come, stay and let's talk. it's a good day to be alive
her hair ruffled like a city mice
her eyes glimpse deep through the lies
you try to feed her no matter
you explain it’s for the better
she dances among the shadows
when the party is lively
but goes to the lakeside shallows
when no one is looking silently
as the night lingers for long
I wonder what took her song
12.10.2021
I can’t forget her.
I can’t forget the way she shyly lowers her head as she said she memorized a beautiful Arab song a week before,
in front of a crowd full of confused Americans
and she said she was happy she did it.
I can’t forget her petite black bicycle she told me
she pulled apart, into her luggage,
through the airport security check,
so that she can fly,
and then land in a new place where she can ride her black bicycle.
I can’t forget her white teeth
that innocently gleamed,
as her pride glowed in halo
against the sun that left her home.
I can’t forget the picture in her smartphone background,
an impromptu portrait of a woman elegantly poised with a scarf wrapped around,
and her bitter lips spreading over her teeth,
smiling against a shadow so thick.
9.27.2019
Ralph with Coffee 