Senseless Triumph

He's taken on unusual urgency,
ponders the discordant silence.
Criticism drips like rich blood
on his victim's flesh.
Color rises in his face,
boundaries of life are redefined.

My laughter withers, fulfills
his fancies, feeds his soul.
He stares with blazing hazel eyes,
becomes motivated by loathing.
Momentum builds, pounds,
assaults without cease.

I melt like an ice cube
and he laps up my pain.

Fold Away Anguish

 Tears course blindly,
drip down dampened
cheeks.  Brow droops
with abject vulnerability.

I reach out, gather her in my arms,
hold her closely, stroke away sorrow.
Gently fold the anguish to my breast
with hugs of affection.

Her pain becomes my grief,
seeps around us with quiet flow.
I touch an arm, caress a cheek, offer
love to wash away distress.

She looks at me through blurry eyes,
lays her head upon my chest.
Sobs turn to hiccups in a moment
of unspoken acceptance.

Dangerous Destiny

Tight-lipped toreador
treads blood-soaked arena
with arrogant grace,
faces a formidable foe.

He watches others
meet their destiny,
victors and vanquished.

Danger thunders forward,
red-rimmed eyes follow scarlet cape. 
Whose life will seep into the sprinkled sand?

"Dangerous Destiny" was first published in Some Words, November-December, 2001 issue.

Copyright © 2001-2002 Sharon Rothenfluch Cooper. All Rights Reserved. May not be re-printed in any form without express written consent of the author. Do not copy or post.