Only 27
By Joann Partee
Not even shoes on his feet
Just socks – and a pea green suit
A color he doesn’t like
He lies in a cold metal coffin
Waiting for a eulogy, the 23rd psalm -
And a few tears
Evolving Woman
by Joann Partee
The words live within me
ethnic, cultural legacies
beats of meter
the rhythms
the rhythms
the sensual rhythms of my body
dance passionately with reason
no constraints
feeding on emotional freedom
and self-knowledge
A sonnet – a chant
an example of beauty
and voice,
and verse
reclaiming my inheritance
my lineage
my tradition
of evolving woman
Speak
By Joann Partee
My voice
explodes inside my head
and I cannot escape
the cage
my tongue is oppressed
and my ears are
disobedient
deep down inside
I whisper
but no one hears
the truth
no one sees me move
inside the labyrinth
feeling my way
through apathy
I stop to shake the dust
from my feet,
but they are weeds
choking
what remains
Another Untitled Poem
By Joann Partee
I was reserved
In loving you
Not for any other reason
Than my own selfishness
But my heart leads me
Back to unleash the tenderness
That you long for
And that I want to give you
I held back my love
Waiting for yours
Hoping to see it in your eyes
Or taste it in your kisses
Those supple sweet kisses
That you hold in your mouth
Exclusively for me
I need them now
To hold together the remains
Of what is left
Of the love I have not
Given to you