I took a running start leap maybe I could trampoline you
out of here or wherever you are
But instead the monitors still beep and
nurses chart the trajectory of your heart and
I invest a nickel in a returnable Fanta bottle
and twist into it a last chance love note and
place it on your nightstand with hope that
there is a beach where you are that it can wash up upon
and in the hallway I see doctors in an end-game huddle and
I wonder if they’ve seen the little girl on television too and are they discussing how to build a hole in a chest for
another misplaced heart
* * * * * * * * * *
TERESA GARCIA
Tainted Pearl
Illusion, delusion,
Go ahead and lie.
Tell me its confusion
While I secretly cry.
Heedless Devotion
I gave to you
Pulling my motion
Away from skies blue.
Trapped here in a lie
Woven by Innocent Heart,
Can you tell me why?
What was my part?
I want to spin away.
Dissolve once again.
Why should I stay
When I’m the stand-in?
A waste of my life
Dreams I let die.
I’m through with the strife.
Will you care about good bye?
Deception, conception.
The tainted pearl
The misconception
My world in a whirl.
What waterfall will cleanse
What you destroyed?
How can you amend
When I am but a toy?
You may see my face
But this spirit is in Kamikakushi.
Behind there is no trace.
Heart buried below the plum tree.
Void Within
The storm has passed
But the touch still lingers
on the ground
in patches of melting white.
I look to the blue sky
Swathed in streams of white.
The call is loud
Within this heart.
My song swells silently
Out of a living chest.
Each flake a jeweled mirror
Cast down and left behind.
I wait and I grow
This life of mine so strange.
Smiling I will carry on
And follow flutes on the wind.
Witches, Queens, Dragon’s Child
Labels and leaves in the wind.
Foundation is built upon
The wind stirring the void.
Finding the center
That which was lost
As always, what is sought
Is only found within.
The blossoms lie hidden for now
The tightly furled buds
Shuddering at the touch
Of early spring’s breeze.
Dance of the Pearl
Surrounded by harmony
I feel the music.
The beat, the tone
I see the light filling all
And the shadows
And the spaces between.
Linger here, within this frame.
Hear it, feel it, see it.
This music, this dance.
Sway with me, breathe with me.
I’ll teach you the steps
If you’ll learn.
I spin away, only to return.
Catch me, for I am the Orb.
I possess the Pearl
Within my heart.
Do you dare to reach for it?
Do you know you have us?
The walls of the crystal,
Inspect them, look closely.
All is stored within,
Inside of this space
This that we dance within.
We are the Pearl.
When you look inside yourself
Do you see it?
That Divine Mystery?
Listen for my whisper.
I want to share this secret!
The water inside me churns
And the river overflows.
I am just a channel,
An innocent river of Light,
Of Love, of Life.
Yet in my currents, deep,
There still dwells the Night.
In the night, you’ll feel me.
I Belong to you.
Buffalo In the Kettle
I stand in the kitchen
By white man's cooking fire,
Listening to people ditchin'
Home for Work's bright pyre.
I've got me a herd of buffalo
In this tiny tea kettle,
A stampede on the go
To help me through the nettle.
I pour them into my mug,
Another enclosure where they roamed.
Eventually I'll gratefully chug
‘Til satisfaction my belly moaned.
Meanwhile, I watch that herd calm.
Grazing in the cup before me,
Contemplating their return the balm
And a traditional way I've never seen.
Come back my buffalo brothers,
Once more to roam free.
Until then within others...
And here—take refuge within me!
* * * * * * * * * *
TERESA JOSEPH FRANKLIN
BACK TRACKING
This back is turned and not for turning around
I sit quietly here within this beauty spot
I have contemplated, anticipated and considered
Every angle that has been humanly possible
But for once there is a need to back track
A very, very short going back
There was no beauty, love that adorned
That wayward, unruly errant world
Now all I see is beauty that surrounds me
Filling this world with such wondrous glee
The only reflections that will be taking place
The flowers, the trees, all carefree
Like this inward spirit should be
Happiness abound, no boundaries around
Love with all my heart, oh this shall never depart
So if you see me looking back
It’s only to backtrack for a little while
REMINISCING
Whilst reminiscing, missing
I tinker at the piano keys and strings
A soft melody begins
A melody once sang and played
Played, played softly gently
Like a whisper in the wind
Never ending, never ceasing
A reflection, a replication
This can never, ever be reproduced
It was so special, exceptional, and individual
It was a love so undying, undeniable
Unquestionable, beautiful
You had me enthralled, entranced and enchanted
This world was filled with your beauty
Your charm, where I never came to any harm
Melody, melody! Oh what a tune!
You sang, sung, you hummed
You warbled, with a wobbled voice
My love, my sweet love my choice
Here I sit reminiscing
Missing you by the miles, your smiles
One day we will be reunited
With love and tenderness
Caress, caress embrace
With no departing
FEELING THE BLUES
Heck I maybe feeing the blues
But here comes the cues
Hit the music
And dance away the blues
Hit the despair, hit the sadness
The dejection, the rejection
Oh give
it some more injection
Chase it, race it
Oh dash it, crash it and bash it
Right on the head
Doesn’t matter what part
The skull, the bounce and the bonce or noodle
Or whatever you call it
This has got to go
Right out of my head
Not giving it the power
The control, the dominance
The influence, the guidance
The only guidance that is happening
Right now the guidance is
To dance
To sing , swing, stretch and bounce
Leap and jump
Get on these toes
Pull it back
Push it to the highest limits
Shout out loud
Ear-splitting, piercing scream
Let it all go
Every single woe
Go, go, go!
CASCADING
Cascading years and fears
Downwards flows
Washing away the fears and tears
Washing away the wasted years
The rocking, rocking rocks
That has toppled, collapsed, tumbled
Your world
Tattered, battered, shattered
Way down in the depths
Of despair
But down there in the despair
There is a light a shining
Shining so bright, maybe just a glimmer to you and I
But it is there within the tumbled weeds
The moss the stones, the grit and grime
That has gathered over time
* * * * * * * * * *
YELLE HUGHES
Because of You
My whole life has changed
Because of You
Belief in love has been restored
Because of You
I can truly smile again
Because of You
My heart skips a beat
Because of You
I found my best friend
Because of You
My love for the Lord is shared
Because of You
My search for my soul-mate has ended
Because of You
God has shown me that real men do exist
Because of You
My body is starving and will soon be fulfilled
Because of You
Because of you my darling, you have brought beauty back into my world.
I love YOU
The Essence of You
Fresh…Wild…Explosive and Pure
Your aura shines brightly in the night
As my hands run lightly
Along your shoulders
To slide in your midnight hair
I walk around you and slip silently into your lap
Obsidian eyes stare into mine
As I trace the dark arches above the windows to your soul
Nostrils flaring, I draw in the aroma of desire
Curiosity…Fascination
My fingers leave that beautiful face
To slide back and grip your hair
The color of a raven’s wing
Ease you head back
As I breathe and taste all that is you
From the Adam’s apple up along strong muscles
I inhale my way up
To the delicate shell of your ear
My tongue then follows suit
Flavors explode within my mouth and mind
Your tastes is Bold…Wild
Compared to a ripe, sweet, juicy peach
Fresh off the farmer’s tree
Your essence Draws me…Snares me…Holds me
I pray it never lets me go
For the essence of you
Feeds me…Loves me
Provides sustenance to me
With
The Essence of You
* * * * * * * * * *
COMING SOON:
A WORLD OF ROMANCE
by The Authors Of
ASMSG
(Authors’ Social Media Support Group)
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