Every Time

Every time you open the door
Every time he walks in
Every time he rings your phone
And you answer.

Every time you start over
Every time you go out
Every time you lay down with him
And you let him take you.

Every time your lips meet
Every time your eyes lock
Every time your hands touch
And you ignore the cringe.

Every time you say I love you.
Every time you say I STILL love him.
Every time you give him a chance
And you say it’s the last.

Every time you meet his demands
Every time you believe his threats
Every time you give him money
And you know it’s not a loan.

Every ride you take with him.
Every time you let him in
Every time you go back
And you forgive his ways.

Every time
Confirms his belief
That he owns you.

Don’t bare his brands any longer.
He’s the cow.
Tip him over.
And run like hell.

Wonder Woman

In another life
Not my own
I would love you
like a lover.

Do you cry at night?
I’d could watch you cry
stroke your hair
Tell you it’s ok
to hurt.

Your heart is broken
Yet you take the
fractured remains of what’s left
and give them to the world
your friends, your dog.

In the evening, you whisper
your gone lover’s name
into the dark.
and you still reach for her
in the A.M.
You turn the key
at night and sigh.

For one second in time
I longed to reach to you
like we had been lovers
in a past life
or best friends.
I feel your pain.
Wonder Woman.

Reach

Reach into me with the hands of your heart
Grasp to my love for you
Do not let it go.
Look into my eyes and see how my
soul longs for this to be eternity
Rise above the turmoil of life and
follow me to your destiny.
Be a part of the love you’ve
wanted forever
Reach through the darkness beyond
the night to find my heart waiting
for your hearts embrace.
Reach and grasp and
never let go.

Abyss

Gulf of Mexico
Spread before me
like the abyss
of my life.

Ahead, the horizon
See only so far
To know further
go further

The sea is calm
Keeping the secret
of what’s out there
to itself.

Facing Due West
Coincidence
Today brings me here
to see tomorrow.

My ship will sail
follow these waters
across the continent
Inspiration.

The horizon
Becomes known and
Realized like
a vision.

My Future
As far as the
eye can sea.

A Requiem For Windsor

The only living manifestation of unconditional love that I have ever had.
Rest in Peace
Sir Windsor Moore

You were here
And now you’re gone
Belove canine
You lived so long
15 years of life you gave
I realized you could not stay
You came to me
just fur and tongue
When I was 8
So sad and young
Throughout my life
Together we grew
When I had no one
I had you
Windsor I loved you so
I know I know you had to go
But my heart yells out for you I cry
With out my dog
Who am I
I know you were just a pet
But my life’s been different since the day we met
On February 21, 1988
Yes, I do remember the day
We lived in Florida in English Hills
In a house full of tears, screams and shrills
And pain and dark and anger and hate
But you became an outlet on that date
You hid from me and rightfully so
I was a little mean
I did not know
That you would become such a part of my life
You’re the reason I did not use the knife
to slice my wrist when I was 12
i wanted to die, and accept hell
but you looked at me with eyes so sad
And I remembered that I still had
You my dog
WHY
DID
I
LOVE
YOU
DAMNED
SHIH
TZU
My life in a dog
A dog in my life
You lived too long
You did not live long enough
I know you
loved me
At times you were
the only thing
I knew
loved me
AND I WILL MISS YOU
I MISS YOU
I MISS YOU
I WANT YOU HERE!
Please hear
My dear
Windsor
Stay a little longer
I could not ask
But my heart cannot mask
The impact you’ve had
in 15 years
So I will not hold back my tears
I am not crazy to have loved you so
I will not turn crazy I will let you go
You have suffered in your own way
Never did you once complain
Because you were just a dog
You had no voice
But life was SO FUCKED UP
You had no choice
But to live and love
And that you did
Every single day
Since I was a kid
You understood me
Like no human could
When mom wouldn’t love me
You would
When mom wouldn’t cuddle me
You would
When mom wouldn’t listen
You would
When I wouldn’t love me
You would
She has to put you
out of misery
But what now will happen to me
I can never again see your face
Windsor I can’t even replace
Your matted fur
Your dangling tongue
Your waterfall tail
Your big dog wail
Your falsetto sing
Such a funny thing
You were my dog
You are my dog
I love you
I love you.
Wherever you were
was home
Whenever you were there
I’m not alone
No matter what anyone says
You are the best.
I miss you Windsor my heart hurts and I can’t feel anything but love so strong it burns through my chest and slides down my body and pools on the floor like the tears that fell last night when I knew you had been euthanized.
But you’ve taught me well
I’ll live each day
Trying to love myself
The same way
You loved me.
Be well.
I will never see you again.
Thanks for being my friend.
My dumb dog.
Swoober-swoob swoob.
God damn it.
I loved you.

The Point
by KishaLynn Moore

It’s really hard to see what the point is any more.
The point of what?
Of anything.
Of being American, of voting
Of bothering to care
Of having a voice, an opinion
Of civil rights, of democracy
Of Democrats, of Republicans
Of liberals, of conservatives
Of loving others, or loving yourself
Of Iraq, of terror, of oil, of military
Of lives being lost, what’s the point
of fighting?

I guess the point is
Change takes time.
I realize that
But why does it have to be MY time, and YOUR time?
I guess for the same reason it was MLK’s time
and Malcolm X’s time and Audre Lourde’s time,
and Susan B. Anthony’s time
and JFK’s time, and Nelson Mandela’s time,
and Harriet Tubman’s time.

The definition of oppression
is convincing others
of the futility of it all.

And the point is…
Whatever you make it
As long as you fight.

UNFETTER

Tremendous force of
love in my life
accepting and warm
caring and steadfast in commit
mentoring me through the ups and downs
pushing through to deeper layers of
who I am and still
always
loving.

Grateful is my heart
yet
cleaving to a part that is unseen
maybe felt
but still unseen
unspoken

Truly I say to you that
I trust in you and I believe in
us enough to unfetter my heart
that you might know
as I now know
and continue to know each day
Who
I
Am
a
Lesbian.

Crystal clear
and no longer doubting is my state
of mind and despite it all
despite Larry
despite mother
despite father
despite myself
despite even Jesus
it has always been this way
even as a child
and refuses
refuses
refuses to be denied any longer.

Every woman I’ve ever loved
a shameful secret
Every man I’ve ever loved
a lie
to myself
and to everybody else.

Lest this truth be cast from me
as a part of God’s divine will,
though no condemnation exists from Him
and I pray not from you
I shall live in truth
and the truth has made me free
to love
her.

Speaking In Tongues

Usted es la fuerza de la vida de mi ser.
Vous êtes la force de la vie de mon être.
Con su tacto he sentido el fuego del sol.
Avec votre contact j’ai senti le feu du soleil.
En su beso he probado el néctar de los dioses.
Dans votre baiser j’ai goûté le nectar des dieux.
Su fragancia, el ambrosia más dulce.
Votre parfum, l’ambroisie la plus douce.
Una vista maravillosa a behold, su sonrisa.
Une vue merveilleuse à voir, votre sourire.
Su risa es la melodía de mi corazón.
Votre rire est la mélodie de mon coeur.
En usted he sabido el alma del amor.
Dans vous j’ai su l’âme de l’amour.
You are the life force of my being.
With your touch I have felt the fire of the sun.
In your kiss I have tasted the nectar of the gods.
Your fragrance, the sweetest ambrosia.
A wonderful sight to behold, your smile.
Your laugh is the melody of my heart.
In you I have known the soul of love.

Spirit
(Edited for performance at open mic)

What is this light that surrounds you?
Why when I look upon you
Do I see in you the brightness of
A love I have sought
For a lifetime?

Why does your hair frame your face
In such a way that
It appears God
Has just sent you
Special delivery from Him
To my Heart.

My seraphim, my cherub, my
Celestial entity.
I have called you my Spirit
Because to me you are
That life-changing force
That unyoked burden
That unheard language.

I call you Spirit because
you dwell in my heart.
I call you Spirit because
I see God in you
Whether you do or not.
You are Spirit, as you are mine.

Spirit, I love you.
Spirit I pray that when I touch you
You will not vanish in a flame
Of my imagination.

Spirit, leave me not.
Stay a lifetime.
Hopefully mine, not yours.
Spirit, be immortal
Like the Holy one
Within me.