By Misti Velvet Rainwater
Date: 30 March 2000
Too Long Without
all this aching is making me crazy
all this aching is taking its toll
my soul is swaying on a balcony
at the Chelsea Hotel
Sid is strumming his guitar
in the room
and Nancy is screeching
JUST DO IT!!!!
YOU WON'T FEEL A THING!!!!
Heloise and Abelard are enjoying a tryst
in the orchard in my mind
Romeo and Juliet are alive and well
in Nowhere, Texas
So That's Where Her Poems Come From
you say
Yes
I am afraid
I am haunted by dead lovers
at all hours
they are having fun with me
they are boasting and toasting me
with their goblets of blood
Too Bloody Much, I tell ya
I'm naked and pretty and passionate and lonely
and going to waste
with nothing to taste but my own desire
and I keep burning my fingers
on the bonfire
I've built
with guilt and sorrow and borrowed fishnet pantyhose
my nose is filled with smoke
the joke is on me
like paint
splattered and grotesque
and impossible
to wash off
with ordinary soap
I hope you find yourself here
tucked in safe & warm
between the longing strong as chicory coffee
and the maternal need
to wrap you up in my arms
and kiss your head
nestled between my breasts
there are so many kisses
for your ebony crown
and your eyes
and your lips
believe me
you have no idea
there's a lotta love contained
in this skinny white girl from the sticks
I lie when I say I'm patient
I don't want to stress you out
but I feel like a dress in an attic
of no use to anyone
discarded
balled up
and wrinkled
fading in the corner
I need to be worn
I need to exhibit
my colors
and turn heads
make people wonder
and smile
and wish
I was for sale
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