Saturday, October 31, 2009

The Afterglow


Happy Halloween!

As I sit here, waiting for the kiddies to come and get candy, I just came across a poem I wrote in August for someone very dear to me. It's called (you guessed it) The Afterglow. This poem's also been submitted to a literary contest, so we'll see if it can help bring in some prize money. For the time being, here it is.

Blessings

The Afterglow

& the afterglow
has set upon us dustlike,
illuminating the red roots of your hair
& cascading beautifully behind your
bulged shoulder blades.
The darkness hides your eyes from me.
The air conditioner reawakens & hums
as its breath reaches up through the floor vents
& finds our bodies.
We have toiled for this shared bliss.
Sweat spills down my cheek & chest
& slowly, my heavy breathing softens --
returning to its normal state.
These are the soft moments
reserved solely for lovers & apparitions,
the moments when the world seems to still
& you become something more than human,
something more than simple flesh,
something so valuable that the very night itself
blooms & watches over you.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Eros


Greetings everyone,

Last night's Rhyme-N-Chatt show went very well. I was very proud to see some of the poets from the Speakeasy in attendance, as well as on the microphone. They definitely made me happy.

I performed my poem Eros, and I've been performing it around town in preparation for last night's show. I don't have any recordings or video yet, but we'll see what the future holds. What I do have is the actual text, so if you're curious to see what I said, you can check it out below.

Blessings

Eros

I ride the dawn bare-backed
across the pinking horizon
to douse the slow burn of her desire.

I fall upon her fog-like
eliciting deep orgasms that scatter
the mists of her spirit.

They say it isn't very becoming
of a woman to be cumming in this fashion
but I want her to feel free
to feel free
feel... me
plowing the moist confines of her
with the dedication & consistency
of twilight.

She opens her throat
& proceeds to completely envelope me
in melody.
Her moans serve as tiny offerings
unto the ministry of me
& she
satisfies me when her rosewood eyes
widen & find mine,
& she holds her breath
temporarily muting the music.

The rhythms we pound into the wall & bed
are incantations with which we make love,
the ancient drums of lust,
the sounds of living flesh aching to
be & to feel so much more.

We braid hips together,
finely fuse crotch to crotch...
welding passions.

This I do because
too often women are chastised
for simply hungering for the touch
of another.
I hear the heart-songs of their longing
clearly wading though the fabric of the night,
& I answer in body form.

See, the body wants what it wants
& has a way of shouting its needs
into action:
Lips grow tired of their own soft embrace,
chests crave a lover's heft.
I serve the healthy instincts of these souls,
& allow them to sweat off the shame
placed upon them by judgment.

I am liberation
to those who aren't even aware
that they are crying out for release.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Mmm, Ahh, Ooo: A Year Later

Ladies and gents, boys and girls, my poem Worlds (which has succeeded in being one of my most successful and memorable performance pieces) is now a little over a year old. It's a little bit weird to believe, but I'll take you through how it came to about soon. Before we jump into all that, I wanted to take the time to speak about the show I debuted it in.

If you've come to the Speakeasy at any point in the past few months, you've probably heard me make repeated mention of this, but if you've been absent, mark October 23rd on your calendars. Rhyme-n-Chatt, Chattanooga's interactive poetry group, will be putting on a show at Loose Cannon. I will be performing and I've just decided on what piece I want to do this year.

Tickets are $10 in advance and the price jumps up $5 on the day of the show. If you're unfamiliar with Rhyme-n-Chatt, or RNC, you can see they're about here www.rhymenchatt.org
We have been so fortunate at the Speakeasy to have several RNC members perform for us. The Poetic Diva aka Marsha Morton-Mills, has graced us a few times with her presence, and here's something to give you an idea of what you can expect from her and the Mmm, Ahh, Ooo show:

So, while we're on the topic of RNC's upcoming show, I remember last year's and how much fun it was. I had surgery on my foot in late August of 2008 (I had part of the bone chiseled down), and I spent the majority of September hobbling around on crutches. While I was down, I started writing what became Worlds in my head. It shaped up extraordinarily fast for me.

The RNC show in early October was the first time that I walked crutch-free, and I remember hoping that I didn't fall on the steps to the stage or while I was up there. Fortunately, I didn't take any spills.

The best part of performing the poem was (and, often, still is) the element of surprise. I knew that the opening line would evoke a shocking reception. I just didn't have any idea of how shocked everyone would be. As soon as I uttered the opening, there was a good 20 seconds at least of disbelief. People who were walking around stopped in their tracks. Oh, my God escaped several mouths. It was a moment that I hope to never forget. As an artist, things like that definitely affirm what you do.

Honestly, I cannot guarantee that the poem I've chosen to perform for this year's Mmm, Ahh, Ooo show will evoke that kind of response, and that's fine. I've definitely got some work to do to try to make it another memorable performance though, so we'll see what happens. I hope to see as many of you as possible out there! I can guarantee a good time, so go ahead and get your ticket now.

Blessings