Morning Rituals
Self care comes
in many forms
with yogurt
made with real fruit
and no additives
with vitamins
for nutrition
with advice given
in the sweet whisper
spirit guide’s voices
through imagery
on paper cards
and uplifting
messages
within the glow
of soft morning light
Intimate Moments
Silk on skin
brushes light
gentle
the swell of lips
followed
by warm exhale
and flesh tightens
flushing in hues
of pink
eagerly anticipating
the next touch
and the skim
of another breath
more
please
Perfect Timing
Beautiful
and breathless
she sits and waits
with bated breath
with an
eager whisper
running through
her mind
again and again
“pick me”
And sometimes?
I hear her
Tossed in the Bag
Pack the toothpaste
and toothbrush
the emollient bar
and the comb
an extra pair
of underwear
and an earbud
for your ear
are absolutely
essential
but above it all
don’t forget
the cards
(reading cloth optional)
Prompt: “Draw (at least) three cards and use them to tell us a real or fictional story about a call that was the wrong number.”
The Magician (l’Bagatto):
Antonio was sure that this was the job for him. He’s been trained well, going through all the company’s courses, and sailing through it all with flying colors.
Now, this morning, he walks into the office for his first day at work with his back straight and his shoulders strong. He moves to his new desk and unbuttons his suit jacket as he sits down in the comfortable ergonomic chair. He looks over all the buttons on the console, and he’s pleased that he feels not just professional and prepared, but filled with confidence.
The Tower (La Torre):
Putting on the head set and tucking the little speaker against his ear, he settles in and hits the button to make his very first call, and when the line is answered on the other side, he smoothly goes into his spiel. “Hi there! My name is Antonio and I’m calling to speak to Ms Dixie Rect. If you could give me a moment of your time, I have an amazing opportunity for you!”
The woman on the phone then immediately goes into an enraged tirade. She calls him a horrible person. A degenerate! A pervert!! She screams at him, telling him that she is going to call the police on him and have him arrested for harassment, and she took him so off guard that he ends up breaking the very first rule he’d learned in training. He hung up on her!
The Hanged Man (l’Appeso):
After hanging up, he sits there shell-shocked and shaking. His heart thunders and he’s near tears as he sits still and quiet in his chair. Swallowing as he battles with his embarrassment, he looks around to see if anyone in any of the other cubicles had seen what had happened, and assures he was not observed. He takes a slow, deep breath and a few minutes to calm down.
Rising, he then takes a moment to step into the bathroom and splash water on his face before returning to his cubical and sitting down.
The Sun (Sole):
It is as he is sitting down at the desk and prepared to begin again, that he looks up to his customer list on the computer screen and sees it… and starts to laugh. His gaze resting on the name on the screen. The name he’d just called.
Dixie Rect. Dicks Erect.
And as he laughs, his co-workers popped up around the walls of his cubical with a loud “GOTCHA!” The number had been that of one of his co-worker’s wives, and the entire thing had been a practical joke. And as all laughed and welcomed him into the fold, he felt truly at home and welcomed, and his confidence was restored.
Piercing the Skin
The ache spread
little by little
as longing
withers my insides
turning moving parts
into a husk
of nothing
but the pain
of separation
and I miss you
so much
that I feel surely
soon the thorns
will pierce out
through my flesh
for all to see.
Twisting the Leaf 