Lisa DeCastro
Editor’s note: I’m drawn to Lisa’s poetry because it’s both intricate and accessible. Her poems are filled with desire, ache, love, loss and written with control and skill. They are richly written and felt. — Janice Leagra
Between Two Mouths
Between two mouths
An exchange of eternity
Words uttered
Silently at first
Without baring teeth
Lips apart, pressed together
Inviting, anticipating
The kiss
Setting fire to passion
With gentle strokes
and frantic desire
Two mouths
Exploring the territory of the flesh
Of want
Their tongues, curious travelers
Translating an intimate dialogue
Understanding necessity
and the power that lies
Between two mouths
Harm
Just before Carnival
Somewhere before the dawn
An unholy fire burns
Liquid red
The second hand turns
but catches nothing
Only harm
Like it catches our tears
We lie awake
By a polluted river
that runs through the city like children
We mark time with the hand that feeds
because it gives seconds
Until we are nauseated
This is the point of no return
Marked by the ticking of the clock
The flowing stream
The things we surrender to
And the jinx
It is the pivot on which we stand
Center to all and nothing
That statue that is photographed
before its decay
The Kiss of Judas
The kiss of Judas
A beautiful betrayal
Soft bitterness rests on my lips
But to kiss you was to love
and hate you at once
My Judas, what it was to kiss you
Lisa De Castro has been a teacher for 22 years, joyfully passing along, among other wisdom, her love of an eclectic range of literature and music. She is the author of three books: Margot, The Beauty of Decay, and The Girls of Songwood. Her poetry has also been featured in Resurrection Magazine.
Married with two teenage daughters, De Castro currently teaches high school English. Find her on Twitter: @QueenofCastoria.
