© Rafika Poems
Proximity
The Home Edition, 5/05/09
Surrounded by bright emerald leaves of ancient trees
and a driving, cold spring rain
my body aches to link with yours again
to sense your wounded soul undress
peel away layers of tension and stress
when you hold me
even scold me
I cannot resist you
I just have to kiss you
and dissolve into those thermal pools
of honesty
you know as eyes
each mellifluous word
drips from your lips--sweet nectar to my ears
enticing the glow of fading embers of memory
to blaze inside my mind
nudging open my tender heart--eradicating my fears
unlocking the fragile joy sheltered securely at my core
insatiable
I crave you like dark Godiva chocolate
ravenous to converge
impatient to flow the healing magic of my fingertips
over your being once more
to feel the tingling friction of my palms
braced against your fragrant, glistening skin
raising the intoxicating passion amassing beneath
savor the hearty flavor of your essence
sup with delight on the pleasure of your presence
release myself deep within the comfort of your radiance
freeing your inner spirit to meld with mine
your nearness, divine
tortures me each day
this way
I miss you everso
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Stalled Ignition
Baghdad, 4/17/09
a torrent of colorful words
flood my mind
sparked by the intensity of your presence
but remain imprisoned
behind sealed lips
bent into a smile
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Cold Rain
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Rated "G" by the Author.
a restless quiet
nestles in the wet, dark bosom of a rainy night
cloaking the dormant city streets
that separate my heart from yours
the last vestiges of Christmas burn bright
soon to be extinguished by the new day's light
curling around the edges of the silent sky
I wonder in the stillness of this frigid downpour
if you miss me
as I long for you, again
as I yearn for the solace of your sweet, soft lips meeting mine
and memories of your warm voice reverberate in my mind
recalling the strength of your embrace makes me pine
for the melting of the ice by heat of the rousing sun
while I prepare for my departure
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Alone
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Rated "G" by the Author.
In Baghdad...
Your absence haunts
my every waking hour
In my dreams
I wrestle with the fierce spectre of loneliness
a worthy opponent
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Catfish
[From the "Home" collection. Subtitled "Pluto in the 5th house." Photo by author.]It's all or nothing with you
"periods of really intense involvement
followed by long stretches of nothing"
you're all passion and promise
breezing over me
crashing into walls in my space
driving me wild with your face
taking command with your hands
making me wonder, wonder, wonder
is there more behind door number two?
and then,
when I finally give in to you
leaving no quarter to reservation
baring my all without hesitation
before your volcanic eruptions
you disappear
for days, weeks, months
taking with you the absolute reality
leaving me suffering in the pain-filled memory
of you all over me
your scent invading my nostils
your lips mastering my lips
your smile upon making me sing
those smoldering glances from above
mimicking real love
followed by enrapturing hugs
and the stark vision
of your argyle socks decorating my floor
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Charmed
I've been missing you so much
but only after sunset
when my mind turns to evening concerns
and I leave my work behind
all the spirits of the night gather about me
expressing their cloying powers to my mind
distracting me from duty and daily issues
as twilight shimmers among the clouds
and I hope
pray
for the rain
you love
to bathe me
parched
in this desiccated land
the soil and I cry out to the heavens
to bring forth life again
while the lilies fade
and the bougainvillea rest between bloomings
as do my musings
about you during sunlit hours
when I escape the memory of your music
and concentrate on my path, intensely
as I must during this season
a halting moment of quietude and aloneness
an interim
while they await the gods to enrich their fullness
once again
overshadowed by earth's satellite
heavy with its reflection of the sun
stillness fills me
and the air
is covered with the promise of moisture
and the kiss of forgotten warmth
your words travel to meet me
rubbing against my consciousness
like some hungry kitten
seeking my attention
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Tears for Benazir
Author's Note: For Benazir with whom I was honored to share time in the Philippines.
Is there a stunning sound when hope evaporates into the sun
Is there an enormous puff of smoke, shattering of glass, or perchance a wail
Is there a tear shed when democracy undermined dies bleeding in the streets
Is there a thousand blows to the chest when tyranny grips the body with limbs atrembling
Is there grave mourning in the corridors of justice as assassins steal our peace
Is there any escape from misery for the ever-suffering, disenfranchised poor
Is there life without purpose, potential, mission, or God's divine plan
Is there another architect of change equal to this disturbing violence
Is there a brilliant passion that can obliterate this powerful pain
Where is the light, that golden grain of truth, that can quell this rising storm?
Posted on 12/27/2007
Copyright © 2007 Rafika Anderson
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Differences
Author's note: From the Casablanca collection, "Mists of Marrakesh."
Twin glass doors impassively observe the meeting of five corners
While construction progresses merrily across the street
Overshadowed by the all-encompassing mosque
Perched center stage between life and death, east and west
Unfailingly announcing calls to the faithful
Throughout the never-ending days morphing into nights
Swarms of scooters buzz arteries sparkling with activity
Weaving through pedestrians and cars
Visitors stream pass white-clad nurses gabbing as gaily as sea gulls
In their impenetrable tongues outside frosty exam rooms
Tribal gatherings whisper in fear, animating dark corridors
Relatives pair before the doors of loved ones
Converting each room into the entrance to Noah's Ark
Forlorn masks drawn across desperate faces
Hold gloomy eyes dripping regret
Seeking hope from doctors bathed in overpowering colognes
Delivering nausea to sick and well alike
Bouquets adorn the entryways
Permeating sanitized air with their dying breaths
Small red ants crawl amid the flowers
Invaders in a near-pristine environment
Mopped daily
By cleaners impervious to the enemy forces they drag across the ward
Recuperating sleepers clothed in paper gowns
Awakened hourly by conscientious caretakers
Pushing unsolicited food or ineffective medication
Accompanied by a steady assault of loud smells
Competing with even louder cartoons
Blaring in unfathomable accents, yet familiar tones
As they strip away warmth-giving spreads
Force open drapes to shed unwelcome sunlight upon weary sufferers
And proudly share freshly shorn body parts with family members
Proof of the beaming surgeon's expert skill
With draconian techniques in the midst of modernity
Before sad eyes brimming with weighty tears
While others shut tight, fervently engage in unheard prayers
To conquer heartless Fates
Peeking into open doors like curious strangers
Intruding on our desire for silence and solitude
As do the ever cheerful thermometer-wielding assistants to the healer
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Mass for Athena
The specific context of the moment
defined by pine needles and sugar plum fairies
surprisingly superceded by an intense surge of memories
The sky mimics its distressed appearance
of the melancholy day of your departure
gloomy, cloud-filled, gray
the air pregnant with incense and nostalgic aromas
hinting of the season
Like a long overdue letter to my soul
recollections of you pour forth--overcome me
your seductive smile, your charming words, your fluid mannerisms
your steel determination and will
my amazing transformation under your expert tutelage
Eclipsed by the boundless tyranny of loneliness
the suffocating burden of your absence
an agonizing suffering that has refused to end
my life swiftly slipped into reverse
wrapped firmly round highly-charged work issues
eager to engage—
all righteousness and fury
keenly aware of social dynamics evolving between those around me
smothering my optimism and wounded idealism
with contracts, protocols, and courtesies of a bygone era
Discerning opposition everywhere
I sharpen the edge of my victorious sword and recite prayers of battle
while mind and body manifest moot struggles with time and fear
gathering strength in the shadows of lurking despair
Blanketing me like a fine layer of midwinter snow
the experience of your presence saturates every corner of my mind with joy
reveals itself in the lively faces of our merry-making mutual friends
on the rising eventide of the holiday
12/24/2003
Author's Note: From "Moon over Muscat: The Archangel Collection"
Posted on 12/19/2007
Copyright © 2007 Rafika Anderson
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Memorable (10/30/07)
brilliant, beautiful surprise
I see a banquet in your eyes
full of life and harmony
I want to share your energy
innocence of spirit fills your gaze
words you say simply amaze
drawn together by Venus
something's just so right between us
a positive unity
and natural affinity
bring down all my defenses
and awaken sleeping senses
brilliant, beautiful surprise
I see a banquet in your eyes
10/30/2007
-=ra=-
http://chezra.spaces.live.com/
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Doctor Love (10/27/07)
Beautiful man
When I look into your eyes
I see Archangel Raphael arise
high into the heavens of a sultry, moon-lit night
summoning me to enter the temple of your piercing gaze
and surrender my will to the power of your sweet, dream-laden kisses
Your lips
drive hot beach winds
across the surface of my tender skin
setting off an incessant tingling wave
like the rustling of palm tree fronds
by ancient spirits deep within
talk to me baby
I crave the comfort of your touch so much
I want to crawl inside the warm, open space between your arms
and have you hold me
love me
while you nourish and rock me
mightily
in the torrid embrace of a Brazilian rhythm
that promises to assuage my suffering
slowly, gently
completely
heal the pain of my tormented soul
talk to me baby
The delicious tones of your voice
and tranquil tenor of your thoughts
mesmerize and overcome me
like the intoxicating allure of wet pine and eucalyptus
Your subtle aura
a sacred catalyst rich with the wisdom of aeons
penetrates deep into the empty crevices of my psyche
soothing every worry
banishing every earthly concern
relieving my every burning desire
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My Haven (9/24/07)
hungry for your passion
that nourishes me
safe and secure within your all-encompassing embrace
you rouse something deep within
awakening emotion and heat
long dormant
you are the most beautiful of the beautiful
full of magnetism I cannot resist
a warmth that attracts me
unfailingly
your subtlety and mysterious depths appeal to me
irresistibly
stimulating an intense eroticism
matched by tenderness
you fill me with deep insight, compassion and healing
offering solace in your arms
a stirring of mind and spirit in your words
and comfort in your kiss
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Your Love (10/05/07)
As the mighty rainforest nurtures the earth
your love
renews me
balances me
replenishes me
nourishes me deeply on many levels at once
The care exuded by your touch refreshes every facet of my soul
purifies my heart
diminishes my fears
and brings great joy to my spirit
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Geisha by the Sea
Although I speak many a tongue
I have yet to master that special one
needed to reach your distant heart
and cross the chasm keeping us apart
I need to give to you to live
that is my destiny you see
I don't know what you would have me do
to exist here without you
I practice my craft badly
because now I do it sadly
I am sapphire blue
with the absence of you
Please call me
and speak freely
of whatever is on your mind
I promise to be kind
as you know it is my way
to listen to every word you say
Help me heal this terrible pain
that drenches me like monsoon rain
while you are so far away
it grows more intense each day
I do not hear your gentle voice
you know I have no choice
but to keep on loving you
there is nothing I can do
until you go
I miss you so
So many hopes dashed by the side
to you I even relinquished my pride
and let forth many tears
more than I have in many years
It would give me profound grief
to hold the thought or the belief
that I have hurt you in some way
so tell me the words to say
to erase this awkward space
and gaze once again upon your face
You are brilliant like the sun
I long to be the fortunate one
to worship you
what else can I do
I want nothing more than your trust
and will even sacrifice my lust
if you ask me to
to befriend you
as we were once before
when you opened up your door
and let me enter your universe
and fill the corners with my humble
verse
Let us try to close this rift
without you, I am cast adrift
yearning each moment to see your face
I'm just a ghost haunting this place
I can't bear to be alone
please pick up your telephone
and let me know you are okay
so I can make it through the day
and every night I suffer through
wondering about you
Very soon you will leave
and I will be left here to grieve
that dark day I knew would come
when the Fates would take you from
my half-painted reality
where I will cherish your memory
as I languish by this foreign sea
remembering tenderly
golden hours you spent close to me
casting glances in my direction
strumming your guitar with great
affection
blessing me with your tender smile
as I adored you for awhile
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Apologies to Boanerges
Listen to Poetry Reading by Rafika