here's what's real

here’s what’s real
on this page
with the shit and the blood and the drool
that come from the messy acts of human life
exactly from the beginning
with meconium and amniotic fluid and shreds of placenta
and the start of the beginning
with semen and mucous and sloughed-off uterine trash
seeping from our bodies as if it isn’t obvious
that metaphor is fact
and symbols are simply accessories
we hang around our throats
and dangle from our ears
here’s this poetry
here’s what’s real
outside the porcelain facades
of professionalism and accepted norms
our chemical selves in all our juicy mess
leave trails of truth shimmery as any snail’s

sightings

hummingbird, green, darting between Bluebeard blossoms
grateful for the rain that keeps the bees in bed

rabbit, kit, darting across the sodden lawn
sacrificing dry feet for juicy breakfast

swallows, two, weaving long black horse hairs
into the mud of their bassinet

happy Saturday

happy Saturday to be alone and miss you
to remember why this love of ours is rich
and why - when we unite - our bodies stretch toward one another
like this thirsty thirsty earth that arches its back and tips its chin
to try to catch the rain at the earliest possible moment

the poppy seeds on my muffin are small attempts
to imitate the plenty of this storm
here in this town where rain is rare and ever welcome

this is an all-day childhood rain of indoor recess and soggy shoes
as opposed to the occasional rains we have here
one-night stands where no one leaves a name
and later on we ask if it was worth it

Nesting

I am the only one awake
on this street of sunburst puzzle houses

rain drips off the leaves
like sweet beads of sweat earned from honest labor

our swallow still perches on her nest above my head
her mate sits on the porch light by the door
reminding me that my place on this stoop
is allowed through generosity of their trust

after all, we chose this house to shelter our beloveds
and so must see the kindred in each other

setting*occasion*action

chest (yours – concave)
curled around spine (mine – convex)

arm draped over ribs
tucked under breast
terminating in fingers interlaced right and right

(safe)
I graze freely over the acreage of your heart
protected from predators (though)

the scars of battles fought and lessons won
still smart in the bright sunlight

(and so) you tuck your knees more tightly into mine
left arm up to touch my hair

face in my neck
voice in my ear
your kiss (your whisper)

frees me
(so nourished am I in the sanctuary of your embrace)