Evan Quitelle has done it again. This compilation of poetry is a beautiful work of art. Sensual, sultry and sexy Signals of Smoke and Ash seduces with every verse. You will enjoy a romantic interlude starting with the title of each poem, and each line of wordplay is foreplay. Evan Quitelle's vision and creativity is brilliant. His words of love and affirmation are intense and powerful as evidenced in the selection "Dwelling on the Past. / I miss the water near Yesterday how we drank with laughter and you taking a dip / I miss the wilderness with wild honey how I borrowed from you and you paying me back / I miss coming down off of our high horse and casting shadows on the sundial / I miss our native tongues your cardinal points and filling the feel of you / I miss standing just outside the frame digging your scene / I miss captured in brief laced hips and satin lips pursed for satisfaction / I miss the pilgrimage south the middle passage how you compass rose and I nourished the bloom / I miss you breaking the fall when I reached out and I held on to holding you / Signals of Smoke and Ash will take you to the plateau and then make you soar. This volume of poetry is an intimate caress.

Signals of Smoke and Ash

By Evan Quitelle

Trafford Publishing

Copyright © 2012 Evan Quitelle
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4669-0394-4

Contents

1. The Angel of Saint Evan's Parish.........................................12. Dwelling on The Past.....................................................23. And Rain.................................................................34. The Bells................................................................45. Taxiing the Runway.......................................................66. Rain Check...............................................................77. The Foundations of Her...................................................88. Pardon My Reach for Heaven...............................................1009. Nursing Her Home.........................................................1110. Amethyst Junction.......................................................1211. Thorns in the Nest of Egos..............................................1312. Blindfolds..............................................................1413. Down To the Gristle.....................................................1514. She Loves Me Knot.......................................................1615. Clouded.................................................................1816. Raindrops for Synthetic Roses...........................................1917. Tender Ness.............................................................2018. Fills Me................................................................2219. The Duke of Diamond Street..............................................2320. The Truth Naked.........................................................2421. Check Mate..............................................................2522. Pecan Parmesan Crusted Rainbow Love.....................................2723. Dancing To the Awkward Silence..........................................2824. Tropical Depression.....................................................2925. An Acquired Taste.......................................................3126. Objects in the Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear.......................3227. U-N-I-Verse.............................................................3328. Rainbow Harvest.........................................................3529. Write As Rain...........................................................3630. Lily in Bloom...........................................................3731. The Good Crystal........................................................3932. Black Lavender..........................................................4033. Life inside the Tortoise Shell..........................................4134. A Serene Moment.........................................................4335. A Mahogany Still........................................................4436. Do It Faux Love.........................................................4537. Faithful................................................................4738. Good Mourning...........................................................4839. Speak Easy..............................................................4940. Puddles.................................................................5141. How to Make Blue........................................................5242. Delicious in Dance......................................................5443. Write All the Wrongs....................................................5544. Uncle...................................................................5645. I the Storm.............................................................5846. Blue You a Kiss.........................................................5947. Turning Iraq Around.....................................................6048. Anyes...................................................................6149. Conversations with the Clif.............................................6250. When The Chip Is Down There Is a Blessing Coming Up.....................6351. The High Priestess......................................................6652. Placing Bet's...........................................................6853. Even the River Bends in Prayer..........................................6954. Mauvelous...............................................................7055. The Keeping Room........................................................7256. Fills My Bucket.........................................................7357. Signs of Rain...........................................................7458. Between Buttermilk Buns.................................................7559. The Pugilist............................................................7760. Borrowed Wings..........................................................7861. The Ocean's Point Of View...............................................7962. The Scenic Route........................................................8063. Baby's Breath...........................................................8264. Lemon Serenade..........................................................8365. Before You Evanesce.....................................................8466. Signals of Smoke and Ash................................................8667. To Flavor with Grace....................................................8968. The Messenger Bag.......................................................9069. Breakfast with D.E.L.L.A................................................9170. Tuesday in Mourning.....................................................9271. The Beginning of Her Happy Ending.......................................9372. A Breath of Fresh Heir..................................................9473. Honey in Full Moon......................................................9574. The Southside of Heaven.................................................96

Chapter One

The Angel of Saint Evan's Parish

Ardor is the sconce
an angel provoking light
now I have vision

      Dwelling on The Past


    I miss the water near Yesterday
    how we drank with laughter
    and you taking a dip

    I miss the wilderness with wild honey
    how I borrowed from you and
    you paying me back

    I miss coming down
    off of our high horse and
    casting shadows on the sundial

    I miss our native tongues
    your cardinal points and
    filling the feel of you

    I miss standing just
    outside the frame
    digging your scene

    I miss captured in brief
    laced hips and satin lips
    pursed for satisfaction

    I miss the pilgrimage south
    the middle passage how you
    compass rose and I nourished the bloom

    I miss you breaking the fall
    when I reached out and
    I held on to holding you


      And Rain

    Walking along the
    chocolate sands
    of the ocean floor
    holding hands
    filling the cerulean gap
    disrobed from
    the weight of waiting
    I want to feel your hands
    undoing the best of me
    then tying me all in knots
    there are only two things
    I love more
    filling the
    cerulean gap
    calligraphy
    the beautiful
    writing of
    the pen
    and rain

The Bells


The clouds in her eyes
began a down pour
the petals from the trees
were white like snow
as they took flight in the wind
a Philadelphia rain was in the air
and it was the palsy that caused
another crack in the belle

      Taxiing the Runway


    Momentum is building
    not quite ready to take flight
    but soon all things will be soar
    she is going to recline
    decline things on ice
    her life is more than just peanuts
    she is the pilot of her destiny
    on the verge of being great
    with her feet firmly on the ground
    the turtle's dove is about to take heir

Rain Check


Pushing her hips out the door
was necessary otherwise
the dialogue between us
would have been in tongues
if she had any intentions of
letting out her sails and if my
honorable intentions were meant
to soar then I had to watch
those curves take the door


The Foundations of Her

She gave me an hourglass
so that I would have her time
I planted a seed between
child bearing hips
so that she could give
birth to love
upon bedclothes
just exposed
her foundations were laid
juxtapose


Pardon My Reach for Heaven

When you sold Girl Scout cookies
and I collected merit badges
when I played tee ball and
you wore that funny looking tutu
that made you itch when you
were still daddy's little girl and he
would bounce with you on the see saw
when I rode the shoulders of my father
and gave piggy back rides to sister
when you were a tomboy following
your big brother around and I was
doing what boys do when you became
rebellious and I made the team
I did not want to hold your hand
I wanted to hold your attention


Nursing Her Home

She is jealous of the pen
she is jealous of the serene moments
she is jealous of just the right shoe
jealous of Clif the twig and Bet
she is jealous of the Basileus
jealous of the stethoscope
that hears my heart beat
of my funny bone because it
is able to make me smile
all this jealousy makes her crazy
and I am jealous of the padded
walls that circumscribes her

      Amethyst Junction


    She is the birth of a flower and I am committed to her bloom
    I am committed to the butterfly even while she is in her cocoon
    I am committed to her clouds because surely she is high enough to reign
    I am committed to the chameleon though her season is apt to change
    I am committed to healing I know it is only a bruise
    I am committed to cerulean, indigo and all shades of her blues
    I am committed to the scars they are her marks of beauty
    I am committed to watering her fields for I am a duty
    I am committed to the groundhog leaving her without a shadow of doubt
    I am committed to Brie oh to see her ripen so devout
    I am committed to the heart I am her word of function
    I am committed to Lavender for she is the amethyst junction
    I am committed to the mirror image for it is a reflection of her
    I am the cypress knee in Eden committing to the gardener


      Thorns in the Nest of Egos

    In relations to golf
    a hole in one
    is a shot from the tee
    eagle is two under par
    birdie is one under par
    par for the course
    starts with foreplay
    and since you refuse to stroke my ego
    you are unable to come
    enjoy the waterfalls of Heaven


      Blindfolds


    What good is a blindfold
    if I have tunnel vision
    and your thigh casts
    a shadow on the light
    at the end
    obstructing my rearview
    my only option is to
    light a peripheral fire
    causing you to consider
    my point of view


      Down To the Gristle


    I love your smile
    your sultry style
    the way you walk
    that country mile

    love your full moon
    your exit in June
    the way you come
    not a minute too soon

    I love your eclipse
    your scarlet hips
    from your toes
    to your finger tips


      She Loves Me Knot


    I sent her flowers
    with a lavender bow
    but perhaps there was
    not enough sunlight
    perhaps not enough
    nourishment
    maybe I did not water
    enough
    maybe I should have
    communicated better
    and given a cause
    to take root
    because just like
    the relationship
    the flowers died

Clouded


There is a wolf in the sky
I know that you see it as a cloud
but there is definitely a wolf
its bark is like thunder and its
bite is lightning
beware this is no time to sleep
beware do not count this wolf as sheep

      Raindrops for Synthetic Roses


    The greenhouse is not serving its purpose
    all life has withered and died
    what do we do with things that no longer
    have a purpose
    if we tear it down then where will we go
    when we want to plant a seed
    where will we go when
    love is in bloom
    and there is a need to nourish the flame
    what do we do with raindrops
    when life is a synthetic rose


      Tender Ness

    The bed is tattered and torn
    from years of abuse
    should have been replaced long ago
    too much sleeping going on
    and not enough embrace
    sometimes a bed is meant for
    more than just sleep
    sometimes it is meant for
    lavender and lilies
    sometimes it is meant
    to plant tenderness


      Fills Me


    Second class citizen Wednesday is
    she is middle of the week
    she is not my beginning or my end
    she is my journey half full
    she is a blessing she has healing power
    I have gladly traded all of my flock
    just to elevate on Wednesday
    because she makes the middle weak


      The Duke of Diamond Street


    Pink Champale on poker nights
    right after the kids were all tuckered
    from playing king ball where I ruled
    or jacks and double Dutch and
    Chinese Jump rope and hoops
    on milk crates and tops in the
    streets and mother may I
    go outside because the girl
    next door has blossomed and
    I have my first Italian ice crush
    and I want to share my last
    now and later


      The Truth Naked


    I want the truth naked
    down to the gristle
    like in the garden
    before the serpent
    when even the tortoise
    relinquished its refuge
    I want bared souls
    and hearts in the wilderness
    let your cloak fall to the earth
    and become dust
    show me your freedom
    you say with confidence
    that you desire to be elevated
    let go of the things
    that are holding you down
    let go of your waits and soar

Check Mate


I have longed to be above it all
or as calm as the ocean floor
I want to have the advantage on Venus
at love to serve in her court
and I will be
every day the knight for my queen
as she holds me captive

      Pecan Parmesan Crusted Rainbow Love


    Imagine the rainflower
    refusing to bloom
    then you will understand
    why I no longer want
    to remain friends

    love has blossomed


      Dancing To the Awkward Silence


    There is
    a woman
    that has
    never seen
    the rain

    no matter
    how she
    dances she
    is unable
    to stir
    the waves

    there is
    a trial
    in tribulation
    desert

    no matter
    the volume
    of her
    frequency


      Tropical Depression


    Even
    the
    horizon
    longs
    to
    be
    sipping
    on
    a
    sunrise
    sunset
    replacing
    strawberries
    with
    kiwi


      An Acquired Taste


    To
    survive
    in
    the
    trenches
    when
    love
    is
    the
    only
    ration
    you
    must
    savor
    every
    morsel

    when
    there
    is
    no
    surrender
    you
    will
    find
    flavor
    in
    the
    retreat


      Objects in the Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear


    When
    the
    object
    of
    my
    affection
    is
    far
    away

    I
    look
    for
    a
    reflection
    of
    herself


      U-N-I-Verse


    Words

    can
    not
    explain
    how
    I
    just
    want
    it
    to
    be
    you
    and
    I
    pair
    a
    phrasing
    this
    world
    but
    you
    belong
    to
    the
    universe


      Rainbow Harvest


    Every
    day
    is
    a
    new
    color

    yesterday
    was
    black
    and
    white
    embellished
    in
    teal
    but
    today
    is
    blue
    and
    voluptuous
    lime
    softly
    caressing
    chocolate
    diamonds
    and
    buttermilk
    buns


      Write As Rain


    If you were here
    there would be thunder in the backyard
    and things would be all wet

    if you were here
    there would be puddles to splash in
    and pockets would be plenty

    if you were here
    there'd be promises of rainbows
    and we'd spoon after soup and sandwiches

    if you were here
    life would be poetry
    and it would be write as rain


      Lily in Bloom


    I
    appreciate
    you

    Lady
    I
    Love
    You

    how
    your
    perfume
    lingers
    and
    permeates
    my
    world
    you
    are
    my
    rain
    flower
    you
    make
    my
    words
    beautiful


      The Good Crystal


    I want to save
    the good crystal
    I wish that every day
    could be that special
    I want to sit by
    the window and watch
    the rain forever
    to savor every drop
    I want to confess
    to her my sins
    how I dipped my quill
    into too much ink
    and tattooed my words
    across too many pages
    I want to save
    the good crystal
    and on the next occasion
    she can save me


      Black Lavender

    I travel at the speed of dark
    and you are the light
    that keeps up with me

    I am cooled in the deepest shade
    but you are the color
    that permeates my soul

    I am midnight
    intoxicated by
    your moon shine

    I am a black butterfly
    happy to be dancing
    in a field of lavender

    I am a dark continent
    that thinks the world of
    you


      Life inside the Tortoise Shell


    Even the iridescent butterfly had to cocoon
    and the chameleon has to adapt to change
    the mantis believes in prayer and
    even though it is a tangled web to weave
    the black widow dines on love
    the moth in its burning desire thirsts for the flame
    and upon hearing the music the worms dig the groove
    the ants take to the hills and
    the frogs have taken a leap of faith
    but my life is spent inside the tortoise shell
    taking up refuge with you

A Serene Moment


I yelled stop to the wind as if I had the power
for some reason it stopped and started again
mocking me as if to say did you forget your place
it is not your arms that are too short but your legs
not long enough to keep step to the cadence of love
life was serene for a moment but I continued to sing
off key there is no perfect melody under the sun
so I aspire to put its shine under my feet

      A Mahogany Still


    French manicured fingernails attached to dainty hands
    the extension of a skinny arm rested on the curve of her hips
    her elbow brushed against me as I attempted to squeeze past
    down the crowded Market Street I stopped a mahogany still
    as I eyed the outfit a moss green and then I noticed that in the
    reflection in the store front window she wore nothing but a halo
    and sage eyes and as I turned to glance she was more beautiful
    than the reflection and I imagined her in the outfit from the window
    at a restaurant overlooking the harbor where a clock ceased
    to keep time in between heart beats and breaths on hiatus


      Do It Faux Love

    You collagen
    you thin thin
    too constant
    you implant
    you nip and tuck
    you liposuck
    you quest bigger bun
    you sensational no. 1
    you yaky
    you remy
    roots do dye
    chameleon eye
    you nose tweak
    to change the peak
    to perk them up
    you double cup
    you enhance
    for circumstance
    purse your lips
    acrylic tips
    you smaller box
    you Botox
    decrease you mass
    you by pass
    the sag the shift
    the drift you lift
    you beauty diminish
    as you faux finish

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Signals of Smoke and Ashby Evan Quitelle Copyright © 2012 by Evan Quitelle. Excerpted by permission of Trafford Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.