Aged Like Wine   A Classy Collection of Modern Poetry

 

Melodie Griffin Cover art by Rob Qld: photo edited  

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Table of Contents

readers                           4  

Love  That  Aged  Like  Wine                       5  

The  Seventh  Dwarf                       6  

Between  Spam  and  Beans                     7  

Duet                             9  

Nasal  Drip                           10  

Pals                             11  

Writing  is  an  Art                         12  

What  A  Happy  Couple                       13  

Amatuer  Ballerina                       14  

“Good”  Night,  Ladies                       15  

A  Bite  to  Eat                         16  

A  Cheat  to  Heaven                       17  

Holy  Trinity                         18  

Bronze  in  Brain                         19  

Why  Didn’t  I.                         20  

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readers; If the letters on a keyboard were the keys of a piano, my tune would be a sad, sad melody. There aren’t many who could hear its soft and subtle sound. I write to ease the cluster of seemingly lost thoughts To pave the way to sanity

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Love That Aged Like Wine Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

His lips resemble an apple pie’s crust He was old and so was she.

They clutched their canes standing weak in the knee. Before he died, the woman spat

“I rather you died than my darling cat.”

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  The Seventh Dwarf One may chuckle at the sight of me, But I possess secrets that go unseen. I plan to kill the maiden of white. Its ends a thirst and fulfills delight. When the cottage goes to sleep, Up the stairs, I shall creep. As the beauty lets out a cry, My knife and I will watch her die. A blade of silver shall tear soft flesh. Where jagged teeth and a heart mesh Snow White lies still in her bed. Dopey the dwarf walks off well fed.

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Between Spam and Beans You used to watch my every bite And gain a bigger appetite. I saw you cringe and salivate As I finished up my plate. You stuffed me up with fatty meats And filled my mouth with salty treats. Before too long, my belly grew. No slim and gangly girl would do.

You came to me late one night- Shot my head and took a bite. A spoon dug into my spleen A fork dove in my eyes of green. You sliced me like a Christmas ham. I’m in the fridge-near beans and spam.

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Duet Her fingers caressed each key The Melody rolled from the strings And bellowed beyond thick cement. As the notes spilled from its bodes, She inhales their tune Before they each splashed at her feet Bubbles of Sensuality burst At her thumbs while the hammer Beckons at each cord’s subtle hum. The black and white petals Are traced with admiration And struck for pleasure.

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Nasal  Drip  The  snort  of  snot  that  trickles  down  your  throat    Is  trailed  by  the  swipe  of  your  sweatshirt  sleeve.  It  pushes  against  those  leaking  nostrils.  Like  a  slug,  a  streak  of  green  goo  races    across  the  cheap  polyester  fabric.  They  are  not  the  first  slime  stains.  You  never  fail  at  being  the  rag  and  napkin.  

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Pals A space is found within my heart. There, your name is engraved For when my time is over Our memories are saved. A warm face with gentle eyes Has tired of such fast good-byes Alas! Don’t worry my darling dear For I will always be right here Look to your left And there, you’ll see, You’ve always got a friend in me.

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 Writing  is  an  Art  

The  grasp  of  the  pencil-­‐  a  toptsy  turvy  situation  

that  we  often  find  ourselves  in.  Loose  curls  contribute  to  caveman  art,  

Just  add  a  tilt  of  the  head  and  squint  of  the  eye.  A  tight  grip  numbs  nail  beds  and  nudges  

Lead  to  its  breaking  point.  And  the  lead-­‐  

the  slightest  force,  snap!....frustration  face  

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What A Happy Couple I did not whisk you from danger; Or provide true love’s kiss I did not slay the fierce dragon. And I did not serenade my love- This is not a fairytale. You did not daydream of your rescue. You did not lose a slipper of glass. Your hair isn’t of any great length Nor is your pocket full of pretty pennies This is not a fairytale.

We did not soar amongst the stars On a magic carpet or puffy clouds We did not defeat the wicked- We welcomed it because this is not a fairytale.

We are just two married people.

 

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   Amateur  Ballerina  She  was  proud  of  the  matted    Tutu  that  hung  below  her  hips  The  ballet  shoes  she  wore  Swallowed  her  ankles  and  her  thoughts.    Her  tiny  legs  pranced  in  her  pink  satin  slippers  Around  the  kitchen  and  through  the  house    She  spun  on  her  tiptoes  Past  her  father  washing  his  bloody  knuckles,  Past  her  mother  sobbing  on  the  bedroom  floor  

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Good” Night, Ladies It is bedtime. The light is off. I need to buy more eggs. Your world spins faster than its usual pace around the Sun. All those great comebacks you could have used in earlier confrontations just pop up like corn in a kettle. The brain you once had mirrors tomorrow’s obstacles. Money. Groceries. Boyfriend. Homework. Did I finish that assignment? There is a file cabinet of things needing to be organized. God, I want some pizza I need to quit drinking why am I wearing socks to bed who wears socks to bed monsters that’s who You have responsibilities playing Sudoku on the bed of your skull. I should have worked out today my ass is so fat where is that black dress I wore to Daniel’s wedding I got so drunk that night I need to quit drinking Daniel’s wife is a bitch. Was that on a Sunday? I need a calendar The clock is ticking and the more you think about this, the more sleep you lose, and the more stress you gain because you know your day wont start off well without all of your beauty sleep. Shit! That test is tomorrow. And you men wonder why we aren’t in the mood for sex.  

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A  Bite  to  Eat  Twirl  your  fingers  in  the  sky    like  spaghetti  on  a  fork  Slurp  that  mouthful  in    and  take  note  of  the  sunshine  When  cotton  clouds  and  rainbow  trails  Place  heaps  of  helpings  at  your  plate  Do  not  be  greedy  But  always  take  seconds.    

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A Cheat to Heaven If you spot a balloon high in the sky It’s probably attached to a normal guy He had an idea that soon would transpire, A great inspiration that ignited like fire. Earth’s people would watch and admire. With a raise of his hand he’d grab a star, Dust it off and throw it up far. Zeus would spit lightening And the Gods started fighting.

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Holy Trinity Dip your palms in my colors and paint with all I have An armless painter with a brush Drawing fire in the mists Take the scent of my soul and carry it with you Through the forest and the oceans Like a hound with blood on it’s sniffling nose Shout my name and beckon me from your tired gaze Let it be known that you are awake. I shall respond. Rim the edges of my shapeless body With your broken-tipped fingers And know that I am and always be your Father.

               

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Bronze in Brain

From day to day, my body gets a little heavier. The sluggish step to eat and to work becomes agonizing.-fibromyalgia of the mind.

Each night I live in dreams that are too real, too much. The monsters that lived under my

bed now sleep beside me. When I awake, the day is gone-but they are not.

It is difficult to tell the tale of depression. It lingers nearby, awaiting the weak point that never fails to arise. Some days, I think it has left on a midnight train, never to return. It

always does.

I can’t really say I face my demons everyday. I can’t really tell the world that I made it another night- because I am strength.

And death will not take me by my own hand. I’m just a little too stubborn for that.

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Why Didn’t I.

If  there  were  any  moment  to  say  I  love  you,  this  would  be  a  time  just  as  good  as  any.  When  I  took  the  drive  to  the  coffee  shop,  I  should  have  invited  you.  When  I  texted  that  boy  with  a  charming  smile,  I  should  have  called  you.    

For  all  the  moments  I  sat  in  tears  and  silence  For  all  the  memories  we  could  have  shared  together  

I  am  sorry.    And  I  love  you.    

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