My sister never used to shut up
And I would scream until she would stop.
The people on my morning bus
Who refuse to read the paper silently
Often are met with my glare.
I spend most days telling people
That I do not care about their
Mundane lives, as a way to be honest-
I hate people who talk too much.

Yet the other day I found myself
Enamored by his voice,
As he pondered out loud what he
Should have for lunch.
As we sat together I only got
Three words in-
Not that I was counting-
But for the first time, I did
Not mind.

For his voice lit up the
Spark in his eyes,
And his words were not harsh
But a melody that could calm
Even the tightest muscle in my body.
His lips moved like ocean waves, so
Soft, creating a space that felt like our own.
As I sat across from him, I thought
I could listen to this man for the
Rest of my life.

The casket is open
Yet my eyes remain closed
I can feel the cold air
Pressing down upon me
But somewhere in my conscious
I know that it is not truly there.
The feelings-
Will be buried with me
And so far I can only feel calm.
I wonder what the dirt will smell like
Or who I will meet in the ground.
I have no sense of fear,
God will soon lead me home.
Until then I will let my family
Feel my hands that have been folded
Across my chest-
I feel like a child once again.
So worry free
Unafraid of what comes next,
As they lower me down
I feel blackness surround me.

With my brown skin glimmering
No one would have known the way
You hid me from the sun

The feeling inside me
Was not with me at birth
But instead a gift
From the one who loved me
The most

At ten years old
With a kiss to the cheek
That burned like fire;
A hatred seeped into me
And set me ablaze

In the most painful way its
Smoke billowed out of me
With every breathe I took
While scorching my mouth
On its way out

Until the day
My throat callused over
Leaving me able to breathe
Sweet fire like crisp autumn air

Allowing a dragon
To be reborn
From the scorched pain
Left by its creator

My legs were shaking
so uncontrollably
as I inched my way towards the
cold tile floor
on a Friday afternoon

It climbed up my spine
Into my hands
as the water in the cup
Shook and spilled
onto the floor

I look at the new mess before me
then up at the one in the mirror
staring right back
as I realize
as of now
only one can be helped

Because the shakes came
and left just as quick
but the thoughts that clawed
my skull
took root within my mind for weeks
on end

And after they grew comfortable
they invited the guest of honor to vacation
within the gaping hole of emptiness
that existed within my chest

Except when he was there it didn't
feel so empty
only heavy
and even though i asked them to leave
they had grown too comfortable
with my discomfort
to give it all up