Far, far away in a city I use to like
I found my spoken word man at an open mic
Charismatic he was
His literary genius gave me a buzz
Unlike one I'd never known
True infatuation I was shown
Like a 14 year-old girl I crushed
Ms. Feminist turned into mush

Alas, after such a long search
At the alter of his church
Was my Spoken Word Man
You, who I'd always been looking for
How quickly I learned the true meaning of adore

But now I am sad, devastated to report
That our time together was way too short
My heart broke when I realized it could be no more
Like a wave that crashed against the shore

No words can describe
The pain that is loss
Except what its like to die slow on the cross

Love spoiled, destroyed
Cause you felt undeserving
And don't want others to see that you're maimed
By your childhood trauma's and pains

Well I have suffered too, when I was a kid
So neglect and childhood abuse
Is no excuse

And as for your complaints of too much women disappointment
Well risking my love would have been your healing ointment

But instead you projected your disappointment onto me
So we could be fused and I would see
What you went through
What was I suppose to do?

I assumed you'd be more evolved
Psychologically insightful
Instead you were sort of spiteful
I thought you'd be deeper, a keeper
A spiritual seeker

I learned you had a shallow side
Causing me to only think of my pride
When I realized your world mostly revolved around you
What was I suppose to do
But say
Shit, I did it again
I made another bad choice when it comes to men

Oh, I will obsess about you no further
Whatever we had is done, like murder
I will not waste one more moment trying to figure out why
It's always better to just cry

And as I grieve the hope of you and I
And come to see
I created you like a teenage lie

But even with this profound understanding
My heart is still so demanding

The part of me that loves won't die
I cannot tell a lie
You will always, always have a piece of my soul

But nevertheless
detaching from you will now be my goal
Because my love for me,
My serenity
Is still stronger than my wanting you
And I know what I have to do

I'll disappear into thin air
I will not cling, I will not analyze
And I'll leave knowing I gave it a damned good try

And I'll accept we were just not in the stars
Venus, Jupiter, or Mars
For although I've finally found my Spoken Word Man

I've come to see
That our love, our special connection, our friendship
Was sadly, very sadly,
Just not meant to be

                 - Rhonda Findling, 6/09

I have a friend that can deliver a lie with the ease 
of the blue sky in the morning. Little people and big
governments are capable of this. It can take you where 
you want. I wonder at times if it is one of the things 
that fuels the world, it is so common. Easy it is to 
believe something rather than to question it. Easy to 
follow and hurtle off the precipice following the lie, 
with the chorus "we are the believers." And too many 
times we're not even aware that we are doing it. I too, 

have believed lies, and have found myself empty, empty 
like the shell or skeleton of something that has fallen, 
with the substance long gone. I don't have problems 
with those that doubt the color of the sky anymore. 
I try to see things as they are and live with them, 
and have seen some wear lies as if  daily under wear. 
How the world has moved on, and survived - probably  
due to the brave, honest and hardworking. Makes you 

wonder if we really are the superior animal. 
At least other creatures may not have the right fingers, but 
they are good at smelling things out. I have learned to be aware 
of how much a lie can be part of the scene, the expected.
Some will say these have problems, but how many really do,
and how many are just good at working and milking this 
mechanism? You won't be able to say that you can 
see it in his, her or their eyes, for I have a friend that can 
deliver a lie with the ease of the blue sky in the morning.

                                     Evie Ivy

Untitled

I tried to keep this thing going,
honest I did.
I tried, and tried and tried,
I cried.
I failed… then I tried some more 
and more,
And when I had no more to give
From the depths of my soul,

I sifted still more
From the marrow in my bones 
And 
When that ran out, from the
very air I took into my lungs and still
That wasn’t enough…
I felt so worn.

Now, I cover the walls with your photos; hold onto
My dolls for dear life…
Distract myself from the misery, with
Pastries and phone calls.

I did not want to give you up.
I just had to.

- Sheryl H. Simler


The 3D Pretender 

There you go strutting your stuff as if the world cannot get enough.
You laugh, you joke, you socialize, but I tasted your other side that lies and the rancid hypocrisy you epitomize.

Playfully, I once touched you and we scintillated and titillated each other.
Things changed.  Now, often you growl, ”Stop the smother.
No longer think of me as a friend or a lover or a brother.”

When you had a crowd, I noticed you had to perform.
As if this was an entitled norm, you puffed out your chest as if you were wearing a lopsided crown.
Gleefully, condescendingly you would shred me down.

Your raw emoting exposed rage, loathing, and disgust.
Decimating me bit by bit was your must.
Your denigrating, derogating, desecrating caustic behavior penetrated, reverberated and seared me to the core, rendering me discombobulated, disoriented depleted and sore.
I left you when I could take it no more.

When your audience was gone and your other side had withdrawn,
      despite your doling out cajoling and  pleading, entreating,
      “Baby, let’s pretend, it never happened.”
With an inner guffaw, I retorted, “No, you maggot maw!
There is no pretend!
You offend!
This relationship is at an end!
 “No way will I allow my emotions to sway
To you, I issue a ban…
I throw all thoughts of you into the trashcan.

- Janice Fongkin


Anticipation

Anticipation of what's to come
No I will cannot hold my intentions in that i have for you
Yes they are lustful 
filled with erotic imagination 
and expectations of what is to be encountered shortly
Yes I desire for your attention
Anticipating the connection of us
touching, holding, kissing
 
It will be just right
feeling right and satisfying to the pallet
 
So Explosive and divine
Can i have some
Some you
and in return  
you will have I
And then 
Us
Meaning United Souls
- April Jones
Untitled

You Keep Pilin’ up the Pain, stacked hurt unchanged, pleaSURE, only with intentions to control the cirCUMstance, NO roMANance, completely stressed, I’m way over-dressed for this MESS! Love neglect, the taste of disrespect has neva been my style, immature words spoken outloud, our time has ran out, Please get
Out…. I can’t see over this PILE.

- Asahda Shavaja

Holy

There have been times that I've hurt you
without meaning to
but right now I'm strictly talking physically
let's just leave emotionality 
for another poem 
and allow me to rephrase
There have been times that I've hurt your body
without meaning to
Even clipped short these nails 
have managed to leave track marks
not that anyone would mistake you for a junkie
but that anyone could track the progress of my 
fingertips down your back and then
swiftly up again
I don't think you realize how difficult it can be
to keep from tearing you apart
But I would hate for you to think
this has anything to do with destruction
instead, recall the beginning of Empire Strikes Back
when Han Solo slices open the belly of the ton ton
so the heat of its body will keep Luke alive. . . 
Now, I'm not calling you a ton ton
but the heat of your body alone
could sustain me
and like Luke I want to crawl inside
I want flames to consume us to ashes
that mingle in a blackened sky
We make love like meteors crashing
I come to you, a red palmed succubus
unsatisfied till we leave atom bomb imprints 
of our figures on your wall
Pressed against you has never been quite close enough
for every time we touch there is the possibility
just greater than zero
that the molecules of your fingertips
will graciously separate to make room
for the molecules of mine
So that where once there were ten fingers
two hands
there will remain only a steeple
as a Testament to the holiness
that is you and I transubstantiated into one
And I have always been a proud atheist
but Dearest, if I were going to look for God
I would search your throat
when we fuck so raw, so unrestrained, so pure
even you, so reserved
cannot help but cry out yes
If I were going to look for God 
I'd seek signs in the blushes of purple and blue
we leave blooming on each others' skins
never in the shape of fists 
but the double crescents of teeth
some times biting into flesh
is the only way to endure
the excruciating ecstasy
that rides us down in waves
and I have never felt the need to be saved
But if I were going to look
for that christian messsiah
I would check my own palms
for stigmata
the remnants of my crucifixion 
across your bed 
where I have lain 
bound at wrist and ankle
nailed.

-Rheanna Keefe- Powers


Turned Off! 
 
Turned off by the very essence of your presence
I guess love bites and teaches some valuable lessons
Got me guessin where to go next
"lord why do you put me thru these tests?"
Staying single at least I can rest
Freedom on my breast..no more stress
and yes, I've been TURNED OFF, by the very essence of your presence
Getting bit hard by these lessons
waiting on you got me missin my blessins'
got me second guessin'
staying up late night stressin' 
Turned OFF by your presence
disgusted when you walk 
voice irritating as chalk onto a board
this shi:"has got me floored
Wanna know why I don't care anymore?
somehow I've been turned off
what you did, dat shi'';' cost
I use to hear your every word
but now my stomach turns
butterflies dead on the curb
sorry I just can't control the knob
I'm just so turned off by the pain you've caused
and you can't take it back, I saw what I saw
won't take you back even if you crawled
sorry, I saw what I saw
TURNED OFF and it can't be reversed
now you mad, but I felt this way first
My life, you have cursed
to stay, things would only get worse
You no longer quench my thirst
and baby that really hurts
Turned OFF by your selfish materialistic ways
Sweetie, I've seen better days
so I definately can't stay
Turned off cause you can't pay the bill
Disconnection has been revealed
My cup you can not refill
TURNED OFF
you put a short in the wire
B*%$, your ass is fired
but this poem you did inspire
TURNED OFF!
 
- Asahda Shavaja


Claimed
 
The first time I saw you, you were just another face in the crowd.
Then I got to know you through your words of kindness and your quiet nature. I pursued you even before I realized I was doing it. On a dare, I invited you to a movie, not really expecting you to accept or show up, but you did.  We watched a crazy ass film called Lust: Caution. How appropriate.  You didn’t hold my hand, or put your arm around my shoulder. Oh, no. You reached down and caressed my inner thigh. And I could barely focus on the screen. Who knew there was so much communication in one touch? In that one moment, you claimed me. Like a sucker punch that I never saw coming.  It’s been three months, and I’m still in shock, and so very deeply in love.

- Stephanie Walker


Conquer Me 

Stare at me
With your glistening eyes
And with your look
Tell me 
That I am your blessing in the skies
That my lips look as sweet as the taste of mangos
And you wonder what kissing me would be like
That I walk with style 
And my eyes drip in beauty 
That seduces you to follow me like shadows at night
And if you speak your mind
Tell me baby,
Am I wasting my time?
Please advise me if my heart is being jeopardized
Or if you plan for it to be harmonized
And if you dare to call me every time I’m on your mind
To alleviate thoughts
That play tricks on my mind
Say the right things
When my feelings are not right
Leaving me,
With natural highs
When I least expect to be surprised.
Then…
Tell me about your daydreams
Tell me that
You picture yourself with me 
Holding hands by still waters 
Feeling the presence of God 
From dusk to sunrise
That if we were seagulls
We would dance on the coast of the ocean
Early mornings
Pecking each other 
With the scent of winds 
Caressing our bare skins
And waves crashing
In calm spirits
As if storms have just died
That you think of us riding horses
When faith is withered 
And prayers restore our light
That only with me

- Josette Zeno


Touching Base 

Just thought you might like to know
While you were hung up and sucked in
By your workaholic ways slippin’
In and out of computer terminals
Accessing new accounts not
Bothering to pay me some mind
Or return my calls

I have at last
And without a moment’s hesitation
Joined a band of cross-eyed gypsies
Taken to robbing banks and
Pool hall parties
Sailed a boat to china
On a one way ticket with
My new hip-hoppin’ lover 
And we ain’t coming back
-  Sheryl H. Simler


Unititled- here is a section of an untitled poem by Sheryl H. Simler 

What is this thing called love and
How do you know when you’re in it
Does it sneak up like a kid
To a cookie jar or crash land on your
Lap like some ole fool of a cat…
Seems to me you gotta go through it though
Cause there ain’t much else worth risking
Disease for and if I’m passing
Through this world only once
I want the whole shebang and then some

- Sheryl H. Simler

Color Me Blue 

Color me blue
I'm still in love with you
don't know why I'm still waiting
but warning: my desire for you is fading
maybe because I'm out here making the scene and dating
so before time runs out hope you are man enough to take a chance 
and get in touch
It amazes me that I could love a mixed up man so much
maybe cause the moments we spent together felt like I had found my other half
I just hope that God isn't reading this poem and having a real good laugh

- Rhonda Findling

Recovery/Here I Stand!
 
Life is filled with such surprises
Trials- then -tribulation
Still I stand- Still I keep it moving- Love fills me and I forive
HERE I STAND!
                  
- Marilyn Thomas King