November 2022
Bio Note: My name is Steve Bell, and I was born and raised in Southern California (I went to a high school where surfing and scuba diving were offered as elective courses). Since 1996 my wife Gina and I have made our home at the base of Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs. My poetry is often informed by my family history, the natural world, my Christian faith, and current events. Publishing credits include poems published in Ekstasis Magazine, The Botany of Gaia (Quillkeepers Press), and Oddball Magazine.
Hello Autumn
September
closes up shop
its seasonal business
is done and over with.
It's 8 pm
light switch
clicks off
the sky is radiant
orange purple,
he exits and
turns around,
glances east
and says goodbye to
the moonrise and
warm memories
of sun and blue water.
He mumbles satisfaction
as he locks
the surf shop door.
Before long
he is home
slips his sandals off
and walks toward the door held open
by Autumn, his wife of many seasons;
they greet
smile
hug
kiss,
her kips cool, moist
his fingers on fire
their eager love
like leaves wrestling
in the wind.
Editor's Note: "kips" is not a typo. Look it up.
©2022 Steve Bell
Editor's Note: If this poem(s) moves you please consider writing to the author (email address above) to say what it is about the poem you like. Writing to the author is what builds the community at Verse Virtual. It is very important. -JL