#jessicaroserock

[jessicarockpoet]

haiku: mérida with thad

how to feel alive: walk home barefoot, happily, baptized by the rain.

[jessicarockpoet]

poem: drain it

old men sitting on currency thrones, bills stacked as high as you or me, gleaming white teeth bought and paid for. bass turned to zero, children never call, mistresses whisper cochon.

[jessicarockpoet]

poem: muted

tilt my head back, feel the hot water cascade down my freshly-washed face.

turn the music off, quiet my head. I’ve looked forward to this all day: when my ears fill up and the silence comes.

no news, no talking heads. no charlatans and no bores. no coming to terms with our mortality.

for a few seconds, I am wet and warm, silent and grateful.

[jessicarockpoet]

poem: inspired by paul éluard’s ‘liberty’

the way the ocean shimmered in the sunset my rusty beach cruiser tires covered in sand dipping salty fries into thick milkshakes there’s so much to tell you sharing a laugh with my cousin in the moonlight throwing the ball into the waves until the dog is tired feeling like everything is coming together
 there’s so much to tell you hiking through ancient green dinosaur lands cleansing myself in cold waterfalls red dirt staining the soles of my shoes
 there’s so much to tell you learning to be alone in an island paradise cold drinks before swimming in the sunset
 making new friends and scraping my knee
 there’s so much to tell you glitzy gamblers serving as muses
 winning at blackjack for a change
 diving deep into the warm nighttime pool
 there’s so much to tell you treading the primitive trails at arches hikers yearning for a bit of shade my sneakers leaving nothing but a trace there’s so much to tell you paddling down the silty colorado river caps full of brown water cooling me down learning more and more about the family I chose there’s so much to tell you then the evening comes in fast and loose and I hear you in every song on the radio there’s no doubt you’ll always be with me there’s so much to tell you

[jessicarockpoet]

poem: when the light leaves

borscht in the pot, dog by his side, breath matching, chill in the air, seventies jams, absolute bliss.

[jessicarockpoet]

“kintsugi: the art of Japanese pottery repair using gold lacquer.”

I am proud of us: all the cracks we suffered through are now shining gold.

[jessicarockpoet]

poem: aquatic interloper

I dream of nightswimming in a pool that isn’t mine, like a silent, wet bandit, I dive deep and swim with one breath.

soft moonlight guides me, back and forth, back and forth, never coming up for air, too scared I’ll be caught.

the water feels like a warm bath, comforting and lulling, like when your mom used to bend over the tub to wash your soft baby skin.

[jessicarockpoet]

poem: 428b9

she and I stood together silently, like old friends from another life, on the bridge over the canal.

the water shimmered green below, the sun’s afternoon rays waning right before our childlike eyes.

she spoke first, still clutching the railing, “this is when paris makes you love her, this is when you know you’ll never leave.”