Discounted Poetry

I pull the sand And force my birth From out the ocean, Eating the salty air. I couldn't carry you. I've lost my strength Like dry wine from open bottles Friday night. My fingers faltered. I lost you. Muscles tattered, I can only Shutter my eyes Against the sky And breathe And breathe And... - 1/30/26

We dated for years. She always listened to Billy Joel's The Stranger. Vienna awaited. I tied a rope and tethered tight to her, A planet orbiting with stars about my eyes. A decade afterward, I told a love about the choice In getting what you want. She stared through Silent, Dumb. "I'll never grow old." I realized we'd soon be over. - 1/29/26

Do not mistake this pit you fell in For a rabbit hole. It beckons, "Eat me." Leave it be, Leave it alone. The cat is just a row of teeth. The sneezing baby's but a pig. Your cubicle's a flood Of flat and pooling light. You meant to pin Monet To soften the grey surrounding. You smell the powdered cheese From chips the woman in the silky pants Is sneaking to her mouth The other side across the way. You raise your desk And stand and sit And sit and stand Until the numb like moss Expands and creeps To cover all. Her skin's delightful, Yet her lips lead to A hollowness  That won't be fucked away. This dull affair will not Release the colors Or unseal vanilla streaks Into the air. Put down the vial. Don't imbibe the potion. It will only make you smaller. Struggle on To something real. - 1/28/26

The darkness of the deepest night Accepts all questions. She is ever nearby, But never close. I still don't know. I wake And taste Delicious phantom lips, Relish her arm draped lightly Cross my startled chest. The depth of darkest night Absorbs all questions, Never answering. - 1/27/26

When she smiles, Birds fall quiet, mute. The sun pulls clouds on top its face, Defense from useless competition. Even street refuse All send delicious scents, The roses, cardamom, and cinnamon, To curl about our grateful noses. When she’s gone, It all collapses wrong. The moon eclipses the sun at noon. The sparrows sound foghorns Midnight till eight. Nothing computes. I can’t turn on my phone. The city tosses, Confused to be alone So late. I’m nothing to her now, Yet somehow She carries my world And twirls my ravenous attention Carelessly about her slender fingers. - 1/26/26

I'm entranced The way your blush Has missed your cheek, An awkward cherry bloom Aside Beneath your bottomless Cream coffee eyes. I'm unsure. Is your face advancing Or the room contracting? I am losing my footing. - 1/23/26