The Landlord

In my sixteenth year,
I made the decision to hand over
The large and long
Rusted keys to myself
And have someone stay in the wet,
Ruby red room for rent.
I cleaned the plaster walls and
Scrubbed the single window so
The light could get in at last.

My first tenant was
A bright-eyed nude
Who saw more of me than
I thought there was to show.
I painted her in a
Still-life villanelle
And hung it by the window
So she knew that I meant it.
We had a good run, but in
The end
She found better lodgings
Elsewhere (rightfully so).

Months trickled by.
My second tenant,
A full-flavored poetess,
Arrived like a whirlwind.
She was an artful romantic,
But after a few months she
Decided my room wasn’t
Her type;
But at least she was kind
When she said farewell.

Winter came twice before
I had another knock at my door.
The arrival of a freckled menace,
Willfully lonely, she still tries to
Poke her head in every once
In a red moon.

It wasn’t long before I noticed
The next one waiting, silently.
A bespectacled traveler, she was
Torn in two but sewn back together
So that I could see beneath her
Button nose the stitches on her face.
I invited her to stay, but she had
Already gone
Off to where she belonged
In the first place.

And then last summer,
I realized what had happened,
And my renters took so much
That the walls were scuffed and
Bruised, the window broken.
As I stooped to begin the
Task of cleaning my room,
A two-toned calico crept in
Through the shattered remains
Of the window panes.
She looked at me curiously, and
I recognized the feeling deep in
Her eyes; she had been here before.
Night after night, tapping softly
On the hazy surface of the glass.
Now she was in, and nuzzled her
Face into the side of my neck.
I felt like I had found something
I had forgotten to look for
Within those lovely green eyes.

MSBQ

With Sweet Potential

I remember when we first met,
My eyes carefully admired your
Delicious curves and lines.
Ten fingers delicately grazed the
Fine hairs on your skin.
I knew that I wanted you,
So I took you home, made you wait
Until I was ready, until I wanted it
And you did not disappoint.
With each layer I removed, you
Became even more beautiful
Until at last, that first taste…
So sweet I could hardly believe it.
Each bite was more sumptuous
Than the last one, so much so that
I was sad that you had nothing
Left to give to me.

Few things are quite as satisfying
As a good peach for breakfast.

MSBQ

The Ties That Bind

A transition I’ll never
Really ever get used to:
Nature flipped the lever
And I haven’t got a clue.

It’s no use running,
Nobody bothers to explain.
I can tell that fall is coming
Because the air smells like change.

Tiny knuckles and tiny fingers
Grope desperately in the dark,
Searching for a feeling that lingers
Until, finally, a spark!

Hands tied, and an open mind
Surrender to the flame within.
Even the most pious will find
How delicious it is to sin.

Two bodies meant for loving
Both freed and in chains:
I can tell that fall is coming
Because the air smells like change.

MSBQ

Curves Ahead

Our second song, without a title
Frightening me to my very core
The thought that somewhere out there
Is a soul thrashing in the night
Just like mine, waking at 4am
Hot breath upon my neck,
My window was closed all the way
So you took the door that stood
Open through midnight and beyond
My eyes wide, begging the question:
If you faded from our world
Would you return to haunt me?
A perfect mist in the form of a cat
To scurry away from my peripherals
A shadow of a thought and nothing more
Shine some golden light upon me and
Trigger that one, immovable impulse
Within my brain- to love and be loved
If only just the once, so that I might
Sleep soundly until dawn
And find no evidence of your visit
But the imprint in my bedsheets
And the faint smell of sunflowers

MSBQ

There and Back Again

like a dog on the porch
I await your
triumphant return
your journey to the south
however temporary
will try my heart
and yours as well
the prodigal daughter’s
dusty footsteps up
to your parent’s door
will require greater courage
than I could ever
hope to muster
and yet, I am proud!
of your accomplishments,
your graduation in more
than a few ways
so while you stride
across the stage
and receive your reward
remember that it’s okay
in the big and scary
grown-up world
to have a childlike spirit
and a youthful smile
celebrate, my dear,
for you have most
certainly earned it

MSBQ