~Rain~

it was raining

that night

it was as though

it was lit

through a mirror

falling away

to a black ocean

a bell

lonely

and beautiful

there’s no such thing

as time

the sleepy black stars

fell from its course

into purple

curls of smoke

it’s so feathery

I met you

all at once

and unexpected

yes I am a dreamer

and these feathers won’t stay

for long

I will try to hold you

with my heart wrapped around yours

the sweetness

won’t break

it will stay soft

butthere’s

no guarantee for such a dream

as this

so fragile

and crystalline

be careful

not to fray

the edge’s

catch me when I stumble

I can’t do this alone

I can’t depend

on shadows

and false caress

of breath

every glass is half full

dancing in the stars

the nights are our’s

crying drunk tears

together

wanting to hold on tight

a candle

you don’t want to miss

take your time

with me

on this

~Sarah Mahina Calvello~

~Time~

“but space is boundless and time is timeless.”

From the Buddhist book, “Death, Joy, and Rebirth”

there

are four times

in your life

that mattered to you

at the end

past, present, future

and timeless time

everybody’s waiting

on someone

on something

it’s just how you

spend your time

waiting around

I think that’s what you

were trying to say

but couldn’t find the words

that was going to be

your last poem

death

creeping on slow and lulling

like a whisper

of breath

when no one’s

watching

weaving

and unraveling

we reign,

were not

scattered showers

I don’t know

if you really

believed in me

but now I’m changing, too

people aren’t afraid of dying

what scares

the holy crap out of them

is living

don’t cry because it’s over,

smile because it happened

~Sarah Mahina Calvello~

~The Sunset Before the Storm~

The sky broke like an egg into full sunset and the water
caught fire.

-Pamela Hansford Johnson

the layers of fire and peach

fading into light mango, then into dark fire

tantalizing and naked

breaks the stillness of blue air

an affinity in the whispering darkness

the heart

of the lantern

pulsing and illuminating

a breathing heart

among the silhouettes

of dark pines

trembling leaves

in a soft wind

play around my window

layers of liquid dust

shivering

into each other

curling around in a shell

of a hug

curving

into a

prelude

of a moon

I want so badly

to be in that hug

to be

in that soft warmth

with you

seeking coins

of happiness

each wayward

  heart

longing for its home

I’m happy

breathing will you

watching the stars

turn blue

and quiet black

you’re the only one

I ever loved

fingertips caressing

fingertips

                                   ~Sarah Mahina Calvello~

~Clocks~

I seldom end up where I wanted to go, but almost always end up where u need to be - Douglas Adams

Everyone

Everything is silent

The hands of the clock

The crows of our cocks

Our heartbeats

ticking

and stopping

together

in the dim

ill-fitting shadows

Our thoughts

except the

empty cymbals,

that still makes

the loudest noise

in the silence

a slow

terrible and bittersweet

dream

you have to stop and watch

on the busy street

everyone pushing

and pulling

in one wave of motion

without even realizing it

try to be

a rainbow

in someone else’s

cloud

a mirror of

good and bads

for one day

open the door

don’t play what’s there, like Charlie Parker said

play what’s not there

~Plums~

~Plums~

This Is Just to Say

I have eaten

the plums

that were in

the icebox

and which

you were probably

saving

for breakfast

Forgive me

they were delicious

so sweet

and so cold

~Jack Keroac

a old man with gray hair

and gaunt face

reminded me of my father today

clutching a plastic bag

with one peach

and one peachpit

laying in the bag

lonely

beside it

bending into the wind

in the pale sunshine

of the Chinese fruit market

it reminded me of the poem

my day would always tell his kids

the Jack Keroac poem

about the forgotten plums

in the icebox

and how you read it to us

voice low

and melodic

like something warm

and rolling

and I smiled

now,

whenever I bite into

a plum

the dark

orb

the mosaic of purple

the cool bitterness

that plays on my tongue

I think of you

hold  every memory

as you go

were just sheets

to the wind

blowing aimlessly

life is just a hurricane

you have to go through

the end is the beginning

nothing behind you

everything ahead of you

I am new

not old

in youth,

the heart is never

alone

it’s just

the blue shadows

and melodies

of no relief

no one is to blame

the aimless

winds

they blow

swift

stolen coin of happiness

in a paper coffee cup