CARESS
tenderness a breath
committed summit
a stroke of light
held gentle yet tight
touched with care
we dare, we share
witness
affectionate
caress
light and I
hold you with our eye
summer breeze
we please you with just touch
embracing softly, tightly
I come to water you flower
embracing softly
we dare, we share, witness, affectionate, caress
8/18/26
by James Edward Lee Sr.2026©
A single second feels like a decade,
As painted visions of your visage fade.
Yet winter passes; golden petals bloom,
Releasing hearts from their protective gloom.
I yearn to feel your timeless, soft caress,
While gently hiding all this phantom sadness.
I place my faith in you, my happiness—
Mi Helecho, praying you return in wholeness.
My Helecho, I miss you so much,
Longing to whisper "I love you" in your ear,
I was in urgent need of your warmest embrace,
Father God, always bless my one and only Helecho.
(Pema the Pug)
There’s nothing like the tender caress
Of an intimate friend and lover.
It’s indescribable really
Simply because it is of the realm of feeling.
And yet in terms of lasting satisfaction
I’d have to say the caress of a dog is better.
Dogs lean in, and set beside
Melt into laps, or jump up unexpectedly
In unbridled enthusiasm.
And in their contact,
Maybe only seeking the warmth we radiate,
They radiate their own love and loyalty,
A warmth no thermometer can register.
Under our hand, their folds of furry skin
Gather and bunch
And settle into absolute acceptance.
Sensuous without sexual,
What they give and receive
With so little effort is simply
The satisfaction of companionship.
(4/29/26
“Spring drew on...and a greenness grew over those brown beds,
which, freshening daily, suggested the thought that Hope traversed
them at night and left each morning brighter traces of her steps.”
~ Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
I feel the caress of Spring's gentle breeze
wafting through meadows and verdant hills
and swaying branches of budding maple trees
Spring welcomes rain as each drop softly spills
dampening the cheeks of my upturned face
until the sun's warmth relieves me of my chills
It's the season that I so lovingly embrace
when flowers grow in vast, colorful profusion
lovelier in a garden than in a vase
Lavender scents the air with sweet infusion
To God and Nature, I bestow gratitude
for the beauty found in their collusion
Spring arrives offering hope renewed
and fresh beginnings are redolently imbued
Shredded wheat envelops the earth
Illuminating the sky and bringing forth mirth—
An eager mother awaiting birth
Wishing to hold your hand
Like the babe, you hold it out
for her to caress you
The snow breathes in bright
and exhales blue onto everything she might
touch with her gentle light
tender smile glows softly
golden light drifts through mind
caress lingers still
Silky satin sheets and pillowcases
recipe for a comfortable good night's sleep
~ welcome dreams of soft caresses
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: 2nd place 2025
The sun caressing our skin
summer days come to an abrupt end
~ lingering sweetness turning to memories
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
Depression
Its darkness.
A cold embrace,
An old friend.
It welcomes me,
like a lighthouse after a tragic storm.
I feel her claws like a deceiving caress
Her words drown me in blanket of numbness
Bitterness maws at me like a rabid wolf
I sleep
I eat
I sleep again.
Praying she doesn’t invade my dreams.
Too late.
Grades drop faster than silence after I tell someone I’m struggling.
“But you’re so happy?”
The mask I wear effective.
So effective I can’t breathe.
I’m strangled.
Ambition is an estranged family member
She doesn’t call. She doesn’t care.
I feel the optimism leave me like a dog let off a leash
The motivation drain from me like blood by a leech
I drown
I drown
I drown
And everyone is none the wiser
Depression is a mistress
Sneaky and seductive
And I,
I am her forbidden lover.
Come to me like a wild horse unbridled longing for the river
like a morning prayer on the heart wanting nothing more
Come to me with pining like a widow waiting for her love
like a soldier in the trenches, begging for cease fire ...
Come to me like a dove gliding over peaceful waters
like the otter and the kelp in a symbiotic drift
Come to me like stars of night shining with accord
like the morning sun at dawn, rising still on you
Come to me like a morning cup of coffee freshly brewed
like a sleeping soul awakened by dreams of yesterday
Come to me like the diner bell exhaling all your waits
like a soft caress on the skin filled with enchanting sin
come to me lover with your loving touch,
for I love you, so much !
Caress the stars that twinkle
the sprinkle of glints on seas
the leaf that lilts on gentle breeze
the flit of busy robin's tail
Caress the murmur of babbling brook
the lapping as puppy drinks from bowl
the rolling, rumbling peeling thunder
expectant soon, from pregnant flashes in sky
Caress the smell of rain on straw
the waft of bread baking
the scent of rose brushed by knees
the warmth of sweet baby's breath
Caress the ephemeral
what is seemingly out of reach
too deep to grasp, too far off to behold
a fleeting glimmer, a shimmering shiny sliver on hold.
Once upon a magical evening an enchanted fairy I happened to see
dressed in a fantastical dress with two dappled wings of lace,
she shone like the midnight sun;
I must confess, she looked rather whimsical
sitting there by a green wooden door, waiting for your lore!
Her arms as tender as lotus stalks and her long curly locks dancing
in the cold breeze mesmerized everyone there alike; her eyes
as blue as the summer sky, sent silent signals, begging for your tight hug;
she seemed eagerly awaiting a communion with you, and longing
to give you a fondly caress for experiencing a heavenly bliss!
The waves gently caress my feet, leaving traces of sand as they retreat,
A weight presses on my heart, leaving me still, bound to memories,
For I still see you beside me, as if you never left this place,
The sunset by the waves reflects the tremor in my heart, reminding me of you,
Here, buried in the sand, lie our endless conversations, echoing,
The shells beneath my feet call to me, reminding me of days gone by,
A gentle breeze flutters my hair, whispering of the days when we were us,
Among these familiar stones, our laughter still echoes, asking for another chance,
The quiet trees offer me a glance full of understanding and old memories,
An overwhelming desire to hold your hands and our fingers together,
The pull to rest my head close to your heart, on your warm chest,
What if we could jump into these waves and disappear somewhere?
Far from the chaos of the world, for you are my entire shore, all I desire.
The touch of your hand
In a moment of our time
My sorrows were gone.
She was with me, untouchable, intangible, and yet
she caressed me with her breath in an intimate way
on a balmy night in April, I shall never forget.
Patiently, I waited for shadowed clouds to fade away.
Then, I watched her gracefully moved among the stars,
a flawless goddess in chiffon, her face alabaster pale.
In resplendent light she was robed, her majesty divined.
As twilight's sapphire haze deepens on the fringe of night,
she captures my gaze with a mesmerizing hold.
At this paradisial moment, and in this Edenic place,
I am loved and loved in return with total devotion.
Able, for the first time to feel this depth of emotion,
this piety that I've never been able to express,
I confess this to the beauty hovering above me,
and in her illuminated celestial glory, she smiles.
To search for her soft glow each evening, I am fated.
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