Conditionals
Posted by Cortney Charleston | Filed under Poetry, Print
If George Clinton had become President
And Chocolate City never melted
If the bird flipped was a peace symbol
Like its name implied
If nerd was sexy and paid as such
If homies on the corners listened to Common Sense
Before he went commercial
If money grew on trees
And didn’t leave cotton splinters
If the elector’s voted like they went to college
If college didn’t treat me
As just another commodity
If the dreams weren’t always more vivid than reality
If drinks tasted the same
In cans and bottles
If marijuana was conjoined
With every new treaty
If food was served family style every night
If rain came at uniform speed
And always with deliberate warning
If the clocks had fatter faces
Then, life would be air conditioned
Crown
Posted by sstolzoff | Filed under Announcements
C it starts with a wall
Dare to climb
and you can slide
down long enough
so you r comfortable
but then you must take a leap of faith
Waterfall crash to o
like a ring bearers cushion
with just enough support
to caress something
as delicate as an upside down w
The rolling hills of royalty peak
before a soft n to plateau
left unfinished as a cliff hanger
Before you
d
r
o
p
into the abyss of a flat kingdom
Handshake
Posted by Marion Smallwood | Filed under Poetry, Print
i’m a gentleman, you said.
a hopeful romantic, i thought.
a loose eyelash, a fleshy daydream,
a constant reminder to pray.
here’s what went unimagined:
we exchange stories and swap the endings,
hardly noticing how neatly my shoulder tucks under your arm,
or how your hand recites the poetry in my back,
skipping over the lines that are about someone else.
we forget just to practice remembering.
you tell me about my details,
about how entering my flesh is like stepping into the same river twice
about what i feel like midday in july,
you told me which of my smiles is the aftermath of a laugh,
the wreckage is sideways.
we learn each other like we’re something to pass and take again
a great class, a flying color, a love note, the salt from across a long table.
i gotta park in my skull for you to walk through,
a thought in my palm for you to hold—hold that thought,
i promise to be right back.
i promise that things won’t be like they’ve been.
let me show you how much you can carry on that back,
how well you can see in the dark,
what is possible to hear and know and write in a journal.
but the universe is a prankster and timing is everything.
let me tell you what actually happened:
our lips didn’t even touch.
you smiled and i blushed.
you told me the color was crimson
but i didn’t believe you.
you shook my hand and said you were a gentleman.
you told me your name, but i only remembered hers.
the universe has a cruel sense of humor.
it skips to the punch line, shows us the world has fists.
it gambles with a life spread across both sides of a coin.
i wanted him knowing not even the thought of him was mine.
and we all know what happens when you laugh too hard.
Inspiration
Posted by Justin Reilly | Filed under Poetry, Print
I met a Queen once
she had a smile that reeked of
“i’ve been there before”
and “it’s been awhile since we’ve met”
so lets take a moment to get re-acquainted
The last time we cuddled like this
we were merely thoughts
muddled between heavy breathing and “i love you’s”
playing hopscotch in heaven
i remember letting you win
knowing it would come in handy 22 yrs later
the funny thing is
you grinned
like you already knew how to make me feel like a king
I was shy for 9 months
i have a feeling you never were
everything about your breath
reminds me of the bright side of my heart
that I always tend to forget too easily
like some drunken bartender who misplaces his keys
there’s a North Star in your fingertips
I was in a hole once
more like a crater
The deepest crevice this side of heartbreak
and you candle-wax blew me a safety net
even before you knew i was drowning
there’s something epic
in that lifeguard red soul of yours
something that deserves more than words
you deserve a sonnet
spit over a shooting star
a song so beautiful
only Queens were afforded the chance to listen
but we both know
you would find someway
to let everyone in on the secret
you are everything subtle
and everything grand
a bright light under bushel basket
who waits patiently
knowing one day the world will be ready enough to see her shine
there is more than just wonder in your spine
more than just swagger in your hips
there’s a universe in your ribcage
that I’m just learning exists
a world of relief under your skin
and
the
jukebox in my chest
playing songs i’ve never heard before
and making me feel nostalgic about places
I’ve never been
A few months ago
i would have never dreamt of being
in a Greek god fairytale
A Promethean fire of a cipher
an adoration battle
between your eyes and my soul
The way you always seem to win
there something to be said for the way you glow
and the transparency of my skin
when you smile
even remotely in my direction
i light up
like red white and blue
rocket pops
in the middle of july
God has blessed me with a modern day miracle
in the sanctity of your eyes
The Mount Olympus in your voice
reminds me of everything coveted
and everything beautiful about “free will” and choice
You are the woman i’ve written about for almost a decade
a sat-fire in the dusk
a prayer that i have been blessed enough to touch
Your a soft whisper in a mother’s bedtime story
the footnote to my heart beat, the breath on my breast
a queen in waiting
a temple surrounded by holy water in your chest
you are everything i have prayed for
and everything I didn’t know i could have
you are the punchline
the climax
in every poem
I have ever written
And I am forever grateful
that God blessed me with the chance
to meet
My inspiration
