Beneath the rippled, sunlit glass,
I rest among the eelgrass blades,
A shadowed world where currents pass
Through quiet, emerald-tinted glades.
A gentle pulse draws in the tide,
Through open folds, the feast is spun;
I sift the sea where currents glide,
And take the bounty of the sun.
A sudden rush—a snapping spark—
I lift and dance upon the floor,
And vanish swiftly in the dark
To settle on the sandy shore.
Here, safe within my textured walls,
Away from cruising shadow’s eye,
Where peace defines the quiet halls,
The rushing world may wander by.
Adorned in ribbed and fluted grace,
Where painted bands of pink align
With lavender across my face,
The ocean's quiet masterpiece—
A living scallop...resting.
Much is based on pleasure.
Sensory sensations: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste –
a treasure.
I would acquire.
Truth: unique, private, favor-based.
desire.
Divine.
Velvet-encased.
Mine.
Much is based on pleasure.
Truth: unique, private, favor-based.
Mine.
Is there sensory light?
She asked me while
I was sitting quietly
on the threshold of anticipation,
gazing into the soul of a cat,
thinking about how it would be.
.. to escape forever into a realistic
doctrine of untouched upcoming truths.
So how do you interpret the difference
between sensory and physical light?
Those figurative intentions that sparkle
in the eye can’t hide behind curiosity.
I said: come here, little green-eyed one.
You know, since early this morning,
it’s somehow simply put,
my lips are really itching mmmmmmm.
I’d like to try, at least with my lips on your body,
to prove that a kiss is an expression
of inner shaping and a symptom
of a state, not a performance
- of an inner world that is forming
for you in my heart.
noon’s furnace: asphalt shimmers; air—thick, slow—
cracks open. cicadas drill through stagnant gold.
a sprinkler’s hiccup-hiss: the pavement’s glow
un/curls in steam. the hydrant’s shout: uncontrolled.
children shriek!—a liquid burst of now,
popsicle rivers bleed; knuckles—sticky, green—
cling to handlebars. shadows stretch: thin, lean
across chain-link. each blade of grass—laid down—
bakes. but dusk? a match-strike: fireflies!—
the yard exhales jasmine; stars prick the bruised eaves—
porch swings gasp. the melted things—still writhing—
pool in gutters: chalk suns, lemon peels, dreams.
the silence hums. even time—soft, unspooled—
beads on your neck. and summer? stays. but cooled.
The grass waved hello
the birds called back.
Telegraph poles stood still
like tall slender trees.
the birds liked that.
the crickets a constant tickle in the ear,
swathes of brown grass bouncing back after drought,
three troughs haphazard on a patch without
any grass. Bare dark earth.
the raven makes its cry
under a bright grey sky,
on a swampy, sweaty day .
my dog companion at my feet
"Come on then, let's go home."
Warm yellow light.
Chilly, for indoor.
Soft, soothing, piano.
Music—
Door slides open.
A man walks in, his eyes—
Rain’s wailing outside.
He talks to the nurse.
His voice hoarse like sand—
Flash, lightening.
Raindrops darken the dusty walk—
Thunder.
He sinks into the bench beside me.
Stinging smell of cigarette butts—
Another thunder.
Door slides close and muffles it.
Nurse says my name.
I walk into the doctor’s—
A muffled thunder.
I don’t remember seeing the lightning.
_____________
Note: Dysautonomia is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system, often causing brain fog, anxiety, and sensory overload.
when light fractures into noise…
I embrace the outburst
with emptiness chewing up my nerves.
The void softens the impact—
can’t break what never arrived.
c a l m salinity
sensory
d e p r i v a t i o n ~
a
d
r
i
f
t
in dead sea
The tag behind my shirt,
Feeling like your covered in
Dirt.
Except,
There's nothing there.
You just feel unclean,
But there's no trace seen.
Cars beeping,
The tv is on,
Someone is playing a song
There is too much
going on.
I need to stay sane
My sensory is overwhelmed once again.
Its making me want to yell.
Stillness is needed,
Otherwise I'll get heated.
The sound of your rose petal blush sunsetting on your face
Feels like my goosebumps dancing on the sky tops of my skin
The smell of your mountain rain hair crying sounds like a mid-day summer shower
The look of curiosity cuts in the middle of my gaze and feels like a conversation I can’t wait to have
Your presence is such a gift to my senses I become overstimulated in nerves
p.s. can we just pause this moment before the laws of dialogue are written…
It’s like- I’m walking though a busy mall.
Oh wait, I am, it’s real.
I can read minds, I know it sounds silly.
Or maybe I can’t.
But I can sense the texture of their clothing.
I see a tall person and feel tall which makes me disoriented.
I am rushing around this place trying to understand their lives.
The whooshing of the wind on their skin.
As they pass by the open door and don’t even notice.
But I do.
They are ascending on an elevator.
Coffees in their hands and it burns! It burns!
They are flying with their feet planted.
I’m flying, and the feeling is growing.
Dizzy, I am sitting and she’s sitting with me and talking to me.
Breathing strong, powerful breathes.
Breathing in all the smells in the world.
She leads me to the car.
She heads back into the mall to buy me a pretzel and drink.
I didn’t buy anything that day.
But I didn’t care.
Written: October 21, 2023, For Mohan Chutani Minichu Dream Contest
______________________________
Orchards in glowing pink
dream blossoms swung in a tone of crimson pattern
nectar drink
would dare to dream
orchid bow bring bright breath batten
wind stream!
ghost chime
the moon may learn
climb!!
orchards in glowing pink
orchid bow bring bright breath batten
climb!!
Be sure to stick that head out the windows of your life.
It's okay to bark but don't dare bite..
A roll in the mud brings a sensory delight..
Guard your family every day and every night..
Greet strangers with a wag and all your days will be bright.
cavefish seeks solace
debilitating darkness ~
phylogenesis
cut off
deprived
magnetized
sensitized
to crave
desire
ache
the longing
touching
caressing
skin tingling
reacting
sensations
heightened
devouring
sole passion
AP: Honorable Mention 2022
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