Illumination

Clear blue above

a kind of flat periwinkle

illuminating old and new builds

like my life

in the open

dirty street blocks remind me of life passages I hate and fear

I am not one for ugliness

the city of angels offers all the highs and lows of being

a recipe of soaring starlight, peppered with dumpster contrast

if ever I thought I deserved to endure coarseness, this has answered my query

 

Southern Evening

The electricity of cicadas courses through this evening’s thick heat

as a thousand tiny tongues of Muslim women in unison stirring the air with magic

portending possibility

in the essence of a moment, a pause, an awareness

their voodoo lulls

in this air infused with the warm breath of summer

my mind goes to you

the smell of your skin at the center of your chest

behind your ears

the side of your nose in profile, secreting towards your eyes