Black Sea

Black Sea
By: James Dubeau

My eyes rest upon
Light reflecting off the water
Rolling across the dark sea
With the white capped waves in
Ivan Ayvazovskiy’s
The Black Sea
The crashing waves
Bring my mind back
To my native homeland
Of the Main shoreline
Where I would have been
Looking out across the ocean
Watching the tide roll in
Under heavy cloud cover
Of looming storms
On a cold early morning
Where only the hope
Of the rising sun
To burn the dreary night away
Can bring a smile to my
Old and weary eyes

Large Red Numbers

Large Red Numbers
By: James Dubeau

Large red numbers
Dimly illuminate
Counting down the minutes
Until the morning sun rises
This bed
Is not as comfortable
As it once was
The secrets of sleep
Are no longer provided
Thoughts race on by
While I lay
Awake
No matter how heavy
My eyes have become
No longer
Can I lay
With arms around my pillow
It is not the same
As it once was
With a heavy sigh
I roll over
But you are not there
My arms will remain empty
While another minute
Ticks by on the
Large red numbers

What I Wouldn’t Give

What I Wouldn’t Give

By: James Dubeau

What I wouldn’t give

To hold you tight

In my arms

What I wouldn’t give

To have your body

Pressed against mine

What I wouldn’t give

To feel your chest heave

With every breath

What I wouldn’t give

To smell your hair

And its intoxicating bouquet

What I wouldn’t give

To kiss you softly

As we fall asleep together

What I wouldn’t give

To have the moon and stars

Rise and fall above us

What I wouldn’t give

To see your beaming smile

When we both awaken

What I wouldn’t give

To have you as mine

And to be only yours

What I wouldn’t give

Rhapsody Infecting Nymph

Rhapsody Infecting Nymph

By: James Dubeau

Everything you do

runs through my head

igniting deep desires.

Never before has this

rhapsody been sung

infecting what transpires.

But I’m left to dream of

brown or green

little old thing you wear.

Ensuring my heart grows fires.

Is There A Greater Pain

Is There A Greater Pain
By: James Dubeau

Is there a greater pain
Than heart ache
There is no bandage
That can cover the wound
No pill can be popped
To dull the pain
It just sits there
Gnawing at your soul
Sapping strength
Removing Hunger
Defeating sleep
Only with time
As they say
Along with distance
Can the soul be repaired
In an arduous journey
A quest
Across fields afar
Through deep valleys
At mountain crags
Could end the pain
But all it takes
Is one touch
Or one word
Or one scent
For it all to come crashing
Bringing back the pain
Again

Then It Is Gone

Then It Is Gone
By James Dubeau

Once you have it
Tight in your hands
You can feel it
Hold it close
See it
Smell it
Taste it
But then it all changes
A slip
A fall
It crashes down
Leaving nothing behind
Only emptiness
And longing

Dancing For Me

A storm raged outside my home and inside my heart
Sheets of rain slammed against the plate glass windows
Darkening the night such that I could barely see
The street light at the end of the block dimly illuminated
She was gone and there was nothing I could do about it

I opened up her jewelry box
The last remnant of her that I had
As the lid flipped up twinkling music started
A tiny ballerina started to twirl
She was dancing for me