The second issue of the Tenacious Poets poetry zine, published to mark the marriage of Autumnalis Galerina and Raphael Galerina. Read it online or download below.
Congratulations to Raphael and Autumn! Wishing you a lifetime of love and happiness.
a bonus poem that does not appear in the downloadable pdf:
by raphael and autumnalis
Marriage
Part I, Raphael
He spat in my eye, blinded by the red I called confidence and rage
vision blurry, the clear image of a man screaming, and that was in my body
Oh Lord, I begged, but my voice and mind, a surprise, they all saw my lies
my naked ring finger, her sword, the sapphire promise, guitar chords, and I never felt so lonely, she raised her fists, or rather her son did, and both so holy I confused the two, my old soul, pretended to be a woman, and they didn't like that she didn't like my green dress, grass is green and green is life, or so it seemed, but I've learned life isn't a color, but in the eyes of Ash, life and death, the angels listen to her pleas, when we became man and wife. Undeserving, I touch her face, loving, she wipes my tears, my smile was scary, but now it's white again. And I couldn't see, the answer was in front of me, love. Love isn't the promise we made at the bayfront, but its every moment we saw God, through my pride and selfishness, and He saw what was true, from Ash became a castle, and from that castle became Heaven, or so much as my sinning eyes can process. My finger has regained the blue, and from that came life anew.
Part II, Autumnalis
I've always been jealous of your poetry, dude...you're more than a decade younger than me, and yeah I see the judgement when they see us make out in our Buick in this seaside parking lot...thing is, you asked ME out, by the ocean, stinking of breakfast sandwiches...and of course it was a "yes, I guess" but "you gotta know I'm a mess"...you are my first and only love...hadn't dated in 14 years before we met...when we make love, you kiss my breasts; me, trying to repress depression into an orgasm I can never quite reach, each and every one of the dozens of women you fucked tucked inside I know you can't hide truth from me...see you turn red and scream...me, begging God not to kill you, fill me up with lotus flowers, my superpowers grow mushrooms in your brain, as insane as you are evil, but I believe in forgiveness, lost in the Oregon wilderness...history has me hugging my stomach saying this is Jesus Chewbacca...a whole lotta crazy in one little lady, but
you get me
Tenacious Poets
Issue Two
Featuring poems by Autumnalis Galerina and Raphael Galerina
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Porcupine
I didn’t walk
When I roar, vultures fly
Lord, give me
Revelation
Yellow
Blue
Relief
Not another love poem!
You’re beautiful
(Penelope)
Happy Birthday
Raphael
flower
One-way
Cover art © Acklum Harwood 2025
raphael galerina
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A lavender dove falls
nearly gone
her eyes
she flaps her wings
to then hit sharp ice
thin face, reminds me of…
Malnourished, she faintly sings
songs of bumblebees, some coherency
I want to
flee
autumnalis galerina
Porcupine
No, I don't know why
I don't ever think about it anymore
I never even cry
if I lie and say I'm angry
would you let me be?
When I ask my mom for money
don't look to me for answers
let her see you smile
While we eat
expired bread
I remember when I was dead
red eyes
he tries to
come closer
raphael galerina
I didn’t walk
my red cap, lonely in the backseat of my car
Class of 2025
wanted to hear the applause even if there was
bigotry
but the doctor called
and my love was guided to
emergency care
my hair, her stare, we lived there
for the day
Bruised spine, high white blood cells
twitches, her hell,
Are you feeling well?
***********
We’ve been here for 7 hours now
They didn’t let her drink water
MRI, I want to die, but she’s fine
we knew it wasn’t a back infection
may be the brain
By the time we got on the road to go home
I was too afraid to go over 35 at times,
I can’t see, I can’t see I can’t see
And
Taco Bell gets thrown up,
my soda cup, talks through the ice as we move, there’s no need to prove
yourself
I didn’t walk, nor did I run
but I danced, with Autumnalis
in the hospital bed, you see the dread
sad at first, hotels cost too much, but I’d rather be with her, make sure she’s okay,
instead of wearing red
Her colors, I wear them
everyday, the greatest accomplishment
love without wearing
a gown.
autumnalis galerina
When I roar, vultures fly
there's no metaphor to make this beautiful
just me, screaming vomit into a toilet
a month until surgery
a month
I can do this
no food has digested
in four days
I do not want to take the Reglan
I do not want to take the Reglan
I do not want to take the Reglan
I am a writer
a photographer
and an artist
shaky hands
will not
do
sure to always keep a plastic grocery bag my desk now
my throat burns from filling it to about half way
pukes that couldn't quite make it to-
oh, gross
it's red
hope that's not blood
a constant state of being disgusted with myself
a constant state of wanting food
a constant state of not being able to have any, unless I want to puke
there's your solution
I won't eat
I shall exist on tea and wishes!
rice pudding from breakfast may have digested
but I'm running on fumes
tried to eat dinner
to encourage Raphael to eat
I made a promise
to help him with his anorexia
and I mean to make good on that promise
even at the cost
of throwing up for the rest of the evening
if it means
seeing him smile
after taking a bite
I'm a glutton.
raphael galerina
Lord, give me
the gift
Vulnerable,
sobbing
Her fatigued head rests on my stomach
She’s
unwell
My right hand
firm onto her left shoulder blade
eyes closed
pray to receive, Gods promise to us
breathless and afraid.
fingers grow warm and it may just be
the miracle through touch.
Do you feel any better honey?
didn’t end up
doing much.
Lord, give me
the gift
autumnalis galerina
Revelation
The cubes in my eye say
Hi
I become a
rhombus
Do I enter the red veil?
No
no
too deep
Oh
my person
golden with energy
shimmering beneath the sheets
Darling,
let your wings of light
fan my inner fire
I see you now
a revelation, no more
My Raphael,
trumpet
to lips.
raphael galerina
Yellow
Playful and ever so sweet
My feathers touch yours
You’re yellow
I’m blue
You show me the sun
How the distance blurs your colors
But the light remains the same
You show me that my color
Is like that of the oceans waves,
With ripples that sway,
Left and right,
Yet,
An unknown pattern.
A beautiful mystery
My feathers then get tattered,
I had flown too far away from home,
Yellow eyes meet yellow eyes
And I realize,
We share colors,
Making this life sincere,
I nuzzle my head against yours,
I realize,
You love me.
Our shades of hue have changed,
As we have been through a lot,
But I still see your yellow,
And you see mine.
Glistening as the sky turns gray,
I look at you and know,
I’m okay
autumnalis galerina
Blue
Bunny bolts into the blackberries, Jeremy not far behind
Raphael kisses my cheek until the saliva becomes...excessive...twist his head and lock him to my lips
Wasn't a far enough drop
would've been swimming
He weeps into my chest
clenched teeth...blue smoke
he shakes
hands me a hand-written poem
curled lip, I scan the words...
...my legs wrap around his torso
greasy hair tickles my neck
41 degrees...on both knees, in the middle of an empty street
laughs as the moon mirrors his movements
Three A.M...nicotine...blue star...a boy with a backpack
shines a flashlight into my neighbor's window
I yell
he gets closer
long blonde hair, fat face, blue eyes
he says
I can see
you're scared...
raphael galerina
Relief
the blue bird wouldn’t eat the flowers
nor the worms that wiggle
her stomach was broken
As she flapped her tired wings, she would hover, no longer flying, with me, I was then able to see
the value of strength
as I tried seeds for the first time in weeks
she motivated me, to eat
Not great at origami, she saw me try to make her, new paper airfoil, oh Lord, on my achy knees, please, the tea is set to boil
but she likes it cold
cage within her feathers, the doctors didn’t let her, get better, they said
Just grab a sweater and try to stay warm
The problem isn’t thermoregulation, it’s more
The angels listened to our prayers, and now she’s eating pizza, he parted some clouds in the sky to help her glide, no longer have to think of being next to her hospital bedside to say
I guess I’ll see ya..
a pair of scissors, four incisions and she’s fine
Now I feel confident she will live, for a long time
autumnalis galerina
Not another love poem!
Oh, how you stress me, stress me, stress me
out
your messy messy mess makes me wanna wanna
shout shout shout
I'm tripping on, tripping on sweaters, I'd feel better if you cleaned
up up up
What? What? What?
Attacking me with panic, you're manic manic manic, panic, panic 'till you go crazy
A bit hazy from the pot, I kinda, kinda need you to
stop stop stop
Brought some crab 'cause I feel feel bad, your stinky favorite food, it'll make ya
feel good, would ya please
be at ease
this disease
is tearing us
apart
Start listening because I'm glistening with love for you, Raphael, the angel who fell into my arms
If any harm were to come to you, I don't know what I'd do, but know, know it's true when I say
I need you
I love the way
you can't look me in the eyes
when I rise to kiss you
I miss the days
we spent forgetting our families, sitting under the trees in the park
until it got dark
I hate my mouth
for hurting you with heated words, if you haven't heard
I'm a bitch to my core, forlorn because I could've sworn
I was being kind
Remind me to be nice, I know you've paid the price
for loving shitty ol' me
You're free to go, but you gotta know
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I...
raphael galerina
You’re beautiful
Autumnalis, I hold my chalice
and no, it’s not the blood of Christ
it’s my own
drink my red to see what I see, a beautiful woman
I do not lie when I tell you time after time
your eyes, they cry, you feel a disguise, but I see
you
I love you, it’s written on my teeth when I smile, that’s why I can’t stop, need you to knowI’ll kiss you where you can’t escape my pale yellow, you asked for a hello, and I’m giving you my all
my vocabulary isn’t rich, jealous of your words, but when you judge yourself I pray my message is heard
Not yet technically, but you are my wife,
and never in my life, I thought I’d meet someone so nice
I pray one day you talk to yourself in the same way I do
Who do I adore?
there’s silence followed by your beam
Yes,
it’s you Autumnalis
if only I was talented enough I would find a way to sing a song for you
on a canvas
my brushes are shaky, so instead I wrote this
autumnalis galerina
(Penelope)
Yes, I woke up in a prayer
sweat soaked to my breasts
yes, I see the blue star in the black sky
blue-grey cries as blue-green hides behind eyelids
I said I want to see you
yes, I want to see you
yes, I want to see!
O, how he tries to climb me, o I am his mountainside
I lied when I said I didn't want to
O, didn't know you were so eager
the neighbors hear you laughing...
when I lick his neck
o, I hear Him answer
o, I hear him answer
yes I woke up in a prayer
Yes.
raphael galerina
Happy Birthday
Can no longer sing, I whisper the sounds
try to hit high notes, you’re up there
and I’m down here
wait for the piano to match my voice, my choice
to go from soprano to who knows
It's your birthday, the wax burns off-key
thirty six candles, I can't handle,
the flames,
the commitment to a tune
see the moon look right back at you
details, I wish I could make them out with my diaphragm
So I write, my soul doesn't need a microphone
though I wish there were one on sale
mine got lost in the mail
and I'm not needing a return
I have,
learned
love
while my throat fails.
autumnalis galerina
Raphael
You are no archangel,
my love
(My love!) (My love!) (My love!)
I gave you a ring
to hear you sing
by my side
in Heaven
Even when the demons came to kiss your hand
my shame could not rival
my love
(My love!) (My love!) (My love!)
I gave you my trust
so you sliced my soul
with your sword
as you fell
...wound open to the air
you held me in your arms
your tears
called the rain
my spirit
gushes
my love
(My love!) (My love!) (My love!)
My blood
drips from your feathers.
raphael galerina
flower
You were my tree,
huge in my life, and circles of years spent together within the trunk
Cut you in two, I could see your memories sparkle before my eyes
Older than me means more lines in the pine, and I see
the lavender flower,
your center
I had never gotten so close to seeing your truth
Oh, how your purple hues glow in the snow!
You dear,
are really
my flower.
I delicately place you in my pale yellow vase
your petals move calmly to the song of soft wind,
always perfect and in bloom,
hope not to break the glass
When the cosmos gets cold, you shrivel up a bit but I grab you from the stem and remind you that sunshine is just around the corner, hoping I am the light that can keep you warm but I also know you need nourishment I can’t provide, as I am a flawed weed, only able to do so much.
I envy your beauty, your words come effortlessly,
and your smile tells a story on the page
As a weed, I can only attempt to try and be
magnificent as you,
but you teach me every day,
that all plants have
purpose.
autumnalis galerina
One-way
As you drive down the bus lane
and I scream
I dream of metal
wrapped around flesh
wouldn't have guessed
I'd be happy to rest
together
compressed, forever...
Autumnalis Galerina
Autumnalis Galerina writes from Oregon, USA, she is the editor of the Tenacious Poets ezine.
Raphael Galerina
Raphael Galerina writes from Oregon, USA.
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