andtheny - Hello Poetry

It was not his marriage Nor his divorce The estranged couple were no strangers But they were not his friends He'd simply witnessed the marriage from its conception Spent years working parallel to it All three of them with sweat and sunburns Until calluses grew on their heels One summer he lost his voice, she sprained a finger And her boyfriend- later fiance- repeatedly tore open the same paper cut Yet still they toiled under the sun Waving their arms like advertising balloons at a car dealership They stood behind a folding table A stack of books, freshly smelling of ink Free magazine, they cajoled, take a free copy! Once they tried bribing pedestrians with pizza Take a slice with your free magazine! They peddled poems that no one wanted to read It was thankless; they were shameless But while he paced in his apartment all these years later Naked Drunk Alone He read poems out loud, gesticulating to an empty room Heedless of his open window He performed The words were flawlessly tragic Delivery: not so much (don't blame a drunk for slurring) Melancholic poems are like fine wine, he thought And drove himself to tears But, he mused, at least I made the sensible choice I didn't go and get tangled Those fools, his peers, had unraveled Separated, but stained Would they ever get clean of it? No, it wasn't his marriage And it wasn't his divorce But he felt sympathy No! Empathy For all three of them would die alone And their poems be buried with them

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Apr 25, 2025

Apr 25, 2025 at 4:42 PM UTC

Skydancers

It was not his marriage Nor his divorce The estranged couple were no strangers But they were not his friends He'd simply witnessed the marriage from its conception Spent years working parallel to it All three of them with sweat and sunburns Until calluses grew on their heels One summer he lost his voice, she sprained a finger And her boyfriend- later fiance- repeatedly tore open the same paper cut Yet still they toiled under the sun Waving their arms like advertising balloons at a car dealership They stood behind a folding table A stack of books, freshly smelling of ink Free magazine, they cajoled, take a free copy! Once they tried bribing pedestrians with pizza Take a slice with your free magazine! They peddled poems that no one wanted to read It was thankless; they were shameless But while he paced in his apartment all these years later Naked Drunk Alone He read poems out loud, gesticulating to an empty room Heedless of his open window He performed The words were flawlessly tragic Delivery: not so much (don't blame a drunk for slurring) Melancholic poems are like fine wine, he thought And drove himself to tears But, he mused, at least I made the sensible choice I didn't go and get tangled Those fools, his peers, had unraveled Separated, but stained Would they ever get clean of it? No, it wasn't his marriage And it wasn't his divorce But he felt sympathy No! Empathy For all three of them would die alone And their poems be buried with them

41

I could say I'm the result of my parents: I'm organized because they raised me to be, Intelligent because they gave me those genes, Short for the same reason- at 4' 10' I'm as tall as I'll ever be. But I know there's more than just that to make me Me. I could say the thoughts in my head were influenced by the books I've read, That my way of thinking is directed by all the words in someone else's head, And that even though half of these people are dead They live on with the readers like you and me. But I know there's another reason my mind thinks as Me. I could say all the little habits I live every day Were first watched when I saw someone else do them that way. I saw my mother’s reserved behaviors and made them my own, I watched Nickelodeon and learned how to crack a joke, And all my memories as I acted upon these things could very well be what made me Me. But I know I'm the only person who truly acts like me. I know that genes made up my body, But do genes decide how I cut my hair? Or chose the color I paint the finger nails my body grows, Decide what clothes my body will wear? I know books influence my way of thinking, But who decided which books I want to read? Wasn’t that Me? I know there's not a habit in this world for me to pick up that wasn't someone else's first, But when I saw someone bite their nails I didn't bite mine too. Instead I paced around my room, not even knowing where I got it from. No one chooses my habits any more than my clothes or my books. I chose those things because I liked them. Because I wanted to. I chose the things that make me. So then if you asked me, "Why are you, you?" I'd say, "Because I want to be."

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Apr 13, 2015

Apr 13, 2015 at 6:00 AM UTC

Why Are You, You?

I could say I'm the result of my parents: I'm organized because they raised me to be, Intelligent because they gave me those genes, Short for the same reason- at 4' 10' I'm as tall as I'll ever be. But I know there's more than just that to make me Me. I could say the thoughts in my head were influenced by the books I've read, That my way of thinking is directed by all the words in someone else's head, And that even though half of these people are dead They live on with the readers like you and me. But I know there's another reason my mind thinks as Me. I could say all the little habits I live every day Were first watched when I saw someone else do them that way. I saw my mother’s reserved behaviors and made them my own, I watched Nickelodeon and learned how to crack a joke, And all my memories as I acted upon these things could very well be what made me Me. But I know I'm the only person who truly acts like me. I know that genes made up my body, But do genes decide how I cut my hair? Or chose the color I paint the finger nails my body grows, Decide what clothes my body will wear? I know books influence my way of thinking, But who decided which books I want to read? Wasn’t that Me? I know there's not a habit in this world for me to pick up that wasn't someone else's first, But when I saw someone bite their nails I didn't bite mine too. Instead I paced around my room, not even knowing where I got it from. No one chooses my habits any more than my clothes or my books. I chose those things because I liked them. Because I wanted to. I chose the things that make me. So then if you asked me, "Why are you, you?" I'd say, "Because I want to be."

32

I want to love a stalker He'd be the perfect date If I told him I was too busy He'd camp outside and wait I want to love a stalker He'd always know the right thing to say Because he'd eavesdrop on my conversations He'd follow me all day I want to love a stalker Then I'd never be alone He'd come after me forever Even when I tell him no He won't accept rejection He'll give me his whole life Even when I say I don't want it He'd never give up, he'd never cry I want to love a stalker Want to fight him and run away I want him to ****** the boys that come near me And carry me away I want to love a stalker Because I have no other choice I want to love a stalker Want him to pin me down and hold me tight I want to love a stalker Because I'm always going to fight If he were a stalker I could say no over and over again And he would never let me go Until I say no while thinking yes

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Apr 13, 2015

Apr 13, 2015 at 5:54 AM UTC

Stalk Me

I want to love a stalker He'd be the perfect date If I told him I was too busy He'd camp outside and wait I want to love a stalker He'd always know the right thing to say Because he'd eavesdrop on my conversations He'd follow me all day I want to love a stalker Then I'd never be alone He'd come after me forever Even when I tell him no He won't accept rejection He'll give me his whole life Even when I say I don't want it He'd never give up, he'd never cry I want to love a stalker Want to fight him and run away I want him to ****** the boys that come near me And carry me away I want to love a stalker Because I have no other choice I want to love a stalker Want him to pin me down and hold me tight I want to love a stalker Because I'm always going to fight If he were a stalker I could say no over and over again And he would never let me go Until I say no while thinking yes

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