Poem: "Call Waiting"

"Call Waiting"

dear ___________,

that shade of red accentuates
your lovely shape
a glass of wine is waiting for you
on the table
if you want to unwind

the last time you were over
my house
we danced really close
and my hands slipped down
your back a little too far

I remember the way
you blushed as a tiny laugh
escaped, you winked,

"Just couldn't keep your hands to yourself," you muttered
as we kissed and talked
until the morning sunlight shone through
the slightly open window
all the while
the phone lay
off the hook.

- NV

Copyright: 2009, by Raymund Diaz Delizo

Poem: "Saturday Lullaby"

"Saturday Lullaby"

There are leaves everywhere
it is nearly the September
of my mutual unraveling

maybe there is a chance
that the phone will stop
its incessant misquito

the bed is unkempt
the sheets have turned
a pale yellow white

the birds outside are circling overhead
the raindrops feel bitter
on my tongue

if I allow memory to linger a while longer
maybe someday will end
and we'll be in each other's arms
once more.

Copyright: 2009, by Raymund Diaz Delizo

Poem: "Losing Stanley"

"Losing Stanley"

I hate my life, he says
as he drinks coffee
out of the same cup
that he has been using
for ten years

maybe he'll choose
to wear the tie with the fishes
with blue and red stripes

maybe he'll stand outside
for twenty minutes
while playing with his dog's
water bowl Frisbee

he wants to call Franny
and tell her that he's not coming
to the usual Scrabble marathon tonight

I watch him sometimes
waving at no one in particular.

Copyright: 2009, by Raymund Diaz Delizo

Poem: "A Slight Exaggeration"

"A Slight Exaggeration"

If I can't see the sunset
or feel the vibrant heat
of the sun beating down on my bare back
or see my lover's face

I would rather
lay here in solitude
exposed to the seething
Glow of moon and delicate shadow

if I can't have you
or know the beauty of your touch
lie to me just one more time
and stay awhile.

Copyright: 2009, by Raymund Diaz Delizo

Poem: "Falling"

"Falling"

The sunset fades
sand on the beach
crumbles in my hands
sitting in shorts in flip flops

fishing with one's bare hands
equals ten points off one's IQ

outside, I don't want to go
maybe I should just close my eyes
maybe if I think hard enough and long enough

you'll come sit beside me for awhile
and smile with your beautiful eyes a gleaming
we'll talk awhile about nothing in particular

if I take you in my arms and kiss you
just one last time
could you spin the world for a moment
and stop the fall?

Copyright: 2009, by Raymund Diaz Delizo

Poem: "Love, Hate"

"Love, Hate"

dear ________,

Can you tell me once more
why we are here
sharing the same space
after we promised
"never again"?

no, the twilight is beckoning
we must not be late
you and I are compelled
to make it home tonight

when you wake in the morning
and the sun is bright
and you lay so still and peaceful

something gnaws at my insides
and I grow tired of you
during the hours of departure
in the wistful meantime

the cock crows thrice at Peter

I pray you don't
take offense at my quiet conjecture
reflection is not always
the easiest thing to purge

I love you
when you're seething
in the undercurrents
of unspoken tempests

but enough of this now
wait for me still
and your reward will be
my eternal patience.

- SW

Copyright: 2009, by Raymund Diaz Delizo

Poem: "The Ultimatum"

"The Ultimatum"

dear _______,

I must tell you, dear
that I cannot take
much more of
your resolve

if we must part ways
like the swirling tides
of the fervent ocean

let me show you
all the scars
you will walk away from

no one is unscathed, dear
innocence is no excuse
for idle mediocrity

flush the toilet
on the way out

get gone, my darling
if I must breathe again
the open spaces whisper

proclaiming our epic failure

can you see, in the distance, dear?
she waits for you
go to her, my sweet bastard,
and kiss her quickly

lest the raindrops cease to fall
and the heavens roar their disdain
get gone, beloved,
this is the last time

don't bother to say good-bye.

- CJ

Copyright: 2009, by Raymund Diaz Delizo