Monsters
They’re scary
Some are in the closet
Some are under the bed
But you want to know a secret
The scariest monsters
Are in our heads

Ruined what was left
Lies and lust made me lose you
Heart broken again

the roads may be long and the mountains are steep, we pay a price for the company we keep.
the lessons we learn lined with sorrow and pain, we wonder if we'll ever be happy again.
you've been gone for awhile the prodigal son,your inheritance spent and your heart weighs a ton.
but the father rejoiced when he noticed his child, his arms opened wide in his forgive my son style.
you see your place in his kingdom was there all along you may have thought he'd be angry, thank God you were wrong.

If words were your dress
then I'd be a king,
sinking in your dazzling brilliance
as people came to look
and ponder
over what you just
said

not naming names,
100 proof in my veins.
i cant be the same
when i'm drinking again

didnt know i was nostalgic
for self-reckless sadness
and if i go,
well, wouldn't that be tragic.

I know
You care about me
10 more people do
Yet I can't get rid
Of this feeling
Of doom

I know
I have you
10 more people too
Yet I can't find a person
To talk to
late at night

I am the next wind
which crosses your neck.
The raindrop on your cheek.
When you wake up
tomorrow I will be the
crease on your face, the
tangle of your blanket.

Know this then, I will
never leave you.  The
scent of me lines your
breath.  

So now I lay me down
to sleep. I pray my soul is
yours to keep.

Amen


Caroline Shank

I went to your wedding
The woman I love
Marring another man

The service was beautiful
You in your dress
He in his tox
Standing under the arch
At the front of the church

The preacher was giving The " I Dos"
The preacher turned to you
Before you said "I do"
You called me to tthe front

When I got up there
You pulled out a knife
You stabbed me in the chest
Then you told the preacher to continue and said "I do"
You were both married

I woke up in a sweat

Goodbye Poetry

There will be dancing
On that joyous occasion
That moment
When I just
Am
There will almost certainly be dancing
Of the body
Of the spirit
In that moment
When I breathe
Deeply
When the clock stops ticking
When I quit keeping score
When there is no "more"
Or "next"
Or "because"
When there just
Is

A funny thing about forever..
--it never, ever ends..

and so   neither will we.

The spirit is free from
all of this-- it will  always
remain lit..

only the flesh goes dark  
as we  leave  its earth-laden husk, behind..

But the core-heart of Love's true ache  will always,
always Remain.

Not everything needs a poem
Sometimes
it’s already

good enough.

Red were the roses, the ones I left on your casket,
Orange were the leaves, the ones in your tree,
Yellow were the bruises, the ones that covered you head-to-toe,
Green were the stains, the ones left on the hems of your jeans,
Blue were your lips, the day you were found in your noose,
Indigo was the night sky, that night that you died,
Violet was that bruise, the one you wore around your neck

your name is
forbidden in
my mouth
or in my heart
because when
i think about
you;

i'll cry a little more,
hurt a little stronger
love a little softer
because you no longer
make me feel sober

i'm drunk on the
memory of you

the pain you try to cover up deep inside your heart,
the abuse that you endured just ripped your world apart.
the anger that you cannot shake how ever hard you try.
Day by day it eats at you but doesn't tell you why.
Everyday you mask your hurt afraid that someone just might see,
I'm here to tell you Jesus does and longs to set you free.
What ever it was that happened
you are not to blame, the source of your unhappiness , your ill
unwanted shame.
gently kneel and bow your head , open up your heart.
you don't have to change a thing
Jesus loves you just the way that you are.

There is no better teacher than pain.
No better coach than sorrow.
As long as you make it through
'til tomorrow.

Break my bones;
cut my throat.
Pull me open,
learn the ropes.

Breath me in;
taste the fear.
Shank my skin;
stand and cheer.

Kick my head;
let me bleed.
Unbolt my veins;
enjoy the read.

Gouge my eyes;
punch my face.
Wrap me up
in your embrace.

If you could read my mind,
You’d see a thousand papers
Filled with broken poetries
And deadbeat proses
Full of woeful verses
With mournful pieces
Of unfinished stories
That are yet to be written
And failed to be spoken;
If you could read my mind,
You’d hear horrible screams
And earsplitting weeps
From shattered dreams,
Kept in a nasty notepad,
Scribbled on a bed
Of bloodstained words,
Ringing in my head.
If you could read my mind,
You’d see the shadows
That lurk within me;
You’d hear the bellows,
Screeching the words
“I’m tired,”
“I’m a failure,”
“I’m stupid –”
I know it sounds stupid,
It’s pathetically foolish
And seems like *******.
If you could read my mind,
You’d feel the tears
I had ever failed to cry;
You’d see the people
That make the weak weaker;
You’d see the monsters
That consume my head;
You’d hear the hollers
That failed to be freed;
You’d see the heart
That still bleeds and bleeds.
If you could read my mind,
You’d see the face
I’ve failed to show back then,
The face I’ve faked back then.
If you could read my mind,
You’d see a character
I had ever failed to become
If you could read my mind,
You’d be able to read
A book you never wished
To touch and read,
But sometimes I still wish
Someone could read my mind.

Is a poet still a poet
If they do not write?

A journal gathering dust,
But a yearning to write.
Am I still a poet
Without my inner light?

“Social media is taking over our lives,”
she tweeted angrily.

I never told a lie to you
that I love you
I told a lie to myself
that you love me..

I love him
I tell myself
I know that
We will be together forever
I don’t believe that
We could be separated
My thoughts tell me that
He’s the love of my life
Sometimes my heart lies and says
I could live an eternity
Without him
Like my friends say
“We’re perfect for each other”
And you can’t tell me
He’s not the one.

Now read from bottom to top.