What is in a kiss, William? What do you mean, Susanna? What do you feel when you kiss me? Oh… I feel the sensual moisture of your mouth; the Tender bumping of your nose; the Tickle of your eyebrows, and the Tingle in my toes; I feel the texture of your lips, and the Curve of Cupid’s bow; I feel the softness of your cheeks; … Continue reading What do you feel when you kiss me?
Our dance had a close but never an end, Continue reading Of Love and Moonsweat V
The first night of our dance, consumed with desire, Continue reading On Love and Moonsweat IV
The thrill of our touch, our first “sort-of” kiss, Continue reading Of Love and Moonsweat III
The magical night of our meeting… Continue reading Of Love and Moonsweat II
The Sailor has a favorite bar, in every port of call, A favorite girl too, slender, stout, or tall; I’m no exception to the rule, immemorial in its time, Not so very particular, though her beauty be sublime; My favorite port of call, my favorite among the dozens, Rota Spain and sweet Susanna, and all her pretty cousins; Black hair my green-eyed beauty, and tiny … Continue reading A Sailor’s Favorite Bar
After we parted Having said our goodbyes With breaking heart And taste of metal In my mouth I walked Unaware of everything but you Through the afternoon Into evening Nighttime breeze cool On my wet face Never noticing The sun had set When I looked up and Through the blur There you were The first one I saw The first one I loved My Cassiopeia … Continue reading Susanna
I wonder why, after all this time has passed, I still find the need to write of you. Your voice has faded and your face has dimmed into an outline, but when I concentrate, I see you clearly though for less than the blink of an eye. Not long after we parted and I returned to my own land, I walked past an orange grove … Continue reading Susanna XII, A Prose Poem
You left me in darkness when you went away. Even now, light dims when I think of you. I’m left with the nearly eternal absence of light because my thoughts are of you between the dawn and dusk of day. I am most alive when I dream of you for dreams are of what we were and what we should have been. The sun rises and shares … Continue reading One
I remember the night I fell for you, our romance and a lifetime of nightlong dreams. The dreams where you whisper so close to me, seeding memories inside my mind. And when I awake I think you are there and reach up to touch you but clutch empty air, then flinch from the gut punch when I know you’re a spirit and gone. I fall … Continue reading Of Love and Moonsweat
Your fragrance often wafts into my head guided by the metaphysical pinings of two souls and the bond between spirits not tethered to temporal moorings. Mortal boundaries span six feet of earthly separation but the heavenly plane exists within our senses. Comforting, that thought, and breathing your scent brings thoughts of your heaven wafting through my mind. For heaven is where you took me taking … Continue reading Of Love and Fragrance
I wish there were more moments to recall, the ones that show us naked and afraid. Instead, I recall our time together as projections of idealized portraits, retouched and photo-shopped by minds unable to bear the sharp edges and blunt-force trauma that lovers stumble through along the boulder-strewn road of romance. I don’t want to recall only the good moments but the ungood moments too, but maybe it’s better that … Continue reading Of Love and Memories
I wondered for a moment if she were kneeling, perhaps stocking the shelves, she barely peeked over the bar, but her Spanish green eyes were bright when she smiled and she told me she didn’t live far; she reached to my shoulders in her bare feet, not much higher in heels, and from my towering perch I never mentioned the few stray, white hairs she couldn’t … Continue reading My Spanish Love
Playfully, we spoke the words, “until death do us part,” She laughed, and her smile tugged at my heart, Will you love me in sickness and in health, she asked, Yes, my love, will you love me in poverty and in wealth? Of course, she said, her head tilted to one side, I’ll love you, you know, beyond the end of time; She turned her … Continue reading Susanna XI
Aida was the one all along, Susanna. Yes, Tomás. She has given me the half of my heart I buried with you. Yes, Tomás. I knew love would come to you again. I grieved so long for you, Susanna. Yes, Tomás. Too long. Aida makes me feel like you and I are together again. I know, Tomás. I can’t bring you back, Susanna, so I … Continue reading Susanna X
They bury their dead in vaults. Long rows of casket-sized holes stacked six bodies high. Mourners shuffle along behind the men struggling beneath the weight, the dead weight, inside the casket. Mostly, they do. Her casket was featherlight, the body inside so nearly weightless it seemed heartless to call it dead weight. The men carrying her body stood ramrod straight, as men are wont to do … Continue reading The Wedding Band
Is she the one, Susanna? I do not know, Tomás You must know, Susanna. Why, Tomás? She makes me think of you. She is not me. I want you back, Susanna. I’m dead, Tomás. You died too soon. Yes. Why? Why? Tell me. It was my time to die. It isn’t fair. Life is not always fair. Sasi makes me feel the way you did. … Continue reading Susanna IX
Why do you torture me, Susanna? It is not I, William. It must be. I feel you watching me. I feel you watching me. No, William, I’m not here. I’m dead. You know that. Yes. I killed you. I left you in the cold and the rain. No, my love. I died of pneumonia in the hospital after the car accident. I couldn’t find my way … Continue reading Susanna VIII
“This is an essay Sam wrote after Susanna died. I asked him if I could keep it as a reminder of the two of them. He asked me not to share it, but he would have wanted you to read it. This is how they were, the way they acted with each other. Sam didn’t glamorize their relationship; he described it perfectly. I’ll read it … Continue reading The Love of Sam and Susanna
Sam and Susanna Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam They say you don’t hear the bullet that kills you. How could anyone know that? Because, they also say, bullets move faster than the speed of sound. By the time you hear the sound of the bullet in your back, you’re dead. What if you’re only wounded; you’d hear that bullet, wouldn’t you? Well, you’re not dead, are … Continue reading Invocation
“I think I fell in love with you this morning, dear lady.” “You think you did? You are not sure? Perhaps we should try again. Shall we meet for an apple in the morning?” “I had already planned to meet you for an apple tomorrow. And the next day, and the next, and the next, and every day until….” “Every day until what?” “Every day … Continue reading Susanna Avila
William? Yes, Susanna? Why are people so angry? Why are people so angry? Yes. Why are people so angry? Why do you ask, Susanna? Because, William, I see angry people everywhere, and it hurts me. How does it hurt you? Anger hurts my heart. Why does it hurt your heart? Because anger gets in the way of love, William. It does, Susanna? Yes, William. How … Continue reading Susanna Avila VII
What is in a kiss, William? What do you mean, Susanna? What do you feel when you kiss me? Oh… I feel the sensual moisture of your mouth; the Tender bumping of your nose; the Tickle of your eyebrows, and the Tingle in my toes; I feel the texture of your lips, and the Curve of Cupid’s bow; I feel the softness of your cheeks; … Continue reading Susanna Avila VI
Why do you love me, William? Because you’re beautiful, Susanna. Is that the only reason? Because you’re a perfect fit in my arms. What else? Because I can carry you as I run. Oh? You weigh less than a feather, Susanna. Oh. Because you’re a wonderful cook. Yes? Because you meet me at the door when I come home from work. Because you sing when … Continue reading Susanna Avila V
I trembled as I reached for Susanna, my Spanish Madonna, and touched her hip. My palm pressed against her soft, smooth, white flesh and her warmth spread over me until my face flushed and the burn of rising excitement engulfed me. I rubbed my hand across her shoulder and trilled my fingertips along her spine, raising goosebumps from her skin and causing her to shiver. … Continue reading Susanna IV
Susanna plucked a shrimp from the paper cone clutched in my hand and held it over my head like a seal trainer. She laughed as I leaned back and opened my mouth. I struggled not to laugh as I wagged my tongue. She brought the shrimp to my mouth and I captured her long, graceful fingers between my lips. She hesitated and gazed at me … Continue reading Susanna Avila III
I had only written of Susanna a few times before I joined Writers World; those were poems. I still have them. I wanted to write about her, but had gone no further than a few stanzas about lost love. Joining WW gave me the impetus I needed to write more. As it turns out, I’ve written several essays about Susanna, one about Susan, and a … Continue reading Susanna Avila
Susanna Avila, my Catalan beauty, woman of Spain, Coy smile held mystery, Unknowable history, Too briefly our souls entwined, This beauteous love, my destiny. Soulful gaze, emerald eyes piercing, Black hair dancing with night, Skin purest translucent white, Slender and graceful, slim elfin form, Delicate, raven-haired sprite. Ivory shoulders, smooth marble breast, Face fairer than Venus’ race, Spirit virgin, chaste, Ethereal, supernal essence; Tender, enchanting … Continue reading Susanna Avila
Susanna plucked a shrimp from the paper cone in my hand and held it over my head like a seal trainer. She laughed as I tipped my head back and opened my mouth, playfully wagging my tongue as I struggled not to laugh. She brought the shrimp to my mouth and I captured her long, graceful fingers between my lips and…hesitated. She gazed deep into … Continue reading Susanna Avila
Her love caressed with the softness of a mother’s lips. Passion gripped me for this beautiful Catalan woman whose green eyes pierced and tugged at my soul with the gravity of a thousand suns. My heart wrenched when we parted and exploded when we came together. Life had just begun. My mind emptied when her arms enfolded me, enveloped by her breath, her fragrance, her warmth, … Continue reading Susanna Avila
