Warehouses, Love and Other Stray Thoughts

the weather getting cooler, and
a tangle on her mind,
we met down at the waterfront,
as both were so inclined

we wrapped up in concupiscence,
amid the crates and dust:
as ashes turn to ashes and
stray thoughts turned into lust

we wrestled with our consciences,
each other, and the day;
then readdressed ourselves
so we could each go on our way

she looked at me appraisingly.
then suddenly, she said,
“one day, instead of tarpaulin,
  we ought to use a bed”

but that, indeed, we never did.
we’d loved as best we could:
mid crates of disillusionment
and smells of grime
and wood

Skyline

Shanghai, I still remember you.
From long quite long so long ago;
Your skyline in the morning sun,
And me: afraid of shadows

When I was young, I foolish was
(And foolish am, but that’s beside)
I flew around the many worlds
That formed my glass enclosure —

At distant skylines I would stare,
On rivers, I would skim my rocks;
I’d gamble with my empty heart,
And flirt with discomposure —

I’d dream of Irish girls at night
(Unless I was in Ireland)
I’d string my hopes from flight to flight
Then file, with a byline

But everywhere I lastly went,
My time was broken or misspent;
Except, perhaps, the moments I
Was taking in
The skyline

bad ex.

ugh. she was awful.

no amount of pepto bismol
could coat my stomach enough
to keep me from getting sick
if i spent three more seconds
thinking about her sorry
excuse for a way of living.

and on top of that,
she took my sandman collection.

that really sucks

Right Before

Underneath her bright umbrella
On a cloudless, rainless day
She looked pretty – pretty angry –
And she had a lot to say.

Then she told me with these words:

You’re a jerk.  I hate you.
I don’t like a thing you do;
I would never date you.

I think you’re pretentious and
In the end, morose;
So, you can back off, for we
Are not getting close.

Right before, though, we had marked our
Third year anniversary;
Didn’t want to tell her, but,
She’d already married me.

Though I took her words to heart and
Tried from then to mend my ways:
Maybe that’s why I’m so cheerful
And so humble
Nowadays

A Necessary Marinade

I often find that stories
Lose their flavor
In telling them. The good
That we might savor

Or bad flavors get lost
There, in the telling;
And we send scents not those
That we were smelling.

And so, to tell the truth
I lie a lot:
For storytelling needs
A certain shot

Of falsehood marinade,
Therein to baste –
So others, then, will know
The selfsame
Taste

= = = = =

(In response to a Daily Post prompt.)