When I Speak

Freeing one from sanity's hold

I am immersed in the sweetness of the discourse

My words finding an answer to the mystery

The secrets only the clouds know

Of how the rain and thunder comes

When I speak

I whisper my intentions

My words flow like honey

Soft and steady from my lips

Bringing an arch from the eloquence

My language dives like dolphins

When I speak

My voice pulls in the high tide

As my words float and land again

Fluttering lightly like the hummingbird

Softly, silently, extracting the nectar

Ebbing and flowing, my timing perfect

When I speak

My words travel unhindered

To hewed landing strips, in barren villages

Lips dancing across the mountaintop

The oceans below, find my story familiar

They seek to join in my soliloquy

When I speak

My love for sweet conversation, unmatched

My communication, bringing contemplation

Of space and time and worlds yet discovered

My voice shaking the fragile ground below

Bringing an earthquake of epic proportions

Molten lava from the center of the earth

When I speak

It Was Always You

I knew you before I ever felt your touch, before my eyes surrendered inside of yours

Before long walks sharing life's stories, before soft words spoken as the world slumbered

Long before the affections were written and passions spoken, long before my days became brighter

I knew you, so long ago, before the candle was lit, and before our shadows melted into one

Before our voices harmonized melodies of pleasure with the syncopation of our passionate breaths

Long before the tests and trials of our connection, long before I knew that love could feel like this

I knew your name before I met you, it was written on my soul, before you told me what it was

The name I gave you...unspoken and unwritten, seen and felt in deep places ...when you look at me that way

Come closer, yes...closer, let me tell you my name for you...it has a sound so familiar, do you hear it?

It sounds like the strongest of wind blowing by your ear, it sounds like a steady raindrop splash

It sounds like your favorite duet towards then end of the song...sounds like the sun if eyes could hear

Yes, I have known you for such a long time, your scent so familiar...well acquainted with your sweet taste

I knew your flavor, long before my tongue savored it, your sweet smell before my nose could perceive 

I knew you, so long ago, to be my first love, before you even knew you were destined to be

For I knew you in my spirit, before either of us entered this world, you reminded my heart of who you were

Through those words of love you spoke to my heart, through those glances that pierce through my being

Through the soul that intertwined with mine, my spirit, my being, came to have remembrance of you, 

You had been there, there from the beginning, I only needed the gentle reminder that came from our first kiss

My memory now clear, I always knew you so deeply, you were in my every dream, before your form I could perceive

I knew I would always love you like this...do you see?  Every moment with you only confirms what was always true

I loved you before there was a word to describe it, before our bodies exploded in it, before we succumbed to it

I always knew, it was always you, who would be my first love....when love became you.

© 2011 Damien Malone

A Heart of Pearls (Dedicated to the Sisters of Alpha Kappa Alpha)

The fruit of her spirit, is of the sweetest nectar, from the first harvest on that hallowed ground

She is the rib from the first of men, the Eve, from which all life thereafter is found

Crafted in perfection, she is the hourglass, flowing sand from the beginning of time

Sand from Giza burned with her purpose, and forged beautiful pearls numbering nine

She is the purest measure of beauty and grace, from her...flows wisdom, class and style

Adorned with the most precious of all jewels, from her twenty pearls shine the light of Lyle

Of splendor and scholar, of pink and of green, she is lovely in form and in mind

Full of knowledge and wisdom, proud countenance, and a heart to serve all mankind

She is loved and adored, the apple of a man’s eye, they see her and know her great worth

But some others sadly, view her with envy and spite, for they wanted to be her since birth

For only those few ladies guided by the light, can wear pretty pearls like these

She must be able to swim like the salmon, so deep, and climb the highest wall of ivy leaves

She must have a heart to serve her people, and from the highest standards she must not stray

Then and only then, can she utter the call....skee-weee....I LOVE MY AKA.

© 2011 Damien Malone

My Friend

To know what we are together, my friend, is to realize the purpose of our connection

Our paths crossing like blue skies and red sunsets, we blend to a perfect color

Together we are the rich scents of lavender and lilac, growing like the iris planted in the fall

Our love for each other, like berries and plums, we share a deep taste so sweet

You know my spirit, for it is intertwined with yours, and both uplifted like royalty

We soar together over rows of grape vineyards , our wings touching as we fly

Drinking together, the wine of our lives, your dreams I pray they come true as mine

We are a rock together, my friend, we glisten and shine like an amethyst crystal

We light our deepest, darkest moments...our honor, like sunlight covering a mountainside

Let not a thing, here nor there, common or not, darken this path our souls have hewn

I need you, my friend, I see you in the distance...let us again play in fields of fuchsia

As we did before, when time was simple, and our hands tapped a rhythm so pure

I love you, my friend, I open my heart, for wherever it has gone, you have been there also

Take my hand, my friend, I wish to soar with you again, and this time, never come down

He Will

I arose this morning, with my dream fresh on my mind
A dream of my entire life, of pain and pleasure, in my time
I stood in a room without walls, but enclosed, in Him alone
No floor, no ceiling, and the sound I hear is a familiar tone
I stand as a child, in curious wonder, as I sense the peace around me
A deep light, shining all about...I breathe and my entire life I see
Taking in every memory, every moment, all for me to take measure
Every thought I’ve conceived, every word spoken, all of my pain and pleasure

As I breathe this breath of life inside me, I see my enemies abound
Sharpening their weapons, and plotting their plan for me, they would surround
Just then I hear my mother, signing a tune she would often hum
About being beneath His wings, and of victories already won
I open my mouth, to join in this song, and my soul begins to take flight
With each note from my voice, I see each enemy fall...to my left and to my right
I feel it all in one breath, one perfect breath, within me his spirit moves
And then I knew, the meaning of the song...God will take care of you!

Her Firey Purpose

As she watches with soft gaze, she sees her past, present and future

In her mind flow thoughts from each, to each, of each, they call to her

Their voices, like the crackle of a flame, like the one she once knew deep within her

Once bright red like a raging inferno inside of her spirit, now smoky gray fills her air

Her flame burned hot...with a voice of thunder...a bright roar from her being

The sound from her fire, now a whisper of a flicker, when the silence took hold

She was constricted, her air removed, she had to escape before all was extinguished

Fleeing with three precious pieces of tinder in hand, saving them before they crumbled forever

They each call to her...past, present and future...she knows each voice like her own

The beautiful voice she longs to know once again

She held her tinder close to her, like the memory of the life she once knew

Through rain and wind, through sleet and snow, she covered each one on her journey

Down winding roads, valleys and mountains, she protected each one....all that she had

She found a place with the softest of ground, but found it cold in its reality

A familiar place, of her past, now present, and her not too distant future

She carefully laid each timber down, her loving hands smoothing the unfamiliar ground

She hears them calling out to her, she wants to light them more than herself

For she was ever-seeking, ever-hoping, but never finding one able to light her deepest flame

She turns to look inside of herself, where the smoky embers still glow

And sings a song of life and love, which lights her past, her present and future

She holds the fiery tinder close to her, becoming her own flame, and showing her purpose

Across Her Heart (Dedicated to the Sisters of Delta Sigma Theta)

She is beauty, she is love...by her steps...all know her grace

She is phenomenal in every way...she is a gift from the highest place

She is selfless and charitable, forever reaching to uplift another

She is the Cream that rises, she nurtures her people as a mother

Her beautiful intelligence shines a Crimson hue

From her wisdom, it lights a path...forged by the twenty-two

A path of service to her people...in whom she sees great need

Taking a new road, the one less-traveled, to accomplish her mighty deed

Her purpose is so deep, her cause so sincere

To speak truth to power, so an entire nation would hear

To educate, to liberate, to chart freedom’s course anew

She is twenty-two who became one, when one became two

She marched unashamed, through the cold January wind

To join a great cause, and to suffer...for her courage knows no end

She thrusts herself to her people, her love deeper than they can know

Using her mind, body and spirit...with five points...each to empower and to grow

When they see her, they are inspired, they seek her name, so they ask

She informs them that she is Dorothy, Clara, Mary, and Shabazz

She is also Lena and Cicely, she is Shirley, Zephyr and Marguerite

She is timeless, she has many names...too numerous to speak

For each name has an enduring spirit...with a cause for all to be free

They are united by two hands forming Delta, across her heart is D.S.T.

Happy Birthday my beautiful Sisters of Delta Sigma Theta

© 2011 Damien Malone

My Fortress

I built my fortress from necessity, for protection from the pain

Been inside so long, never venturing from its silent solitude

Clinging to its sturdy walls of safety, like the twist to a leaf in the wind

I built it to perfection, brick and mortar, with the tools of my trade

Laid each stone with great care, I ever toiled for its perfection

So solid, I marveled at my creation, strength supporting the inside fragility

Covering and shielded, the fire and rain found no refuge

Building it larger, more ominous by the day, my desire for isolation unbound

Tireless, work never done, I sand each stone from the inside

I smooth each stone to a fine gloss...I stand in its familiar reflection

So wise am I, built it all by myself, I marvel at its winding diamond staircase

My fortress, my castle...the moat runs deep, deterring all who approach

No gate to cross, no door to knock, no path to gain entry

I stand watch by night, ever-assuring the sweetest aloneness,

Feeling no pain from my self-inflicted constriction, inspecting my fortress by day

My steps echo through deep red corridors of jasper, on the finest of marble floors

Hand crafted pillars of pearl, jade, and gold in my beautiful prison

The light dared not tread inside, its defeat assured swiftly

For no windows exist, only the tiniest hewn slit, from which I peer outward

I am he who is always watching, always waiting, sensing and protecting

Knowing their thoughts to intrude upon my lair, before the thoughts are birthed

Yet I am vigorous in defense, my fortress is the shield, it falters not

They grow weary from their attempts, my fortress is mighty, and I too, from its walls

Thwarting all that seek to enter, they are lost in a sapphire maze, from the outside

Their maps outdated, the signs confuse them...losing their way forward

They retreat, for they are the enemy of my ever-beloved, solitary confinement

Winning every battle for precious isolation, but the taste of victory grows bland

My plate full with the spoils of my haughty success, I grow weary of the meal

I drink from the golden chalice of my segregation, still thirsty for more

Ever tending to my castle, my moat flows with icy waters below

A sweet spirit lying frozen, trapped as they tried...it deserves to be free

 I warm it, and gently loosen the shackles, as I watch it float away

Never intended for it to be trapped in the icy deep, outside of my fortress, my cell

For I, who is judge and jury, of that which is within...imposed my own sentence

Confined to my immaculate fortress of solitude, hard labor on the pages

I marvel at my fortress and find it impenetrable

Shooting arrows of loving-kindness from my high perch, aim of perfection

A bow for each finger, they fall and are warmed with joy, as I retreat

To my lair, reloading black ink...the color of love from my pen

Their hearts are warmed by penetrating words, translucent from my tongue

Inside the fortress, mixing my concoction, I pour sweet visions on the page

I make it in my lair, a libation from inside, it moves through them that are open

They are freed, yet I remain confined, being seen and heard, yet not often understood

To know the language of my solitary, is to know that which my fortress protects

I am he, who listens with keen ear, the name of their need, before it was called

From my mighty fortress, built from countless yesterdays, overlaid with smooth onyx

They look upon it, with curious gaze, and see only their reflection

Yet they learn of themselves, and I see their light from tiny cracks in the wall

The warmth, thawing the icy moat, my fingertips chipping away the stone of my prison

The light peers in, its rays illuminating, chiseling  at my reinforced walls

Beginning to release...what has been protected by my fortress for so long

My Heart

I Stand, Watching Over You

I stand, watching over you

In a dim lit room, the silence, the stillness

As you sleep, my thoughts move through the space between us

Softly, sweetly they approach the doorway 

Seeds in one hand, tightly grasped

The other hand empty, yet ready

With warm palm lines crossing and stretching from however, to whenever, to wherever

Opening the door, seeing a boundless world of anything

Time standing still, as still as I stand, watching over you

Seeking to plant all that I have

Seeds in hand, not all my own

Some seeds from there, some from back then

Others from yet to be, but all from up there

Sifted through wisdom, these few remain, yet plenty

Each chosen with a purpose clear, to take root in this place, unbound

Nourished with the soil of peaceful slumber

Watered by the rain that falls

As I stand watching over you

I plant each seed with steadfast care

The soft ground opening, eagerly reaching from my hand

It grasps quickly as I plant, my pace hastens to match

My other hand free, palm held patiently upwards, ready 

Only begun, yet already growing beyond imagination

Each seed, with a purpose, a boundless garden

For you who sleeps so silently, and makes the rain fall

A garden to supply your journey to where your heart leads 

Safe from a world that would seek to trample, what was so carefully planted

With seeds from struggle, seeds of hope, seeds for your dreams

The greatest gift I can give, as I stand watching over you

A garden of anything, of everything you want to be

With colors unseen, sounds unheard, tasting life abundant

For you, to live and go wherever you want, it is my deepest prayer

But if you lose your way, and you slip and fall from your garden

Take my other hand, I kept it free and ready, palms upward 

To catch you, to guide you back to your dreams

Whenever, however, wherever you find yourself, my son

We will plant another garden together, you and I

So let not a tear fall from your eyes

I promise, my dear son, the time will come for tears, you will see

Save them for the one that will make the rain fall, when they sleep

As you stand watching over them

© 2011 Damien Malone

The Sweetest Ever Known

Just a little bit of honey, a little bit of chocolate, a pinch of cinnamon

A little almond butter, a teaspoon of almond milk, mixed together

With a touch of brown sugar and cocoa, in a pot of loving kindness

Simmered over the heat of her purpose, stirred by life experiences

The steam from her soul’s mixture rises upward

A sweet savor to the nostrils of the only one that could create

Such a concoction of a heart so pure, selflessness, personifying his love

Her outward flowing effervescence, drawing others near

Captured by the sweet savor of her essence, they are drawn closer, seeking

Their cups to be filled with the rarest of delicacies, the sweetest ever known

Every cup in need overflows, with wisdom, substance, love unconditional

Some cups gracious, but most know not, the true value of their discovery

Just a small amount of the dark, rich, healing concoction, filling the largest of cups

Always giving, with more to spare, giving freely, yet who will replenish the pot?

The blind ones only seek to touch the smooth, curved, bubbly texture on the surface

Can’t see beneath, no perception of the depth of boundless lifelong treasure

Seeking only to sample with used spoons stained from cheap buffets

Gourmet too rich for the indiscriminate palette, they can only skim the chocolaty surface

Spoons too short, not used to going deeper into a mixture such as this

The sweetest ever known

A few have sought to drain her, to take their fill and run away

Leaving only reminders as they spilled in their hasty retreat

Yet the creator placed what was spilled back into the mixture

Added two heaping teaspoons of purpose, to make it firmer

Knowingly placing a cover over the pot, between frequent stirs

Her soulful effervescence still flowing, bravely flowing outward

Seeking the one cup that will also replenish, as well as be filled

That wise cup to be filled and filled indeed

Everlasting nourishment from the nectar of her mind, body and spirit

Aged to perfection, and judged by the sighted

As the sweetest ever known

Her Never-Ending Garden

I journey to a place...I follow a path she left for me
Honey-scented pink rose petals, she dropped them one by one
My steps are warmed by the light of her deepest intentions
Leading me across the vast distance, to her garden
With a soft wind, she beckons me nearer, to meet her there
To this special place where love begins and ends
And begins again


I hasten my steps, and follow her loving request
Like the soft pleasure that followed from each mocha kiss
From cinnamon lips...the color of sun rays on closed eyes
A lucid dream of a deep sunset, when ours first touched
Her lips parted, and she inhaled my troubled spirit
I awoke...and the breath from her exhale...was my new name
I seek to bask in her oasis...where love begins...and ends
And begins again


I hear the sweet symphonic tone of her beckoning, her longing
The ever-rising pitch of her modulation... encouraging my swift arrival
But not too quickly...I match my steps with her rhythm
She moves time itself...to and fro...still and hastened
Counter and clock, I move harmonious with her
My time bends...and eagerly expands, to be one with hers
As she blends it in a mahogany cup of chocolate waterfalls
In a place where love begins, and ends, and begins again


In her bountiful garden, she embraces the whole of me
I hear my own soul calling out...from her voice
In words formless, yet fluently spoken in her garden
I reach deeply, and find my soul interlaced with hers
Interwoven in a tapestry of colors...seen only with closed eyes
And dipped in the sweet nectar that now flows boundless
In her garden, we found forever across the distance
And rest in this place, where love begins and ends
And we begin again

Caroline

Have you ever had it in your hand and let it slip away? Blown away like the dream you had last night, but couldn’t quite remember? Gone away... like green leaves do every September.
As the days go by, passion turns from red, to brown, to yellow, to non-existent....to I can’t even remember.
Can’t remember what was going through my head way back then…when I would dream of her skin on my brown skin….
Insecurity…yeah, that it had to be why I didn’t even try to win…too busy looking into those eyes...wishing it would never end. No way she would accept me...I didn’t have the bank roll, the gear, the 430...placing barricades in my own way...two feet away...but might has well been down the hallway…shoot, in another state.
My mind was in another state, as my lips parted to say…..”Hey…I just want to tell you...” Dude, do you belong in Belleview?!? You better keep your mouth shut... be glad she’s your study partner...and she invited you over to ponder...and you got a mind for this...you know...signs, cosigns, regression and analysis... save yourself from getting dissed , dismissed, on some ‘ol delusional sh*t. Stick to what you know bruh...cause this is the only way you even seein’ this...chick.
Whew...back to reality...”yeah, I think the answer is ‘C’, sum of the hypotenuse squared”...I’m dying slowly. Sure I’d like to try the Mauby tea. Never known something so bitter to taste so sweet…steam rising off my cup almost as high as my heartbeat….every sip taking me back to her island homeland…the Caribbean...heard it was beautiful there, and now I know and ain’t never been….
I swear to you her skin was like crushed cinnamon...the kind that grandma used to sprinkle over the dough…with the raisins. Heart is racin’....got about thirty more minutes and Imma have to blaze then. But I’d stay as long as she’d let me....shoot ...you can go ahead and wheel the grave in. Been here ‘bout nine hours...when I get back home...what my boys gonna say then?? How you over this girl’s house all day and didn’t even get a tounge in? They gonna revoke my player card for real, and I wouldn’t righteously blame ‘em. Never really been a player for real, I was just fakin’. They never understood me anyway, no point in explaining’. I wasn’t into hittin’ and quittin...I just wanted to stay in.
Hearing her island accent tasted like honey...thick and fresh from the comb...Alone with her...in her presence was enough for me. Finally met someone that shared my love of the scholarly. Love for the algorithms, and statistical Pythagorean theorems. Every time I came up with the answers her voice seemed to quiver. Like I was hitting a spot that no man had ever delivered....like it was meant to be. I could tell the folds of her mind were moistening and opening to receive my scholarly entity. So I flipped her over on my E=mc...squared her over like two triangles oughta be...writhing in passion our minds intertwined like infinity. We were about to come to a conclusion that it was meant to be. But that was just me. She had no idea, because I couldn’t let her see....that I wanted more than just ABC and 123...I wanted C-A-R-O-L-I-N-E, on me, beside me, if you got a problem with it speak now or forever hold your peace, I wanted a house on the hill and all the bills to come to me. Baby I’ll bring home the bacon, the cheddar, AND the shrimp scampi. Damn, why can’t I shake this petrifaction , that’s keeping this love story apart like segregation...Dame just tell her how you feel...these are your feelings...don’t betray them. But fear won that battle a long time ago...I wanted to hear every word from her honey accented voice except NO.

My Storm

A long time ago, I saw a Storm coming my way, and sometimes I still dream of stormy days

Warm rain piqued my curiosity, soft wind made my knees sway…

Clouds smooth and round, I couldn’t look away, I slowly approach with not a word to say,

Just admiration of the beauty that was headed my way

Fear was an emotion that escaped me…danger seemed far away

It was safe, I was safe, as the blue sky turned gray

The closer I came, the more I knew I would soon dream of stormy days

As the gray sky enveloped me, I felt the wind grow stronger, and I was swept off my feet

Above the trees, I looked down to see, the ground below, I felt so free

I wondered could this be? Or maybe this would always be?

Higher still I floated, gently yet swiftly, no place I’d rather be

Never been this high before, this deep before, I longed for more, it was for me

Swept in the clouds of the Storm, my Storm, I could see my future unfold

From on top of the world I saw my home, my family, and a love like I had never known

Bright sun, blue sky…I disdained, my only wish was for stormy days

Harder still the wind blew, squinted my eyes to see my way through

Driving rain began to sting my skin, and soon the hail would begin

On top of a mountain, my Storm shook my foundation, once warm, now cold rain made me shiver

Strong wind, thunder and lightning….I was far from where I had once been delivered

I felt myself falling from my high, my body tumbled, my heart wondered why

I was holding on for dear life, I was hanging on for dear love, I wanted to stay near

Couldn’t tell if I was wet from my Storm or my own tears

I crawled…I stumbled, to follow as my Storm passed away

Never thought I’d know pain, like the kind that came from a stormy day

Body was weary…mind was in shambles, I was caught in something I couldn’t truly handle

My heart was dismantled, I wanted to ride my Storm forever and not just sample

Nothing I had done before seemed to be ample…of what was to come this was my preamble

My Storm would return again many times to my cautious delight

My flight would be resumed…spirit renewed to a new height

But each flight would end the same, back to Earth I came

Each time falling harder than before, my body, my soul, my heart could take no more

Still I adored, my Storm…I tried to run away but the distance made me sore

I longed for the wind, rain and thunder to pound me once more

Next time I would withstand it, the wind, the rain, the thunder…the pain

I would stand through it all, I would stand it all, if my Storm would return again

My Storm, my beautiful Storm…perfect in every way

The sun could not outshine my Storm’s lightning display

I longed only for stormy days

My Storm went away from me, seemingly never to return my way

Slowly I began to open myself to blue skies and sunny days

Warm rays covered my body and mended my heart, while my Storm was away

Calm wind was now my friend, as I could see a new future so clear

I promised to be Earth-bound to the end, never to let my Storm come near

My pain has long since gone away, my heart is in a healed state

Love is now my companion…I bask in the sun where I promised I would stay

But sometimes when I close my eyes, I still dream of stormy days