Sealed Envelope

He is a sealed envelope
addressed to someone else
that I can not open

an unwritten story
that begs to be told

a locked vault
promising treasure to keyholders
inaccessible

unexpressed ideas
that float in literary purgatory

an unconsummated
rendezvous
buzzing with tension

unfinished business
loose ends, wanting closure

his mind:
like a house with
a thousand windows
he slips away
easily, undetected
sitting outside of his isolated genius
hoping for admission
I wait patiently

Note to reader: this poem was written in a very different type of format that I can not seem to do on blogger. In any event, click here to read the poem the way it is supposed to be read. As you can see from the link, the poem can be read vertically or horizontally.

Request

Meet me, the text reads
And I want to speed through time and space
My skin pleads
Needs
His dark embrace

Meet me, he asks
And I feel so ready
For his tasks
He unmasks
Remembering makes me unsteady

Meet me, the message says
And I envision locks
Black and gray
Someday
Actuality mocks

Meet him?
Only behind sleepy lids
My familiar stranger
Danger
Our kisses hid

Kyrielle*

God have mercy on my soul
Behavior I can't seem to control
Violating my probation
Resisting anything but temptation

Deliverance so dull
Nobility's appeal null
Ignoring promises of salvation
Resisting anything but temptation

Of my questionable deeds
I need no confirmation
My shadow self feeds
Resisting anything but temptation

Demons adore
My deviation
Too entertained to abhor
Resisting anything but temptation

Reality borne of my imagination
Resisting anything but temptation

My realization
Resisting anything but temptation

*the name and character of the KYRIELLE derive from the Mass, whose wail of Kyrie eleison!--'Lord, have mercy upon us'--is a familiar element. The final line of every stanza is the same. There is no set length and both quatrains and couplets may be used.

February

You give off such heat, he writes
His words feel delicious
Email that ignites
My want is vicious

His words are delicious
Missives both solid and airy
My want is vicious
Sign of the times--my February

Missives both solid and airy
I giggle at his desires
Sign of the times--my February
Adoring the way he admires

I giggle at his desires
He asks to kiss my neck
Adoring the way he admires
Have I melted? I check

He asks to kiss my neck
Awakening with a double click
Have I melted? I check
Messages erotic

Awakening with a double click
Email that ignites
Messages erotic
You give off such heat, he writes

Note to reader: this poem is a 'pantoum.' For further information on this style, see my previous post.

On Demand

You're good for business, he says
Will you wear your hair down?
Flirting with his clients over filets
And wine--trying not to drown

In this sea of booze and trepidation
I entertain on demand
Swallowing irritation
Gesturing with my rocky wedding band

He uses my smile
To close deals
My style
His weapon--concealed

I turn it on
His clientele grows
A long lashed pawn
I pretend not to know

More is more
A merger, he and I
What I bring--he adores
His choice, I dignify

Pantoum*

Wrapping myself in a single sheet
In room 521 at The Ritz
I can hear my heart beat
My questions quit

In room 521 at The Ritz
Whispers burn
My questions quit
He helps me learn

Whispers burn
Room service brings more wine
He helps me learn
Replaces the privacy sign

Room service brings more wine
He plays with my hair
Replaces the privacy sign
Our luxurious lair

He plays with my hair
I can hear my heart beat
Our luxurious lair
Wrapping myself in a single sheet

*A pantoum is a strict, 15th century form of poetry that must be composed in full cross rhymed quatrains (abab, cdcd, etc.). It must begin and end with the same line, and this is how the rest of the poem unfolds: the 2nd and 4th lines of the first stanza become the 1st and 3rd lines of the second stanza, the 2nd and 4th lines of the second stanza become the 1st and 3rd of stanza three and so on until you reach the end. A Pantoum may be as long or short as you desire, but, when you do get to the end, you must use the two lines you will not yet have repeated--the 1st and 3rd of the opening stanza, they are reversed in order and become the 2nd and 4th of the final quatrain.