The bell jingles
Announcing my arrival
Rainbow flag above the door
Pastel walls
Wrought iron tables
My shoes
Tap
Tap
Tap
On weathered hardwood
Courtesy seats me near a window
Conservatively dressed
And pretty
She does so with a grin
Not offering to take my order
Instead
My tea seems to have appeared
While I glance around
To take the place in
No footfall singing its existence
Conscience
Justice
And Honor
Have seats at the bar
Spiked hair
Leather jackets
Boots
Strong hands
Their dragon tattoos
Deeply engaged
In a heated discussion
Of which
I cannot quite make out the words
Love flirts shamelessly
With all three women
Laughing
Smiling
Flashing painted eyes
Content for the moment
Not to be the center of attention
As her fingers dance
To tease buttons
Zippers
And denim seams
Good Intention sits near the register
The small heels of her sandals
Hooked on a lower rung of the stool
She looks thin
And hungry
But her hands gesture energetically
As she tells one story
Then another
To her attentive
Enraptured
Cup of coffee
The femme and femme taboo
Of Forgiveness and Trust
Have a booth in the back
Providing delicious contrast
To the nearby jukebox
That plays only clichés
Her red painted lips touching hers
Her fingers through her hair
Her hands beneath her skirt
Oblivious
To indulgent chocolate
And ripe
Fresh fruit
In clean china
On the table before them
Pride's center table
Allows an easy view
Of Perfect hair
Perfect makeup
Shapely legs crossed
One high heeled shoe
Dangling impatiently
From one perfect foot
Innocence
In pigtails
Sits on the floor
Bruises hidden
By pretty princess dress
Knee socks
And Hello Kitty underwear
A nearby coffee table
Proudly holds
Her solitary game of checkers
Anger occupies a corner table
Pondering the role of protector
Sunglasses and cigarettes
Her black hair
Tightly pulled back
Her smile clean
Her claws immaculate
My fears of her
And her learned patterns
Swim below the surface of her skin
Outside
On the sidewalk
A cement mixer churns
Audible when the bell once again jingles
And a beautiful
Scarred woman
Makes a confidant entrance
Courtesy guides the new arrival
To the chair opposite me
Takes her coat
Curtsies
And leaves
All the while displaying
Her comfortable grin
The captivating woman
Tastes magically appearing cocoa
From a large maroon mug
Her soft
Slender fingers
Find mine
Her ancient eyes shift colors
With each sip
And bleed into my dreams
She speaks for hours
Without a word
Comparing lifetimes before
To lifetimes after
While she rocks her chair
On hind legs
And weaves my past
Into the tablecloth
Night falls too quickly
She laughs as I yawn
Heeding the siren voice of sleep
Then rises to lead me
By protesting hands to the door
Her breath in my ear
Whispers subtle reminders
Of fate
Great deeds
Mistakes
And broken promises
A whirlwind kiss
Finds me on the street
Doors locked
Lights dim
Silence
And calm
The sidewalk ends
Just beyond the still churning cement mixer
Attempting to shake itself clean
The latest slab
Marked by wet concrete signs
Must have been poured days ago
It is as dry as bone dust
Would
That I could
Become one
With not the Earth
Herself
Rather to slowly freeze
My limbs dissolving
Into tiny flakes
Of purest crystal
Whirling
Swirling
The wind
As their conductor
No two alike
I woke this morning
To the sound of rain
Still blind from sleep
I reached for you
Genuinely surprised
By your absence
I gathered my strength
And rose
Finding my way
To the sliding glass door
The pitter patter
Of eight little feet
And a few sleepy mews
Followed
I stared
Confused and lonely
Into the darkness
Of the early morning
And cried
When I remembered
It had been nearly
Two months
The rider
Perched
Upon the most
Magnificent
Of steeds
Comes to a halt
Her gaze
Scans the horizon
Seeking
Searching
Yearning
For a new victim
A fresh
Kill
I stand
Unmoving
Against the walls
Of my mind
Praying
In vain
To any higher power
Who can conceal me
As the sun sets
The rider
Pushes her steed onward
Briefly
I bask in the hopes
That again
I have escaped her wrath
But not this night
The wind
Shifts
And esoteric
Penetrating eyes
Turn to look
Deep
Within me
Threatened
I cry for help
Instantly
My dreams
And fantasies
Leap from the shadows
Fiendish beasts
They snarl
And bound forward
Bearing
Fearsome teeth
And claws
Undaunted
The rider dismounts
And draws her weapon
My rage
From its sheath at her side
Its edge
Maims
Without discrimination
And the beasts
Are soon wounded
And dying
The rider
Advances toward me
Her eyes
Burn
Again
I cry for help
Slowly
My honor
Rises from the earth
A mighty dragon
Spreading
Its wings
It roars
And lunges
With fiery
Snapping
Jaws
The rider
Retreats
Not a step
Her shield
My fear
Holds fast
And the mighty dragon
Soon
Is slain
The rider
Soaked in blood
Again
Fixes her unearthly eyes
Upon me
Desperate
I shriek for help
A shrill cry
Echoes
From the skies
The shadows
Of two
Powerful eagles
Glide
Effortlessly
Over the ground
As my conscience
And loyalty
Descend
Upon the rider
With razor talons
To my horror
The rider's armor
My ignorance
Repels
The merciless attack
And the fearless birds
Are shortly reduced
To a quivering mass
Of broken bones
With no other option
I take strength
As my shield
Draw courage
As my sword
And advance
To meet
The ghastly
Foe
The ensuing battle
Rages
Seemingly for days
The rider
Retreats
Only at the promise
Of the rising sun
To assuredly
Fight
Another day
Soon after
The rays of light
Pierce
The darkness
And I find myself
Battered
But not beaten
I write
With a little green pen
The things my voice
Dare not say
The things
My ears dare not hear
But
That my heart needs to
She looks so
Delicate
Preparing a salad for me
Her powerful arms
And tall
Strong back
Working together
In tender unison
Cutting tomatoes
As reward
She greets
Each new dawn
With my arms
Bundled about her
As often as possible
Who?
Who has done this?
Who has dared
To batter down
My defenses
Liberating hope
From beneath
Its rusty lock?
Who would do this
Expecting so little
In return?
What?
What could I possibly say
To convey how deeply
I care for you?
What will become
Of the bliss
You arouse
With a gentle touch?
What will you do
To quell the
Addiction
That touch inspires?
What is to be done
After the realization
That by this
Our paths has been
Forever
Altered?
When?
When did
My
Expectations
And dreams
Become invalid?
When did I
Evolve
Into a being
Of such
Profane
Restraint?
Where?
Where
Can I hide
My heart
From you
That you cannot
Find it?
How?
How did this happen?
How is it
Such
Lies
Escaped my lips?
How do I quiet
The insane rage
Stalking
My conscious thoughts?
How could I have been
Betrayed
By my own dignity?
Why?
Why did I
So foolishly
Blind myself
With the mask
Of pride?
Why did I
Let you tell me
You loved me
Like no other?
Why
Did I believe you?
Flat on my stomach
Last night
Pondering the sweetness
Of red wine
Alone
I lost myself
In another's
Written word
At times laughing
At times crying
As the fireplace
Massaged
My naked skin
With calm
Warm
Hands
The woman across the street
Must have a great view
She lives on the seventh floor
And always has her blinds drawn
The woman across the street
Must like the cold
She always leaves
Her windows open
The woman across the street
Must have a kind heart
She pours affection
Over her two black cats
As if they were her children
The woman across the street
Must lead a happy existence
She always dances
While cutting vegetables
For her salad
The woman across the street
Must be new to the city
She still uses her turn signals
And doesn't scream
When someone takes
Her parking space
The woman across the street
Must be a lesbian
Or gay
Or bisexual
Or something
Her beautiful girlfriend
Has a penis
All day long
She has twinges
And complains
As her clit comes alive
She has yet to heal completely
Still finds it difficult to walk
And I can't help thinking
How incredibly cute she is
Waddling about our apartment
Sometimes
I prepare breakfast
Or lunch
Or dinner
While she dilates
Forgetting
It often consumes
Far more
Than the recommended
Fifteen minutes
So I patiently fidget
And clean
While the microwave waits
For waffles
Or soup
Or sandwiches
Or pasta
To grow cold
If you have enjoyed Tara Chen's Poetry, then please be certain to e-mail her at tara[at]dementedkitty.com and thank her for posting her Work.
Click here for a list of all of Tara Chen's Stories and Poetry at Sapphic Voices Authoresses.
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