After the Cooling Rain

Her temperature was rising,

As she remembered the night before,

His kisses had been scorching hot,

And melted her to the core,

Then rain clouds draped the earth,

And made her day seem grim,

A barrier that seemed impenetrable,

Keeping her from him,

But a cool breeze has been blowing,

After the summer rain,

She’s ready to seek the chill of night,

And heat things up again.

That's All I Need To Know

Once you captured my imagination,

You had such flair and style,

Words weren’t necessary then,

My heart fell with your smile,

Your liquid eyes held me

Suspended in time and space,

I was happy to be with you,

Anytime, anywhere, anyplace,

But now it’s time to go,

Your tantalizing body,

Still holds its appeal,

 But it has lost its softness,

And your love seems so unreal,

Your arms don’t reach for me,

Your thoughts have gone astray,

Your kisses don’t have passion,

There’s less and less each day,

That’s all I need to know,

I can feel the cold vibrations,

Though I can’t see your heart,

But within your expression

I see our world falling apart,

When I say, “I’ll love you forever,

They’d be no other but you,”

You sigh and look away,

 You don’t say, “I love you too,”

 My picture is gone from its frame,

Another has taken my place,

You cry when you see my pain,

Love has left a trace,

That’s all I need to know.

Me, Love, Eva, and one Identified Male

Eva said she would be waiting if I came by her house,

She was there on the porch, wearing jeans and a blouse,

Looking casual with her pants tucked into her boots,

Over one shoulder was draped her swimming suit,

Although I wondered about that, I still had my smirk,

I was excited and impatient, just off of work,

We had talked about swimming at our last dance,

What we would do also if we got the chance,

Our bodies said a thousand things without talking,

As we floated across the floor, barely walking,

I felt that sexual itch as she moved with sinuous grace,

Although my steps quickened, Eva kept up with my pace,

I did not want the dance to stop, or to ever let her go,

But she returned to her partner, despite her fevered glow,

If only she had been with me we’d never have to part,

She was a breath of fresh air, into my lonely heart,

She bumped into me once as she went to fix her hair,

And in my pocket I discovered a note she had placed there,

Eva’s phone number, her address, a place we could meet,

All the important things so we could later greet,

When I called we soon became fast friends,

We were soul-mates, sharing even the latest trends,

We had much in common, but I wondered about her man,

“I can’t tell him yet,” she said, “Please try to understand,

I want to be with you,” she paused, “but he’ll never set me free,

I’m not sure just what he’ll do, but he’ll never let you have me,”

Such ominous words Eva said and then cried that night,

But fearing to love is like fearing to breathe, “I’m ready to fight,

You are the one I want,” I said hoarsely, “But tonight,

I want to love you, kiss you, and make you truly mine,”

“See me tomorrow,” she said, “when you first get off work,

I know a place we can be alone, and no one else can lurk,”

We would talk by the river, with the moon as our guard,

Lock up our common sense, and then our clothes discard,

Turn our imaginations loose and let our love run free,

We would love until the morrow, under the tall oak tree,

Now I could see her waiting but pacing back and forth,

I was coming from the south but she kept glancing north,

In front of her yard a car came to a slow stop,

She stared but there was no time to move or drop,

I saw a gun appear and then the sudden flash,

A window shattered, another one suddenly crashed,

I couldn’t just wait until the man had emptied his gun,

Love sparks courage, to me the war had just begun,

I aimed my car, pushed the pedal, and felt a satisfying crash,

I was going for the gun but into me someone did smash,

The police arrived a little too late for this important date,

Quickly I was on the ground, handcuffed, ready for my fate,

A SWAT team had been two streets over, finishing up a drug raid,

They were not in a mood to listen, their minds already made,

I was out of control, according to what the police had seen,

Then Eva arrived and saw me, and tried to explain the scene,

The three of us were taken downtown to sort out this mess,

Trying to determine who was wrong, at first was anybody’s guess,

Gradually reports came in from detectives who verified her tale,

Finally I was out, but also released was one identified male,

In the custody of his lawyer, who was as crooked as a dog’s hind leg,

The lawyer knew judges and got what he wanted without having to beg,

But I had been touched by love, for me it was a permanent bond,

I went back to Eva’s house, wanting her, needing her to respond,

I knocked once, twice, but she refused to open the door,

“I love you, I truly do,” she said loudly, “but I think I love him more,

I know he’s a little misguided, but he loves me just the same,

He wouldn’t have missed if he didn’t love me, to him it’s just a game.”

Confused and disheartened, I could no longer be part of this strife,

I was still in love with Eva, but I had to get on with my life,

Part of my heart belongs to her, but I’m alive to tell this tale,

The two of us couldn’t fit in her heart, me and one identified male.

I Chose to Love You

I Chose To Love You

I chose to love you,

Not because you were perfect,

Or because I wanted to connect,

But because I first liked you,

For being the person you are,

I saw the way you treated others,

Like everyone was a sister or brother,

You were never haughty or mean,

You were the kindest person I’d seen,

You never gave up, never were daunted,

The way you asked for what you wanted,

Never demanding or criticizing,

Trying to manipulate or confronting,

Demands stop the flow of love, you stated,

While requests give love a chance to relate,

You turned out to be quite a gem,

You accepted me for who I am,

So I made a choice to love you,

When I was being abusive,

You weren’t reclusive,

You stood your ground,

And wouldn’t let me put you down,

You told me you loved me too much,

To be treated badly,

It wouldn’t be good for me or for you,

It would turn out sadly,

 You had too much self respect,

And too much respect for me,

To let our relationship just be,

You held me accountable,

And made me better than I was,

I chose to love you,

Your kisses waited for me,

You gave me space to be free,

Without being smothered,

You let me take your love,

Like a fish takes the bait and runs,

But once I tired of running,

You reeled me in,

Letting me think I was still free,

But I was too much in love,

And glad you chose me.