Poems

I have written three poems in these two months abroad:

This world we live in
is so many worlds in one
the old
the young
the healthy
the sick
the rich
the poor
a smile
a frown
the world changes
in one glance
from a stranger...
Do you like me?
Do I like you?
deserts
mountains
cities
oceans
rivers forming lines
in our own hands...
a sunrise
a sunset
a baby
a teardrop
the sun
shining through
a window
the quiet
corner
where your
grandmother
sits
to read you
a story...
We wander
and we worry
and we live
and we learn
and we forget
and we remember
and we embrace
and we love
and we die
and we begin
again...

Balikesir, Turkey
September 21, 2010

Venus's Lament

Fertile
Strong
a flower
a poem
but no arms
to embrace you
no hands to stroke
your face
You may suckle
my bosom
you may taste
the sweetness
of my lips
you may feel
the weaving patterns
of my legs
you may bury
your head
in the
soft understanding
of my belly
or in the
fold
between
my thighs...
but you will never
feel my arms
around you,
my hands clasped
delicately
on your neck
as we gaze,
you will never
touch
the pulse
within my wrists
or wrap
your lips
around my
fingertips
you may
slide your face
along my neck
feel
the smooth curve
of my back
caress
the slender contour
of my waist
but never
will we unite
with clasped hands
palms touching
fingers embraced
never
will I
touch
the warm, fullness
of your face

The Louvre, Paris
November 10, 2010

Metro Rant

The hustle and bustle
the rain
the chill
the steam
rising up
umbrellas
clank
on cement
then open
with a click and swish
people making plans
on cellphones
rendezvous
and the rush
and the raincoats
some stop
to buy fruit
from vendors
scarves flying
a limbless
panicked man
begging
for loose change
the joyful sound
of an orchestra
playing
"Carmen"
as people stop
to listen
the man
beside me
in the crowded car
has Michael Jackson
singing in his headphones
"mamasaymamasamamakusa..."
loud enough
that I can hear.
Mind the gap.
Attention a la marche.
Commuting on the Parisian subway.

Paris, November 11, 2010