With grandpa on the Thames to fish,
Our boat sailed north like a Croc,
Meandering brackish waters,
Waiting for a feast of catfish.
Pike, perch, and zander were grandpa's wish;
Barbel, carp, chub, and bream his catch.
Halibut and cod were my desire,
Their flavours always buttering my palate.
The fun was full,
Until a Croc rose for our catch,
Its eyes fixed on my shiny leg,
As if one bite could sate its hunger.
I trembled at its timid stare,
Unaware it was hypnotizing me.
I tapped grandpa and whispered, "See a Croc…"
His fearful shout sent it fleeing.
Then I realized how poor grandpa’s eyes were;
My youthful sight saved us from the Croc—
Grandpa might have filled its appetite,
While I became its appetizer instead.
"I know not that of which you speak, though this I can relate;
A restlessness does haunt my soul, a hunger I must sate;
I know I slept with my child's eyes naivety was my bed;
Then I did wake with adult eyes an aching heart embedded"
"The last we knew she journeyed far to seek a worthy mate;
Her longing, calm, melodic voice unsettled Zeus' state;
He sent her forth to prove her voice could conquer one like he;
And seeded lust and longing that she sings so passionately.
So now it's clear why you could raise the fire from her sleep;
For Zeus gave this playful Sprite to Hestia from his seed;
Speak soft our sister's name to her and make a wish entire;
For she must grant her captor that which they do most desire"
And so Euterpe reappeared returned to sister's fold;
The Fire Sprite now danced with glee back in her master's hold;
Our Maid now settled back at home, devoted man by side;
And Hermes whined and sulked with pain his fun and games denied.
knowing...
if stars should fade when I'm with you
and darkness reigns in midnight blue
I would croon while we rendezvous
sultry lyrics in your ear...
love songs of a balladeer
whispers fondling your neck and face
caressing each exotic place
'til breathless in my warm embrace
there's teasing with finger tips
and tasting from parted lips
our passion stirs without disguise
your need escapes in moans and sighs
I kiss the lids of your closed eyes
there's beauty found in the dark...
when a kiss ignites a spark
our tongues entwine like flames of fire
for want of more, we both conspire
carnal fervor transcends desire
both yearning to sate this thirst...
ardor nearing a cloudburst
in night's gloaming, we were discreet
fulgent beauty, tryst in retreat
love evidenced with each heartbeat
dazzling hours of sweet torment...
in shadows our time was spent
sweet torment... in shadows
In my wake, if i were to awaken,
O' wakeful wonder to wrench mine withered eyes
Aware'f the withering summer haze
Out in my bright eyed future, out in my cross toe'd path
Pompous poppies t'prop mine withering body
Lest f'saken soil shall chance this chance and enwrap thy very soul
Whole, wholly in unholy disrepair
Where thy feet ne'er make a pair
In my wake, where bottomless bile surely shalln't sate,
Grace be with grace whereth fate form'd nigh near'r thy hate
voracious, inherent, timbered'n barrels
Embedded beneath thy bedded tomb t'ferment
Fraught feminal petticoats bed thy bones'n skin, t'sit within
Barrelled quarrels quashed'n quaint fricatives,
T'lace these afaced wicked motives.
Foot befitting feet b'fore foolish faces reverberate foolish vows
F'petty petticoats liven' lieu'f laced love.
In my latent wake,
Tend t'the petty posies
T'prop mine body
Towards th'lascerating ladle'f love,
And into th'deepening dish'f self-hate.
24//8//25
sensual touches
sate a need that aids depressed
hearts seeking passion
patches to cover twin aches
worn as scars from rejection
escape needs fulfilled
covers hold two stories told ~
desperate duet
little piper, little piper
oh how fast you skip away
as the morning tide crawls in to taste the beach
briny swishes bring your breakfast
while you prance to greet the day
and they never seem to wet you
like you're privy to a chosen course of each
little piper, little piper
such a ballet you perform
when you twirl and pirouette your dainty feet
darting in-and-out the sea foam
just to keep them dry and warm
all with perfect form and motion
so as not to warn those little things you eat
little piper, little piper
you're the bane of every clam
watching closely for their bubbles in the sand
oh, the hermit crabs are missing
each-and-each now on the lam
and the hot sand gently hissing
as you try to sate your hungry chick's demand
little piper, little piper
all day long your work persists
as your tummy and your wee one both are fed
so with food enough to sleep on
'midst the creeping twilight mists
and as purple shadows deepen
comes the time to sing your little one to bed
little piper, now you dance in dreams ... instead.
Written: July 17, 2025, for contest by Joseph May
********************
Silk voice ties the tunes of the throng
As you play the chill, snake-hands song
Void doesn't just loom—he swoons and croons
Of the throng, silk voice ties the tunes
My sound won't cross—cling to your room
He swoons and croons—void doesn't just loom
Won't quench the charm and delight dross
Cling to your room—my sound won't cross
I'll break the chain with skillful smarm
And delight dross won't quench the charm
Haunts the twilight with spry disdain
With skillful smarm, I'll break the chain
Even my heart can't sate your height
With spry disdain, haunts the twilight
When the coming spite pours a chart
Can't sate your height, even my heart
Stamens and pistils
delicately poised
Shamans and pistols
making too much noise
Soft buzz preferred,
a silencer’s desired
Pollinator’s sense
the triggers just fired
Nectar brings balance
agape open wide
Willing the seeker
to do laps inside
Comes with a snag
also stitch in the side
Fulcrum of a rose
the thorn realised
My soul’s not a flower
just gives and takes
Wants what it craves
accepts all, even fakes
Opens too early,
closes far too late
Can’t tell if I’m full,
yet knows when I’m sate
Possesses a thorn,
and stabs by design
Fulcrum of my soul’s
human not divine
Protects at all costs
only thing that’s mine
Not pain or loss,
just my life to define
to a vegan be
We humans can be good for wild animals
Their life of surviving hides hearts of love
by showing empathy and understanding
They can change and show utter devotion
to a human who loves them back
and lessen the struggle for survival,
to be on their guard where there is aggression
is the only emotion allowed
When an animal feels that way, its love
is timeless, you are a liberator
A question remains: how can a man eat
burgers when knowing a cow was killed
to sate our appetite for meat.
Veil of midnight, shroud of ache,
A hollow heart begins to wake,
Unfed, unwhole, in shadow curled,
Craving life within this world.
A wraith unseen yet bound to thirst,
The agony—a wicked curse,
Flesh untouched but essence bled,
Hungering for what is shed.
Through trembling dark and frigid moan,
I grasp at souls, yet stand alone,
Each stolen breath a fleeting glow,
Still starving deep in depths below.
Ravishing grimness, wretched plight,
A suffering that breeds delight,
To drink, to drain, to taste the soul,
To feel—then lose—control.
In tortured pangs, my hollow cries,
A thirst that burns, that never dies,
No blood will sate, no flesh repair,
Only whispers in the air.
The void consumes, yet I remain,
Bound by hunger, wracked with pain,
A phantom lost, unseen, yet near,
Feeding off your trembling fear.
And when the night betrays the dawn,
Another voice—another gone,
A feast of echoes, dimly bright,
Devoured whole before the light.
She picked his poetic flowers
Her tender hope a crumbly seed
Each morn, in wait to taste his feed
She craved him till eve’s florid hours
In need to sate her stark bowers
Submission leads to sustenance?
In what world is this?
Death, dynamite, dominance!
Blowing Doom a kiss!
High cliff force in summer late?
Staggers in the gait.
O ye gods above, strife? Sate.
Too much on thy plate...
Drums played by the war gods?
Poets, by Fate required.
Nuclear my temper-rods!
Mercenaries hired!
Tyrant of tomorrow, time!
Knee deep in the slime!
Sullen silence slight sublime!
Wind, blow well each chime...
Mime, form well thy boxes.
Prisoner, poison pen.
Where the golden phlox is?
O dragon, from thy den!
Then again, old vampire:
Is succor still a curse?
Pinnacle, apex and spire!
Son, you could do worse!
Versed in rite and ritual?
Flickering fine and free?
Sing within me, brazen bull!
Fire fancifully...
For Constance’s: Write Ten Beautiful Lines
10.04.2025
The music of love
Your voice a silken stream of violins
a sea of sound swishing on my calm shore
An overture of blissful laughs and grins
As playful tempos strum your tuneful score
I hear the urge of alto saxophone
A rhythm of blues jazzing in your blood
I feel the pulse of cornets in your tone
Euphonious waves sate a joyful flood
And when the roar of drums directs the beat
It somehow, sounds delightful and still sweet
And even SHOVED I say!
For the love of my life threw me away.
It happened too fast--
Quicker than a flash--
And now, alone in the bed, I lay.
Oh, but she couldn't just let things be,
Couldn't find it in her to set me free,
For she pushed and shoved
Then kissed and hugged
And left me to wonder, "What are we?"
And not five minutes later--
That hussy! That traitor!--
Found aloft the one I called friend
That day two relationships she did tend
For it was him, not me, who could sate her.
With my shock and anger, I sat
Doing my best not to look back
Then I looked up to the fan
Slapped my face in my hand
And said, "God, I need a new cat."
Thinking about Nevermind!
Skinny dipping soaked in bleach, albino by design
Eyes burning, -Something in the way- future gives a sign
No pacifier needed, when remuneration’s on the line
Keep calm it’s just rehearsal, will sink lower another time
Born too soon, umbilical’s frayed by a toothless bite
Lure instills urge to swim, bypassing baptismal rite
-Come as you are- take a breath, be sure to stay airtight
Nevermind the grunge, it’s less dirty with a soul of white
Zero in on bait, the watermark hides a sell by date
Perhaps-stay away- not much change at going rate
Don’t lose sight of legal tender, it won’t always sate
Take a breather, rest assured, if lungs don’t reinflate
Swimming in circles chasing what is never truly ours
Set in ripples, a reflection of mankind’s weakest hour ?
The dollar breaks, revealing depths we’ve yet to scour
In the murk, no god we trust, just a bill we all empower
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