The Alexandrian | Poetry

Death's Solace

Tuesday, 21 July 2009 13:56

Each sun-ripened berry upon the stem,
A lusty gem, too soon is claimed by dust –
Aglow, is a ruddy, opaque emblem
Flaunting fire in face of winter’s disgust.

Thereafter, brave soldiers – these bright crimson spots
Collapse as mere specks of skeletal red.
Wrinkled old men, dying, deserted on cots –

In The Darkness

Tuesday, 21 July 2009 13:49

Determined as I am to
Cling to dreams of success,
The breathtaking pictures
Of a life so dear to me
Became little unlikely
Fancies, fading fast
Away.

My anticipation of them occurring
Wears thin; strained
In the darkness.

The Catch

Tuesday, 21 July 2009 13:46

It smiled.
It actually smiled.
Brother David twitched,
An uneasy slouch betrayed.
Across the maw of his cell,
A small, humble flask.
Forbidden by the superior,
but easy enough to obtain.
Transfixed, a glare returned,

Who Comforts the Comforters?

Tuesday, 21 July 2009 13:41

I was startled for the second time today.
Startled by the strength of your embrace.
Then I heard your whisper in my ear
– felt it rather, warm against my face
in fervent plea – “Never leave me!”
“Never,” you said. I could not step away
or laugh, as once I would have,
remembering how earlier today

The Cruelty of Desire

Tuesday, 21 July 2009 13:36

Her heart is as a flower in the mud
Which heavy booted feet have trod and marred
and pressed in deeper with each passing thud.
Her eyes are velvet petals, under guard
And veined like purple scars. Her silent gaze
Has the cool depth of verdant bowers
That grieve the advent of electric days.
And yet, she has no tenderness for flowers
But tears their leaves to tatters with her nails