June Recap
As we go into the month of July, I want to revisit my favorite pieces I wrote in June. These were all so fun to write, and I am so happy with how they turned out. Here are my top four poems below (you can listen to me reciting them by clicking the file attached after the last line.
Ophelia joined her tears today,
she got caught in the rain
so many times
she decided to just swim in the flood,
her curves carried in conversation
of babbling brooks and river hush,
where they found her.
“Take thee to a nunnery.”
She did.
She washed her skin clean
and entered the chapel,
stared up at the sunlight
slipping through the canopy
ushering her to meditation,
joining her tears in their congregation.
How dare you,
flying into her grave
as if you were a hero sacrificing
themselves to catch the damsel from death,
horrified screams for you,
the worm,
as you attempt to plummet back into your tomb
before the birds pluck you apart -
your kisses still embedded in her cells
from the night before,
the passion in your words a perfect match
to the imprints on her neck.
Spineless
sensitive
seething
viper,
so ravenous, unable to savor -
We would call you an eel,
just as grotesque,
but you have proven to us
that you cannot accept tears
unless they are from yourself,
drowning in our well wishes
an insult to your name, not her memory.
You bit her.
Devilish and devious whispers
in empty halls and moonlit rooms,
teeth brushing pulse
you promised love
as you kissed and bit,
pruning reason from the bloom,
forming the armored Apple,
who can’t swim
in the river.
She joined her tears today,
how will you?
***
Fahrenheit
I am a fire that
feeds on the pages
you are reading,
taking the
discarded words
from your hands
so carefully,
Fahrenheit teeth closing around your fingertips,
hints of passion,
the acknowledgment that sharing oneself fuels both of us,
me growth,
you warmth.
****
An Ode to Io
Scientists believe that I plucked you from your destiny,
asteroids marching to their magnum opus, destruction or oblivion,
who happed to look like they could dance,
so, I pulled you in, who could blame me?
Seeing Heaven pass me by
is impossible to let go,
dreams hard to grasp
and gravity is crushing when
you are without support.
You know what?
How about you lead,
as we spin through the stars.
I want you to tell me,
what you were escaping from,
and what you believe,
if you think we can be more.
****
Honey Sweet
Out of all flowers, I chose you,
your petals severed like tear-off tabs,
used to gain chain-link confidence,
not weaved-together love,
your stem wilted from the weight of loss,
turned away from my fellow drones
that roved above you,
carrying their profit of symbiotic
relationships with them,
oblivious of you,
photosynthesis feeding on emptiness,
and quiet,
calling me to you,
the one silent in the meadow
pressed against the clovers
for luck,
petals sun bleached from waiting
to see if anyone would eclipse the light for you,
still rooted to your plot,
muttering thoughts I want to know too.
I bow down to you, Sweet Thing.
My Queen will understand why,
because I have words to say,
hold on,
let me stop beating these cellophane
wings for you to hear me.
Please,
let me look into those downy eyes
so you know these are Words,
not words that were stolen,
these are consonants, vowels,
crafted in the hexagonal cells of my marrow
bleeding into my body one drop at a time.
Look,
look at me,
Sweet Thing,
I chose you, out of these flowers,
listen - my words were hard to make but -
they are made for you
and that is why I made them,
You are not a moment,
You are a lifetime,
You and I will be a constant,
there will be no constellations for our love,
we are just a bee and a flower,
nectar and protector,
bumbling fool and the one that made them so foolish,
but doesn’t it make it greater?
That no one will know this love,
and so no one can replicate this love,
it is only ours and ours alone?
Don’t look at them,
they are not us, they will shift and change like the seasons,
exchanging the same love with others,
breathing in recited poetry,
stale oxygen,
You and I,
We will be forever,
like preserved honey.
There you have it, my June Recap for poetry pieces. If you enjoyed this little anthology, check out my Instagram page, @penname.katemsine , where I post poetry, videos, and haikus in real time. Thank you again for reading and please share your favorite poem in the comments below, I would love to find what resonated with you the most!