~Awake~

~Awake~

everybody’s awake

watching

on the busy misty street

clutching their paper

coffee cups

to them like comfort

even if they’re pretending

dreaming

of dreams

with happy endings

slow down and keep your eyes open

until they see you

we saw a hummingbird

unexpectedly

a blurry curve

diving and hugging

the honeysuckle

 
gray cold circles

in the air

suspended

like words unspoken

good thing’s

do happen

when you look up

~White Night~

~White Night~

~Photo by Sarah Mahina Calvello

it was a watery

gray night

the mist hung like forever hanging

pearls

and we were driving fast

winding down

the freeway like wayward bandits

and you

slid past me

when I said I liked

the white roses

nestled like dreams

in the night

the sprinklers washing them

in fairy tale

waters

the webs of dreams

you handed me

a single rose

white and heavy

curving and curling

ending at green

when you hold me

the warmth remains

it’s like a smiling secret

let’s run away from here

and never look back

unwinding

our story

like the petals

of the flower

you gave me

that unsuspecting night

-Sarah Mahina Calvello

~My Morning,Nat King Cole

My Morning

you were asleep

steady breathing

like a sighing

lullaby

this morning

belongs to me

the quiet

patches of light

and the shivering sighs

of trees

outside my window

the steam

from my coffee
circles around me

in a secret smile

 
Nat King Cole’s

Christmas song
pistachio and lemon biscotti

tart and sweet

bring me back to simpler times
before the chaos

this is music
the wrap-a-round rift
of heightened emotions
his raspy velvet voice 
makes you feel love

when you don’t believe in it
yourself

~Icy Violets~

Icy Violets

by Sarah Mahina Calvello

icy violets
soft
and sugar dusted
can't catch a watery breath
in the calculated chaos
from your burning lungs

but the water takes me away
hold me 
safe
gentle
in the swirls
of motion

to islands
of icy sunlight
where I can finally breathe
where heroes finally dare
to recognize the promise
of small kindnesses
the lit shadows of birds rise again

I merely cleared

the branches

so you could see the path
a few startling moments
is worth watchng

still the fantasy

cracked

just a little

~After Image~

~After Image~

glancing up

I see you through the mirror panes

of the bus

you had the same clothes

if it was even you

the sea green dog eared shirt

the bombers jacket

the bent over body of someone surrendering

with your ruddy face

map of

cracked, dry lines
wide blue glass eyes

you looked at me

without blinking

the bus drove away

and I was unfeeling

the after image

burns my memory

the minute you struggle

that’s when you fall

which illusion

will you chose

Sarah Mahina Calvello

~Blue Girl~

~Bluegirl~

you put a rose in my book

when I was reading

just to see me smile

to see my face lighten

for a brief moment

the rose was called Bluegirl

timid and graceful

impatient and twisting

in a trembling shadow

in the pale light

blushing and soft

tea roses

to warm up

our dark corners

fingers tremble

on velvet perfume

starry blooms

leaving a

periwinkle stain

violet and pale

no longer a wonderer

you have to really accept my flowers

you have to really see me

if you act like you belong

no one will question you

the Blue Girls

are violet and blue

are sighing twinkling lights

you only want enough clarity

to trigger the vividness

by Sarah Mahina Calvello