I Appear the Stranger

By Cordell Rich

would this man find a flower
and put it in a cage
and at some desperate hour
visit it with rage

or with colored words of anger
paint you black and blue
using words as if new spurs
are as gentle as the dew.

if I came upon his raging
with you cowering in fright
could you see it as a staging
to leave with me that night

or would I appear the strange
if I held to you my hand
would I appear the danger
my gesture a demand

a flower can grow so wilted
it has just the strength to stand
and a cooling sip of water
can drive it to the sand

My Muse

By Cordell Rich

my hands are sometime a lonely place
desperate to find your hands hiding within them
am I always to be a slave to memories of you
longing for that moment of your hands in mine
of your hands being our hands.
I would scarce know how to breath
and close my eyes for fear that
the next breath would might come
when you would be my last mistake
I would raise my voice and
sing in whispered praises
my muse, Magami
transposing your name anew
a prayer upon my lips
Magami
again and again Magami
until I had sung every syllable
fresh kisses on your skin thru
the whispered words, magami
as I taste the salty moonlight there
your slave or your king
abandoning all memories past
for memories yet to come
those moment with you in my arms

Magami Japanese for Muse or My Muse

I Can See You Leaving

By Cordell Rich

even from where I am, I can see you leaving.
how am I to say goodbye to you
with any words that are not covered in lies
I would pay loves price again and again
to watch the bend and pull of your lips
as you speak my name
or to feel your hands, in my hands
as gentle as new born snow falling in my hair

These My Tears

By Cordell Rich

these my tears are born of a rage boiling within her
melting the shards of broken memories
to produce these tears which even now
bind me against my will to her
they burn and sting my eyes and turn my heart cold
how does this woman cry when all inside of her
is frozen by a great frost temporing her heart

My Every Breath

I remember your shoulders
and your skin in the light

your flames coursing through my veins
quenched only by your presence

scars burned deep into my future
to mourn some later date

every memory a tear upon my flesh
a tapestry of regret now scarred and healed

my every breath an invocation
to a God long wearied by my pleas

desperate I cry out
the moons silence, my rebuke

my thoughts tremble at the question
if I but had the courage

would you be with me now

Inhaling Her

By Cordell Rich

I thought of you this weekend
my mind turns to you
as naturally as a smooth stone
must fall to the earth
because of that
I spend half of my life here
and half of my life in a dream
for so long I’ve not tasted
what I had eaten
or seen where I had been
because my life drifts along
and my thoughts
are consumed with you
then this week
I found a beautiful ripe pear
and I stood at the sink
thinking I was prepared to eat
and as I held it to my mouth
I could smell its fragrance
I grew excited knowing
what I was about to experience
as I bit into the flesh
there was just a moment of resistance
from its smooth skin
before it gave way to my teeth
the next moment
I could feel the juices
running into the whiskers on my chin
and down my neck
then for a brief time
it seemed
that I had tried to take
too much of the fruit at once
my senses were overwhelmed
and as I pulled
the mouthful of fruit
away from its body
the juices covered my chin and neck again
and continued down to my chest
but in the end it was very satisfying
at the moment I enjoyed
that first tender bite
I thought of how satisfied I was
for that brief instant
and I thought of you

Duplicitous She

She
Stoic

Stands
Wanting to run

Calls
to me

my name,
to love

Wanting
ture love

holding
her dreams in check

herself
punished

denying
for me

herself!



She
stands,
calls my name.
Wanting.
Holding
Herself.
Denying
herself!

Stoic
wanting
to run
to me
to love
ture love
her dreams in check
punished
for me.

Lonely Hands

my hands are sometime a lonely place
desperate to find your hands hiding within them
am I always to be a slave to memories of you
longing for that moment of your hands in mine
of your hands being our hands.
I would scarce know how to breath
and close my eyes for fear of that
the next breath would not come
when you would be my last mistake
I raise my voice and sing in whispered praises
transposing your name anew
A prayer upon my lips
again and again
until I had sung every syllable
fresh kisses on your skin thru your name
as I taste the salty moonlight there
I would be your slave or your king
abandoning all memories past
for memories yet to come
for those moment with you in my arms

Let Me Atone

what do I want from you
somehow I though you knew
before you said were through
that I want all of you

I want your heart and mind
that little cute behind
your hazel eyes so kind
whatever else I find

I love yous on the phone
the quite nights at home
soft moments spent alone
please let me atone