Susanne Wawra is a German visual artist and poet based in Dublin, Ireland. After an exploration of work life in an international big name company, she decided to swap a secure career for life as an artist. Even though English is not her mother tongue, it is her preferred medium for poetry. Recent publications include Weyfarers, Valve Journal, Boyne Berries and The Glad Rag.More info on www.susannewawra.com
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Flavescent
My eyes are closed, I am floating
In the juicy yellow of my view
A large pulsating circle of light
Embracing me, warm, welcoming
The heat of the sun glows
On my face, gently caressing it
I dip my fingers deep into the colour
Spread it over my arms, its soft
Texture hugging my skin and bones
I lick it off my hands, its sweetness
Bounces on my tongue, the taste
Of adventure soon fills my inside
Once more I reach into it, then dive
Throwing my entirety into the sunny
Abyss, I bathe in its electricity
It tickles and tickles my atoms
Immersed in luminous paint, I let in
The lightness, the joy, the good
I lose gravity and fly towards the
Burning sky; laughing, free, high
Finally, I have reached it, arrived
I open my eyes, blink and go back
Into the darkness of my every day
But I am recharged, reborn, ready
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Maroon
In your room, we sit down
On your shaggy rug, light
A cigarette and read our
New poems to each other.
We take them for a spin
On our tongues, let them
Roll through our mouths,
They fill the space
Between me and you.
The maroon rug becomes
A magic carpet and
Carries us away over the
Landscapes of meaning.
The images in my head
Chase each other as I listen,
The words gallop in a
Beautiful rhythm towards
The finishing line, you give
Your consonants the spurs,
The vowels cry out. The
Sounds echo on till we sink
Into each others souls,
Emptied, enlightened,
Enriched.
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Melanic
She is dressed in black, a heavy cloak
Of darkness mantled on her shoulders.
As she enters the room slowly but
With fortitude, the lightbulbs explode.
A thick blackness immediately fills
The space, it seeps into every corner
Of our being, we become the night.
She speaks of wrong and death and
Hate with a voice that catapults our
Synapses into a warping war of words.
We start spinning, swirl, twist around
Each other till we manifest in a knot.
The sounds echo down our spines,
Vibrate viciously, we are left shaking.
She moves closer, her breath so cold
It clenches our hearts, grips our guts.
A pulsating pain possesses our bodies,
Beats in every cell. A weight pushes
As if to crush us, holding the pressure
To demonstrate its power. The attack
Blows our defense, we are weakened.
She enters our being, spreading her
Poisonous black, detracting all colour,
All light, all life. She empties our very
Inside, only rawness, hurt and despair
Remain. We are shapeless on the
Sharp boards of the floor, surrender.
The ruins moan but we will rise again.
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Rubious
Herself, the Missus Dubious
Is getting all too curious:
To her it seems mysterious
What makes her cheeks red-rubious.
His eyes burn oh-so serious,
Their temper fast and furious.
But in his chest this nucleus
Beats, beats, beats, delirious.
Every time they meet is glorious:
He goes silky soft, her genius
Defeats him. Kisses so delicious,
They melt into each otherous.
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Glaucous
I hesitate, a breeze beats my back
As if to push me, I start walking in
The crisp cold water swallows my
Feet, knees, thighs, my breath
Hardens. I stand and wait for the
Waves to invite me in, they come
At me – hit, foam, draw back and
Then again. I inhale and advance
Until my heart reaches sea level
It pounds against the wall, throws
Itself towards the new encounter
Entering a dance to its intriguing
Rhythm. I spread my arms and feel
The resistance, I move them back
And forth, the water runs through
My widespread fingers, I shiver.
I give myself to the sea, plunge deep
Into the cleansing blue, grey, green
We embrace each other, we become
Lovers, unified. I am the wave, the
Push, the take. For once, I feel whole,
Complete. I surface, shake, then turn
Around and walk back to the beach
Seasoned with salt, bliss, intensity.
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The Galway Review 