Ravensong Poetry And Writing Blog by Donovan Baldwin

By Donovan Baldwin

though sweet leda flees
zeus the swan must have his way...
so the story goes

-----

pink and golden clouds
strolling dawn's art museum...
how i start my day

-----

night melts into day
nature's golds and royal pinks...
palette of the gods

-----

hear your sudden gasp
feel your body quivering...
for both our pleasures

-----

arching of her back
quivering body and limbs...
ululating cries

-----

when something happens
i think i should think of you...
you're already there

-----

no paint or powder,
eyes lips and kisses enough...
natural beauty

-----

playing lovers' songs
nature's rain beats symphonies...
snuggling melodies

-----

hug me with your wind
wash me with your healing rain...
earth be one with me

-----

close my eyes at night
in my mind you come to me...
the time you are real

-----

about to touch you
in night's dreams so exciting...
awaken too soon

-----

i'm in attendance
night's symphonic recital...
music of the stars

-----

Ancient wood joined
Aromatic cedar perhaps,
Made into a chair
Thousands of years ago
By some unknown
Unnamed craftsman.
I've worked that wood,
Know the feel and smell,
Identify with some
Forgotten carpenter than
The so famous Pharaoh
He served...
In that way...
We too are joined.

-----
Original poetry copyright by Donovan Baldwin
Leda E Il Cigno circa 1550 by Bartolomeo Ammannati

Labels: arching back, Bartolomeo Ammannati, body quivering, dawn, donovan baldwin, haiku, Leda and the Swan, Leda e il Cigno, poems, poetry, sudden gasp, Zeus

By Donovan Baldwin

Imprisoned by an ancient wizard,
Cursed and locked away within
The crumbling prison of my mind,
Condemned to be eternal poet,
Unable to cease my loving labors,
Rewarded and punished at one time,
Damned to write and write until
The words have ceased to flow,
In some universe I hope to never reach.

-----

girlfriend or sweetheart
short and simple words to speak...
lover means much more

-----

poetry can't die
yet like the prettiest plant
ignored turns to dust

-----

Where are you now?
What are your thoughts?
The secrets of your hands?
Do you, there upon your bed,
Think of me, your hands,
Substitutes for mine,
Making love as I would,
Following the thoughts
Within my loving,
Lustful, inventive mind?
Do you moan and sigh,
With loneliness
Desire,
And fulfillment
In my present absence?

-----

Many faceted mirror
Reflection of my shattered soul,
Light and shadow
In kaleidoscopic display,
Fleeting images of
Who and what I am,
That even I do not,
Recognize as the being,
Inhabiting my body.

-----

Would I could write the words,
A scintillating web of poetry,
Which bedazzles my beloved,
Makes the moon turn pale with envy,
At my ability to turn romantic
The most common of commonalities,
And out muse my muse with
The ardent desires hidden
Within the calmest loving words.

-----

moonlight dazes me
your face in light and shadow...
i can't stop looking

-----

if it's sin to love
or show you how much i do...
i stand here condemned

-----

Despite terrors,
Write with errors
Grammatical,
Wild words
Dramatical.
Wrong spelling,
Telling,
Truth,
Forsooth,
Teaching,
Reaching,
Behind,
Into the mind,
Write shortly,
Longly,
Wrongly,
But, come off the shelf,
And write of yourself.

-----

Let us pluck wild fruit,
And in the afternoon breeze,
Bite into the forbidden treats,
As the sweet juices
Run down our cheeks,
Laughing at the sharing,
Kissing to catch each drop,
Of the tempting sweetness,
Feeding one another
Tiny bits so overpowering,
Love's dessert our entree.

-----
Original Poetry by Donovan Baldiwn
Art: Painting, The Alchemist, by Andrei Moga

Labels: Andrei Moga, crumbling prison, donovan baldwin, haiku, moonlight, poems, poetry, The Alchemist, wizard

By Donovan Baldwin

I have a passion for the earth
For all the aspects of nature,
Visiting as often as I can,
Taking away visions and memories,
Skies changing from blue to black,
And back again, golden sun
Rising and setting with silent bursts
Of flaming colors brassy
Pastels leaving their impressions
On eyes and soul....

Of grassy fields, trees green
In spring, bare and solemn
In winter, flowers blooming
Bright and gay, to die away,
Before the heat of summer,
Or blasts of winter winds...

To listen to the songs of birds,
The quacking of the ducks
And even the inharmonious
Screech of the wide winged heron,
And the hidden owl in the dark...

And for water, in all its forms
From stream to river
Pond and lake and even,
To the cascading rain
Which drums a tune that
Makes the most hardened soul,
Stop what they're doing,
To watch a bit and hum along,
With this symphony of nature.

-----

chilly this morning
cuddling and snuggling in bed...
we make our own heat

-----

sunrise in window
changing picture in a frame...
dawn exhibition

sunrise beside me
throwing her covers aside...
dawn exhibition

she makes me arise
turning towards her i display...
dawn exhibition

-----

curious fingers
explore down so softly warm
tangled in her web

-----

two lovers embrace
beyond all earthly power
true love conquers all

-----

I shouted, "Who are you?" to the winds
Which blew in from the ocean,
Never expecting a reply.
I muttered, "Where are you?" to the sands,
Crunching beneath my feet.
I wondered at the night sky,
"Why must I be alone?"
And, then one day,
The sky said, "Turn around and look."
The sand said, "Listen for her voice."
The wind blew you to me,
And I knew your name was "Love".

-----

I started drawing lines,
The lines became words
The words became poetry,
And, from the poetry,
A face sprang up and
Spoke back to me in poetry,
And we wove our words
Creating a volume,
A body of work, in which,
Two bodies became one,
And made love with words.

-----

Poetry by Donovan Baldwin
Picture: Idyllic Stream, photograph by Donovan Baldwin

Labels: donovan baldwin, flaming colors, grassy fields, haiku, nature, poems, poetry, songs of birds, the earth, water

By Donovan Baldwin

Gift of gilt and silver,
Amber, glass, and enamel
Wrapped about in
Gold filigree.
Ancient wedding brooch
From Tara,
Eighth century they tell me.
No need to write a poem about,
Poetry in itself.

-----

if i come to you
will you understand my desires
are the same as yours

-----

two people in love
closely intimately one
kept so far apart

-----

i would say the words
but my touches say much more
if you will listen

-----

life is tough as nails
enduring long ending fast
life can be fragile

-----

Water bathes in one way,
The wind in another.
Each is cleansing,
Each whispering tales,
Hints and suggestions
Of lands and people
Far away and near.
Wind neath the sun,
Caressing the skin,
Arouses feelings akin
To those of a lover,
And a desire,
Like making love,
To slip into
Nature's arms
Once more.

-----

How many books
Are crammed within my head,
Stacked upon the shelves of my mind,
Gathering dust until, taking them down,
One by one I turn the pages,
Read a page a paragraph
Stop and consider the words
Echoing in my brain,
Demanding to be with their friends,
To go out and play.

-----

night is for hunting
take rest in the heat of the day...
advice to a wolf

-----

naked words reveal
innermost desires and loves...
i have no secrets

-----

bare feet on the ground
sun and wind upon my skin...
in nature's bedroom

-----

the stars have their names
humans cannot understand...
shining without us

-----
Poetry Copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin
Pictured: The Tara Brooch, a Celtic brooch made in 650 to 750 AD.

Labels: bare feet, books, Celtic brooch, desires, haiku, naked words, nature, night, poems, poetry, Tara Brooch, water, wind

By Donovan Baldwin

So many times
I've stood upon the shore,
Gazing across endless waters
Hoping and dreaming
With the offshore wind
In my ears and
Against my face,
Promising adventure
While holding me back.
So often I have dreamed
Of sailing off
On an outblowing wind'
To seek my destiny.

-----

droplets on the wind
gray clouds rolling from the west...
fifteen percent chance?

-----

dracula retold...
i kissed your soft neck
and loved forever

-----

give the sun credit
he's trying to rise and shine
but clouds are winning

-----

full body contact
private personal massage
with happy ending

-----

Despite my poetic,
Fantastic bent of mind,
I am grounded, rooted,
Nailed to the floor,
Awash in reality,
Been and seen and done
Way too much
To live with
My head in the clouds
Unless I create them
Myself.

-----

just a tiny creek
too small to be a river
yet so full of life

-----

i watched seasons change
snow to green to red and gold
my private postcard

above the valley
i stopped each few months to see
earth change her raiment

nature's fine artwork
germany in younger days
memory today

-----

the lightest of breaths
important as the deepest...
the values of life

-----

earth has many songs
some far too quiet to hear...
but they can be felt

-----

silent music plays
dancer taps her dainty foot...
i hear the guitars

-----
Poetry copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin
Art: Painting, Along The Shore, by, William Trost Richards

Labels: Along The Shore, donovan baldwin, dracula, full body contact, Germany, haiku, poems, poetry, tiny creek, upon the shore, William Trost Richards

By Donovan Baldwin

Golden sunrise,
Words a cliché,
But the reality
A truism which
Smashes gently
Through barriers
We erect, jaded
With the excesses
Of modern life,
Yet, sight of
A mama duck
With her ducklings,
Spring flowers,
Peeping shyly
At the emerging
Season of Spring,
Hard to ignore,
So far beyond
Mere clichés.

-----

arousing aura
of sensual innocence
belies her passion

-----

waves rolling to shore
sounds in darkness recognized
seen in the mind's eye

-----

without many words
i reach touching lovingly
chords which make you sing

-----

surface deceptive
things turbulent down below
each our own ocean

-----

ducks skim the water
recalling slow motion films
seen now in real time

-----

sunrises the same
each one beautiful and new
just as with people

-----

red sky in morning
grab my trusty camera
sailors take warning

-----

tracks beside the road
from somewhere to somewhere else
a boy's fantasies

-----

moonlight on the bay
soft ripples whisper of wind
i sat and wondered

-----
Poetry copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin
Photograph by Donovan Baldwin

Labels: arousing aura, donovan baldwin, haiku, passion, poems, poetry, sensual innocence, sunrise

By Donovan Baldwin

sun awakes to paint
portraiture in pastels bold...
brushstrokes in the skies

-----

spring's hot breath warms her
opening her pleasure gate
secret garden blooms

-----

our huge old twin oak
rope and board swing from a limb
now just memory

-----

backyard symphony
memory of my childhood
so many bird songs

-----

boy winds through the trees
brief touches of sun and shadow
natural freedom

-----

i will close my eyes
travel to another world
where she welcomes me

-----

hugging from behind
bare breasts covered by my arm
nod to modesty

-----

welcomed to her cave
grotto of carnal delight
where venus rises

-----

Poetry copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin
Pastel sky at sunrise over pond, photograph by Donovan Baldwin

Labels: donovan baldwin, haiku, hugging from behind, memory of childhood, poems, poetry, secret garden, sunrise

By Donovan Baldwin

moonlight poetry
made up as we go along
in between kisses

-----

the breeze has been stilled
soft moon floats in dark night sky
your love fills my heart

-----

in time before dawn
dreams flee from reality
departing sadly

-----

between night and day
cuddled in the before dawn
lovers share their dream

-----

not a sinful thing
our moments of wild pleasure
we share distantly

-----

dear blushing flower
lips telling how sweet it tastes
savory nectar

-----

whiskey hot kisses
much more intoxicating
just as addictive

-----

it's a daily ache
this missing of the woman
i can only dream

-----

unending moment
arousing dance of passion
bodies together

-----

lovers may achieve
highest levels of intimacy
built upon their love

-----
Poetry by Donovan Baldwin
Photo by Donovan Baldwin, Statue of Prairie Wind, holding the moon. Fort Worth, Texas.

Labels: before dawn, blushing flower, donovan baldwin, Fort Worth, haiku, moon, night and day, poems, poetry, Prairie Wind, texas, wild pleasure

By Donovan Baldwin


OLD SOLDIER AWAKES

Blurred visions, aches and pains,
As I awaken, goals and intentions,
And old enemies, filmy but firm
Worming their way into my increasing
Consciousness, creating challenges
I know I must overcome
Before reality sets in,
So, tiredly I don, the old familiar
Tattered and battered
Bulletproof armor
Which has served me so well,
These many decades, but,
Leaves the inner man,
Unprotected,
To fend for himself,
Using the tools and weapons,
Deceits and ruses, lies I tell myself
So that I may speak the truth to others.
Strategic deceptions, tactical prevarications
Which have kept both inner and outer man alive,
And at his post of duty, three quarters of a century.

-----

strip off the old you
look that look and walk that walk
flash me some sexy

-----

spill love over me
fill me to overflowing
help me drain the cup

-----

a kiss on my lips
you forgot it when you left
please come reclaim it

-----

Her: Come over. I'm naked and I'm horny.

Me: Don't #tease me, woman.

Her: I'm serious!

Me: Yeah, sure!

Her: I've got cheap red wine and a new book of erotic poetry to read to you.

Me: I'll be right there!!!

-----

we must kiss with words
touching with warm thoughts and dreams
lovers kept apart

-----

strongly shaken by
visceral exaltation
pleasing pulsations

-----

lips and breaths mingled
playful kisses and touches
bodies caressing

-----

gleaming string of pearls
love's soft translucent necklace
adorn her bosom

-----

her goblet of wine
she refills at my desire
and tips to my lips

-----

she's done nothing wrong
deserving a tongue lashing
yet it's what she wants

-----

teach me other ways
i learn by doing, my love
take me down your path

-----

rain on bare bodies
hot with mutual passion
natural desires

-----
Poetry copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin
Art: Painting, Old Soldier by Lev Vitkovsky

Labels: donovan baldwin, Lev Vitkovsky, love, old soldier, painting, poems, poetry

By Donovan Baldwin

Did Leda only dream
Of the god who ravished her,
Or was there a man
Who had his way,
A story told later
To account for
Indiscreet activities,
Or perhaps it all was
Just a dream,
Evenings of lonely pleasure,
Morphed into mythology.

-----

petals in the breeze
touches such soft caresses
fingers lips on skin

-----

if we had good sense
were truly spock logical
we would not know love

-----

in dreams of leda
lover with the softest touch
a godlike rapture

-----

unlock your secrets
time to live your fantasies
and fascinate me

-----

wordless messages
so full of loving feelings
from my heart to yours

-----

carved from pure marble
lightly clad nymph emerges
seducing mortals

-----

reading the dark words
as the paper curls turns black
in orange flames

-----

center of the rose
so blushing with modesty
tickled to be seen

-----

my lady sculptress
molding me to meet her needs
putty in her hands

-----

she brushes my lips
with the softest of petals
honey fills my mouth

-----
Poetry copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin
Art: Statue of Leda with the Swan (1500's) by Bartolomeo Ammanati

Labels: Bartolomeo Ammanti, caresses, haiku, Leda and the Swan, poems, poetry, pure marble, Spock

By Donovan Baldwin

each small step chosen
with most intimate intent...
she dances to me

the dance part of her
in each movement and each look...
so naturally

these ancient movements
arising from within her...
from cave to condo

-----

ripened by nature
matured with age and knowledge
this loving woman

-----

poetry and wine
most arousing bedfellows...
for one or a pair

-----

So many blues
Looking over the bay,
As a storm moves in,
Sky and water,
Clouds and horizon
Its own mixture
Of moving steel
Separating
Ocean,
Earth, and
Heaven
From each other,
While part of all.

-----

i touch each old tree
recording remembering
boyhood manhood life

-----

gaze into my life
alone i array myself
in armor i need

-----

i hear the night wind
old friend come with messages...
your words as whispers

-----

performing artist
hands and lips deftly at work...
me her masterpiece

-----

i would tuck you in
whispering bedtime stories
softly in the dark

-----

begins with a look
then her touches and kisses...
arousal begins

-----
Poetry copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin
Art: Painting, Seductive Dance by Louis Icart

Labels: dance, donovan baldwin, haiku, my life, night wind, old trees, performing artist, poems, poetry, storm, the bay, wine

By Donovan Baldwin

strangers sit apart
brought together by events
meet with unknown friends

-----

dancing in her joy
poetry of her body
beauty and meaning

-----

sleeping like spoons
sharing the pressure and warmth
each breath a caress

-----

i sought her today
hunting faces and places
found her in my heart

-----

loving caresses
bodies in constant motion
how touching that is

-----

crossed the rio grande
del rio to acuña
returned quite debauched

-----

Old walls have stories,
Weathered old buildings,
Long standing trees,
Which someone planted,
Then lived, loved, hated.
Babies were born and
Time passed, the children
And the trees grew,
All got old until,
The human planted roots
In the ground like the tree
The walls crumbled,
And the house grew gray
And died, but,
The story remained.

-----

When I was a boy,
We would drive east on Cypress St.
The road would bend to the north
And become E Street.
At that bend, sat an old,
Unpainted house,
Leaning south towards the bay.
Abandoned by all,
But ghosts I imagined.
I went home and it was gone.
Just the grassy plot
Where it once stood.

-----
Poetry copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin
Art: Cafe in Paris by Leonid Afremov

Labels: Acuña, Cafe in Paris, dancing, Del Rio, donovan baldwin, haiku, Leonid Afremov, loving caresses, old walls, painting, poems, poetry, Rio Grande, sleeping like spoons

By Donovan Baldwin

find me in the trees
by the ocean's windy shore
boy returning home

-----

the twisted old oaks
along the bay where winds blow
endure pain and age

-----

one with the forest
the wild blue sea's familiar...
earth's eternal ghost

-----

at first much too shy
until i awakened her
taught her to be bold

-----

trees too far away
across the street out of reach
bring back memories

-----

when the blush began
i smiled pleased at the sight as...
you blushed all over

-----

i've a secret place
and suspect you have one too
let's meet share secrets

-----

do as lovers do
in the rumpled bed no shame
loving in our way

-----

Poetry copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin
Photo by Donovan Baldwin, Tree draped with Spanish moss by Perdido Bay, Pensacola, Florida, February 2020

Labels: blush, donovan baldwin, old oaks, Perdido Bay, poems, poetry, rumpled bed, Spanish moss, trees

By Donovan Baldwin

so like the ocean
dangerously beautiful
often wet and wild

-----

shells upon the shore
dropped from a mermaid's necklace
waves shyly retrieve

-----

i saw the white cliffs
same as caesar so long ago
a gleaming challenge

-----

saw what caesar saw
same white cliffs we veiwed with awe
centuries apart

-----

Something about the surf in moonlight.
It takes on an otherworldly aspect,
Becoming something different
From it's daytime liquidity,
With a slow motion roll
As if of molten metal
Singing a song once
Taught to whales
And, poets with
Such romantic
Imaginations.

-----

in the ocean waves
grains of sand roll too and fro
whispering stories

-----

Philosophers and poets,
Have watched the rolling sea
Listened to its constant roar,
Speculated and lifted pen
Contemplating fore daring
To set down their intense
And weighty speculations,
In dark and gloomy dens,
As lovers wandered down
To dip their feet in water's edge
Exchanging kisses and dreams,
Knowing more about the sea,
Than their somber predecessors.

-----

all the words i write
just the tip of the iceberg
best is unwritten

-----

i write about you
though the story's about me
let's plot together

-----

all the joys of life
mean little if lived alone
sharing is the key

-----

begin with kisses
then share the flavors of love
all the sweet goodness

-----

name written on sand
waves may erase in moments
on my heart... forever

-----

come fiery woman
let us have one dance tonight
never forgotten

-----

Poetry Copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin
Art: The Kiss Of The Siren (1882) by Gustav Wertheimer

Labels: a mermaid's necklace, Caesar, donovan baldwin, Gustav Wertheimer, haiku, kisses, moonlight, poems, poems about the sea, poetry, The Kiss Of The Siren, the ocean, white cliffs

By Donovan Baldwin

postage stamp size stage
three musicians lay down licks
flashback 66

quarter mile away
monterey bay deep and cool
like their cool jazz man

cold beer hot music
cigarette smoke laying low
portrait by lautrec

-----

opening her heart
to the heat of his desire
she succumbs to lust

-----

two simple desires
spread your love all over me
blossom for yourself

-----

So many ways
To declare
Your heart,
No right or wrong.
It is not sin
To take pleasure in
The many forms of love,
Most sublime,
Most carnal,
For in giving all
Revealing innermost
Secrets,
Needs and wants,
You show and share,
Your true beauty
Of the woman you are,
With me, and,
Make me lover.

-----

Driven by new realities
Forced to reconsider
Choices and options,
Frightened at the
Supposed loss
Of who we are...
Were...
Excited at
The opportunity,
To raise from
The ashes of adversity,
Reborn to a new world
Only dreamed about,
Fantasy until now.

-----

She sleeps peacefully,
Unaware of my desire,
As, fighting my urges,
My wanting her,
I gently cover
Her naked form,
Which I desire
So badly to touch,
To kiss, caress,
To make sweet love to,
With the sheet,
Hiding her from me,
And piquing my heat,
And congratulate myself
On an expression of love
She will never hear of.

-----

Can't find 'em any more
Like in the 60's,
Restaurants on the beach,
No air conditioning,
Dark and cool inside,
Lots of room and shadows,
Sunlight filtered golden
Like the cold beer
In the sweating mugs,
Juke box music muted
By the wind in the windows
And the sound of the sea.

-----

buy the cheap one dear
only need it for a while
'til i rip it off

-----

mermaid shakes her tail
water glistening on flesh...
i think she's caught me

-----

Poetry copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin
Art: At The Moulin Rouge by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Labels: carnal, desires, donovan baldwin, haiku, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, jazz, love, Monterey, poems, poetry

By Donovan Baldwin

wine and poetry
read in the moon's silver light...
our kind of orgy

-----

afraid to shock me
i'll be more shocked and surprised
if you can't share truth

-----

slow playful kisses
hug becomes its own caress
love felt all over

-----

so quickly i fell
charmed by her carnal caress
her manifest love

-----

lost in her loving
i cannot contain myself
groaning with pleasure

-----

love one another
kisses caresses firm strokes...
same when we're apart

-----

her glistening lips
parted in pleasure longing...
an absent lover

-----

please don't be shy
woman in her prime of life
should do all with pride

-----

rising of venus
to satyr's enticing pipe
ecstatic goddess

-----

indulgent foreplay
true lovers with a mission
limitless passion

-----

when not together
we do without each other
not without pleasure

-----

dancing with the spheres
spread across the universe
like two shooting stars

-----

loving fingers play
amorous orchestrations...
applause and encore

-----

Poetry copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin

Labels: caresses, donovan baldwin, groaning with pleasure, moon, passion, playful kisses, poems, poetry, satyr, Venus, wine

By Donovan Baldwin

she slowly pours wine
flowing over her body
my eager lips drink

-----

i open my lips
she pours her love over them
i drink her sweetness

-----

loving hummingbird
tongue amid blossom's petals
savors sweet nectar

-----

hear the thunder roll
watch the lightning burn the sky
my arms around you

-----

time waited for us
held its breath for us to meet
sighed when we first touched

-----

is it romantic
or intensely erotic...
perhaps both the same

-----

take me on a tour
show me all the high hard spots
and tranquil places

-----

seduces with words
penetrating poetry
and orgasmic odes

-----

she turns with a smile
accepting my bold challenge
daring in her touch

-----

i was the hunter
who chased the sweetest prey and
fell into her trap

-----

my burning body
on fire for the touch of you
your soothing kisses

-----

silken is the night
i wrapped her in and silver
the moon above her

-----

sweet fruit she offers
soft globes tipped with tart cherries
warm nectar to drink

-----

write my name in flames
burning it into your heart
a conflagration

-----

Poetry copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin

Labels: donovan baldwin, erotic, love, poems, poetry, romantic, seduces, thunder, wine

By Donovan Baldwin

laughing in gladness
toss away clothes and morals
wear bare new ethics

-----

i eager lover
bee among your soft petals
seeking sweet nectar

-----

cannot feel my touch
she knows i'm thinking of her
blushes at my thoughts

-----

it's that kind of day
no poetry in my soul
sad and angry words

-----

the secret she shares
betrays her passionate soul
pure physical love

-----

i lift her to me
willingly she molds to me
as we become one

-----

please don't let it end
dream become reality
where we are lovers

-----

Poetry copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin
Art: Bacchanal by Giulio Carpioni

Labels: Bacchanal, donovan baldwin, Giulio Carpioni, haiku, passionate soul, physical love, poems, poetry

By Donovan Baldwin

body full of love
she dances to ancient tunes
carnal melodies

-----

our words wrapped round us
we become old poetry
read by young lovers

-----

There were times and places,
Moments of mad exhilaration,
Headlong slides downward,
Into deep black depression,
Yet, soldiering on, I moved,
One step at a time into,
This future me that I have
Become, made by myself
And those deadly things
Nietzsche warned about,
Which could not kill me.

-----

to hear wind and rain
the timpani of the storm
playing percussion

-----

words pressed to bosom
she speaks back to me with looks
that tell me she knows

-----

glimmering pearl beads
resting on her rising breasts
inviting my gaze

-----

my thoughts are of you
even though so far away
your caressing words

-----

we shocking lovers
innocently indecent
affectionate lust

-----

dance with me once more
our warm bodies tightly joined
feet barely moving

-----

Poetry copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin
Art: The Muse Terpsichore by Johann Heinrich Tischbein

Labels: bosom, caressing words, carnal notes, dance, dancer, donovan baldwin, haiku, mad exhilaration, old poetry, poems, poetry, wind and rain, young lovers

By Donovan Baldwin

my mind's hands fashion
a beautiful dress for you
only i can see

you my model stand
erect and proudly naked...
i measure and cut

setting loving words
against your most precious skin
smoothing them in place

-----

your body to mine
most intimate of contacts
sharing essences

-----

her bodice open
as damsel in old poems
encouraging touch

-----

we climb a mountain
panting as one to the top
crying out take flight

-----

she hides not herself
but stepping proudly forward
dares me do the same

-----

clouds across the moon
only hide it for a while
its beauty remains

-----

drunk on love's warm wine
her dancing speaks of places
beyond mere pleasure

-----

take my hands in yours
your eyes upon mine tell me
show me all your needs

-----

if i touch my heart
will the one so far away
feel my fingers grasp

-----

her wanton glances
amorous tales she whispers...
her passionate heart

-----

Poetry copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin
Art: Madame X by John Singer Sargent

Labels: beautiful dress, bodice open, body to mine, clouds across the moon, donovan baldwin, feel my fingers, haiku, John Singer Sargent, loving words, Madame X, poems, poetry, precious skin

By Donovan Baldwin

Dedication to unknown friend,
Perhaps lover?
Escamillo to Carmen?
Emilio to Christina?
Romeo to Juliet?
Cyrano to Roxanne?
Danny to Sandy?
A few lines of dedication,
Strangers' names,
On an inside page
Of poetry by Pablo Neruda
Rescued from a bin
Of second hand books
In Cincinnati.
Yet no strangers
To a poet.
Who were they?
Persons I'll never know,
Their affection understood,
Recorded for posterity,
Here with me.

-----

in predawn darkness
beneath silver moon I rise
aching for your touch

-----

tell me fantasies
secrets no one else may know
i'll make them come true

-----

moans and arching back
parted lips smoldering gaze
reward my touches

-----

Your naked garden
Blooms beneath my gaze
Growing higher
Brighter still,
Rising to the brushing of
My soft caresses...

Then...

Stroking your stippled skin
With tips of fingers,
Softer than
The petals of a rose,
You bloom and blossom,
Aching bud
Opening to
The warm
And loving pleasure
Of my touch.

-----

Let yourself be lover,
The woman who has always
Been hidden so deeply
Inside your being
Awaiting someone
To speak the truth to,
To share the erotic essence
Of your beating heart,
Taking his hand,
Placing it upon your breast
To share with him
The warmest kisses,
Most daring caresses,
And sweetest secrets,
Of your body
And your heart...

Let yourself be lover,
In that way,
Within the two guardians
Of my embracing arms,
My Love.

-----

Woman, she,
Ebony or ivory,
Or somewhere in between,
Perhaps beyond,
Woman still of mystery,
And tantalizing landscape,
Of her hard tipped hills,
Softly rolling velvet plains
Her warm welcoming grotto
Of earthy delights,
Which transport
These two loving mortals
To lands of uncommon
Fantasy and ecstasy.

-----

Twice my age,
She'd lived and loved
Twice as much as me
In years,
Multitudes more in love
Her body old
With years, but too
With experience
She shared
Passing me by
The obstacles
She had faced
And conquered,
Teaching me
The end made
The journey,
And the journey,
Was the pleasant way
To reach the end,
And begin again.

-----

leave me not tonight
forsaking body left with
memory's embers

-----

i've written your name
using ink of poetry
in secret places

-----

her fiery kisses
lead me willingly astray
never to return

-----

one taste of honey
from your unfolding blossom
dizzy with delight

-----

we carry so much
and pride can be heaviest
better share burdens

-----

lovers understand
intoxicating language
of kisses and touch

-----

wildly embracing
lovers toss off more than clothes
with all their restraints

-----

Poetry copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin
Photograph by Donovan Baldwin

Labels: dedication, donovan baldwin, haiku, lover, Pablo Neruda, poems, poetry, woman

By Donovan Baldwin

clad in her music
hidden by her instrument
she sings a love song

laying it aside
she in matronly beauty
rises in rhythm

dancing nakedly
still rapt in her melody
to my waiting arms

-----

no part of ourselves
shall be denied or hidden
for lovers bare all

-----

did i walk your dreams
lucky enough to hold you
my night was well spent

-----

in each night's darkness
ancient warrior stands guard
in his lover's dreams

-----

jewels in the dust
paints and powders wiped away
she brings me herself

-----

i but brush her skin
pleasant smile upon her face
fall in love once more

-----

moon and i the same
silent nighttime wanderers
in search of my love

-----

i soften my words
so i may use them gently
to caress my love

-----

if i burn tonight
with the sinful fires you cause
you must help quench them

-----

She walks across the room,
Head held proudly high
Aware of my eyes,
Alight with my carnal desire
Appraising her mature
And womanly nakedness,
As she bears herself
With loving honor to
The bed where she
Will make sweet love
To me, her adoring lover.

-----

Poetry copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin
Art: Nude Woman With Guitar by Anders Zorn

Labels: brush her skin, dancing nakedly, donovan baldwin, fall in love, haiku, music, nude woman, poems, poetry

By Donovan Baldwin

her complexities
geometric progressions...
to convexities

-----

Having caught sight of love
Two daring adventurers
Set sail on stormy seas,
Bound together in their
Explorations of exciting land,
New sensations shared
And sensed again and again,
For the bold pleasure
They find on their
Ocean of love in
One another's arms.

-----

i will kiss your neck
pressing my body to yours
breath warm on your back

-----

met and guided in
welcomed with more than nuance
buried deep within

-----

to simply touch her
to have that moment that right...
within her desires

-----

bold passionate words
shadows of reality...
making love to her

-----

craving caresses
captive of carnal desires...
my helpless body

-----

far beyond delight
busty woman back arching...
her blossom blushing

-----

admire her necklace
touching her bosom gently...
she smiles her consent

(Inspired by lines from Vidyapati Bangiya Padabali, by Vidyapati Thakura)

-----

wildly beating heart
highest moment of desire...
her secrets set free

-----

many ways we kiss
playful lips wandering hands
bring joint ecstasy

-----

skilled in passion's lore
she thinks herself innocent
but her heart holds fire

-----

her womanly wiles
so completely seductive
exposing her mind

-----

passion flows oe'r us
who could turn the tide or would
when wet in its waves

-----

arms crossed and on guard
keeping her secrets hidden...
but not from my thoughts

-----

Poetry copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin
Art: Alice by Xavier Veilhan

Labels: blossom blushing, desire, donovan baldwin, ecstasy, haiku, kiss, poems, poetry, secrets, seductive, woman, womanly wiles

By Donovan Baldwin

Artists paint figures
In the nude,
Stripped of clothing,
Because the human
Is a beautiful work of art,
I suppose,
But to show the moment,
The thought,
The action,
Without distraction,
Although bare flesh
Can be its own
Sweet distraction.
I, poet, strip my thoughts,
So you can see their
Bare beauty.

-----

my distant lover
may only be touched by words
she smiles as i write

-----

clinging filmy cloth
leaves no doubt of womanhood...
happy i who see

-----

so lacking control
when your lips and hands take charge
and i become yours

-----

you say i'm strong but
after your ardent touches
i'm left weak and drained

-----

timeless pas de deux
ancient ritual of love
from cave to penthouse

-----

intimate lover
revealing all her passions
feeding my desires

-----

my words were only
dreams and fantasies until
you called me poet

-----

she hides her body
but gladly reveals herself
to her lover's eyes

-----

her buds peek shyly
rising at my interest
and admiration

-----

she has spent her years
learning secrets of loving...
she sweetly reveals

-----

my hands slowly pass
touching soft curves of my love...
learning her secrets

-----

Poetry copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin
Art: Model Seated In The Artist's Studio, Circa 1910, by Paul Gustave Fischer

Labels: artists, distant lover, donovan baldwin, haiku, in the nude, Model Seated In The Artist's Studio, Paul Gustave Fischer, poems, poetry, womanhood

By Donovan Baldwin

clad in filmy gown
hints of her secrets showing
smiling at his ache

-----

she unfolds blossoms
sees her lover's wide desire
offers sweet tipped tarts

-----

stripped and naked
such an erotic picture
her entire soul bare

-----

Lovers often bare themselves.
Nakedness is a common state
For the making of love,
The practice, oh so wonderful,
Of sexual pleasures,
Body to body,
Intertwined and
Penetrating,
But,
To truly bare,
All and everything,
To allow exploration,
Penetration,
Of every crevice
That we hide in,
To walk naked into love
Supremely confident,
Poised and proud,
Because we need never hide,
Be ashamed,
Not only with the one we love,
But the one who truly loves us,
Is the ultimate in making love,
Physically, mentally, emotionally,
With the whole, true, and entire
Persons that we are.

-----

the rise of your breast
tells me of hidden desires
embers in your eyes

-----

flower is open
and i inquisitive bee
seek her sweet nectar

-----

power in the skies
bright undulating lightning
crashing of the storm

-----

discretely naked
she thinks he cannot love me
he enters and does

-----

the girls are all gone
and frankly i am happy
women are better

-----

Poetry copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin
Art: Aphrodite, Roman copy of 5th C BCE Greek original.

Labels: Aphrodite, blossoms, breast, donovan baldwin, haiku, naked, penetration, poems, poetry, secrets, sexual pleasures, stripped

By Donovan Baldwin

slowly rose the moon
illuminated my love
waiting my embrace

-----

bright in the moonlight
her naked body aglow
she waits for her love

-----

with one fleeting touch
i could write love passages
to leave you breathless

-----

drop your last clothing
stroll seductively to me
blow out the candle

-----

speak our fantasies
in ways i can understand
poems on your lips

-----

a birthday party
cake and ice cream us naked
wearing funny hats

-----

call the world beauty
for that is its natural state
if you've eyes to see

-----

my impatient heart
longs for you while we're apart
writes words on the wind

-----

your warmth in my arms
body tight pressed to body
intimate kisses

-----

my eyes touch her all
caressing in their passing
seeing what's not shown

-----

restless knowing eyes
matron's mature breast pulses
on love's precipice

-----

water down her body
in wet curves pouring off her
arousing contours

-----

Poetry copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin
Art: The Fairy Of The Moon (1891) by Hermann Kaulbach

#moon #poetry #poems

Labels: breast, donovan baldwin, fantasies, haiku, Hermann Kaulbach, kisses, mature, moon, naked, poems, poetry

By Donovan Baldwin

moments of pleasure
our afternoon interludes
times of guiltless sin

-----

falling leaves floating
side to side on autumn breeze
humming through the trees

-----

my words messages
poems adrift on the sea
seeking your soft shores

-----

Old customs leave us
To be missed a bit
Perhaps as memory.
My great aunt Lula always
Wore her "widow's weeds"
In public after uncle Irwin died.
Respecting his memory,
Widow in public,
Woman at home alone
In her simple floral dress,
Hair up in a bun,
Awaiting death.

-----

Life is a two edged word
One edge is obvious,
Necessary...
Existence.
The other is optional,
Less specific...
Pleasure.
Yet one gives the other
Worth,
Value,
Purpose,
To truly live
One must live.
Tricky word,
Those who understand...
Understand.

-----

humming an old song
near forgotten melody
wordless memory

-----

her brilliant flower
love's sweetly scented blossom
in nature's garden

-----

nature speaks to me
ancient tongue i understand
but cannot utter

-----

I am never alone
For discourse I, at least,
Can see one side
Upon the page,
The words of,
Philosophers, and
Frivolous fools
Poets, potentates, and
Pundits,
And, as for company,
Your eyes upon me
In my imagined room,
Hand warm upon
My shoulder,
As I read.

-----

Some own the land
On which I stand,
But none all that I see.

And for the ocean
I have the notion
It alone belongs to me.

Those with gems and rings
Own material things,
Which reside within my being

They'll never own
For they've never known
The poet's way of seeing.

-----

strange though i may be
i am but poet at heart
sharing dreams in words

-----

madly making love
lost in the moment's passion
our desires set free

-----

who i am inside
lover of life sun and wind
i will share with you

-----

Poetry Copyright 2020 By Donovan Baldwin
Art: Adam & Eve by Adriaen van der Werff

Labels: customs, fools, forgotten melody, guiltless sin, haiku, ocean, pleasure, poems, poetry, poets, two edged sword

By Donovan Baldwin

so vulnerable
flicker in darkening woods
firefly or fairy

-----

as snakes across rocks
silent silver slithering
the waters glide by

-----

seeking of the words
faithful friends of olden times
in memory's well

-----

words needing no ink
deeply engraved on our hearts
glowing with each beat

-----

Night makes the familiar strange
And even the bravest quivers with
An atavistic fear sent downward
Along the gnarled branches of
The tree of man from ancestors
Who sat beside their puny fire
Brave souls by day who quaked
At the unknown terrors
Behind the cloak of night.

-----

Poetry copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin

Labels: donovan baldwin, fairy, firefly, haiku, night, poems, poetry, snakes, words

By https://twitter.com/donovanbaldwin

the wind is rising
brave bold adventurer's blast
i must set my sails

-----

no hot lover i
romantic bard truthsayer
who learned how to love

-----

slow loving i learned
years of practice nights of pain
failed and tried again

-----

quietness collects
settles warmly about me
and i think of you

-----

how soft is the grass
mattress to lovers engaged
in making new life

-----

fingers beginning
her wordless paean resounds
in ancient refrain

-----

No reason for the wind,
It, like sun and moon,
Has its own purposes
Unconcerned with desires
Of puny mortals
Who dare each day
To defy gods of
Wind and sun and moon,
Chasing celestial bodies,
Take matters of
The Universe
Upon their shoulders,
Lifting proudly
To make it better.
No reason for the wind,
Or for Man, except,
That each is here
For their reason and each
Must follow its own nature.

-----

Copyright 2020 By Donovan Baldwin
Art: Willem van de Velde the Younger Ships On A Stormy Sea

Labels: donovan baldwin, haiku, hot lover, loving, moon, poems, poetry, rising wind, Ships on a Stomy Sea, sun, truthsayer, Willem van de Velde