prepare a bath of soft water
swirl in oil of rosewood
with petals of hyacinth and lavender
that I may ready myself
for my lover on Beltane...

under the pale orb in mid sky
the horns sound, questing and low
with his wolves tracking the scent
the Beltane beast will not get far
for they shall run it to ground.

a cup of spiced clover honey meade
to wet my lips and warm my blood
to make us both sing high notes.
somewhere in the night my lover
rides in quest of "the wild hunt"

Roll over my love
Look deeply into my eyes
Kiss me one last time

Across the street from the Mohawk
red and green, those neon lights
the movies that they showed there
brought pleasure to my nights

Four blocks down the street
my grade school to fifth grade
Mrs. Moore my teacher
and the reader that she made

East Main Street days are gone
they live only in memories
The apartment is demolished
there's nothing left to see

But dreams of joyful days
Mom and us older three
playing, dancing, singing songs
the house filled up with glee

The rose of my life is fading,
Petal by wilting petal.
As each falls to the ground,
A piece of my life goes with it.
But the ultimate beauty
And glorious fragrance of its bloom
Will live in my heart…
Forever.

There is nothing left of life
that death cannot resolve,
times velocity spins on stolen lips
and minute pieces of adamantine
pierce the edge of soles
worn with pain

Right here,
Where night and dawn merge
the membrane strains
cleaving, as shade blackens blue
for mere milli seconds

Standing in the hollows of night
still, watching forever shimmering
in the shadowed corner of my eye,
always a curious creature
I swallow bricks and mortar
tasting truth

Let all your raw rhymes
flow free as a stream.
In good and bad times,
like gold dust they'll gleam.

Your poems, like prayers,
send straight from your heart.
Then you and your cares
will peacefully part.

Your valuable verse
is treasure - dig deep!
Those lines that you nurse
I want you to weep.

Sow stanzas like seed
and one day you'll reap.
From heart they made bleed
all sorrow will seep!

Power is like a bird in flight,
Soaring above, with eagles sight.

Searching for the weak and easy prey,
Those through policies they can slay.

Circling in flocks to show their might,
All in protection, in case we fight.

Gorging on all the spoils of our land,
In their missions, they had planned.

Hoarding and robbing, as per their type. .
And feeding us all with their lying tripe.

And when these birds have had their fill,
They'll crush us down and render us still.

*Content Warning*
Intimate Partner Abuse and Violence

Stay
Written by Kelly Ann Wilson

I know that you were taught
That a woman’s worth
Is to give love
Oh, but if he took for granted all the love
You so freely gave
You don’t have to stay

I know you have an innocent heart
That even this cruel world
Could never change
And you can find hope and wonder
In the very smallest place
But if he says one thing
And does another entirely
You don’t have to stay

It happened
when you

flowed into
my world and

whispered
"I do."

A porcelain
vessel

became the
boundless sea.

I only want you, in my life
amongst all the misery, the strife
Angelic beauty unmatched by any
I'll do anything you ask,
menial tasks, hard labor

you're my god, my only savior
And how I despise you for it;
Spiraling further into my desire
Eternal flame, ever bursting fire,
it burns, it burns, it burns,
The longing, the lust,
I'd follow you anywhere
I love you
I love you
I love you