Which he never came to meet.

I could even cry myself to death

But he wouldn't care a bit

Because of so much pain I've caused him

He doesn't care a bit!

~Mayra Flores~

1998

(Dedicated to Esteban Benitez Garcia)

Con Mucho Amor!

-------------------------------------------

Fragments of my heart lay all around me

The pain so fresh

How will I ever forget?

Now you want a piece of my heart,

Even though it's broken

But that would mean giving away,

What once was his

Even though it hurts,

I can't let go

So you reach out for me

And I turn away,

Wondering,

Did I just make another mistake?

-------------------------------------------

EMERALD EYES
L.L. FOREMAN

I climbed the staircase of rain

To see the thunder drip from your eyes

My blood ran as naked shadows

along the edge of your pain

Pulling the ceiling over my eyes

I Kiss your salty apology

You spin me silk lowers

by the light of my departure

Descending the staircase of death

The thunder has turned to ice

---------------------------------------------------------

Locked in my own box.

Pierced with swords, laughed at, taunted.

Can't let myself go.

Hold myself, weeping.

Why must I enslave myself?

Could I enjoy it?

No pleasure in this.

Close my eyes, think happy thoughts.

Whisk myself away.

The happy thoughts worked.

Now it's time for an encore.

I opened my box.

--------------------------------------

SHE SHOULD HAVE DEID HERE AFTER!

I close my eyes and see you.

The pits of hell and his face

His face screaming in pain

And his wounds,

Cuts in the great earth itself.

The blood it flows the nightmare shows

My wife, My love, Diving to her death

Her face, Her blood, Her gold band.

Then I see myself, me

The blood flowing and I

Without a life

My head on a stick

My crown vanished.

NO!

By Rachael Button

---------------------------------------

Ocean breeze, and Ocean spray,

Please don't keep me at bay.

Let me join in thy embrace,

And drowned me in thy sweet taste.

Show me the way into your everlasting whirl,

So that I may become your only Pearl.

Colette-------ladyinlake

-----------------------------------

USED....
By ..Judah Thomas Zetterberg

Love is a feeble soul

put on a platter to consume

to every body else's differences

to be eaten like a grape

from pluck to stem

digested in the stomach

to then be flushed with ignorance

a livid existence only to find

......a raging scar..........

--------------------------------

EARLY THIS MORNING

THE MOON LOW IN THE SKY

ONE LONE STAR AND

MY TWO DOGS AND I

ONLY SHADOWS TO SEE

BUT OH WHAT I HEARD

FROM THE BIG OAK TREE

THAT HID THE BIRD

SOFTLY, THEN BOLDER

IT WHISTLED A TUNE AS IF

CONDUCTED BY THE

LIGHT OF THE MOON

THE CLOUDS PLAYED THEIR

GAME OF TAG IN THE SKY

NATURE PERFORMING

FOR MY TWO DOGS AND I

--------------------------------------

PRETTY LITTLE BUTTERFLY

WITH WINGS SO SHEAR

TURN YOUR EYES TOWARD ME

AND FLY OVER HER

I WON'T CATCH YOU OR HARM YOU

I JUST WANT TO SEE

WHAT GOD HAS MADE

SO PERFECTLY

----------------------------

Broken-Hearted
By: Jessica Arnica

Shattered because he left you

for someone else

You have gaps in your heart

where he was part

Crushed over him because

you loved him so much

Overcome by grief and despair

Your heart stopped beating

when he never said

good-bye before he left you

sitting Broken-hearted.

------------------------------------

To Hope

By:Jessica Arnica

To hope is to desire with

expectation of fulfillment

A wish for something great

To hope is to trust with all

your heart

One will never let you down

To hope is to be reliable,

dependable, and trustworthy.

--------------------------------

To Kiss
By :Jessica Arnica

To kiss is to touch or caress

with the lips as a mark of

affection

To kiss is to touch gently or

lightly with the lips of

your lover

To kiss is the gentle contact

with the person you

love.

-----------------------------------------

To open one's eyes,

simple.

To see only love,

difficult.

Charles E. Ferris

------------------

KEYS

WHICH KEY WAS IT?

THE ONE WITH THE NICE SMILE

THE ONE WITH SOFT SKIN

THE GREAT PERSONALITY

OR COULD IT HAVE BEEN

THAT SULTRY VOICE .

WHICHEVER KEY IT WAS

YOU USED THE RIGHT ONE

TO UNLOCK THE GATES TO MY HEART

WHICH WERE CLOSED

TO ALL OUTSIDERS

NO ONE WAS ALLOWED THERE

BUT SOME HOW

FOUND THE RIGHT KEY

AND LET YOURSELF IN

NOW I CANT GET YOU

OUT OF MY HEART OR MY MIND

TERRANCE WM . JONES

---------------------------------

Acid bath sunrise

Eve running wildly naked

through the wanton green forest

We make love......

She was my tender Fawn

I was her raging Lion

moaning in euphoria

climaxing in motion

I believe I reached

one more cerebral

hard one..........

Moon and stars

We mate once more

the long night

Eternal falic wisdom

We cry....

We laugh...

We sigh........We are used for one another

------------------------------------

i look at you and you smile at me.

smiles from you are like gifts of joy.

never enough of them.

but always just enough.

when i hold you you smile at me.

i look into tour beautiful green eyes and they smile at me too.

i hold you closer and you smile more.

you pull me closer and i smile more.

the more you smile the more i smile.

the closer you come the more i smile.

the more you smile.

the more i smile.

---------------------------------------------

Your Heart

I see something red, big and beautiful

It's a thing I never imagined to see,

But the weirdest thing was,

That it was yours.

It kept you alive

It kept your love

you know what it was?

It was your heart that's what it was.

~Mayra Flores~

1998

----------------------------------

Ruined Love

Look into my eyes

There is nothing

But love for you.

Apologies,

That don't have forgiveness

Love,

That'll never fade or vanish

Tears,

That fall every single night

Ruined Promises,

That I made and broke

Ruined Love,

Ruined Everything,

That can't be appointed.

~Mayra Flores

1998

(Dedicated to Esteban Benitez Garcia)

*With All My Love*

---------------------------------

Crossed Love

Our love is like a rose newly sprung in June

Every time that rose grew

Our love sprung even more.

But then....

Our love was like a rose, unanalyzed

No water

No sun

No love

that same rose had no impotent.

That rose had a crossed life

Just like our crossed love.

~Mayra Flores

1998

(Dedicated to Esteban Benitez Garcia)

With All My Love!

------------------------------------------

You and me

could it just be

the way I think of you constantly

You got me where you want me

You're the spider

I'm the fly

I can't break free

cause I never try

Your on my mind and in my heart

I wish that we would never ever be apart

You can't imagine how much you mean to me

so why can't you and me

just be.

--------------------------------------------

a no-see-ums kiss

lightly felt, life's touch often

equally itches

------------------------

Washed away

i was an innocent child

with a heart full of love

he took control of my weakness

my innocence washed away like rain

leaving me feeling so used, so violated

i can say i didn't know better

i can say its not my fault

i can say he lied.......

but what's the use

the innocence is gone

the little girl left far behind

the end

------------------------------

The End

Marks of anger across her face

she takes herself to another time and another place

Her blood runs cold and her eyes of steel

At this point she can no longer feel

She looks below and wants to see

If the woman lay there beaten is she

The angels sing and lights do glow

and she knows that she must go

She runs to the light and cries for joy

because she knows she will soon be God's toy

Return to the belly of the Archives for more.

Back to the AHA!POETRY Homepage for a breath of fresh air.

OPEN MIC ARCHIVESJULY, 1998

OPEN MIC ARCHIVES
JULY, 1998