Black Tea with Milk and Sugar

Without milk,

the black will bite the back of my throat

in the spot which holds the beginnings

of the universal sob.

But with milk

swirling upon entry, the blackness fades

one tint at a time to a taupe

that coddles like her milk,

cauterizing the soar sad throat

carrying comfort time and time again

to that deep darkness within.

The sugar tastes of breakfast cookies shaped like an “S,”

feasted upon in my grandmother’s nest,

now tasting even sweeter

in this moment between earth and ether:

the kettle whistle blowing,

the sound of three mugs’ emptiness disappearing,

and with milk and sugar, all vacuums dissolving,

my lips slowly sipping the steeping sap,

suckling at the teat of warmth and comfort and love.

Every cup of tea I drink is my mother and my grandmother.

June, 2010

Ankara, Turkey

"Black Tea with Milk and Sugar" was first published in Miller's Pond Poetry Magazine. Fall 2014. Online. http://www.millerspondpoetry.com/index.php/issues/web_editions1

I wish the shape of my face not too narrow

And don’t exaggerate how my head’s on crooked-

I don’t want to look like a Modigliani

But draw my cheekbones a bit pointed 

Like Malificent in Sleeping Beauty.

Upon my face paint the expression of Icarus-

The moment before he smelled hot wax

Full of sacred awe at the ploughmen below

So the eyes forget themselves.

To suggest I’ve been living

On the Mediterranean-

Choose a tan color for my skin 

And the blue of a Turkish sky for my eyes.

The background- all poppies and butterflies-

In flight, the brighter the colors the better

So the viewer feels he is looking 

Through a kaleidoscope.

On my lap should be resting-

Like the dichotomous Greek masks

Scuffed up rock climbing shoes

And shiny red tango heels.

Some final recommendations-

Draw a hat atop my head

One that borders on ugly

And have me just barely pull it off.

March 17, 2014

Seattle, WA

"I wish the shape of my face not too narrow" was first published in Miller's Pond Poetry Magazine. Fall 2014. Online. http://www.millerspondpoetry.com/index.php/issues/web_editions1

A Snail’s Life

As I wait for the traffic light to change

I think of you and the weight of this shell 

digs into my back. I make up my mind

to hit the gas through this intersection 

but when the light turns green my exhaust  

turns to slime and my tires slip and slide;

a silver trail desiccates behind me.

Riding my back always, this heavy house

of brittle walls brims over with tender looks

and touch, the color nude. I wish I could 

smash this carpet bag of residual flesh, 

expose the soft and supple to the sun, 

pour salt on promises hanging so thick 

the air turns to slime and I can’t breathe

or keep up with this life I’ve built without you 

so I’m always slipping, catching myself.  

Seattle, WA

April 10, 2014

"A Snail's Life" was first published in Miller's Pond Poetry Magazine. Fall 2014. Online. http://www.millerspondpoetry.com/index.php/issues/web_editions1