Reanimated Lavender Granola Switchblade Nun rides again.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Prairie Rose

When you shuck off your sweatshirt
and shake your hair out with your hand,
I can hardly bear to let you go
to shave your legs
or write a poem
or to admire the dark summer color of the prairie rose.

I gather in your abandoned second skin,
wrapping the sleeve around my wrist
so that I can tell time by the you-warmth still there and pressed at my pulse points.
There is mojo and sweetgum in everything you have touched--
it is medicine for every longing.

Outside the window is the redbud tree,
scratching on the glass as if it were some beautiful prisoner.
Come back to bed, honey--
I crave the tang and scent of you,
and to brush my face,
my fingers,
everything I am and all my desire
against the dark summer color of the prairie rose.

_______

for Karen's word list at Real Toads.

I wanted to add Roxy Music's song "Prairie Rose", but they didn't have a good recording of it.

News note: today is my birthday! 

30 comments:

  1. loved this line: There is mojo and sweetgum in everything you have touched--

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  2. The you-warmth...sigh. No one writes love poems like you, Shay, (she repeats for the two millionth time)and this one is as clean and tough as the rose you reference. If my brain wasn't fried, I would say more, about how you devoured the word list and made it your poem's flesh, and stuff, but it's been an awfully long day and there's no telling that I wouldn't say something silly about pulling out my hair the same day I spent a fortune getting it styled. Happy Birthday, dear friend.

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  3. Wow. Really made me realize what goes on when girlfriends used to wear my shirts to bed. I honestly never gave that much thought, but now I'm kicking myself for not having realized the thought process. I now suddenly feel like a Neanderthal.

    Great work!

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  4. super-lovely, so comforting, somehow.
    happy birthday, Shay!

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  5. ...where to begin? The second skin reference is brilliant and I love the image of redbud tree scratching at the window... as if freedom is inside those four walls with the two of you! Splendidly brilliant.

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  6. ... delicious words ~ tang and scent.

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  7. Another of your amazing love poems. Wow!
    I hope you had a wonderful birthday, Shay.
    Luv, K

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  8. You are a romantic Birthday Poet, my Sister Gemini! Many happy returns, Shay.


    Aloha

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  9. Aw, Shay, I missed your birthday by one hour (PDT). I hope you had a wonderful day and were suitably pampered. Your poem is ageless, this piece about a prairie rose that seems more yesteryear than today at times and then sends me back to now. How perfect for you to post an ageless poem on your birthday! :)

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  10. What a love poem to post on your birthday...

    I hope it's a happy one, Shay, and I hope you do something for yourself today...

    Here's a bottle of Bolthouse tipped in your direction...

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  11. I love the mojo and sweetgum, the tang and the scent. You bring so much tactile deliciousness to your writng about love. Thanks for sharing this taste of pleasure. And Happy Birthday. May you celebrate well and be well celebrated.

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  12. Happy Birthday Shay! May it be as beautiful as this poem which I loved...

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  13. You always achieve a wonderful balance between sensuality and emotion. This is a feast for the senses and a balm for the heart.

    Happy birthday for yesterday!

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  14. This is so wonderfully sensuous. Beautiful!

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  15. Oh, this is gorgeous! I truly love this one.

    But, sorry, honey; your birthday is in October.

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  16. Another absolutely gorgeous love poem! Too many favorite lines to quote!

    Happy Birthday! (I'm confused by MZ's comment...)

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  17. Such a beautiful love poem. No one writes them like you do, Shay - how about a book of love poems next? Happy Birthday, kiddo - it appears to be your birthday - but I'm happy to celebrate it again in October, too. Tell Bosco to give you a big toothsome doggy smile from me.

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  18. I'm a day late...but happy birthday! Hope you enjoyed it :-)

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  19. Pay no attention to MZ. She's spreading misinformation! :-)

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  20. There's a very fine line between Tang...And Dank.
    But there's NOT so fine a line between Dank...And Stank!
    Watch out for those rose petals Shay.

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  21. I love this: "There is mojo and sweetgum in everything you have touched"

    And happy belated birthday!

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  22. Just lovely. The you-warmth is so wonderful and memorable and great sweetness here throughout. Thanks. This is Manicddaily with a phone stuck on old blogger blog.

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  23. Oh, honey, this is delicious. The "you-warmth" is a beautiful way to express that feeling of slipping into the freshly used sweatshirt of your loved one. So much desire, so much craving for more... sensual and exhilarating! Watch out, Lex, I'm comin' for ya, hee hee. Amy

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  24. Delicious yearning in here. Sweetly romantic and warm!

    Happy bdday, dear and may you have many more words to play with!

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  25. Very Zexy. Were I gal, I'd be swooning. Heck, this is swoonable for anyone, macho pigs like me, especially! Ex-O-Lent!

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  26. Love where the words took you! When I have to shuck corn, I will think instead of "shuck off your sweatshirt" and your whole poem!

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  27. Love where the words took you! When I have to shuck corn, I will think instead of "shuck off your sweatshirt" and your whole poem!

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  28. that first verse is a killer, slayed me in total with it's concise brilliance! sorry to have missed this one when it was posted...playing catch up now!

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