You might shake
Your head at me
in Disapproval
And say
I have no class
Poke fun at me
And laugh
You might call me
Slut
You might call me Whore
Because I can
Move these hips
So melodically
On this dance floor
Your brain can’t help
But fantasize
About me doing more

It’s a Hot girl Summer
Imma shake my dreads
To this Sexyy Red
Drop it down low
Cause whether
This ass is big or small
I am thick for sum
I back it up for
The 99s and 2000s
And twerk fa sum
Hands on my knees
I don’t mind bending
It over
To let it breathe
Cause I got hump
In my back
And I’m shaking this rump
Because it frees me

You might
Think I am sleazy
And that sleeping
With me is easy
Because I love moving
This booty meat
I shaking off shackles
Off me
Everything that used
to hurt me
Disappears
When I shake my ass
I tapping into my divine and
dark femininity
Twerking away the guilt and shame
From the trauma of early
Exposure to sexual activity
I am shaking myself loose
I am shaking myself free

From the voice of the imposter
and silent critic
Cause in the words of my
Granny B “ I don’t give a shit”
I am shaking off years of
Physical, emotional, mental and sexual abuse,curses
And trauma
This shit is generational
I inherited it from
My Mama’s mama’s mama’s
Mama’s mama
This shit goes deep
These thick thighs
Don’t save no other lives
But my own
I wiggle these hips
For every time
When I was younger
And was told
Dancing made me fast and Too grown
Like being stiff as a board
Made my sexual abusers leave me alone
So I guess I will be that floozy
Cause I will shake it to anything from
Slipknot to Tupac
Mozart, Dolly and Shaboozey
I shake my ass because I inner stand
The freedom in my movement
I fall in love with all I am
And who I am coming to be
I don’t give a damn
You can Judge me
I know who I am and that I am set free
So you can sit there like a bump on a log
I am celebrating me
So enjoy the view I guess
While I gyrate and wiggle
This bodacious booty
And receive the blessings
release the stress
and Set my soul free

Dear Unsealers,

It’s the 4th of July!
A Happy Independence Day to those who are celebrating today. I hope that all of you have a safe and enjoyable holiday.

This poem is three days late, my welcome to July.
I don’t know why I forgot to post this on Monday. But Lauren’s reminder of the latest writing contest ending reminded me to post the poem.

I just wanted to let you know that without further adieu…

Welcome, July!
Six months have gone by, six new months are here

Amid summer’s low and slow grind
The days are ripe for possibility

A month of celebration
From the Great White North, sea to shining sea and Allons enfant de la Patrie
Champions crowned in Berlin, Miami, London and Nice
Before the athletes of the world take center stage in Paris

Who knows where this month will go
Not even I know how the days will flow

I’m sure of one thing, though…
As sure as the summer’s changeable skies
And the flowers blooming all around

The next thirty-one days will fly by

Are you dead crumpled paper, or origami life?

Are your edges all torn, or cut precisely by knife?

Are you watermarked, stained, by ink and by tears?

Or are you bonded white paper without any smears?

Are you ruled or unruly, hole-punched or stapled?

Are you stacked way up high or shoved under a table?

Are you bound and collated or scattered, mislabeled?

Are you fiction or truth, poem or fable?

Are you sold by the sheet, or part of a ream?

Is your font tight and crisp or illegible stream?

In the end who’s to say what is better or worse

For all pages contain a blessing or curse

So iron the creases and place ink in your well

Put pen to your paper; its your story to tell

Don’t fret about spelling or grammar, my friend

Start “In the beginning…”, and conclude with “The End!”

Dear reader,

My daughter took a fixture of boxing gloves embellished with rhinestones and asked that I write a little poem to go with the image. This is what I came up with:

(G)LOVE

Spar with my emotions

Hit me with your love

Practice your technique

With your rhinestone gloves

Footwork, block, and jab

Uppercut to my heart

Dodging knockout punches

Holding us apart

Clinch around my neck

Kiss me with your sweat

Push me to the ropes

To neutralize the threat

The judges hold the score

Right before the count

Four and three, two, one

The winner is pronounced

Standing side by side

Fanfair from above

Bruises, scars, and cuts

The prize, our rhinestone love

Dear, Unsealers:

Today is the first day of summer, the longest day of the year.

Though the summer solstice won’t be official until 4:50 PM this afternoon, the season has already made it’s presence felt in the midst of a heatwave.

Though, there’s plenty more to the season than the heat and humidity. This is a time of year to soak up everything that the late sunsets have to offer.

As is my wont to do, I wrote a welcome to the new season coming up.

When the summer solstice dawns
The seasons change again

With it, the longest day of the year
As the sun sets past 8pm

Hazy days, sultry nights
A time of year where time slows down

From mid June to mid September
The world’s come to life
From the streets, sands and seas

Soaking up the warm rays of light
As one does
When earth is closest to the sun

Welcome summer and your mercurial ways
For a stay over the next ninety four days

Dear Unsealers,

It’s the third Sunday in June. The month’s going by fast, isn’t it?

With today being Father’s Day, I wrote a poem to mark the occasion. And provided a family portrait from my sister’s college graduation to go with it. I hope everyone’s having a wonderful Sunday.

Without further ado…

On the third Sunday of June

A celebration of fathers
Fathers, fathers to be, grandfathers, uncles and all fatherly figures

With all the love to those that find this difficult to celebrate
For the father figures no longer with us

Here’s to the strength and wisdom
Brought in every conversation and action

To the love and joy in each moment
May they be honored and cherished

To my dad and all the dad’s everywhere
I wish all of you…

A Happy Father’s Day!

A burning fire so pure in heart
Of passion missing from fishing a lot.
Grandma always said “Plenty of fish in the sea”,
But my thought no trap from a hook of deceit.

A desire wholly changed by looks so bright
Can be turned off and on-like a switch light.
Also taken in is so much again
Of being a boy or a girlfriend.

Yes taking the bad along with the good
Being understood is not to change what could…
Become of love and excepting the thoughts
Me thinks with a feeling-unexplainable when sought.

Seeking/finding love outside of lust
Seems uncomprehensive when affection is a must.
Not as a fairy tale-ending in perfect story
But rather would be true in a mutual glory!

For such fake tales-brainwash society
While love is deliberate action-as a growing key.
Yes love makes to climb the mountains true,
And never lose sacrifices for both of you.

Age is not just a number-off the wall no matter
When it is so far away-one takes advantage rather.
Then the other missed-deprived of spirit sure
That the love hoped by one-could not strength endure.

Let a close age sparkle remain-for to learn together
And to increase the same…Yes-the likeness of,
The simple 23 as completely forever…
Not otherwise fooled by love-
let this not be mistaken
For could be a heart so breaking.

And if love is missed-you can still fly,
With mended wings that still exist-
As eagles in the sky!

6-4-24

I drink Skinny Girl Coffee
And I’m thinking, can we like not call it that?

I drink Americano coffee
And I’m so American, and I love India

I drink coffee in a cup with lavender petals
And I’m like so loving Pakistan and Kew Gardens right now

I need to drink coffee in a cup my nephew gave me
And think about something bright
I think we need to not worry
Although sometimes I need to feed the ones close to me

I drink Skinny Girl Coffee
And I’m like are you alright with weight taking up so much time?

I can’t jog like I used ta
And I’m not super skinny
But like in college I think it was obsessive

I think I need to change my coffee brand
I think Barbie dolls are not made well actually
I’m walking after a stroke, and I still think about weight often
But I don’t worry like I used to

Can we call this coffee ~ beautiful coffee?
Because it’s good coffee

I like black coffee without milk or sugar

I like Skinny Girl Coffee

And let’s not call girls skinny, is that fine?

This world has so much beauty

I like coffee with ice cream a lot
It tastes good to me

I’m so loving to observe more, and I like to listen also
And now I’m at peace with both happening together
I wish I had gone to less nightclubs in my twenties
I don’t remember them well
I remember the names of quite a few coffee shops, and I think about what happened there
I remember Atomic Cafe, and is it still there, in Houston?
So many remember what an atom is
And that atoms are small
They are beautiful
And so are planets
Where do we go with this conversation?

So many need to go and drink coffee and like chat with people

Children don’t drink coffee until later
I think it’s the taste
It’s lovely to drink though now

I’ll have a cup this afternoon, mayhaps
And think about people crying because they are happy

Here’s to long conversation

One year of marriage,
and four years together.
It makes me think back,
to when I first met her.
Working at a factory,
on that old paint line.
When she walked in,
I thought “Damn, she is fine!”
I never would have thought,
with just a little bit of time,
that beautiful woman,
would some day be mine!
I got her number,
as soon as I could.
With a girl like that,
I knew that I should.
A few failed attempts,
some moments that we missed.
But how could we have known,
that it would lead to this?
I had no idea,
that I’d love her forever.
I wasn’t even sure,
I’d be able to get her!
Then it finally happened,
She came over to my house!
And so began,
our game of “Cat and Mouse”.
She needed to be comforted,
the world had broken her heart.
And for whatever reason,
I was her place to start.
We were both finally single,
and, now, connected at the hip.
And we were both available,
to start a good relationship.
She liked my calming nature,
the way I eased her mind.
I liked her hippie style,
and, to me, she was kind.
I never thought I’d be here,
this place I am today.
A happily married husband,
who got married last May.
It all seems so surreal,
but in no way fake.
My heart is finally stable,
and I know it won’t break.
So today we celebrate us!
Just me and my girl.
But it’s so much more than that.
Because that’s my whole world.
-Matty Jablonsky