Poetry of Michael Lee Johnson

SUMMER IS DYING (V4)
 
 Outside, summer is dying into fall,
 and blue daddy petunias sprout ears -
 hear the beginning of night chills.
 In their yellow window box,
 they cuddle up and fear death together.
 The balcony sliding door
 is poorly insulated, and a cold draft
 creeps into all the spare rooms.
 
 © Michael Lee Johnson
 

 BOWL OF BLACK PETUNIAS (V2)
 
 If you must leave me, please
 leave me for something special,
 like a beautiful bowl of black petunias -
 for when the memories leak
 and cracks appear
 and old memories fade,
 flowers rebuff bloom,
 sidewalks fester weeds
 and we both lie down
 separately from each other
 for the very last time.
 
 © Michael Lee Johnson
 

 MEMORIES PAST
 (Hillbilly Daddy)
 
 I settle into my thoughts
 zigzagging between tears
 my fathers' grave -
 Tippecanoe River
 Indiana 1982.
 Over now,
 a hillbilly country
 like the flow
 catfish memories
 raccoons in trees
 coon dogs tracking
 on the river bank,
 the hunt.
 Snapping turtles
 in the boat
 offline -
 river flakes
 to ice -
 now covered
 thick snow.
 
 © Michael Lee Johnson
 

 NOW THAT I DESIRE (V2)
 
 Now that I desire to be close to you
 like two occupants sharing a twin bed
 sensing the warmth of sweating shoulders,
 hungering for your flesh like a wild wolf
 leaning over an empty carcass,
 you're off searching unexplored cliffs,
 climbing dangerous mountain tops,
 capturing bumblebees in broken beer bottles for
 biology class,
 pleasing plants, parachuting from clouds for fun.
 In shadows, you're closer to life, nonsense,
 a princess of absurdity, a collector
 of dreams and silent sounds.
 In clouds, you build your own fantasy.
 Share it with select celebrities.
 But till this captive discovers cure for caring,
 a way of rescuing insatiable insanity,
 or lives long enough to be patient in longing for
 you -
 you must be vigilant,
 for with time, snow will surely
 blanket this warm desire.
 
 © Michael Lee Johnson
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Michael Lee Johnson lived ten years in Canada during the Vietnam era. Today he is a poet in the greater Chicagoland area, IL. He has 293 YouTube poetry videos. Michael Lee Johnson is an internationally published poet in 44 countries, a song lyricist, and has several published poetry books, has been nominated for 6 Pushcart Prize awards, and 6 Best of the Net nominations. He is the editor-in-chief of 3 poetry anthologies, all available on Amazon, and has several poetry books and chapbooks. He has over 473 published poems. Michael is the administrator of 6 Facebook Poetry groups.
 More of his books can be found on Amazon:
 
 Dandelion in a Vase of Roses: A Poetry Anthology of Diverse Poets and Countries
 
 Warriors With Wings: The Best Contemporary Poetry: Poetry Anthology
 
 Moonlight Dreamers of Yellow Haze
 
 Michael Lee Johnson is a member of the Illinois State Poetry Society