So first chance to catch my breath in a bit (helps that Kev is still asleep) and say hello again to y'all. I should actually get back to work, but I wanted to share some of the poems you've been sending in. And thanks for the lovely birthday wishes -- I really had a very nice extended birthday, started Friday or so. :-)
This one's from another Mary Ann, though she spells her name wrong. :-) She tells me that it's not about the actual first time, but the first man, which I think is close enough...
Six years today
and that is long enough to forget
the exact texture of your skin
and how salty it was.
I can only almost picture
the curve of your lip
and how it fit.
I don't really remember, now,
how your voice would thicken
and your eyes grow dark
or how long and fine your fingers are
or how gracefully you brush
stray hair from your face.
It is six years
that I have called you friend
and the words we say
are dust on the surface
of all the things I cannot recall.
- Mary Ann Locke
This one is from 'R', who asked to remain nameless. I certainly think it's deserving of an attribution, but given the subject matter, I can understand the urge to remain anonymous...
First Times
"Send me a poem about your first time" she writes
and I wonder what to say...
Do I tell her of 18
when it was sexuality and love
and everything seemed to be beginning
both of us were scared
yet anxious to discover life's possibilities
as we explored each other.
Do I tell her of 16
when it was curiosity and lust
and everything was fresh and exciting
both of us were scared
yet anxious to explore life's sensations
as curious about ourselves as each other.
Do I tell her of 10
when it was perversion and force
and everything was unknown and frightening
all I remember was being so scared
and anxious for it to be over
terrified of the person who could do that to me.
What counts and doesn't count, when it comes to first times?
-19 July 1998
Now, 'W' also requested anonymity, with no good reason, as far as I can tell...
In a different world,
we had the courage to touch.
That is strange comfort.
---
A dance of strangers
whirling around the shaman:
"Please, another tale!"
I'm enjoying these very much, and I think will eventually collect them all in the poetry section. Any more?