Forty-four

i vomit confusion & butterflies
i sweat fear and i bleed dread
i fall deaf from society’s lies
i gag on metallic tastes of pain
i run from the reek of regret
i save my minutes & lose my hours
i dance on the minefield of mind
i freeze my worries for later
i breathe a reverie’d ether of beauty
i drown in fantasy too deep
i love on the edges of souls
i sleep on the shores of night
i glow at the sight of each morning
i delight in the sunshine of pleasure
i plant my seeds in thankfulness
i get high on nature’s magnificence
i stare in reverence at trees
i cherish each blissful breeze
i open every window i can
i invite every light to play
i adore every cloud in the sky
i welcome each raindrop & tear
i memorize every flower’s aura
i read old books & withering leaves
i paint myself with colors of truth
i polish the bright side’s halo
i chase angels & occasionally devils
i pray from within & without
i armor myself with art
i question my body and listen
i dream my heart’s inside-out
i work until i’m exhausted
i let go of some things & not others
i giggle breathlessly ’til i cry
i hug without asking why
i nourish my spirit with poetry
i cover my journals with ink
i drink my wisdom from teacups
i inhale wild mists of wonder
i hem my madness with sanity
i tick, i zig, i zag, and i tock
i err on the side of risk
i ride wayward shooting stars
i flow with the river of time

Terri Guillemets

Capriccio

you & i are animal lust
spirit and human emotion
entangled in wild passion

you always touch my heart first
but still find every last place

breaths rise, sweat falls
mine, yours, who knows

bodies wise, minds numb
wills weak, feelings, reveal
speak easy, softly, love
at the tips of our tongues
whisper nothings, give everything
our lips link each other’s souls
with kisses blind, rough and kind

fierce fervor, fever, fire, hot desire
flesh burning, hungering, yearning
begging, seeking, pleasing, please
prey of your hands and at my knees

inhale, exhale, scents, intense
assent, consent, relent, unpent
sweet chords, rhythm, rhapsody
harmony, symphony, crescendo

Terri Guillemets