http://slow.writerscafe.org/Steelwine The original writings of author Steelwine en-us Copyright 2026 WritersCafe.org 1776057354 WritersCafe.org RSS Generator 15 I smell you,stranger. I know you are not one of us.Why do yousneak into this place? Why do you wear our skin?I can smellthrough your skin, outsider.I do notunderstand why you choose this secret.Our land isnot a land a stranger would want.The ritual istonight -- is t.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Steelwine/1184986/ This morning, it was gone.A single puffof cloud lingered in its place,Right there,above the old varnished fence.I stopped towatch the vapid space,Wondering whenit would change back. There was skybehind the cloud, too;You nevercould have seen sky there.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Steelwine/1173862/ B*****d -- I endure you.We boiled over the feelingWhen we were fevered,Uncomfortable,And crawled to sleep. How many can you really not remember?You mentioned me back into the room,And we waited. You said: I believe you're right -- the vi.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Steelwine/1160921/ This is not a brothel,he says Over wineas cigars turn to ash,As neonsigns dim down to red, And fadedgirls count all their cash. This is something more exquisite. The radiohums an old songDifferentfrom how you remember it:&.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Steelwine/1131671/ Aschildren, we fret and dream of escapeFrom small beds and toys �"from where we're boundTo the hemof mum's skirt, behind its drapeWhichhides the long shadows of a world drownedInbitterness and fear. We stray, tauntedBy thingswe can't have, but we're fo.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Steelwine/1128762/ My parents live in a house. My brother lives in a dorm. My hamster lives in a cage.Do you know where I live? I live in a moment. I live in that impending moment whereI pass you on the street while you push a strollerAnd walk alongside the man whose life I should be .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Steelwine/1125354/ I saw him once or twice beforeThrough a hazypane of wordsSprawled atopscraps of pages for My eyes todelve into their absurdCurves,tangles, and inky sighs.And once ortwice before, I heard His voice inmy mouth as a cryThat laysmoldering ben.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Steelwine/1120145/ They don’t make reruns like theyused toI realize after the fourthbottleAfter the first microwave dinnerSince I woke up on the couchFive and a half hours ago I’ve been counting in episodesOf The Antiques RoadshowThirty-four minute runtimesT.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Steelwine/1111983/      And after a long day at work    All I want is a stiff from the fridge,    Instead a pink post-it calls me a jerk    And says dinner is cold like our marriage.     We used to go out eve.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Steelwine/1107286/ The Demon stirs ceaselessly besideme;He swims around me like anethereal air;I breathe him in, burn my lungs completelyWith eternal desire and guilt madebare. At times he takes, knowing mygreat love of Art,The most seductive form of theother sex,And, feign.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Steelwine/1095390/ Thank God Almighty I’m able to write to you again, mama!Here’s hoping this letter reaches you all right, goingacross the Pacific and all,Even though the men operating the P.O.W. camp here toldme it’d be fine.You don’t have to be scared, mama, they’re.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Steelwine/1087891/ Welcome to the table, gents, I'll see your I.D.s first?Sorry, lovelies, rules are rulers, gotta expect the worst.I hope you all know the game, if not then here's your grand tour:You want a hand full of pictures, the rest you can ignore;Gotta deal the hand you play, or I might have th.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Steelwine/1079710/ The sky is a black,ugly mess tonightMottled with greybruises of smog from the city.They mix with the fogto blot out the moon's lightBut it doesn'tmatter, Because there'senough jaundiced streetlamps hereTo light up thecracked sidewalk and all its gum-stain.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Steelwine/1067863/ One way or another,we all fall downTo the floor thatwaits to watch us all slipIn that big black pitwhere we don't make a sound Like books that arewritten after they're boundTo repeat in theirsilence a one-line script:"One way oranother, we all fall down.".. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Steelwine/1064170/ Welcome to my world, she saidWith a cigarette haze onher lipsAnd a cat's-eye view ofall the world,Of all the dreams you’veyet unfurled. She always wore thatgolden collar,Though she said it suitedyou more,Because you’re alwaysthe one on bended .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Steelwine/1062120/ A thunderstorm broods overheadAs an ice cream truck goes by.It does a pirouette on the cul-de-sacAnd rolls on off out of sight.And you say you want a snow coneBut I say you’re getting fat;Besides, the truck’s gone until tomorrow.You don’t say much after that... http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Steelwine/1053464/ Two men sitacross from each other at a table lateIn the neonnight. A half-dressed lady collects her tipsAs sheslides dusty glasses down the bar where allManner ofsots and shades waste away the hours.The firstman has a cigarette balanced in his fingersAs he sighssm.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Steelwine/1050350/ LeakingFrom the ceiling, drippingForth to basinslittered on willowLong warped in the damp ambient. WrithingUnderthe sheets, rivingUnsoundsleep beside the whine ofWaterseeping past the shingles. TampingEach wet crack in the plasterEv.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Steelwine/1045447/ They sent processions to grieveOver meThey sent morticians to fussOver meBut no one sent angels to watchOver meI'll do it myself. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Steelwine/1037766/ It rained that broken nightLong after the sun had setBut the light lingeredAmidst the shuffling clouds,Masking the stars,And lit the path before me. It stretched out far across the coastOf battles recent waged;Of wars in progress yet;Of others yet to pa.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Steelwine/1037763/ "Every rose and war willleave its scars,"That's what the nobles used topray.Lilies are held in the hands ofthe czars Not by the peasants beneath thecold stars.The sunset glistened when, thatday,Every rose and war left itsscars. The man who had .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Steelwine/1037760/ There lies a sea beyond the wastelandWhere the mortal coil has unwound;Where waves brush quiet through black sandAnd where all the fish have drowned. Neon signs flash out their welcomeAs the tide comes rolling in,Washing up all manner of scumOn the coast barely.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Steelwine/1037754/