Exhibit One

Strewn self serve legal papers and a collapsing curation of unfinished ideasilluminated by a warm peek-a-boo sun.My dream of Nihon preservedin a clay mug of cold tea.Good intentions obscured byNow, Late, Eventually.The disarray, a masterpieceof my own creation, as am Imy greatest work of art.-Melissa Donley

I Wanted to Reach Out

For affirming clarityAnd the home in your voiceDissolving jagged agonyFrom every clutched breathTo post my mending handsOn your face and your chestReleasing the torrentsof starvation and absenceMay I have this dance?Conjuring alchemy in our bonesWe are outside of Time andThe Universe says YESWill you please look at me?I wanted to […]

XXX

Your Name

Allow absolution the blasphemyParting my pregnant lips.You declare you are namedFor a prophet,The king’s favoredInterpreter of dreams.I know your name.A slip of the tongue,It dives beneath my hems,Unlaces the seams,Leaves me undone.Incisor savoring Flushed neck and expectant mouth,Opiate undulating.Granting my greedy seizureOf all I demand.Edge steady,Whisper the crescendoOf rooted oscillation.The […]

On Top

Can’t stop, won’t stopI know you want me on topOn tap, hit thatWhat you got to win me backDo you do or do you don’tLike the way that my ass floatsHold your tongue, hold my faceI want to know how you tasteDown South, up NorthI got the map, I plot […]

Slip Into Me

Slip into me, your ruthless compulsion,An old habit you’ll never release.Let me be the muscle memory,Your state of flow.Strum the chords, keep the beat.When you wake from the song,Slip into me.-Melissa Donley

I Will Meet You There

Ukulele preludeEvery jingle a danceOf the turquoise heartAntibacterial wipe-downsTear-away wardrobeRoot beer flavored sleep nowRe-engineered titaniumTime travel to feasts and memesI will meet you there.-Melissa Donley7/23/24 – Surgery Day

Heart Race

He hung the moon, balloonbursting in my face, no spacein a heart racefor timid lowercase,attract, don’t chase,Poise and Grace,suffocate on faith,his crumbs emaciate,the bread doesn’t rise,he failed to activate,HoldUpHoldUpWait,he won’t initiate,he forgot to equatein this world I did create,I already ownthe whole damn place.-Melissa Donley

XXX

You Did It Again

You did it again. You worshipped my name while buried, pulsating in her mouth. She failed to siphon my flavor from your marrow. You’re burning in self-flagellation, looking down, searching for my eyes in her, but that’s not me. She’s a similar item, from another seller, available at a discount. […]