he is...

making hot chocolate
easy smiles
dancing in the car
belching contests
trap music
love
bachata
summer heat
"you're the baddest girl in the room...
always"
kissing in the rain
too many visible hickies
kindness
"bite harder"
back massages
watching old musicals
quick wit
goofiness
people being surprised by how hot he is
incessant teasing
holding me
laughter... so much laughter
there be dragons here
"aight bet"
the way he looks at me
the way he looked at me...


9/24/17

limestone & salt

there was always a lantern there
inside my chest
but its switch was always
guarded by limestone ribs
& heartache stalactites

I don't know where he
learned the secret spell
that turns heartache
into dust
but he taught me
that the salt of my past
tears was there
to dance on the wind
of our love

I painted his strong, dark
arms with chalk & water
and my lantern-chest
lit our path and
taught us to read
the poems in
each other's eyes

9/24/17

hot stone

the hot stone in my belly
says goodbye to him
before I am ready
to unclench my fingers
from his broad, gentle hands
the end comes
right on time
but with storms that
were not in the forecast

and I learn that
there is never a good
time to let go
and that love
is both
kissing in the rain
and crying in the shower
about how loving him
doesn't always mean staying

9/24/17

healing mornings

She picks herself up from
repose like
a petal from a sunflower
and, yawning like rain,
she greets the morning

9/24/17

Untitled 3

You don't mean to give people

a place in your heart

that has roots & sinew

But the beautiful, soft,

& powerful ones make 

you open up more intimate

homes

inside of you

9/19/17

"Hell hath no fury"

I dedicate this poem

to the guy who tried to

get my boyfriend to

cheat on me

The petty crown is yours!

You can have it

This high road is getting

real steep

I don't have to kick your ass

to prove that I can

But you seem to want me to

Do you get off on getting reactions?

Is making people angry

the only way

you feel powerful?

I wanted to like you,

but you're such an

arrogant, uninteresting, petty,

selfish, lazy ignorant

piece of shit

So any energy I could spend trying

to impress you or 

defending myself

would be like

pouring fuel

on a dumpster fire

I've done enough

goddamn babysitting to know

better than to "justify schoolyard

taunts with a response"*

And since you're a child

I will quell my fury

with a bucket-full

of laughter

Your life must be

so boring and pathetic

for you to have the

time to sabotage

your relationship

and your homie's

Wanna know why that

girl didn't

give up pussy once

you dumped your girlfriend for her?

'Cuz she never planned to!

She could tell

you were a weak-ass bitch

from a mile away

and she just wanted

to prove that

she could get you

to do anything

I honestly feel sorry for you

You called the man I love

a bitch for getting

with me

You assumed it was

just cuz I was

white or thick

or whatever else,

but you will never know

what it feels like to

be loved by

a woman like me

I am fierce and powerful 

beautiful, sexy

intelligent, goofy

kind, and fun

I can put it down

like you wouldn't believe

I can hold a man down

and also teach him

how to fly

so enjoy living

your life with

your feet on the 

ground and

your head up

your own ass

fuck you!

and if I never

hear your name or

voice again it'll be

too soon

9/15/17

monument to you

you did not make

you this way.

exquisite.

broken

but you are

the only one

who can build

on that breath-

taking foundation

so build.

what a monument

you will

become.

9/13/17