Be a Warrior Poet / Reprise

Bleed  salty tears

heart

fragile / beating / open

expose truth

be unafraid

use your pen to paint pictures

ugly and beautiful

your naked soul as your palate

You poet.

Show me an original alchemy

where you turn your fear into courage

make medicine out of that poison

that is slowly killing you

dig yourself out of that early grave

they dug for you

and cry me

a polluted river

toxic salty

words

so the parasites

don’t have to live inside of you

anymore

and when you’re done

stand in a standing room only
dimly lit room full of poets

or a city street

or facing the ocean

and read it

out loud

to the world

I promise

Someone will listen.

By Mariposa 

Wanna be a warrior poet?

Bleed  me some salty tears

on pages and pages

of your heart

fragile / beating / open and exposed

be unafraid to cry ugly

use your pen to paint pictures

your bare soul as your palate

You poet.

Show me an original alchemy

Where you turn your

fear into courage

make some medicine out of that poison

that’s slowly killing you

dig yourself outta that early grave

and cry me

a polluted river

some salty

words

and when you’re done

stand in a room

with some poets

warrior poets

and cowards alike

and read it

out loud. 

Mommy Triolet

I held your hand and called you Mommy until the very last moment

And Mommy, I call you Mommy still

I still call for you / feel your grace…Never understood true loss till you were gone

Fragile human minds can’t fathom such loss

Our only protection is to be blissfully ignorant of death

Human minds can’t fathom such loss

I held your hand and called you Mommy until the very last moment

And Mommy, I call you Mommy still

Warrior poets

Warrior poets

The poets who

Sit and bleed

On pages

Hearts exposed

Unafraid to cry

poems.

Warrior poets

The poets

Who write

Their hearts out

Unafraid

To cry

Salty

words.

Poem for World Peace

Courage
courage

courage
courage

courage
courage

courage
courage
courage

courage

courage

courage

to forgive.

Just Another Day at the Office

Breakfast eaten
lunches ordered
company money spent
the phones ring
the meetings drone on
     and on
and on
     and on
the pleasantries
of Happy New Years
How was your holidays
rolls with the hump days
and seasons
Memorial days
How was your 4th of July
Oh it was nices!
How was yourses?

Good.
Good.
Great.

Yawn.
Yawn
Yawn.

A co-worker plays
a jazzy blues...
How fitting
Aretha Franklin
on a cold winter day in July
You Made Me Love you.

It's performance evaluation time.

Oh
     yay.

So what about that mid-year promotion and salary increase?
Oh that?!

Ain't gonna happen.
be grateful you have a job....it's scary out there
more slaps on the back

You're doin a GOOD JOB!
You're doin a GOOD JOB!

Life goes on outside
the sun shining
like an icy hot jewel
in the swirling swish of
passing taxi cabs
on the FDR
and the Brooklyn Bridge
water taxis flying
to Brooklyn
on
the river
under the bridge
that goes out
to sea.

The Lord of Castle Hill Part I.

Armor shining 

in the regalia summer beaded sweat

of Bronx boys to

     men 

cool 

          swagger 

tough

in the haunted handball courts

of yesteryear memories

where the graffiti echo

of their rainbow laughter

can still be heard

bopping to the beat of mixed tapes

blasting in their chariots zooming 

beneath the rumble of the 6 train

drenched in salty breezes from the bay

and the smell of Orchard Beach

baby oil / on brown eyed / cocoa skinned / curly haired 

Puerto Rican mamis

Ohhh yes

the pizza shop

still remains

and he too 

has survived

strong

as ever.

Seasons: Day 1

Seasons 

pass like time

move like the ocean

and stars

weather patterns with no reason or rhyme

spark new storms

sparkle with life like

the love in your

angel eyes

your love

for me

mirroring

my love

for you,

          

my love.