Without a warning
the fog peeled itself off
the land, leaving the soil
moist and sleepy.
That morning
she sat with her quietest,
most insistent desire, him,
and loneliness.
Author: SW Altair
Date Night
Subscribe to continue reading
Become a paid subscriber to get access to the rest of this post and other exclusive content.
Orange
After making love we share an orange in bed.
Without a word, you lift a naked slice to my lips.
From your hand the scent of delight comes drifting up.
I feel its dampness, its freshness and its ever-ness
all at once. Outside the window, the sun sets slowly
into our mouths, and we kiss with so much fervor
to stop the color from changing in this room.
Untitled
Some days I want to be loved,
but cannot open my mouth.
A Conjugation of Love
Subscribe to continue reading
Become a paid subscriber to get access to the rest of this post and other exclusive content.
The Place
Subscribe to continue reading
Become a paid subscriber to get access to the rest of this post and other exclusive content.
Many Years Later
You still sit beside me as I rested after a long day,
brushing my hair out of my face.
At dusk we go into the kitchen,
you wash the lettuce and tell me about your day,
I laugh, forget things, and cut carrots into funny shapes.
And there are breadcrumbs and spilled wine on the tablecloth,
we still haven’t quite figured out how to be better at this,
but in the fading sunlight we are learning, God we are learning.
Before falling asleep
I look for your hand to touch mine.
Love is not difficult.
Not difficult at all.
California
for Li
The moment you came close I knew
there was an ocean inside you
that I will soon drown in. I could
forget everything but the sunshine
in your skin, still warm, still warm
on my tongue.
No matter what happens, my love,
your body will forever haunt mine –
all I have to do is breathe,
and I return to you, a land
where red poppies and I bloom.
And when I kissed you in the rain,
vulnerable yet alive, the sky
was no longer a sky,
and your name
was no longer a name.
Prayer
Subscribe to continue reading
Become a paid subscriber to get access to the rest of this post and other exclusive content.
Lately
I have been writing about us,
fervently, constantly, and endlessly,
so we don’t one day become memories – ashes
of a great fire that once burned down an entire city
in my chest.
SW Altair 