His game
a low gig
sleeps with me
behind closed doors
Walks deliberate steps
ahead in public
once a brick house beauty
I suck back tears
remember tender youth
pour my brittle heart
into his arms frigid insincere
he
gives me bad sex quick painful
cops a crude dime and whine
for rent and cash
dines and wines another
thinks me
dumb and desperate
I feel
dumb and desperate
bite my tongue as he
bites in his talk
until need rises
then
sweet in his beg
a gigolo
who belittles
and strikes
deathing blows
to my generous
but
closing hand
When the Morning Comes
When the morning comes I’ll be there.
How about you?
The sweetness of love,
Afterglow of passion
Gently wakes me.
Where are you?
When the morning comes
I’m a woman fulfilled.
Remembrances of your touch
Linger on my body still.
What about you?
Remember the love I placed
Upon your face?
Where are you?
When the morning comes
I stretch my body fully
With eyes still closed,
I reach for you.
Hunger sends me to you again,
Body aching, soul crying
Where are you?
When the morning comes,
find you’ve left me alone.
Can’t take no more
Mornings without you.
Need your early morning love
Want to kiss you caress you,
Feed you my dew fresh kiss.
But where are you?
When the next morning comes
I’m ready for the pain.
When the next morning comes
I’ll learn to love again.
The sweetness of love shared
Lies in ruins, no more with you.
I’m stronger now, decision made
I no longer ask where are you
When the morning comes.
Excerpted from
"More of Life's Spices: Seasoned sistahs keepin' it real"
Release date May,
2013
For more info visit: www.nubianimagespublishing.com
Vicki Ward
Bio:
Vicki Ward’s essays and poetry appeared in several anthologies and collections. A former entertainment writer, covering live concerts, and stage plays, her literary focus shifted to writing books about women’s needs and concerns. She edited Life’s Spices from Seasoned Sistahs, an award winning anthology from the voices of mature women of color. She followed that releasing Savvy, Sassy and Bold after 50, a handbook for maturing women packed with financial, health, and retirement strategies for women reaching midlife. Ward has also presented empowerment workshops at women’s conferences and universities. Now retired, she writes full time focused on strategies to empower maturing women to navigate a new phase of their lives.
Her anthology Life’s Spices from Seasoned Sistahs received the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award, The Bronze Award from the Independent Publishers Association, and Best Anthology from the Los Angeles Black Book Expo. Savvy Sassy and Bold after 50 received the Best Women’s Self Help Book Award, and an Honorable Mention from the Northern California Publishers and Authors.