SPEECH IMPEDIMENT

Each morning, we stood at the bus stop
Not together, but in proximity
Day after day, week after week
I would glance at her in admiration
But I would never speak to her
There would be an occasional nod
And sometimes a smile
I would have liked to ask her out
I had almost done so many times
But my nerve would always go
So often I formed the question in my head
But the words wouldn’t come out
I always steeled myself
For the big moment, but it never happened
Then one day
When she looked particularly alluring
I thought to myself
This time will be different
This time I have rehearsed,
Though only on the cat,
This time I will do it.
So armed with a well constructed sentence
I made my move
I took a deep breath
Turned to face her,
The sentence looping through my head
Over and over
I opened my mouth to speak
But the sentence did not appear
Instead jumbled words tumbled out
From my anxiously dry mouth,
But not in the order I intended
Some words inappropriately joined together
Giving an all together different meaning
That may have caused her to be offended
It had gone better with the cat.
I just stood there
Spouting my nervous stuttering gibberish
I thought she must think me such an idiot
And fully expected her to laugh in my face
But instead she smiled at my nervousness
And reformed the words into a sentence,
The very sentence I had rehearsed,
Spoke it back to me
And then smiling broadly, answered yes

DANCE FOR ME THAT DANCE

Dance for me that dance
The one of ancient rhythm
Dance it to my whim
Like a primordial organism

Dance for me that dance
Laid back like the limbo
Hips grinding and gyrating
With your legs akimbo

Dance for me that dance
Dance it like a beast
Feel the animal rhythm
Feel the sensual beat

Sing for me that song
The one of ancient language
Guttural and savage
Like a beast in a cage

Dance for me that dance
Dance it to my rhythm
And as the music ends
Sing to me your orgasm

FOUR SEASONS

First love gave me springtime
And invigorated my life
It was summer in my heart
When you became my wife
Then in our autumn years
You were taken from my side
Now with my bitter loneliness
It’s in the winter that I reside

FILLE DE PAPILLON

Remember when we were young
Those long halcyon days
Down on your dad’s farm
Joyful hours spent
Idling our time away.
Swinging on that old rustic gate
Roaming the countryside
Happy lazy days,
Nothing particular to do
And a world of time to do it in

They were wonderful days
They were innocent days
Before the end of childhood
Before those weeks
That special summer
So long ago
When you seemed to transform
Into something new
Like a butterfly
Emerging from its cocoon
Spreading its wings in the sun
Displaying fresh beauty

Your transformation
From the cutely naive country girl
Awkward and ungainly
Into a beautiful young woman
An altogether more graceful being
Though I was fond of the grubby faced girl
With untidy hair, wispy and uncombed
I would very soon fall in love
With the butterfly that had replace her

With the emergence of the butterfly girl
With all the beauty
Of the first flower of spring
We trod an unfamiliar path
Leaving our childish games behind
Taking our first tentative steps
Towards love

A love that was a stranger to us
Yet we stepped eagerly in to its turbulent sea
And immersed ourselves in its waters
We soon knew at once
The excitement of first love
When joy was all we could see
And all of our thoughts
Were only for each other
Sweet moments spent
In blissful adoration
Until love was burnt deeply on our souls

Now as we walk the familiar places
As we have so often done
With scenes much visited
We can stand in that spot
Where first I beheld the butterfly
Resplendent in the sunlight
And say to you
With heartfelt sincerity
That I love you still

TIME IS A GREAT HEALER

Time is a great healer
That’s what they said
That’s what they told me
After you were dead
Banal words of wisdom
And benevolent attitudes
Empty words and gestures
And worthless platitudes
Only one thing
Can ever take the pain away
And you’re not coming back
No matter how hard I pray
I just wish with all my heart
We could have gone together
And I would not feel so lonely
And I’d be with you forever

SWEET TOOTH

I have a picture of you
Which speaks to me,
Speaks in sugary tones
And syrupy words
Of things I liked to hear
When we were both young
But my tastes have changed
A sweet tooth no longer
My palate more mature
More sophisticated
A little less exciting maybe
But you can’t be sixteen forever
But I will always keep
That picture of you
Which speaks to me
In sugary tones
And syrupy words
Just to remind me of the time
When I had a sweet tooth

SLEEP ON IT

Last night I was sad
Last night I was mad
Last night I hated you
Last night I berated you
Last night I was crying
Last night I was dying
Last night I was unforgiving
Last night I was tired of living

This morning I’m glad
Glad for what we once had
This morning I have regret for you
This morning I want to forget you
This morning the tears I cried
Have long since dried
This morning I am forgiving
This morning I am for living