James R. Whitley

Let There Be a Purple Heaven

Let there be a throne of crushed velvet and a tiara
of amethysts and lavender jade waiting for you.

Let there be lilac and forget-me-nots bowing before you
in that perfumed breeze.

Let there be wild plum trees always in bloom.

Let there be an inexhaustible supply of purple nail polish.

Let there be more blueberry cheesecake than
you know what to do with.

Let there be champagne rain.

Let there be shallow pools shimmering with violet-hued fish.

Let there be songbirds with voices like Smokey and Aretha.

Let there be fireflies with bellies like glowing grapes.

Let there be mystery and suspense novels galore,
starlight bright enough to read them by.

Let there be a mild indigo moon.

Let there be stillness and as much solace as you require.

Let autumn winds never blow.

Let there be nothing shaped like debt crawling around.

Let misgivings be unwelcome there.

James R. Whitley's poetry has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and has appeared or is forthcoming in several publications, including Barrelhouse, Can We Have Our Ball Back?, The Dublin Quarterly, FRiGG, Gargoyle, Mississippi Review, Pebble Lake Review, Poetry Southeast, and Umbrella. His first book Immersion won the Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award. His second collection This Is the Red Door won the Ironweed Press Poetry Prize and will be published in 2007. Whitley is also the author of two poetry chapbooks: PietÃ and The Golden Web.

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