L.A. Story Houry, Poet

L.A. Story Houry is a resident of Northeast Mississippi, an award-winning journalist (Associated Press and Mississippi Press Awards), and the author of a weekly, humorist-style column, "The Story Hour," published in the Daily Corinthian (Corinth, MS). In poetry and fiction, Houry's work has appeared, or is scheduled to appear, in Aoife's Kiss (both print and online versions), the Expressions Newsletter, Aphelion, Between Kisses Newsletter, The Fifth Dimention, Twilight Times, EOTU, The Transylvania Times, Tapestry and The Martian Wave. Houry is the co-editor of a new scifaiku magazine -- Scifaikuest -- as well as two poetry anthologies, Random Planets (scifaiku), and Unspeakable Limericks (Sam's Dot Publishing). Her illustrated poetry chapbook, Passion Fruit and Other Loops, is available at Sam's Dot Publishing's link: http://www.samsdotpublishing.com/purchasecenter.htm. She is currently working on her first novel.

EMBRACING THE EGOS
I. SMOKE I am smoke. Trying and dying To hold on To anything at all Before I Pass into Nothing Longing for that Impossible Embrace … An urge to be Held as if I'm solid And eternal.
	II. GOLD I am gold. Anguish melted Liquid metal And passion forged Poured into you Poured into a Mold of my Own making Crafted from An unwarranted Optimism Polished to glittering Brilliance by A loving hand.
		III. FIRE I am fire. Full of Primitive power Fed by changing Winds and Capable of Consuming Those I would warm And possessed of A Midas–like Touch both Curse and blessing To feed on your Breath and being.

STILL SEASONS

Staring down a merciless moon
Reigning in a sky – stark and cold;
Wondering if dreams are frivolous –

A lonely still season.

Traveling a midnight sidewalk,
Deserted like a Mars landscape;
Wondering if that sound, behind, is footsteps –

An anxious still season.

Pushing against ancient tenets,
Like stone sentinels, in an attempt
To make mountains into mobile objects –

A strengthening still season.

Gazing into mirrors to learn
The secret of infinity; becoming
Frightened and fascinated by my own eyes –

A reckoning still season.

KACHINA

ancient kachina …
Pueblo spirit
within a
writer's mind
wind possessed
sand mad
bringing the power
of a miracle

kachina …
residing in
the soul
dancing to
the rhythm
needed for
bringing rain to
a parched heart

kachina …
residing in
the mind
and faithfully
sending sacred
visions – capturing
dreams in the
ceremony of creation

TRYST

In the darkness
She stokes strange fires
To summon her
Lover from wisps
Of purple smoke

Upon her arms
The golden bands
Of her authority
Wink in the
Frolicking light

He answers the
Sorceress's summons with
A masculine power
And a spell
Of his own

They merge and
The harmony of
Their cries and
The heat of their flames
Make frightening offspring

Afterward … silence
And scorched veils
Fluttering like
Beating wings
Against the night sky

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