Red

by HV

The cloud was intense
Faces hidden like a deep fog
had swept over the room
Eyes watery, red
Sober city was no where close
But they had to catch the red eye

Their blood was still boiling
after getting a red eye

Anxiety heightened as they arrived
at the next venue


PAD Challenge: Day 16

Pre-Life

by HV

With swollen limbs from
short breathless walks
Stretched skin and
worn elastic lined her pant waist
She clutches at the rail
she uses to help her climb the stairs

She pauses after three steps,
Continues, then pauses again
Taking a sip from her water bottle
While searching the area
with intent eyes
as if wanting to ask for help

Her steps were precise,
cautious,
And paced

She struggles to move faster
But her care was not in her pace
Radiant and glowing,
She trod on with
The globe she carried
in front of her.

Prelude to The Kiss

by HV


Falling hard,
The ground felt the vibrations
from her pulses as she hit it with
the sound of thunder
Her body shook profusely

Failed attempts caused
her blurry vision to worsen
Hope was dead to her
Time after time
a brave soul would approach her
trying to make his mark

Botanical bribery in large proportions
was a useless choice
Fragrance abuse used in dramatic
circumstances almost broke her,
but her pheromones resisted
the temptations warming scents stirred in her

Winter winds and ice storms
took a back seat to her rigid core
Sun rays approached with caution
At times, they just didn't show
She was like a deep crack in
the earth from an earthquake
Filling her void wouldn't be easy

She grew hungry
Disappointed from weak
game spitting and resume dropping
Coming up short in ways unimaginable
Toe-sucking didn't phase her,
Money and power couldn't play her

She grew hungrier,
Yearning for more than
her suitors could provide her
She was broken

She was the ultimate challenge
Like a government restructure
But I had to make my mark

I engaged her
Her trump was undiscovered but
At chess and poker I'm a master

I took a survey of her plot and charted a path
Showed her my plan but she started to laugh
She called me a clown, and started to tease
She didn't know my sketch was just a rough draft

On her voice mail I left small correspondence
Told her jokes she had heard but of unfamiliar sentiments
Denied invitations for brunch,
Refused tokens of care
At times pretending I wasn't even there

But in a pivotal moment of pure innocence
With a fruit cup in hand I stopped her in her track,
Showed her I was serious
In my mind there was no turning back

I fed her a cherry and it quivered her feet
Shared how much I want her
And I will take no defeat
Twirled her twice in the middle of the street
Then warmed her heart with a little tongue heat

I kissed her, first on the cheek
Again I kissed her to the sound of rhythms in her speech
And kissed her till I cracked her mountain of ice
Her body came alive after her pulse beat twice

I held her
Closer than anyone had
She whispered sweetly that
I was being bad
So I walked my tongue
on the curve of her neck
She lost control and almost fell to the deck

The icy structure
around her frame
had melted quickly
Her smile reappeared and
Sent charges through me
I responded with a jolt
That hit one of my spots
I touched back one of hers
And she got real hot

With her in my arms
Palms gripping like a lion's paw
She surrendered
Animal instincts kicked in

I lent her my tongue and she pulled it in
She lent me hers and we tangled
Sweet saliva transfers
released tantric pulses
I obliged her
Captivated her essence
Explored her
starving Serengeti
Filled her void
and her wish
I fulfilled with
One last
kiss

Sadness

by HV


Her face
Stricken with sadness
A smile was miles away

The earplugs in her ear
transmits sounds of melancholy
Twiddling her thumbs,
images behind distant
gazes occupied her spirit

Consumed by a dream that
hinders her happiness
Wrinkled eyes and flushed cheeks
tell tales of worry and loss

In that moment
She was losing herself

Ruler

By HV

Subjected to uses other than to rule
Straight lines and numbers measured to twelve
Small markings jotted on paper next to you
Thin piece of metal flowing through your side
Imitates your backbone

Smelly hands of teachers in classroom
use you to point and bang
on hard surfaces to warrant attention
and no one listens
Still you are not a ruler

Coming up short
are things pulled from pant zippers
and measured against you
some with skin stretched
for exaggeration in tales told later
you are subjected to this standard of measure
Still you are not a ruler

Dipped in snow on the ground you shiver
Left perpendicular to the surface for hours at a time
To capture the imagination of unspecific reports
Still you are not a ruler
But you rule!


PAD Challenge: Day 11

First Friday

by HV

I wish this work day could be done...
A moment to look forward to
Long after the sun resigns
to catch up on its rest
Paid patrons find reasons or
makes excuses to visit night spots of
venues promoting First Fridays

One these nights in changing seasons,
Suits, button downs and slacks become the norm for attire,
Forget the Timberland boots and jeans
sagging off your ass cheeks,
Forget the wallet chains and baseball caps
Forget the bandannas that may
represent your affiliation to your so-called posse,
or click of pussies

It's a Friday night where stilettos and
fuck-me pumps are a turn on
Where short skin-tight skirts and long shirts
worn as dresses
can be appreciated by an alpha male
Long smooth legs wrapped around
my body becomes my fantasy for the night
And the perfect dance
partner is sought out

On a Friday night like this,
when the lights are dim and
horny men and women
press their pelvis against each other
while gyrating their hips,
They try to feel what I am working with
After watching dollars pulled from my pockets
Everyone becomes a prey,
Hunted for the purpose of the nights' highlight

And bread is broken among
strangers at early morning diners

A Friday night like this,
a night worth remembering


PAD Challenge: Day 10

Squeeze Me

by HV

Squeeze me
Not there,
Squeeze my bottom first
and work your way up
Do it slowly
Like how you peel a banana
Yes, just like that

Yeah, to get the best of me
Use your thumbs and fingers
To massage me
I can feel it
I love how you make me feel

Embrace my skin
Beneath your fingers
Squeeze a little harder
But gently

Position me properly so
If I squirt with too much force
I won't miss your head
Right there is good
Cause I am coming

Like each morning you awake
and before you retire to bed
I am the first and last
to fill your mouth
with the tastiest minty sud bubbles
No other toothpaste can offer you,
I only wish you would swallow.


PAD Challenge: Day 8

Memory of a Time and Space

by HV

I am imagining the possibilities...
and the memories of a time and space
when opportunity was there to be had
I left the scene empty handed, shyness made me sad
now a memory of that time and space
is embraced like the wind after it left her body
and brought the scents of her
sweet nectar into my nostrils,
heightened my senses
peaked my hormones and
enraged the beast in me
I remember the memory of that time and space, and
The memory of that same shy place


PAD Challenge: Day 9

Smokin' Blues

by HV

Deep long draws...
Like a breath taken before submersion
Into the blue healing waters under the island sun,
Held for a moment,
Like the memory of a lovers' war of words
Detailing moments of pain and pleasure intertwined

Her head rocked back as shades
are slipped over her eyes
Blocking rays of light that might reveal
the displeasure that haunts her
Her well-groomed locks released from
the bun that restricted its flow,
Covering the nape of her neck
Her right hand lowered to the side as
the smoke rises from the blunt tip
Palms resting on the cobbled stone wall
which bore her weight

She exhaled,
The long trail of floating particles
trapped in the cloud with
Shapes of O's and hearts
with arrows passing through
Instantaneous pleasure is felt from
a release of her worries
Up in smoke
Her pressure drops a notch

She inhaled,
Held it in like memories of past instances
When she had been hit
Time after time by her abusive father and exes
Leaving wasn't an option as
A concentration of love and hate
Bundled with the necessity of having
Someone provide for her was her restraint
For her preparation to stand alone was nonexistent,
Lifeless from within
Scars of pain became more visible,
They surfaced between drags

She exhaled,
Tightened jaw and clenched fists
consoled her thoughts
As she lowered her head
Shades fall without a hitch
Pounding on the stone wall
she uttered words of disgust to herself
Affirmations of "I am better than this,
I am getting out"
And confirmations of
"I will go to jail for this mother fucker!
I'm nobody's punching bag"

She examined her burnt-to-the-roach spliff,
One last draw
Held it in, cheeks filled like a puffer fish,
Furious eyes the color of blood,
She braced herself off the wall,
Lifted her eyes unto the hills,
There is a rainbow in the sky
Locks extending to the seat of her back,

She released...
The hurt and pain of her son's cries
Saturated her mind
He was a witness to her demise

She blames herself but reclaims herself
Tear drops lubricates her corneas
And bounces off her face

She is regretting, but no more
For this situation is now over
In that last draw she found redemption
And emancipation for her son
Will be taught otherwise and
He will not inflict the same fate
On anyone's daughter,
Or his children's mother

She cleansed her spirit
In that last draw she claimed the last straw
For no more will she suffer at the hand
Of that abusive mothafucka!

If I Could

by HV

If I could…
I would fly like an eagle on a high,
And sit in the eye of the storm
Go through college campuses like wild fire
And raise havoc in the dorms

I would dig trenches to lead away stagnant water
And refill dry ponds with blood
Deserts would one day awake
And realize there was a flood

Like a piece of paper being blown in the wind
I would hit anything in my path
And land on anything I could find
I would smudge the newly painted park benches
And tear down the barriers
That the naked eye cannot see

If I could…
I would change my name and no one would know
I would enter the Pentagon stealthily
And turn it into another shape
I would fire the politicians and hire civil fools

And If I could…
I would change this poem.

Silent Killer

by HV

As it sweeps through with
The particles flowing in the atmosphere,
It slowly irritates the soul
Meddling with the antibodies
Provoking, and aiming at its only simple goal.

Its invisible structure
Undetected by the scientific apparatus
That aids us,
It is so handsomely molded
With the ‘would be pure’ oxygen
That so dearly keeps us

Now this silent killer,
Killing us softly as
The dawn of the day,
Slowly highlights itself,
Never thought that one day
This silent killer would harm you,
Because you love it so dearly

I hate the silent killer
Like I hate smoking
Like I hate drinking
Like I hate cancer
Like I hate drugs
Like I hate aids
Like I despise anything that’s bad

This silent killer
Slowly instilled in the young hearts of the people
This silent killer
Deeply embedded in the young minds of our children,
This silent killer…
So clear but so opaque
So announced but so neglected
So everything but so nothing
This silent killer
RACISM
I hate it so bad.