Anniversary Letter
for Kevin
Listen,
I will not leave you.
Your heart, this place
of need, naked night
and cracked stars,
keeps me.
I have peeled away
the layers,
found the rubble
cooling inside you.
I wonder now
what to do with this love.
I will not flash it on my ring finger,
dangle it from strings, polish it,
try to make it sparkle,
till it breaks.
I am many things,
but know this:
I love you wild
like a season of rain,
deep, overgrown.
What I’m saying is,
curl into this sleep with me
each night.
I will warm you with bones
you’ve learned to read well
like palm lines and sighs.
I will keep you.
Listen to me,
I will not leave you.
Listen,
I will not leave you.
Your heart, this place
of need, naked night
and cracked stars,
keeps me.
I have peeled away
the layers,
found the rubble
cooling inside you.
I wonder now
what to do with this love.
I will not flash it on my ring finger,
dangle it from strings, polish it,
try to make it sparkle,
till it breaks.
I am many things,
but know this:
I love you wild
like a season of rain,
deep, overgrown.
What I’m saying is,
curl into this sleep with me
each night.
I will warm you with bones
you’ve learned to read well
like palm lines and sighs.
I will keep you.
Listen to me,
I will not leave you.
~~~
Moonlongings
The moon in me,
swallowed whole,
draws you close,
plays on your chest
like night rain notes
on galvanize.
Milky sleep
clouds your breathing,
your arms close
into constellations
around my bones.
At morning
I will wash the lightning
from my eyes,
button myself
into crisp quiet,
retrace the muted line
of my smile.
You will go about your day,
moonlight burning up your joints,
its ache drawing nameless need
from your throat.
I’m still spinning my lunar song
along your heart’s surface.
Make your way home now
through a night of rain.
You’ll need no light
to find me.
~~~
The Same Thunder
I shut my eyes
and the white room breaks
into glass stars.
I tear down my body
to the thing burnt and volcanic.
Love, all this screaming
is the same thunder
that cannot be held
beneath my tongue.
And you want me
because I taste like the thing
you just barely remember,
because you can smell
the waves rising
on a galloping fire.
I open my eyes
and all is new again
but these splintered stars
and your necklace of ash
Moonlongings
The moon in me,
swallowed whole,
draws you close,
plays on your chest
like night rain notes
on galvanize.
Milky sleep
clouds your breathing,
your arms close
into constellations
around my bones.
At morning
I will wash the lightning
from my eyes,
button myself
into crisp quiet,
retrace the muted line
of my smile.
You will go about your day,
moonlight burning up your joints,
its ache drawing nameless need
from your throat.
I’m still spinning my lunar song
along your heart’s surface.
Make your way home now
through a night of rain.
You’ll need no light
to find me.
~~~
The Same Thunder
I shut my eyes
and the white room breaks
into glass stars.
I tear down my body
to the thing burnt and volcanic.
Love, all this screaming
is the same thunder
that cannot be held
beneath my tongue.
And you want me
because I taste like the thing
you just barely remember,
because you can smell
the waves rising
on a galloping fire.
I open my eyes
and all is new again
but these splintered stars
and your necklace of ash
~~~
Meet the Author...
Boodoo-Fortuné: Thank you, glad you enjoyed them! Most poems begin for me with the very basic, almost physical need to write. Then comes the process of finding the right words, finding images that are both unexpected and easy to relate to. I write, then roll the words around in my mouth a bit, make sure that the texture is right. Read, edit, re-read and repeat!
CV: Would you describe yourself as chiefly a poet? And who among writers are your major influences?
Boodoo-Fortuné: I draw and paint as well as write, but poetry is definitely my first love. I paint because I like to, but I write poetry because I need to. It's hard to narrow down my literary influences, because there are so many. Lorna Goodison and Olive Senior were two of the poets whose work first inspired me to write. I love Jennifer Rahim's poetry, and she has also had such a tremendous impact upon the way I write.
CV: Are you currently working on a manuscript? How soon can we expect a collection of your poems?
Boodoo-Fortuné: I'm in the early stages of preparing a manuscript for publication... too exciting for words! It is my hope that you'll be seeing my first collection soon.
CV: Do you pay attention to critics of your work, or do you write, publish, and don't look back?
Boodoo-Fortuné: Criticism has played an important role in the development of my own ability to edit myself. I think I've learned to maintain a balance. I do take the feedback of my peers into consideration, but I definitely try to always follow my gut instincts.
CV: I just came across your blog (Half-Broken Things). What is its importance (if any) to your writing?
Boodoo-Fortuné: Working on my blog has been so good for me, creatively. I've been exploring new possibilities, and trying to create a space for myself, my images and my words. It gives me some room to share my work with others, to speak, and to breathe.
CV: Who do you envision as your main audience?
Boodoo-Fortuné: Anyone who likes my poetry! People relate to different things in different ways. I've been pleasantly surprised by the responses I've gotten from others. A word, an image will grab someone in an uniquely personal way. I love that. I'm all about that.
