VERSEWRIGHTS
  • Welcome
  • All Poets
  • PoetryAloud
  • Inbox Peace
  • The Press
  • Journal Archives

Jill Lapin-Zell


Beach Walk

moonlight painting
shiny silver beaches
shadow footprints speak our path

as we walk along the shore

arms around each other,
heads close together

laughing with the wind

telling secrets about the stars

and naming the waves

as they break gently on the sand
barefoot tidal mambo
surf lapping at our toes
sand sliding back to the sea
grain after grain, magically drawn
like a lover going home
and we stop to honor the journey
holding our intention to be as strong
and our love as vital
and rhythmic as the tide
​

You and Spring

the sun will rise once more tomorrow
slowly nibbling at the cold night sky
until red and orange flames consume it for breakfast
like an egg over easy
 

the vernal equinox will herald
the 
arrival of a brand new spring

it is a time of renewal
and the
 moment to plant the seeds
of a 
fertile and abundant future
 
you stand in the middle of those glorious
tomorrows radiant and alive
your smile fueling my days as never before
and gypsy passion painting my nights
with broad strokes of conscious loving
that ignite my soul and call forth the
magic that is our coming together

Tailored Touch

Rip my stitches out
Pull with all your might
 
I won’t be mended
I won’t be altered
I won’t be tailored
To suit your needs
 
I’m a custom-made garment
So toss aside my mannequin heart
And measure out your love
So that it’s a perfect fit for me
​

Lasting Impressions

You made an impression
With your shining smile
And incandescent eyes

Your simple equanimity

And strong, broad shoulders
 
You made an impression
With rampant curiosity
In the funkiest of places
Full tilt boogie attitude
And your arm around my waist
 
You made an impression
With a sweet warm kiss
And hugs from way down deep
Studded jean jacket
And beat up old cowboy boots
 
You made an impression
On a windy Philadelphia street corner
In a Dunkin Donuts at 4 a.m.
With cups of warm steamy love
And lingering gazes
 
You made an impression
Sweet memories in place
Left a wisp of future dreams
Yet to be realized

On the Menu

gnawing hunger leads me to your
table
where I hope to find delectable     treats
served fresh daily
so I’ll place my order
but your take-out offerings
are all I can get
because I’ve arrived too late
to have a sit-down repast
couldn’t even get service with a   smile
so here’s my tip…
I’ll probably dine elsewhere
and find a corner booth
that allows me to sit side-by-side
with my short-order dreams

Too Much Room

i am younger than really old houses
with decrepit shutters shutting out the winds
of romance---
 
a mansion of youth
 
with so many unopened doors
 
i need you to be the key
 
unlock me.
 
no one's really lived here in a
very long time.

Comments?

Picture


Jill Lapin-Zell's profile
​
Go to page 2 of Jill Lapin-Zell's poetry

November Cold Front

First snow of the season
snuck in last night
and painted the day
as temperatures
dropped
like an anvil from
an office building rooftop
boots, ski parka, gloves and hat
ice scraper scratching windows
defroster breathing heat
and loosening sheets of frost
to slide off my windshield
melting its way down to wiper blades
winter’s snide and crooked smile
challenging my strength and fortitude
as another year’s end game
begins in earnest
and darkness arrives by late afternoon
my personal thermostat
insulted by the need for layer upon layer
of warmies just for the pleasure of going out
to begin the adventure
of starting the car
and driving the tango of tires on icy streets
fear not being the fun it was when I was young
and invincible
laughing down mortality’s abyss
proudly skating the edges
for giggles, rushes and grins
and it might be nice

to live without winter
​

Droned to Death

incessantly trudging
wordlessly enduring
tearless cries of mechanized man

once upon this manufactured life
somewhere back in time
we sparkled with verve
took drinks from enthusiasm’s waters and
ate from animation’s plate
while we grew our spirit in gumption’s forest

stolen moments from those times
are all that remain
just long enough to remind us
that passion is not produced on an assembly line
and love does not march in automation’s parade

Spring Redux

let my grief mulch the gnarled roots
from which it grew
and make a whiter blossom
which will forge a bloodier berry
for the sparrow and the jay

Tea Time

Dark amber tea in a glass,
neither half full nor half empty,
 
He smiles,
raises the column to his lips,
holding the thick base in slim fingers.
 
He sips like a wine taster,
drawing breath over the tea’s shoulder,
sucking Constant Comment through his teeth,
almost imperceptibly nibbling each sip,
invisibly swallowing.
 
His head tips back,
the tumbler bottom a Cyclops' monocle.
 
He lowers the empty glass
to the warped wooden table,
micro-maneuvering the base
into the dark, dry ring.
 
It knows where it belongs.
It just doesn’t know where it is.

 
He kisses his white napkin,
as if it were a prayer shawl
smiles enigmatically, and murmurs,
 
Chew one hundred times,
Write one hundred prayers.


A Fundamental Question

the afternoon’s turned cool and gray
with cloud shadows and spring breezes
oozing over the mountains
like
 sweet honey from an over-filled jar

and 
I’m wondering
why we aren’t 
curled up with each other
on a sofa

legs entwined and heads together
like
 children whispering outlandish secrets

giggling the remaining day into night
I want to reach out and touch you
breathe in the scent of your hair
feel the rhythm of your heartbeat
as my lips rest against your temple
these aching moments of missing you
eat away at body, mind and spirit
give rise to the fundamental question:
can you come over to play tonight?
​
Picture
                                             Go to page 1 of Jill Lapin-Zell's poetry
***

​Thank you for visiting Tweetspeak VerseWrights.
© 2012-2018. VerseWrights. All rights reserved.:
Acrostic Poems
Ballad Poems
Catalog Poems
Charlotte Perkins Gilman Poems
Epic Poetry
Fairy Tale Poems
Fishing Poems
Funny Poems
Ghazal Poems
Haiku Poems
John Keats Poems
Love Poems
Math, Science & Technology Poems
Ode Poems
Pantoum Poems
Question Poems
Rondeau Poems
Rose Poems
Sestina Poems
Shakespeare Poems
Ship, Sail & Boat Poems
Sonnet Poems
Tea Poems
Villanelle Poems
William Blake Poems
Work Poems

To translate this page:
  • Welcome
  • All Poets
  • PoetryAloud
  • Inbox Peace
  • The Press
  • Journal Archives