A Butterfly Kiss and Other Poems

By Ramzi Albert Rihani

A Butterfly Kiss

A butterfly kiss fills the air
With hiss larger than thunder 
A moon rushing to end the night
Tumbles and cracks open the morning light

A sound soars to the cathedral ceiling
And lights the eyes that are still sleeping
A drift of shiver, a case of joy
Awake the girl with a magical toy

In the vast yellow valley, 
Seeds of freedom become trees of history
One grows without pain 
The other, in the shadow of the seed, waits for the rain

The little girl with her white mandolin 
With prophetic eyes and Mona Lisa smile
Men around her, gather with a look sublime
Chanting for the kings of the valley

The Wait

Sprinkles of time pushing through
To meet in a day, month or year
Everything comes to a pause
And breaks the promise that was so near
Colors of spring kindle the sun
Petals of flower cover the grass
And the man is still waiting
Fearing for the moments to pass

Days elope with water in between
Brushing the ocean’s shore
No one to see and no one to feel
As if we were in a war
The wind caresses her face
On Sunday when she goes to mass
And the man is still waiting
Fearing for the moments to pass

People engrave their marks
In praise of her beauty and things
Not worrying about revelations
As if in the company of kings
Daring bums approach her with grace
The troubadour polishes his trumpet’s brass
And the man is still waiting
Fearing for the moments to pass

Nights fall to the ground
The days quickly arise
Empty streets, cathedrals and bars
And a walk in the park in disguise
An eerie breeze looms over
With heavy, steady feeling, alas,
And the man is still waiting
Fearing for the moments to pass

The book says they will meet
Wishfully before a year
Whether here, there, or anywhere
Be it in a very far place or near
The story will be revealed and told
In a golden cloth of world class
And the man is still waiting
Fearing for the moments to pass

The Bum

In the shade of a bonsai tree
An old breeze whispers
Words of wisdom awaken the rainbow
In the eve of a mystery
  
Twinkle the starlight
In the midst of a summer night
Sitting at the table
A bird, a bum, and the stillness of their shadow
 
Sounds of freedom tie him down
Without pain, sorrow or joy
The trumpet across reaches the sky
To pick an apple, a cherry and a sigh
 
 
Busy is the man with frolicking hair
His face, a blend of mastery, misery and medieval air
Staring at tomorrow with a deja-vu look
Waiting for the bird to fly
 
 
In his dark assembled suit
He sees the rainbow in black and white
Shades of gray stripe the sky
And the bonsai tree blooms in green, pale and bright

The Shadow of Her Voice

When the trees break the dawn in despair
And your departure took the evening flair 
Reflections on the water dance in harmony 
And the sun and the wind dip in memory

The morning casts a shadow familiar to the eyes
Fighting a desire till the advent of fireflies
They ignite an ardor that burns the skin
And the man behind the shadows wonder where he's been 

The piano plays some freaking jazzy tunes
With no one to sign or hum the blues
Take refuge in her voice until the morning sun 
And the daybreak announces dreams undone

Petals float around the surface of the pond
Pages of songbook pass Blonde on Blonde
A breeze starts a green and brown ballet debut 
And the pages stop at These Foolish Things Remind me of You 

Now all has come to a halt 
And the vicarious trip is still untold 
No one will come close to this 
Except the voice, the shadow and some other bliss. 

Born to a literary family among poets, writers, novelists, and critics, Ramzi Albert Rihani has been writing and publishing poetry since 1995. He is a published music critic, wrote and published a travel book “The Other Color – a Trip Around the World in Six Months” and has been living in the Washington, DC area most of his life.