Give thanks ...

Give thanks for all
that is exquisite
under the sun.

the hummingbird,
the long-stemmed rose,
the emperor butterfly,

cut velvet,
shot silk,
cream satin,

Rodin's kiss,
freesia,
antique pearls,

jasmine-jeweled gates
all that is evanescent, translucent,
ethereal and luminous,
incandescent and diaphanous

white musk,
the pieta,
the white deer

all that transports
the soul to wonder
and awe
and wild ecstasy

My Cuban Lover

Once I had a Cuban lover,
or would be lover should I say
black,
black as the ace of spades
with Spanish accent
and hot, dark blood in his veins,
like rum.
He told dark, dark tales
of life in Cuban prisons
and Mexican jails
where they took him out at night to point a pistol
at his head.
He played Othello once
on a Havana stage
my Othello,
and he was brave and strong
like panther
His laughter
fired my soul like gunpowder
and the touch of his skin
sent lava through my veins
never a kiss
never a tryst
for he was married you see, my Othello,
and he loved Desdemona
deliriously

^

Biography

I am from Toronto originally but residing now in in London, Ontario. I have an Honours BA in English from the University of Toronto and most of my career has been spent teaching English as a second language both in Canada and Europe. I now work mainly as a free lance journalist writing book reviews and film reviews and articles on refugee problems for local newspapers. I am also an aspiring novelist and children's writer. I can't say that I have published much that is creative yet though I keep on hoping that I am getting close to having a children's book accepted. I speak French, Italian, and German and my interests include anything to do with the arts as well as travel and photography. I have been to Dublin and am half Irish, my relatives living in Donegal which I visited with my parents in 83.