Eskimo Kisses ... a poem

Eskimo Kisses

Nose to nose,
they brush together
slowly. Softly.
I feel your breath
warm against my skin;
your lips so close to mine
I can taste them.
But you tease me
with your Eskimo kisses.
And I miss the pressure
of lips pressed to lips,
yearning for your tongue
to touch mine.

Until that time,

I am briefly satisfied
with nose rubs,
close hugs,
and secret love.

~cdw
1/27/12
2:35pm

You're not human ... a poem

You're not human

By those sworn to protect you--
your humanity was stolen
your dignity, raped
your Haitian body, humiliated
your sexual assault, videotaped

technology erased your privacy
the anonymity you deserved
the courts dismissed your human rights
officials ignored evidence seen and heard

and we are left to mourn your cause
we fight to tell your story
because you get no help from laws
mainstream media won't publish your story

But

they cover cruise ships lost at sea
they stalk celebrities and their babies
they fight dog fighting and animal cruelty
but they won't acknowledge your humanity.

~cdw
1/16/12

A Musical Score (For Violin) ... a poem

A Musical Score (For Violin)


Performed in pianissimo
We began soft and sweet

Six measures later
The notation is piano
Not as quiet
More pressure
on strings

Abandon
The soothing lullaby

As our fingers play
Chords
Filled with sharps
D major

Press my E string
Find the right note
Explore my high pitch
Melodies

I'm waiting
For forte
Aggression
and strength

Bow hairs
Sticky with resin
Firmly on G

Fingers trembling
Vibrato masks
Pitch imperfections
and missed opportunities

Arm sore
From stiff bow strokes
Loosen up
Release the tension

We must work hard
for Fortissimo
for calculated bliss
Loud and raucous
with no seeming
Restraint

But
A love composition
I hope we create

The sharps balance
the flats
Our dissonant cords
of miscommunication
Transform into
Harmonious conversation

I am composing
A tune
that you will play
Perfection with practice
Rehearse me for long hours

At the end
You're not done
A colon and bar mean repeat
Play my composition
Til the love is complete.

~cdw
05.24.08

Our Sun ... a poem

Our Sun
~for David


Your light shined here on Earth
as bright as the sun at daybreak,
pure white light rising
over mountains of hardship,
not once, but twice victorious.

At high noon, you rose above
Life's stormy clouds,
warmed our hearts with hugs,
and calmed our spirits with sound advice.

In the afternoon, your smile beamed
Rays of laughter
into our otherwise routine days.
We will never forget your laugh.

In the evening time, you still remained,
and never set or left us alone.
Instead, your words of love
and comfort, fun and games,
covered us through moonless nights
and inspired our dreams.

We love you, David; you are our Sun–
a beaming soul of fiery love.
As you hover above
and sit at the right hand of the Son,
please continue to shine on us.

We'll take your gift,
your endless strength,
and share it with a grateful world.

~Courtney D. Ware
06.23.08

**a dedication to my friend and "lil brother" David Cummings...in celebration of his life, his strength, and his memory, that will live on in the lives of the loved ones he left behind. As my mother always says, "If the dead know what the living are doing..." watch over us, D; be our angel. Intercede to God on our behalf. I thank God that you do not have to deal with the struggles of this world any longer. Tell Celeste that I love her and miss her dearly. ~David Joseph Cummings, R.I.P. 9/26/86 - 6/21/08**

One Year ... a poem

One Year

Since...

Your last breath
And I held mine
We sent you
Home
They went home
Alone
I fretted your
End
Your life began
Again
I shed so many
Tears
Your smile dwelled
Here
We said good-
Bye
I wondered
Why. Why?
I took that drive
We celebrated
Your Life
Your loss was mourned
Your spirit
Re-born
We last met
I won't forget.

One year

Never forget.

~cdw
06.09.09
4:45 am

Escape ... a poem

Escape

If I could run so far away and hide
my face of shame from this disgrace of mine,
I'd drag my feet from here to Paris, France
and let my cares and worries out in dance.

The cobbled streets would never be the same.
The Francophones would never know my name.
A beauty, black, but pure as Noah's dove.
My movements signify His grace and love.

I'd cross the strait into the land of sand
and drown the noise with drummings of my hands
to beat the aching from my head and heart.
A problem I don't want to be a part.

Escape from you and this is what I want.
I'd rather run from you than to confront.

~cdw
12.2009

Dream Chasers ... a poem

*for b.ware*

Dream Chasers

Running after fly beats
like they're fireflies.
We lie in wait for them
with empty jelly jars in one hand
and the lids in the other,
determined to fill our jars with
bug bodies.

The field of dreams is one acre,
but from the yard's edge, it seems to stretch miles.
And lightenin' bugs only appear at night.

But we chase on.

We pluck their wings to fill music notebook pages.
The neon green film on their butts
smears the paper like pen ink.

It glows and comes to life.

~cdw
9/11/10

Only for Me ... a poem

Only for Me

White as the moon against the raven sky
your bright smile blinds me from reality
leading me to believe
you grin that wide only for me.

Two puddles of crude oil floating atop two milky ponds--
your dark eyes bore through mine:
I know that stare could only be for me.

Long and limber branches--you reach for me,
your power encircles my narrow shoulders
your hands grip my tiny waist,
engulfing me in your sweet-smelling squeeze--
You must only cling to me.

I wake from my dreams and fantasies
perspiring, trembling, reliving
that one meeting in reality,
convinced those moments were exclusively for me,
Only for me.

but all I have are memories.

~cdw
April 2011

The Storyteller...a poem

The Storyteller

Reporter on the evening news
recites and writes the worldly blues
Ne’er a story his own to choose
working long hours to pay his dues

A servant for his people’s rights
Hope and long-suffering will win this fight
but now, clips of 30-second tape
fuel the flames of war and hate

But sharing stories is what he loves
and telling Truth is what he does
thus civic duty and sense of pride
outshine dismal politics worldwide

From Georgia fields to Ghana soil,
He plants seeds in the fertile ground he toils
Reversing the Trans-Atlantic trail
Whom much is given, much will avail

Look deep to find the real inside
Beneath the anchor’s shifty eyes
And see the people pictured there—
The storyteller’s main affair.

~cdw
June 2011

Troy ... a poem

Troy

I didn’t know you,
but I did.
You look like my little brother,
my dad,
my high school best friend.
I wonder what thoughts
raced through your mind
as they strapped you down.
Your innocence?
The injustice?
The crowd in Jackson chanting
“Clemency!”
Your sister’s face swollen and damp with tears…?
I cried with her. I cried for you.
Sitting in silence, eyes sore, sobbing
I wanted to cry out to God but couldn’t speak.
I was speechless,
while those who rallied shouted speeches
in your name.
For once, I felt powerless with my pen.
Writing, pleading, signing my name,
but letters didn’t save your life.
I can’t erase 11:08.
But I hope—
my fingers trembling as I type—
that writing will help us save
the next Troy.
I don’t know what else to do.
But more must be done.

Burn it down and let the people
REBUILD.

~cdw
9.27.11

hope misplaced ... a poem

hope misplaced


I'm going to take off my cool
for the next man
Practice holding hands
with my own hand

Let my dreams tuck me
in bed at night
Wake up, get up
to clearer morning light

Disappointment comes, but it doesn't have to stay
I'll save my hope for another day

I want more of him. He wants less of me
My tongue yearns for fruit from the forbidden tree

Knowledge of his mind, discernment of his thoughts
If I had my way, I'd snatch his tongue and make him talk

But instead, I'm going to take off my cool
for the next man
Practice holding hands
with my own hand

Let my dreams tuck me
in bed at night
Wake up, get up
to clearer morning light

Disappointment comes, but it doesn't have to stay
I'll save my hope for another day

When I finally let go, my hand muscles relaxed
I loosened my grip. I noodled my grasp

I gave my heart some breathing room
I took back the piece that I gave to you

And now I'll take off my cool
for the next man
Practice holding hands
with my own hand

Let my dreams tuck me
in bed at night
Wake up, get up
to clearer morning light

Disappointment comes, but it doesn't have to stay
I'll save my hope for another day

Surrounded by lovers in a lonely room
I sit quietly and wait; my time is [coming] soon

Hope doesn't disappoint, but disappointments do
and so do fantasies, and so do you

So I'll take off my cool
for the next man
Practice holding hands
with my own hand

Let my dreams tuck me
in bed at night
Wake up, get up
to clearer morning light

Disappointment comes, but it doesn't have to stay
I'll save my hope for another day.

~cdw
11/30/11

Subject ... a poem

Subject

You are
the new subject of my daydreams
visions of you
crouched down by a lake shooting mutant dragonflies
cloud my subconscious
You are
the new subject of my art
visions of you
form in curvy script and fill the pages
of my composition notebook
You are
the new subject of my girlfriend gossip
visions of you
fill every minute of every phone call
as I gush over the details of you
You are
the new subject of my heart's desire
visions of you
form the face of this desire when there was none
now I know exactly what and who to pray for

Your are my new subject.

~cdw
August 10, 2011
January 1, 2012

**all I really need is a subject. - dwele**

Two Sides ... a poem

Two Sides

He loves me not as I
love him. He shuts his eyes.
I cannot see. He does
not try while I travail.
His mouth is closed to my
blank stare. In him, I wait
for answers to fulfill
my questions floating in
dry air. But he contends
to turn on me his wide,
broad back to my lean frame,
and I, unable to
break in, instead I break
in two. My soul wears thin.

~cdw
01.11.10

TIED UP

TIED UP ... Tied Up

emotionally tied to you
secure knot in a noose
red ribbon 'round my neck
diamond band on my ring finger

silk fabric has me bound
attached at hip and heart
one-legged race to pain

handcuffed to your fist
hell swallowed the key

chain gang grips my ankles

chastity belt clasps my waist
you hold the key hostage

arrow through my back
head lodged inside my heart
it beats to your command

cords cut Freedom's wrists
this jacket clings too tight
breathless in this embrace
there is no escape.

~cdw
08/03/10

Lying Lips... a poem

Lying Lips

Your moving lips produce no sound;
a full mouth with no substance.
I watch them purse and smirk and frown;
The meaning's never constant.

Your beautiful lies are abundant,
but you never act as much.
Your words are so redundant,
but I can't recall your touch.

Your breath brushes my earlobe
with its unintelligible sounds.
Your lips on mine is preferable,
but you hardly come around.

I want to feel your presence;
my nose nudging your neck.
Speak to me your essence;
Let your actions not forget.

~cdw
06/29/10