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

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

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!

I Am Remembering

by HV

Questions stir my mind, and others
Wanting to know haunts me…

Standing in the rain,
Hurt, floored by emotional defeat
Tears mixed with raindrops pouring down my cheeks
And I remember…

There were smiles a mile wide
That would cover her face,
Polished, her language was eloquent,
Attire always perfect and seemingly unapproachable
Her level appeared notches higher than average

Old colleagues reunited in the open air
Mud seeping from beneath the trampled grass
By naked weeping trees, here and there, hovering over
A hole in the ground,
The sad hellos, tight embraces
And a faint "How are you?
Good to see you!"
Exchanged tension of pain

Faces hang low, glances apportioned
With deep stares into the white light of day,
Questions the lingering thought on the tips of tongues
About that night of her birth

A distant place from where lives once intertwined
Memories rich and fading
Where death is congregated harmoniously and
Under the guise of one severed from earth and rejoined

Humility and sadness were the faint voices
In the midst of such unfamiliar encounter
We stood, once again complete strangers
And spoke in discomfort

No longer strangers...
I am remembering you.

Mercedes

by HV

Walking along the shopping boulevard,
I thought deceit had filled my blood-shot eyes
I stopped for a minute,
I stared

Through tinted glass windows
She caught my eyes,
I locked her in
Like a target in the scope of a snipers rifle
Clad in a skin-tight black skirt,
She stood still.
With curves sharper than a Sumari,
She was ready to manhandle her prey.

I took a few steps to get a closer look.
My heart beat faster
As my mind filled with
Thoughts of being in her.
Vivid images raced through me
Images of tender touches, endless caresses
My fingers tensed. I could feel
Them washing her dark succulent body
To rid her of the dust that invaded her skin.

I stepped in to face my fear
Of this earthly creature,
a beauty so rare

The cold AC stimulates her sensitive buttons
As she stood, poised on the showroom floor,
I strolled around her,
She had a beautiful rear so tight,
The sight was almost painful to bear.
With my eyes glued to her
Almond-shaped halogen green eyes,
We stared at each other.
I touched her with my right hand, but she stood still
As I made its way down her side,
Her sparkle-filled chrome-like finished shoe dazzled me

Her rock-hard musculature revealed
Her courage within

I slid my hand beneath her skirt
To find the secret she hid
Fine pistons and 500 horses
Roamed her grassy land.
Her juices were four strengths richer
Than the V8 we sip on a hot summer day.

My thirst she quenched,
I looked no more.
I took her home and
Thirst no more
For my Mercedes SL 600

Night Train

by HV

Sunglasses cover wild tired eyes of strangers' faces on the Ashmont line,
Heads turn each time the train makes a stop,
After the automated destination announcement is made
Curiosity points their eyes toward the doors
Who's coming on?
Where are the going to sit?
They spread themselves more to make less room

New faces of people returning home from work or heading some place new enter the train
The unsure ones will stand in anxiety and examine the transit map before they take a seat
Some have headphones blasting music or narrating e-books in their ears,
They bop their heads or stare into the abyss
Others have their heads bowed low in a book inches thick with fine prints, and book markers hanging, it takes them a little while to turn the page

An old white lady in a faded purple jacket and
Pink sweat pants a seat away reads the New Yorker
With caricatures jumping off the opposite page,
Engrossed in her pleasure reading, she almost missed her stop

Night train keeps you waiting,
You leave one world for another until you reach your stop,
No more magazine pages flipping, silent riders reading and
Students' cue cards get placed in memory for that mid-term quiz tomorrow

"Next stop, JFK/UMass, change here for the Braintree train"
The train slowly halts and half the train exits, eyes glance and heads turn back to check for belongings
Expressions breathe a sigh of relief as they reach their destination
Mouths release weary yawns as sleep set in, they check their watches,
And their phone messages

"Hello, I'm almost at Ashmont, can you come get me?"
Calls placed to that friendly voice, waiting to see your companion after a long day
Smiles return as they exit at the sound, "Last stop, Ashmont Station"
Sluggishly some make their way and disappear in the waiting vehicles
While others on foot vanish in the night.