(Warning: Adult language / situations)
Pandemonatrix
I was sick of the grind it was week seventeen
Just had to get downtown and make the scene
So I stashed some cash in my secret place
Attached to my ankle in a small zipper case
Snuck out the window that led to the alley
Fire escape to the ground to my Sally
Hung like a bat with my dangling both feet
Slapping the pavement as I dropped to the street
Made for town center one closed storefront at a time
Dodging the searchlights the jail and the fine
Got to the heavy steel door non-descript
Knowing inside is where bad women stripped
Three times I knocked open palm, thud-thud-thud
Door opened, paid the man, ‘Hurry up bud’
Back to the wall as I slid down the hall
Bright lights and darkness, saw nothing at all
Into a room that smelled sticky and wet
She-devil says, ‘I’ll be right with you, pet’
‘Take off your clothing and lie on your face-
What will it be, cat and nine tails or mace?’
She wore thigh-high boots that shined like water
Frightening to think this was somebody’s daughter
I knew her in school we were back in the matrix
Before she evolved into Pandeminatrix
Lioness, Tigress she-Goddess of hunt
Artimus heartless, the man-eating cunt
Neck was as soft as was long as was slender
Men offered hearts but got return to sender
I closed my eyes tightly and squeezed both my cheeks
Last time I yelped she red marked me for weeks
‘Don’t make a sound and I may show some mercy’
She hissed and she spat as she playfully curtseyed
‘Smack!’ Went the cat and the nine tails went ‘thwip!’
‘Silence man-dog or I’ll switch to the whip!’
But after a few more the kicks and the punches
Having me silently weeping in bunches
Pandeminatrix fell suddenly silent
Some change of mood made her no longer violent
Out from a book writ of poignant poetry
Pandemonatrix voice broke as she read to me
I, she and Alice clung fast to red licorice
Plunged to the ground with the wax-melted Icarus
And soon there together we wept on the floor
Pandemonatrix would hurt me no more
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/04/24/2020
Pandemonatrix
I was sick of the grind it was week seventeen
Just had to get downtown and make the scene
So I stashed some cash in my secret place
Attached to my ankle in a small zipper case
Snuck out the window that led to the alley
Fire escape to the ground to my Sally
Hung like a bat with my dangling both feet
Slapping the pavement as I dropped to the street
Made for town center one closed storefront at a time
Dodging the searchlights the jail and the fine
Got to the heavy steel door non-descript
Knowing inside is where bad women stripped
Three times I knocked open palm, thud-thud-thud
Door opened, paid the man, ‘Hurry up bud’
Back to the wall as I slid down the hall
Bright lights and darkness, saw nothing at all
Into a room that smelled sticky and wet
She-devil says, ‘I’ll be right with you, pet’
‘Take off your clothing and lie on your face-
What will it be, cat and nine tails or mace?’
She wore thigh-high boots that shined like water
Frightening to think this was somebody’s daughter
I knew her in school we were back in the matrix
Before she evolved into Pandeminatrix
Lioness, Tigress she-Goddess of hunt
Artimus heartless, the man-eating cunt
Neck was as soft as was long as was slender
Men offered hearts but got return to sender
I closed my eyes tightly and squeezed both my cheeks
Last time I yelped she red marked me for weeks
‘Don’t make a sound and I may show some mercy’
She hissed and she spat as she playfully curtseyed
‘Smack!’ Went the cat and the nine tails went ‘thwip!’
‘Silence man-dog or I’ll switch to the whip!’
But after a few more the kicks and the punches
Having me silently weeping in bunches
Pandeminatrix fell suddenly silent
Some change of mood made her no longer violent
Out from a book writ of poignant poetry
Pandemonatrix voice broke as she read to me
I, she and Alice clung fast to red licorice
Plunged to the ground with the wax-melted Icarus
And soon there together we wept on the floor
Pandemonatrix would hurt me no more
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/04/24/2020
True Love
Long ago and far away
A young girl took a lover
Whose passion only burned for her
He said and for no other
They spent their youthful days together
Rolling in the grass
Swore true love come any weather
Holding hands at mass
Tragedy struck late one night
Her object of desire
Met his death at seventeen
She lost her burning fire
Buried on the hillside where
They used to laugh and play
Teary eyed she said goodbye
She had to move away
Husband number one she met
One night while ballroom dancing
The man was quite a dancer but
Was not much for romancing
Husband two came into view
While drinking in a club
He drank so much he finally drowned
She found him in the tub
Husband three was full of glee
And liked to treat her kindly
Eye sight poor he could not see
Walked off a cliff-side blindly
The girl grew old and weak and ill
And finally caught her death of chill
Her will requested one last ride
And she was buried on the hill
By her lovers side
Joseph John Racano
A Poet’s Duty
It’s time to get in touch
with the spirit within
Estrangement having caused
the spot of trouble we’re in
If everyone would just sit down
and write out a poem
Spirit Mother’s open arms
Would welcome us home
The pen is mighty and
the time is right
Dip your feathered quill
by the fireplace light
Just when you had languished
in a dark despair
Inspiration fills you
in your favorite chair
Knowing as a poet
It’s your paramount duty
To fill the world with light
And a message of beauty
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/03/30/2020
It’s time to get in touch
with the spirit within
Estrangement having caused
the spot of trouble we’re in
If everyone would just sit down
and write out a poem
Spirit Mother’s open arms
Would welcome us home
The pen is mighty and
the time is right
Dip your feathered quill
by the fireplace light
Just when you had languished
in a dark despair
Inspiration fills you
in your favorite chair
Knowing as a poet
It’s your paramount duty
To fill the world with light
And a message of beauty
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/03/30/2020
Under the Bed
I am the half of a picture that’s faded
Torn down the middle and tossed unrelated
Part of a couple persona non grata
Long ago sailed with the heartbreak armada
Hidden emotions kept neatly suppressed
Castaway love sent away with the rest
Once in a box you kept under your bed
Banished forever to dwell with the dead
Young and in love we were teenagers kissing
Now half a photo with my image missing
Maybe your half still lives under the bed
Surely no trace of me left in your head
Freedom was all for the best I suppose
The worst was the six years I slept in my clothes
Sometimes I still hear your voice in my head
Half of a picture kept under your bed
Joseph John Racano
I am the half of a picture that’s faded
Torn down the middle and tossed unrelated
Part of a couple persona non grata
Long ago sailed with the heartbreak armada
Hidden emotions kept neatly suppressed
Castaway love sent away with the rest
Once in a box you kept under your bed
Banished forever to dwell with the dead
Young and in love we were teenagers kissing
Now half a photo with my image missing
Maybe your half still lives under the bed
Surely no trace of me left in your head
Freedom was all for the best I suppose
The worst was the six years I slept in my clothes
Sometimes I still hear your voice in my head
Half of a picture kept under your bed
Joseph John Racano
Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle
How you sparkle
Shining light where
Once was darkful
Brought the best
Out of Prince Harry
Perfect man for
You to marry
Former Duchess
Come a Princess
‘Neath your beauty
Evil winces
Born to kindness
Not just fineness
Like Diana
Color blindness
Tugging heart strings
Helping Elephants
Making hopeful
We your celebrants
Broken free from
Windsor hassle
Kensington to
Disney Castle
Meghan Markle
How you sparkle
Shine your light
Where once was darkful
In this time of
Endless tragedy
Deep I bow
Before your majesty
Joseph John Racano
Lady in the Flame
Forgive me I don’t mean to be so intrusive
But surely in life there are none so elusive
At foot of your candle I bathe in your heat
Once confirmed bachelor now so incomplete
Watching your pole-dance come slowly alive
Gracefully round candle’s wick do you writhe
Scoffing at dollars they burn at your touch
Young tender hearts turn to ashes and such
Here in the shadows I sit in your lair
Watching the sparks from your long plasma hair
All that you are is what all men desire
Riding the wick like a five-alarm fire
Then it all ends with a cool puff of smoke
Out in the darkness I sip rum and coke
Someone behind gives my shoulder a tap-
And to my surprise she comes sit on my lap!
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/10/29/2020
Artwork by: LeahMRain
The Tale of Leonardo Capuccino
She met him at an airport back in Timbuktu
Invited her to dinner so she brought her crew
They worked for Pan American and flew non-stop
If only she had known him she’d have called a cop
The suit he wore was stolen from the cleaners next door
He looked a million dollars in what pilots wore
Holding in his hand an attache from target
Hers was in the other, she said “Hi, I’m Margaret”
They all sat in a line at the airport bar
A sign above the portal spelled out ‘Zanzibar’
He reached into his pocket, and he just said, “Dam!”
Pulled it right back out and showed an open hand
“That’s alright” she told him and, “I got this, honey”
Seven pretty stewardesses with lots of money
The lady’s made a fuss of it and called him fine
“Welcome to America’s most experienced airline!”
They took him out to eat and paid for drinks and dinner
Got him a hotel room and made him a sinner
Took him to the movies in a rented car
He said he left his wallet at the airport bar
After such a night as few on Earth had seen
She watched him wave goodbye from a limousine
He kissed each and every hostess, would she ever learn
The time has passed so slowly for his promised return
Joseph John Racano
Infinite Sunset
Infinite Sunset, meet me at dusk
Come to the sea shore and exhale your musk
'Round about twilight, turn blue sky to rust
I'll be back tomorrow, in that you can trust
Your singular beauty so different each day
Arriving offshore, your red paints the bay
Amusing young lovers who've come out to play
You capture me in a mysterious way
Infinite Sunset, bathe me in light
Outshine the diamonds and stars in the night
If beauty is power, then great is your might
My heart is your Rubicon, let it take flight
Lap at my sandals with warm ruby waves
Beckon me out to your purple enclaves
where shallows gives way to your treacherous waves
and pirates of old lay in colorful graves
Welcome my toes with the sand that you bring
Let me be part of the song that you sing
Imagine the thrill of your love's fickle sting
Chilly in winter but warm in the spring
Infinite Sunset, another day done
Sprinkle the rocks with your last rays of sun
Walk away slowly and try not to run
Cool my heart gently, I only have one
Poem & Photo by Joseph John Racano
Jaguar Love
Written in the cuneiform manuscript we wear
pressed upon luxurious fur to rival any bear
A tale of love that started with two Jaguars long ago
That captivated felines, even Leopards of the snow
The words were just as beautiful as Shakespeare it’s been said
Far and wide by Lion pride and Tigers it was read
The lover spats were merely that, the making up divine
The powerful male with twisting tail implored her ‘please be mine’
The she-cat led him round and round, although her true love she had found
A Jaguar king with rosette ring must dance to hear her caterwaul sound
Her markings were exquisite, her eyes a piercing yellow
The suitor was entranced, a strong romance was on this fellow
They left a huge impression behind them in the snow
So far across the tundra every wild cat would know
A Jaguars love is endless, they are loyal to the death
Soon-after came marked kittens with their steamy Jaguar breath
Joseph John Racano
WAR is OVER
War is over if you want it
Picture Earth with syrup on it
Hate is faded if you choose it
Go find love and never lose it
Battles end if you don't mind it
Seek the peace, I know you'll find it
It isn't hard to change the world
When girls love boys and boys love girls
War is finished if you make it
Give your heart to those who'll take it
Time runs out for those who fake it
Peace is bliss so don't forsake it
Peace costs nothing it's pro bono
Thank you John and Yoko Ono
Time is now, stop acting loco
Sit your generals down to cocoa
War is Over if you want it
Picture Earth with syrup on it
Now add butter let it melt
See how good the goodness felt?
Spread the word on land and sea
Show how mild we can be
All join hands in true devotion
Reach Nirvana in one motion
War is Over if you want it
Like yellow birds on an Easter Bonnet
The world is an apple, love is its core
Leave behind what was before
Joseph John Racano
1/1/18
Girl with the Octopus Eyes
Half-buried in the sand
Twenty some-odd leagues from land
I came across a pirate’s chest
Filled with gold and all the rest
Crusted chains and rusted locks
Criss-crossed all sides of the box
I pried it open at the fore
Creaking like a dungeons door
Ancient bubbles were released
along with bones of the long deceased
And there appeared as the flotsam cleared
A shapely form some might have feared
She floated there with no disguise
The lovely girl with the octopus eyes
Levitating atop the gems
Eight-armed queen of the violent femme’s
Her suckered arms a strong deterrent
Swaying with the deep sea current
Sandy bottom of a cold blue chasm
Eyes too deep for me to fathom
She seemed to hear my heart’s faint cries
Lovely girl with the octopus eyes
Welcomed me with a warm embrace
Sucker discs that kissed my face
In her arms I had no care
Until such time I needed air
I saw her, she saw me
And let go instantaneously
I swam upward toward the light
Saw her eight arms wave goodnight
As we disappeared in a deep blue haze
She and I shared one last gaze
I sometimes see her in the azure skies
The lovely girl with the octopus eyes
Joseph John Racano
Half-buried in the sand
Twenty some-odd leagues from land
I came across a pirate’s chest
Filled with gold and all the rest
Crusted chains and rusted locks
Criss-crossed all sides of the box
I pried it open at the fore
Creaking like a dungeons door
Ancient bubbles were released
along with bones of the long deceased
And there appeared as the flotsam cleared
A shapely form some might have feared
She floated there with no disguise
The lovely girl with the octopus eyes
Levitating atop the gems
Eight-armed queen of the violent femme’s
Her suckered arms a strong deterrent
Swaying with the deep sea current
Sandy bottom of a cold blue chasm
Eyes too deep for me to fathom
She seemed to hear my heart’s faint cries
Lovely girl with the octopus eyes
Welcomed me with a warm embrace
Sucker discs that kissed my face
In her arms I had no care
Until such time I needed air
I saw her, she saw me
And let go instantaneously
I swam upward toward the light
Saw her eight arms wave goodnight
As we disappeared in a deep blue haze
She and I shared one last gaze
I sometimes see her in the azure skies
The lovely girl with the octopus eyes
Joseph John Racano
Love Sticks
Often she felt sickly
Her situation prickly
She stayed inside most strictly
But change came to her quickly
Somewhere past the fences
A guy had lost his senses
Perhaps he ate cubensis
And had discolored lenses
Or could it be amore
That brought him on this foray
He could not stand one more day
Then saw her in that doorway
Her whiskers had him swooning
The sky was silver mooning
Their heart strings were in-tuning
The season freshly June-ing
Not enough to view her
He found a way in to her
His prickly style slew her
Sent cupids arrow through her
He loved that she was mild
She loved that he was wild
The silver moon beguiled
And now they'll have a child!
Love finds a way- when a solitary porcupine in a zoo became pregnant, a trail camera revealed she was being visited nightly by a wild male suitor- and they lived happily ever after <3
Dancing Belugas
Belugas dance beneath the ice
where the water's cold but the music's nice
just in range of the suns warm rays
it's how they like to spend their days
He holds her close with one strong flipper
bends her backward, loves to dip her
She breaks free and starts to spin
He stays close, fin to fin
They whirl and twirl without a care
and soon rise up to get some air
Then they spout in unison
show their flukes, and dive again
Joseph John Racano
Roses and Prayers
With roses and prayers, let abundance increase
said the good Brother Michael on a mission of peace
Ribbon Eels, Nudibranchs, Jellyfish strings
These are among the most beautiful things
Whale spouts cascading, migrations parading
A sailors return to a lover there waiting
Bubbles from deep, where the sea chose to keep
an anonymous wreck, hold still laden with teak
Depth without measure, oft laden with treasure
where divers seek danger and mermaids seek pleasure
Unbridled seahorses ridden by none
exposing the handle of Blue Beard's own gun
So many secrets are kept by the sea
and we are the keepers of antiquity
Keepers of life, keepers of gold
And both may ye find there in that cargo hold
Joseph John Racano
The Princess and the Moon
One pretty girl fell in love with the moon
They spent time together one summer in June
She was a princess, with tresses of gold
He wore the craters of something quite old
She asked him questions, he gave sage advice
Watch for that cliff and don’t slip on the ice
He let her watch movies detailing his quest
Shown by projector across his broad chest
Laughter in May turned to giggles in June
She grew enamored and started to swoon
He shrugged it off though he truly was flattered
Only the princess’s happiness mattered
One early evening he brought a decanter
Shone his gold light on its wine to enchant her
On the rock ledge lay a cottony blanket
She placed the wine to her lips and she drank it
After an evening of laughter and love
Birds announced morning with calls from above
As the Moon left on his heavenly way
She said, “I hope to see you again someday!”
Joseph John Racano
©@JosephJohnRacano/05/21/2020
Future Seed
Seed of the future
We pass the baton
Some worked to give you
A chance to live on
Forgive us our failings
The hurdle was high
With love as our compass
We chose not to cry
The meek lay before us
Run down in the lane
Their blood stains forgotten
Soon after a rain
But clouds are still puffy
Some whiter than cream
Look back with forgiveness
And carry the dream
Joseph John Racano
*on the winter solstice 2021
Seed of the future
We pass the baton
Some worked to give you
A chance to live on
Forgive us our failings
The hurdle was high
With love as our compass
We chose not to cry
The meek lay before us
Run down in the lane
Their blood stains forgotten
Soon after a rain
But clouds are still puffy
Some whiter than cream
Look back with forgiveness
And carry the dream
Joseph John Racano
*on the winter solstice 2021
Child of the Nebula
With less than a shout but more than a whisper
She presented herself like a galaxy twister
And such was her presence I barely recovered
In time to be rescued when we were discovered
Girl of a future Kaleidoscope city
Complex yet subtle meteorically pretty
Lady-like aura in satellite make-up
Glowing Aurora of asteroid breakup
Flat on my back staring out at the cosmos
That’s how you left me up here at the outpost
Forlorn and lovesick with negative prognosis
Awaiting a space doc’s regressive hypnosis
Have you no mercy oh child of the nebula
A moment to share with a spaceman this regular
Back on my planet considered a Helion
Now been reduced to your mere pet chameleon
But lo in the distance I see your light arcing
Green and red fiery trail ‘gainst the darking
Once more around you have fell for my wizardry
Or are you bringing an end to my misery
Here land your sinews alight as you please
Talons akimbo could slay me with ease
Oh child of the nebula which shall it be
A merciful dispatch or set my heart free
Joseph John Racano
With less than a shout but more than a whisper
She presented herself like a galaxy twister
And such was her presence I barely recovered
In time to be rescued when we were discovered
Girl of a future Kaleidoscope city
Complex yet subtle meteorically pretty
Lady-like aura in satellite make-up
Glowing Aurora of asteroid breakup
Flat on my back staring out at the cosmos
That’s how you left me up here at the outpost
Forlorn and lovesick with negative prognosis
Awaiting a space doc’s regressive hypnosis
Have you no mercy oh child of the nebula
A moment to share with a spaceman this regular
Back on my planet considered a Helion
Now been reduced to your mere pet chameleon
But lo in the distance I see your light arcing
Green and red fiery trail ‘gainst the darking
Once more around you have fell for my wizardry
Or are you bringing an end to my misery
Here land your sinews alight as you please
Talons akimbo could slay me with ease
Oh child of the nebula which shall it be
A merciful dispatch or set my heart free
Joseph John Racano