House of Hosanna

if dreams dwell in the head
mine seem to have escaped
because as I lie down on my bed
I get a feeling of elevation instead

perhaps it’s the soothing sound of Fly With Me by Elis Pethke
which is to blame for my drift into fancy
for now I’m perched upon the tree of my imagining
looking at depths without envy

and yet from there the roots supply all parts with plenty
so that breath in my lungs is restored
and I can adore Katie Paterson, Zeller & Moye’s ‘Hollow’
knowing that logic is not always a thing to follow

 

© Heath Muchena, 2016


Muscat Tears

Setting: 11 Lobby Lane
Personae: Lance Livelong – life coach; Dean Dumbdown – market speculator

Haven’t you ever heard a saying “the works unfinished and neglected lie”?

No, I have not my guy! And that’s beside the point. Fact is, I’ve lost all hope. It’s not even worth a try!

Diminished desire for personal development is the dirt road to doom, pal. Think growth! Think change!

I’m sorry but your words aren’t worth a penny. I’m resolved. It’s too taxing. I’d rather just get by! Screw destiny – that delusion entertained by fervent youth but nothing daunted, the old would rather not discuss. And I’m not getting any younger. Let me quit while I’m ahead.

Ahead? I doubt it.

See, that’s just it! I’ve had it with you and your judgements!

Calm down. Take a sip.

 

© Heath Muchena, 2016


A Feast of Desire

feast my eyes on her
body, mind… she’s everything I want
all there is to discover

my summer hue
and bright horizon

she makes me desire
so now I must have her

since she turned me into this
Mazarine blue butterfly that needs a red clover

to devour
O, what an animal she makes me!
still, I love her

 

© Heath Muchena, 2016


The Trajectory of Victory

to the heavens I give thanks
for every profitable moment
like a Richard Quest announcement

for all the hardwork, bless!
the reward – a mind at peace

no stress
thus minimal need for rest

as for questions and requests
or clarity on sentence… one day it may all make sense
granted I keep good health
and reveal the rest of my creative wealth

and then it may even be up to you
to put me up there with the greats

for now… baby steps
on these grounds, on this earth
let’s sow a seed
so that one day an Eden perhaps

 

© Heath Muchena, 2016


Penman Blues

Taking action leaves no room for self-doubt, and with that in mind, he agreed to write grandiloquent edicts for the prospective politician in exchange for a generous grant upon assumption of office and the gaining of access to official powers that would make available the resources and security, including clearances to view classified material for the purposes of research, in order to enable successful completion of his manuscript, which would otherwise be practically impossible.

Also, having already spent a significant portion of his advances on a property, at which he had a James Turrell Skyspace installed – the writer’s lair he always dreamed of – he had not much else left. But with a multiple book deal to fulfil, not even his ideal home offered a sanctuary. The deadlines were fast approaching and he needed to produce a groundbreaking work, with even greater appeal than the forty-four columns of text in the Code of Hammurabi, because they expected nothing less.

Still, even with all the pressures, he felt it was manifoldly better than signing on to another nine-to-five, because truthfully – expedient is almost never ethical thus not good for the soul. And there are infinite ways to live, as long as one is wise enough to not waste the gifts of nature’s endowment. So in his case, he simply came to grips with the fact that as long as humans will tolerate tales, it will likely also always be the case that every ruler will need a great speech, and every writer in return – wish to strike it rich, therefore that synergy will continue to conquer, with or without his participation. And seeing that the opportunity signified a good fit, he was resolved to do his bit, and so the keyboard his fingers struck, beat by beat.

 

© Heath Muchena, 2016


Bikini Tan Lines

beautiful, bombshell from Beatitudes Bay
your presence is a blessing but I must confess
the love I feel for you is not just agape
because you electrify my receptors with your sweet caress

so plenty kisses to your chest and waist
bikini tan lines on your body when you undress
and we could care less what they say
for they don’t understand we simply have the best sex

 

© Heath Muchena, 2016


Peace & A Slice of Paradise

On a beach
Where sand had been ploughed into scenic furrows by the ebbing tide

We watched a glistening fringe of curves
Created by the lapping of waves on the sea-shore

And the sun appeased our appetites
Like an early spring surprise

A balanced form of mood enhancement
Through nature’s nourishment

Something we felt and agreed we both deserved
Peace and a slice of paradise

So we took a lie-down on the Missoni print towel
Mai Tais and conversation flowing… all the incommensurable ideas reconciled

As she reminded me that every origin includes both the creation
And that out of which it is constituted

While I showed her that distance gives perspective
And relaxation is the best aphrodisiac – better than Dr NakaMats’ Love Jet

 

© Heath Muchena, 2016


7 Silver Crescent

pleasures remembered give rise to endeavour
as much as pain is the outcome of adventure

so these umpteen pieces
filled with antipathies and affinities

are records of thought which don’t run in a continuous thread
from one period to the next

but instead, intermittently like a sweet embrace
so as faces fade from memory’s gallery

I get lost in meditations over abstruse questions
which often reveal limitations of knowledge and the shallow depths of experience

still, words are always the finishing lines
where avenues of emotion end

as such, letters addressed to my exes
are sent from 7 Silver Crescent

a seemingly staid street
but the setting for scenes of indiscretion and sins of sentience

because although heaven we try to find
we are only human MIND

 

© Heath Muchena, 2016


Shaded Love’s Omnipresence

I was drawn to her with an immense magnetic attraction
Like a constitutionally weightless heavenly body
That is endowed with weight by the presence of others

But just when I thought everything was copacetic
I discover she only cares for uncouth conversations
Plus she doesn’t accept my calling to cultivate curiosities
It’s unnecessary as far as she’s concerned

But I’ve lived in several lands
Observed and experienced way too much
To keep sealed the seeds for my fertile imagination

And even if they dispute the views or bring me into disrepute
They still can’t completely erase me from the history books
Like the king of three kingdoms, Cnut the Great
So of course her control I just cannot accept

And now another heart I have to break
In a scene so familiar

Theme similar
Only a change of setting

But even if that casts shade over love’s omnipresence
At least I leave this poem as reverence
For my lost lover but also as a show of infinite inspiration

 

© Heath Muchena, 2016


Excess County

On that occasion, because of her passion for furniture design and decorating interiors, we set out on what was supposed to be a short trip to find some lighting fixtures for her client, whose studio she was to furnish the coming weekend.

On our way we discussed Millay’s “A Few Figs From Thistles”, which she’d just finished reading. She had always shown a fervent interest in feminist literature and expressed her views with sophisticated felicity.

We arrived in the industrial district. She led the way, and I followed her through the backstreets which bustled with fresh produce vendors, downtown tailors, vinyl record store and thrift shop regulars. A turn or two and we were inside Excess County, and there I was – thinking how clever that the name was downright bourgeois yet tasteful and still appropriate to the setting. Odd aisles with spectacular fluidity and all the pieces flawlessly arranged. It was nothing short of an industrial design exhibition. I marvelled at a Jae Hyo Lee’s pine sculpture table, while she fixated on the Iris floor lamp by Alex MacMaster which we’d specifically come for. She thought it would suit the circular economy inspired theme her client was going for.

We shared opinions on several other pieces before we got to the Poliform soft spa sofa which was in one corner of the showroom. We sat beside each other testing it out and then to my surprise, she suddenly took my hand and placed it under her summer print faux-wrap dress. Then she whispered in my ear, ‘I wish we could… right here.’ I’d have thought she was teasing if only she wasn’t so moist.

 

© Heath Muchena, 2016