Meat

The man who moved into town
three seasons ago
owned a quiet little shop
near Twilight Street and Old Crow

He worked the earliest hour
and the one nearest to dark
waiting for those running late for supper
or following the ones jogging in the park

A clever whisper and a snide hello
into his van, their limp body would go
past Willow Wind Pond
where white spider lilies grow

He was patient with each limb
as pieces slid across his scrapping table
tearing and peeling and striping
collecting the rib and round to label

No newspaper listed
any missing neighbor
no legal authority search
for recognition of his labor

And when folks in town would gather dismay
he would assert with heat
that he was the only one in town
who served fresh meat

Sharing a bit of fright with dVerse Poets on Open Link Night.

Sweetmeat

The smell of sweetmeat
carries a wisp of wind
and a cluster of
swoon swept
strawberry leaves,
to gather underneath
a butternut tree, bringing upon
a  waterlike dream
After the snow
the countess wakes
from her beauty sleep
swallowing slices of
buttermilk cream,
capturing winter glow in
her silver star emollient
smothering layers
of clouds and steam
across her salt scotched skin
Her arteries plump, hungry for
shimmer and gold,
saturated veins carrying impure blood
back to her heart
The reflection in the mirror
speaks rage and rumple
countless hours of
bloodless sleep
For a single stolen moment
of flickering light, she rises
only to fall back into her corpse
melting herself, silver and sugar
beneath the glittering tree, where
the Queen's sweetmeat
gathers hope
to feed her dreamlike sleep

Inspired by Shawna's Flipside Flotsam list
Shared at dVerse Poets Open Link Night

Luna

Half moon,
contrasting bloom
illuminating existence
in all things
the great still light
begins to weep
out of its drowsy sleep

New moon,
where she cradles
in the depth of bloom
between Earth and sun
silent white cinnamon pea
silver star 
scatters gold across the sea

Full moon,
aligned in celestial spirit
her shadowed speck
hidden from sight
a sound out of space
delicate feet, flowering light
the goddess of night


Written for dVerse Poets, where Mary is hosting Poetics on time and phase. 

Rainbow Haile

A special day for
the love-sick bean,

Helena
The shimmer in her heart
is confectionery,

sugar sweet
Her dance today, twice around Apollo's solar flare
Her early presence
illuminated
a crescent moon

on that day,
 the universe passed a secret message to me

a flush of glimmer came through
that wild blue moment

basking in her glistening light

as I caught the stars
at night

Happy Birthday, Haile!

We had four sons before Haile, our only girl. The boys are wonderful, she is definitely dessert. 

Sound

The heart
is a hungry casket
soundless quivering
swallowing and spitting
like the mouth
of the Aegean Sea

In the unlit place
among the ripeness
of fruit trees
I find her looking at me,
wearing bracelets
made by thieves

Out of the gap of night
a phantom crawls near,
amidst reality,
a song is heard
of a world
sound and clear

She puts my fingers against
the red lantern light
a spider sprays silk
sound, doubling in richness
brought through the wind
to the ear that listens

Water lapsing
internal crevasse, vibrations
twine tightly around our cells
afraid to relinquish
the depth beyond
our pillared self

She sits with her fingers
around an empty chalice
I look through the red
and the pink
and the pale, to find
the troubling thing

I watch her
spit her blood, white
into the cup
the sugar at the rim
transcends our shell
back(ward) towards light

Beads spill from her chest
hallowed-out,
whirling in sentiment
a circle, edges
over-sharpening
the chatter of sound

I find the thing
inside her, canker curse
terror scourge and rot
she askes me
to peel it
apart from her heart

Inspired by Shawna's Prompt Words
Sharing at dVerse Poets, Open Link Night