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4.8k · Dec 2012
Mr. HummingBird
Ashley Campriani Dec 2012
Mr. Hummingbird,
How tired you must be.
Do you long for rest,
Enjoy your sleep,
Rest in Peace?

Mr. Hummingbird,
Your wings are so fast,
Blinding speeds!
You Zip, and Whistle By
Unafraid, Untiring, of this world
In it but not of it,
How fast you fly!

Mr. Hummingbird.
How fast your heart beats!
Do you too, Face defeat,
Every day? No, Not you
How good it must be,
To be so free.

Mr. Hummingbird,
You just go on by,
How fast you fly,
But yet you aren't running..
Just Humming while you work.

I admire you,
Mr. Hummingbird.
3.9k · Apr 2014
when I look at you
Ashley Campriani Apr 2014
everyday is different
Everything is new
Everything is wonderful
when I am with you

I feel loved

I wish that they could see it
I wish that they all knew
I wish they could see what I see
when I look at you

I see your love

I can see it in your eyes
I can feel it when you hold my hand
I can hear it in your voice
That you truly understand

I hear your love

I know that you love me
Beyond a shadow of a doubt
all my fears have been washed away
now I know that's what love is about

love is patient Love is kind
Your love is the only comfort I find

I feel your love

Loves about that first everlasting moment
and everything that comes after
about sacrifice and exchange
It's about joy, sorrow, tears and laughter

true love holds out forever
throughout every task, trial and endeavor

it's about being a witness to their life
And about being your best
So you are the best for them
And wanting to give them nothing less

love is patient love is kind
you cannot break loves ties that bind

You're my only love
this is actually going to be a song
1.8k · Dec 2012
Overcome
Ashley Campriani Dec 2012
The summer rain comes drumming
in a ballad upon my skin
washing away an old life
a life plagued with sin

I walk a little straighter
with my head again held high
Insted of it bowing low
to who ever passes by

Now I am unafraid
of who I am today
and I feel fear of the past
slowly slip away

you no longer blight my dreams
that caused me strife
and caused me misery
I moved on with my life
1.4k · Dec 2012
Hold On
Ashley Campriani Dec 2012
Don't you ever give up
Don't you let go
Don't give up on the world you know
Just because the way is steep
There is so much more life to reap
You will gather together
Your joys and your sorrows
and make for yourself a better tomorrow

Are you really living
are you alive and breathing
Is your heart beating to the drum
Look how far you've come
What have you learned
What have you earned
what did it cost
have you lost are you lost

Do you need for me to find you
Does the morning sun blind you
The twilight is your time
When your true colors show
Its when you want the world to know
What is inside you
Don't think you have to hide you
Especially not from me
Please feel free
Feel the pulse of this life
Don't you see
That all the strife
The misery,
The pain and sorrow
Give you strength for tomorrow
So
Don't ever give up
Don't you ever let up
This storm will pass
You will ready for the next one

You will fly
You'll pass by
All the stress you feel now
It will teach you how
How to hold on and work it through
And it will show in all you do
Don't worry about whats around the next bend
Don't feel like you're falling again
You will never be alone in your troubles
To drown in your pain
I will pull you out,
Don't let the world drive you insane

Don't let others control how you feel
you are in charge, you know whats real
Don't let them sway you
Don't let them betray you
Keep your guard up
and stand your ground
they can never knock you down

But don't be afraid of me
I will let you see
All the pain and misery insecurity
The scars on my heart
what tears me apart
so you can see
how I bleed
that we both bleed red
And all of the things I have told you
Know I really want to hold you
We can keep each other
With our heads above the water
Knowing we won't falter
Giving each other our love and trust
even if the world looks on with disgust
Because we are birds of a feather
we are the same, and we flock together
Our hearts beat as one
To the same drum
And with all these words
That I spill on the pages
What I say never ages
Because the words ring true
Until the world is through
I Love You.

Those words aren't enough
They are said too much
There's no way to describe it
Especially in english
And there's no rhyme or reason
for the way that I'm feeling
But
I love you
I love you
I love you.
1.3k · Nov 2013
Why (Spoken Word)
Ashley Campriani Nov 2013
My daughter is five years old, she is constantly asking the question "why?" I pray to God above me that she never has to use that word in the context that rolled through my mind when I was a young girl who developed early, who didn't understand when men looked me up and down and whistled and yelled catcalls, those men that didn't see my childs face on an adult body. Those people who judged me, because I had a child as a young teenager. Those people who judged without knowing the pain and anguish, and how if not for that little girl in the stroller I would not be alive to speak now. That she was my silver lining on the darkest cloud of my life.
People don't realize that the smallest things they say can tear like razor wire sinking deep into the heart of the young child that was hurt by those monsters lurking in the darkness. That child that was so beautiful that those sick creatures wanted to see the sting and light of fear pour out of her eyes and mouth like the wails of a crying baby. That young girl forever seeing monsters in everyone, every man that looks her in the eye, or touches her or smiles in her direction she fears him, she fears that demon that still grasps her throat when the thoughts and the nightmares come. Those nightmares of the helpless silence that she was reduced to, to the anguish of being alone. She never faces those demons... She looks away in fear and pain and lowers her eyes and let the drooling monsters stare, because she is terrified to open her eyes, to see that demon again. She cuts her skin to make that body that was so lovely that it could not be resisted even when the no that she screamed could not be heard through the smothering hand that covered her face. That little girl hides in the dark..feeling broken...
Until that one man comes into her life. Who could care less about her "assets" and cares for that heart that has so many scars that you can't tell the difference between the stitches. That man, that aches to tell her that she is beautiful, that she is not broken. That all he wants to do is help her through the nightmare that has become her life and memories, To hold her when those nightmares overwhelm her reality. So that she can look into the eyes of that beautiful baby girl and tell her that she too is beautiful. He wants to hold them both from the pain and the anguish... to hear the mothers voice and help her cope with the pain so that the little girl, that came too early in her life would not feel the sting of resentment and the pain that she went through.
How do you tell that baby girl that monsters are real, but not under her bed, they hide in the faces of people, some that she should be able to trust. A Cousin, A Neighbor or family friend, those people that she should be able to trust. That if they say don't tell you better know that is what you are supposed to do, to fight, and scream... And the fear that if you tell her all that, that she will live her life in the same fear that you live.. but if you don't tell her that she will feel the sting of being broken and being torn and having those nightmares become reality...
How do you tell that little child that she is so beautiful... that people want to hurt her.... I wish someone had told me... That I had a voice that could speak out and let it be known.
I found my voice when I was 14 and carrying that beautiful silver lining that is my daughter.
I let it be known, and because of the sacrifice of being publicly humiliated in front of judge and jury, repeating over and over the atrocities that he shoved upon me and my already broken mind... the pain that he inflicted...
Because of my testimony.. That monster could never touch that beautiful daughter of his ever again. Her brothers would never take that beating from daddy while he is drunk or high. He will rot in that prison and he will feel the sting of justice as the pain he inflicted is returned ten fold, and he will feel the pieces of him being ripped out and ripped apart just as he did to those little girls.
The little girl that lifted her chin and spoke out with the help of God and for her unborn daughter that she carried in her young body... They didn't see the youth of her face the monsters only saw her body... I look back at the little girl so torn and broken, and now. I can hug that child that I used to be, and stand hand in hand with my children and face the future, and stand among the children that God has given me, and tell them that they are beautiful...They are so beautiful... And keep a watchful eye in those shadows, trying not to show them the fear that overcomes my heart every time someone speaks to them.
Reminding that precious child that stranger danger is an important lesson, and seeing her friendly face and her want to love the world the same way that I had when I was young before that was used and torn apart... Seeing her run up and hug that teacher that she barely knows, just for the sake of a hug, and feeling that fear crawl up my throat like darkness seeping through the night... seeing myself as a child hugging those people the wrong people... and praying to God that the people in her life are real people and not the monsters of my nightmares that haunt my thoughts day and night...Hoping and praying that she never has to know that fear of silence that fear and self hatred.. never have to ask the question of "Why?" Never having to feel like she is alone and that she can't speak the forbidden words in fear that they will say that she is lying, that she has done wrong, because she feels *****, and fears that the world will see her as *****, ugly, broken.. That she never has to feel that seeping numbness, that want to feel again instead of being the hollow shell of darkness that the monsters have created out of such a loving beautiful child...
I pray...That she never has to ask " God, Why?"
1.2k · Apr 2014
raindrops
Ashley Campriani Apr 2014
raindrops strike the ground
in a rhythmic drumming sound
and all I can think of is you

you are my soulmate
the night on a swing sealed fate
light rain drops fell then too

while I lay in bed
just thoughts of you fill my head
the sound of raindrops come through

and when I wake
A shiver and quake
Because I fear my nightmare came true

I need your hand in mine
you still my busy mind
the way only you can do
1.0k · Jan 2015
Corridors of My Heart
Ashley Campriani Jan 2015
I wish you could walk through
the corridors of my heart
then  you could see,
where pain ends and love starts
It seems as though the love is spreading
to even the darkest of rooms
its leaving me with such a peace
as it flourishes and blooms

Now I see what the books meant
when my friends and authors spoke of love
I had never fathomed how wonderful it is
It is far more beautiful than what I could dream of

They said with true love, there is no fear
and for me that is the hardest thing
that I ever had to hear
I felt my self a creature of the darkest fright
and that I would forever be alone
to toss and turn through the night

That was until you opened my eyes
to what love was truly to be
and the nightmares that once haunted
were then dreams of you and me

My fear at times returns at night
and I awake almost in tears
but I know I just have to call to you
and you'll chase away my fears.
1.0k · Aug 2013
Doors
Ashley Campriani Aug 2013
Gripping the past so eagerly
Strangling the joy from my day.
Bleak understanding and realization
That the only one who can make me move,
Is me.

You can't move me any longer
You can't hold me down either,
for nothing you can say or do,
can I be held accountable
Because I have grown
Stronger.

Your words do linger in my mind
And the sting of your touch.
But now with the longing dying
I can say I don't miss it that much

This hallway is so dark sometimes,
Why am I not moving..
Just staring at the closed, and locked door
To my past. I need to open another door
And close the box of my crimes.
963 · Dec 2012
A Joyful Noise
Ashley Campriani Dec 2012
The wolf cries in passion
in great power and great love
forever in the mercy
of our God above

The birds sing in melodies
and the crickets through the night
hiding behind black veils
and never seeming trite

They all long for one thing
and one thing alone
to be worshiping forever
before Our God's throne

With every fiber in their being
They worship forever on
the wolves with their howling
the birds with their song
880 · Apr 2014
hands on fire
Ashley Campriani Apr 2014
in riddles and laughter
our minds entwine
as your eyes meet mine

And in the struggle to find my words
That have escaped my lips
something inside me rips

and out comes pouring my stories
That I've only wished to tell
you released me from my hell

I was burdened with lonely silence
terrified of the impending fall
but once I leapt from the edge
I wasn't scared at all

and in that moment
thoughts zooming in my head
my face flushes red

It seems my hands caught on fire
The moment that yours touched mine
Also then, I left all my fears behind

and that first kiss
will not be forgotten soon
Under light rain
And in the light of the full moon

now we walk hand in hand
Down the road together
Destined to share our path forever
784 · Dec 2022
Victory
Ashley Campriani Dec 2022
I'll give my love to beauty
No matter what the cost
I will give my heart to peace
No difference what I've lost

I'll give my mind to clarity
And to my soul - sincerity

I'll reach out for kindness
I'll taste its sweet surrender
I'll give in to my dreams
I'll be truth's defender

With every fiber of my being
I will seek and find my joy
No matter what bridges burn
Or what my pursuit would destroy

I'm tired of always being tired
I'm weary from all that's transpired
Im sick of searching for a home
That my heart has never known

I'm done being so downcast
I'm through with my unforgiving past
Its all quickly fading into history
I'm looking forward into victory
712 · Jul 2013
Missing you
Ashley Campriani Jul 2013
Thank you for your hospitality
Thank you for what we used to be
Thank you for what you meant to me
Thank you for setting me free
Thank you for showing me finally
What I can become...
Reminding me of where I'm from

For washing away the rain
from my eyes
When all I could do
was lay down and cry

For showing me that I am all I need
That I can get up while my heart bleeds
For all the advice that I should heed

Thank you for the time we had
Thank you for the good and the bad
Thank you for teaching me to
Look up Look up
When all I see is the empty cup

For holding my hand
Making me understand
that I am worth it...

I was worth it...
..
am I worth it?


For all the moments that we shared
for being someone who cared
for holding me when I was scared
for giving love, unimpaired

I wish that I was more

I wish I could belong

I wish we weren't wrong...

Wishing never got me anywhere
I still can feel my heart tear
Why does this life have to be so unfair
Why look at me with teeth bared
remember what we shared?
remember when you cared?
can't you see I'm scared?


I will always hold you, in my heart
Though I may never hold you, in my arms
I pray you never fall to any harm


Go, Live your life
and I'll live mine
and remember life, from another time
and be missing you...
missing you..
659 · Feb 2013
What I see.
Ashley Campriani Feb 2013
Take the depth of the sea
and the bark of the wise oak tree
Mix them in a mold
And they make your eyes
Looking at me.

Take the midnight sky,
With the stars and how they shine
Spin them on a wheel
And it is your hair,
sleek and fine

Take the volcanos heat
and a bakery sweet
stir it up together
and its your heart beat

Take a satin muave
and the greatest salve
shake it up
and you get your voice
so suave

This is what I see when I look at you
All I'd need to carry me through
My life well spent by your side
Neither of us, ever having to hide

And I can hear your heart beating
Though I am so far from home
You carried my heart with you
and it shall never roam.
For my one true love. Joshua.
Ashley Campriani Mar 2014
Promises  .. Lies painted with hope with a layer of sick sweetness to mask the bitter deceit that drips from your soft lips.. A touch rendered of all inhibition through the naivety of an unconditional love shedding its cocoon of coy flirtation maturing into an adult passion.. When these two collide , the web spinner ties the lover up in a whirlwind fantasy, and the lover shows the silver tongue the pure honey taste of honest, trusting love ....and the guilt settles in then the panic ...what am I without my better half- what if my love finds clarity and exacts revenge...I will crush it here and now before we both are destroyed .... So the lover in her convoluted despair fumbles in this mixture of beautiful dreams crashing with nightmares to find the shards of her heart...as the pieces fall back into place ... The woeful eyes and guilty heart returns... Stay with me - Teach me love and joy... I need you... At first the fear of that reoccurring horror flashes in the lovers heart...the fresh wounds burn and sizzle ...she refutes the love she had and adverts her eyes for once spinning a web of her own building a protective layer instead of a trap for a heart..Then the child of joy and sorrow is born in the presence of his father and mother...The lover breaths in the nostalgic scent of love and joy ..she glistens with beads of peace in his arms ...she exhales her sorrow but her fears still linger but the hope and promise returns...only now his web continued on partial truth...he will love her and be faithful...but not be present to feel its warmth... The heart beat skips in joy for the marriage and in sorrow for the icy loneliness...the fear and panic creeps in but this the heart has dealt with before and shall not fail...so she hopes and promises
608 · Apr 2013
Glass
Ashley Campriani Apr 2013
Walking along.
Picking up the pieces
of a shattered glass.
Cleaning up someone elses mess
Fixing something, that was not yours to fix.
Is it your burden to carry,
To cut yourself on the glass
To bleed for a problem that you did not create?
Will this generate resentment, hate?

I am not a problem,
I am not a burden,
I am no longer shattered,
Though I do have some rough edges.
I would never try to cut you,
Just be careful, Because I have been broken.
and it is easier to shatter, again, after once you have.
And my edges are sharp, when shattered
But, I guess, that never mattered,
You walked right through
a broken life
and did what you do
and took my strife
and replaced it with Truth.
600 · Jul 2014
Galaxies
Ashley Campriani Jul 2014
I saw galaxies and fire in his eyes,
as we spun in the dawning sun
I was rapt with the surprise

the strength of the pull was fierce

the fight seemed never ending
The gaze that he was sending
was making me weak

The shadow veil over his face,
could not hide his eyes from me
as the pieces fell into place
I could finally see.

What am I to you?
He is like a phantom to my mind
He infiltrates my thoughts and dreams
And silences my screams
with but a word.

The heat is searing through me
It washes over my skin, tingling...
like the warm sun in a southerly breeze
and yet, I freeze
I can not speak..
What did he do to me?
566 · Jan 2015
Pieces of my Peace
Ashley Campriani Jan 2015
My life had just been wrecked
My mind twisted in ways it shouldn't
My heart was scattered across the world
My fears surrounded me
the darkness clouded my thoughts
I was plagued with nightmares
the stress was never ending.


Then, In a moment of blinding clarity
I saw your eyes,
they connected with mine from across a room.
That smile, that face, that light that shown
I wanted that light so desperately,
for my very own.
You had a meek assurance
that I had never known
a smile and a hug,
that said I'd never be alone.

I care not for my darkened past
In time they will all be forgotten
I care not for all those angry people
who had tried to turn me rotten...
Because in your love and grace
I find the pieces of my peace
and they all fall into place.
562 · Mar 2013
What will you become?
Ashley Campriani Mar 2013
One sure thing in this life is true,
Everything changes, and so do you.
The course of time will take it toll,
make you weak, or make you whole.
You choose and decide that fate,
with what you sit, and contimplate,
I myself don't have all the answers,
I just learn from my fellow advancers.
I look at everything as a learning opportunity,
good or bad it joins in unity,
Into all the knowledge I've gathered and who I've become,
based off what rules me and what I've overcome.
554 · Dec 2012
Glass To Sand
Ashley Campriani Dec 2012
My heart was already broken
like shattered glass upon the floor
and when I met you
You said it wouldn't break like before
In a sense you were right
it wasn't broken like before
those thin pieces of glass
are now like sand upon a shore

With every tiny speck
I somehow still love you
but the love hurts most of all
because my love is true
And just because you don't love me
the way I thought you had
I will always love you true
And it is this love, that tortures me so bad

You say that you love me
but the shackles to her are too strong
and they will remain unbroken
for in your heart she does belong
there isn't room in a heart
for two loves that are true
so I will go on with my love
until my time on earth is through

And though my heart is dying
My love never will
Even if you stay with her
I will love you still
You brought me a happiness
that I had never known
and just because you broke my heart
The love for you has grown

I will let you go your way
and love her the way I love you
I hope it never brings this pain
I hope she can love you true
And if the love the should fail
and you are drowning in your tears
and you feel your heart dying
then always know I'm here

I will hope forever - You never feel this way
for I have love of other kinds to always keep me here
know that perhaps though you die inside
and it may linger through the years
maybe I am a better choice than death
If she makes you feel this way
I will always be here to help
and to cradle you until your dying day.
536 · Dec 2012
Write the Wrong
Ashley Campriani Dec 2012
What if I hide inside my mind

what if I died inside

Would you have cried

or say good bye

if you'd seen my ugly side

Pain ridden heart

heavy like steel

falling apart

am I real

Its the pain I call hoping

its the will I call faith

that keeps me going

and you are unknowing

Of my fight

every day of my life

just to feel right

to hide my strife

To cover the scars

My bleeding heart

that scatters the floor

I put my game face on

But you can see

that somethings wrong with me

but can't tell what

funny, Even I

Don't know why

the teardrops like rain

that fall off my face

and the darkness that consumes my mind

Ohh I... I feel like I'm blind

What am I not seeing

am I not believing

am I ever enough...?

Enough to help

Enough to provide

Enough to show..

Enough to hide...

Enough love for you

Enough sacrifice

Enough knowledgeable advice

...Never enough...

.
533 · Jul 2022
For Tom. My ex brother.
Ashley Campriani Jul 2022
Seething rage kindled by hateful words
Your hands bruised my baby girl
You tell me it's my fault for not protecting her
My mind weaves hatred in a blur
You despicable low life drunken ****
I should help you remove your smirk
By making you swallow your teeth with your words
For every betrayal ..for every lie..for every tear you made me and my babies cry..

You deserve to die. No worse yet...you deserve to live in all your hate.
To torture yourself in a prison you create
To squander what you have to become grief stricken
Because you know you'll never be forgiven

It's your loss with the bridge you've burned.
Because every pain you have, you've earned
I hope you rot in the hell of your mind
That God hardens your heart and keeps you unkind
That you never get better, and end up alone
High up on your lofty throne
A throne built on S... and lies
Congratulations you're the lord of flies
You deserve worse than what i could do
You deserve to be alone with you
Drowning in your own self pity and doubt
Thinking you're better, as if you have clout
You're nothing to brag about!
You're violent, ugly, cruel and sick
I hope you choke on your own.......
Our family puts the fun in dysfunctional
And I'm through with the game
I pray one day that ill just forget your name.
Ask and I will explain.
532 · Jul 2014
War Torn
Ashley Campriani Jul 2014
You came through my line today,
Your war torn face creased with the experience from the life you have lived,
with the sacrifices that you have given freely.
The freedoms you sacrificed for me to be free.

It was obvious in the pride in your stature if I asked if you needed help,
"No, I can do this" you said in a frustrated tone.
Others might have gotten sassy back, but I saw the meaning.
When your back straightened I saw the feeling.
When I turned and looked at the screen, that showed you on the camera,
I saw your shoulders slump, as if to say, I do need help, but I don't want it.

Your once strong hands fumbled with the card machine.
I turned and asked, "Sir, Have you ever been in the military?"
Your face tightened, but your back straightened again, your chest puffed out,
"Yes, as a matter o' fact I served in two wars." Your voice crackled with pride.

I warmly said thank you for your service, and you asked me if I ever served. I said, No I am a mother of three.
You said, "You serve your country every day, that is if you are raising them right, with the Lord."
"Yes, sir, I do my best" I reply with a shy turn of face.

What you did next shocked me. You clicked your heels and saluted me.
a tear ran down your face. I don't know what I did that struck the cord, but I did.

A tear fell from my eye as well, we shared a moment.

I told you politely that we offer a ten percent discount to veterans, and you smiled wide.
I helped with your card. Then a man helped you put the things in your car.

Humility, and Pride
Joy and Sorrow,
None should you hide
They make a better tomorrow
They all lead you right,
if in equal parts
They help you know when to fight
and when to use your heart.
This is a true occurrence from my job at THD today.
527 · Sep 2022
Drowning in the Rain
Ashley Campriani Sep 2022
My life just keeps getting worse
I swear I feel like I am cursed
I can never see my real worth
because of the nightmare my realty births

I get silenced by the pain
Like I am drowning in the rain
all the little stuff drives me insane
I feel like the price isn't worth the gain

My emotions take me for a ride
through hell while I die inside
submerged in tears I've cried
Why do I feel like I have to hide
507 · Dec 2012
Circles
Ashley Campriani Dec 2012
All I want to do is good...

But at every turn I take

It seems its always a mistake

Even when I'm right

it seems I'm wrong

The words I use never come out straight

I talk in circles and encryptions

That no one understands

Not even me.

I can't tell you how I feel

Not because its not real

But the reason is,

You wouldn't understand

Because I don't understand

why my head is in my hands

I don't know how to say,

How I feel,

I don't know how to portray

With words

Whats in my heart

Whats in my mind

You can search

But I don't know what you'll find

We are really in a bind

Blaming ourselves for the others pain

Are we both blind

Well

Its not you

Its purely me in my problem

Though you'll find a way to blame yourself

No matter what I do, I blame myself

For not helping, or doing more

When I've done all I can

If I'm not helping I am hurting

You have said this yourself

What would you say to me if I said it back

It wouldn't matter now

Because it wouldn't be applied

I can say to you,

Then you turn around and say to me

But the both of us are stuck in a circle

and we are going round and round or so it seems

and we both ar blind to ourselves

we only see the bad

we don't see all we have

we don't take our own advice

.
489 · Dec 2012
A Soul Released
Ashley Campriani Dec 2012
A single tear slides down her face
it falls into her hand
she longs for a comforting place
for her life she can not stand

She stares forlorn at the sky
awaiting a loving rain
the thunder rolls, the clouds they cry
washing away her pain

The tear washes from her palm
and the salt from her cheek
she dances and her world is calm
her world no longer bleak

She finds her soul dancing along
it dances toward the sky
All around it angels join the throng
it turns and waves goodbye
475 · Feb 2017
Who Are We
Ashley Campriani Feb 2017
What did I think you were?
An angel in disguise?
What did you think I was?
A kid hiding behind her lies?

You took me in
under your wing
did you really know?
Did you know everything?

I was a child lost in the store,
You were the parent, sick with worry
You found me
With love, fear and fury

I love the friend I found in you
I love the person I am now
Because you had the faith
I know we will all make it somehow

Brother, You've been there
In my darkest hour,
You were the darkened hand on my shoulder
Behind the scenes, the cloaked power

You kept me uplifted
You kept me on track
I owe you my life
You've always had my back.

I was scared, I was hurt
I didn't understand the things you said
I didn't understand the anger you had
I had no idea how your heart bled
This is a poem for my brother who always had my back. Who I never knew was standing behind me, comforting me. It always seemed he was just behind me breathing down my neck, until I grew up and saw him for who he really was. Thank you Tom.
466 · Apr 2013
Sitting, Wishing, Waiting
Ashley Campriani Apr 2013
Oh what messes we create,
when we are a mess ourselves.
Contented to sit and wait
with our lives upon the shelves.
With shut eyes we wander far
stumbling through the dark.
Wishing on a distant star,
Ignoring what is in our heart.
So why sit idle while time goes by
And look back with wonder, on what was missed
Why not take the joy, and fly
Instead of blinded, with clenched fists?
451 · Jan 2013
Let Go.
Ashley Campriani Jan 2013
I was the victim.
I was the beaten.
I was the ravaged.
I was forsaken.

I had no faith.
I had no strength.
I put the smile on to cover it...

But now... Something has changed..
I never felt this way.

I am happy.
I am strong.
I am faith-full.
I am me.

I let go of fear
I let go of blame
I let go of anger
I let go of shame

I let myself see
The value in me.
448 · Dec 2012
Truth, Or Fears
Ashley Campriani Dec 2012
Do I **** you with words unspoken

Does my fear leave you broken

Does my hiding cause you pain

is our fighting all in vain

As we strain to see the truth

Through this darkened mirror

Do we build regrets, resentments

Or are they our testaments

You say Go,

I say no,

For fear of being cold

for without your arms around me

the world soon surrounds me

it closes in

with all its darkness

the unknown that is my terror

For I am a sparer

I spare your pain as well as others

in doing so I hurt you both

I love one master and the other, hate

I must choose which to satiate

My own fears and curiosity

or our love eternally....

.
445 · Dec 2012
The Human Condition
Ashley Campriani Dec 2012
So many things blight us
So many things inside us,
Why do we have to hide us?

Look at yourself, Unveil

Open your eyes!

No longer see through that Darkened mirror!

What are you afraid of?!

For there is Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself

so analyze! Look within!

Seek where you must begin

To heal yourself, to undo the wrongs

Forgive yourself! Forgive Others!

That will change your life

If you let yourself be happy

If you let your self see..
and if you learn to do this
Learn to set yourself free

Please come back and tell me

So I may learn how too

So I may learn from you...
433 · Dec 2012
The Truth Of You
Ashley Campriani Dec 2012
Insolence is in the eye of the beholder

You look at me and all you see

Is what your mind has made of Me

You don't see me change

You don't care.

Real love, is not a knife in the back

To make up for all you lack

To get your way

You don't cause pain

Or cast the blame

That is not up to you-

Only God can Judge my fate

Your words only feed the Hate

Your condescending and overbearing

Can't you see MY heart tearing?

You can't see anyone but you

I can see the real you

behind the fake smile

and stupid lies...

I see the fear, in your eyes
431 · Jan 2015
Visage of Your Heart
Ashley Campriani Jan 2015
You make the words flow from me like a river from my heart,
but you can stop the rush,
and leave me breathless with just a touch. Just thinking about your hand in mine,
sends shivers up and down my spine,
I think of all the times with my lips pressed to yours,
it seems as though something inside me cries piously for more.
I close my eyes at night, and its your face that I see,
Your smile, your eyes, these memories set me free.
though we are nigh 1000 miles apart,
I carry within my chest, the visage of your heart.
With the protective shadow of your loving embrace,
I know there is nothing that I could not face.
One day I know, I will wake up to your smile...
everything I go through now, will be worth it, in a little while.
So I will hold my breath, until again we meet,
so you can steal it away as you sweep me off my feet
421 · Mar 2013
Changes
Ashley Campriani Mar 2013
My life has changed in the blink of an eye
and as I look back at the years drifting by
I sit and ask myself -
Why?

Why would you go and worry about that
when the answer was right under your hat
when you could have just smiled --
and relaxed

Why did I let those years pass by so fast
why not make every moment last
I look back and just see time --
Passed

Now I wonder what I am doing with my time
Just idling by and making a rhyme
Or am I making moves to
Climb

How long will I sit and ask myself why
How long will I just merely "Try"
Will I just ask away, and let my time
Fly?
416 · Dec 2012
The Battle of Peace
Ashley Campriani Dec 2012
The shadows of my past, washed away with tears,
The darkness that surrounded me, made up of my own fears.
All of this was taken back, to the depths from where it came,
leaving me with innocence, taking back my shame.
The hatred my heart held, and the pain that it inflicted,
are now fading memories, that my words have depicted.
They will not be forgotten, But they will not hold me down,
I will walk away unbroken, with a mind that is sound.
Now with peace in my heart, I walk among the light,
And I will win this battle, It is a battle of peace we fight.
387 · Jan 2013
Dear Boy.
Ashley Campriani Jan 2013
Oh you boy,
Can't you see...
Can't you see what you're doing
Look at your heart,
look at your mind
Only YOU can change it.

You hold the anger, you hold those judgements...
against everyone, and mainly yourself...
Take it from someone who knows...
You have to let go,
You have to forgive
You have to take your life and LIVE
You can't just wait,
For someone to save you...


You and I have grown...
Over the past year, we have grown together.
and the most mature thing,
You have ever said...
was "I'm not ready"

Oh the things you have shown me!
Oh the revelations I've had!
Thank you THANK YOU
for being who you are!

For the good times and the bad!
For the Loving, for the Leaving
For the knowledge, and even grieving...
The tears helped to show me
That I could live without fear...
The pain, helped me get over, the fear of pain itself.

I am happy for you,
I am happy for me
I am happy for the relief!

Don't be feel sad, Don't feel strange
We love one another... its just the wrong time...
We are so young yet, my love...
Lets be the friends that we haven't had the time to be...
Let you be you, and me be me...
384 · Dec 2012
Only You Could Do This
Ashley Campriani Dec 2012
Going frontward, and backward
Through the times of my life
Looking at love, and looking at strife
Seeing what shaped me
Into what I've become
interested in where I'm from.

My love of all, as well as fear
Both trying to control me
But I know its love that can set me free
I must let go of fear
and cling to a love that's true
So I may find a love in you.

Beauty in all that you are
I see freedom in you,
You turn my ash grey eyes back to blue
You can light my way
How can you be so bright
I am soothed by your warm light

You uplift my soul --
You make me whole --
Only you --
Could do --
This.
Odd meter, Goes by syllables   Stanza 1 Lines (1 - 7 s) (2 - 6 s) (3 - 9 s) (4 - 5 s) (5 - 6 s) (7 - 7 s) Stanza 2 Lines (1 - 8 s) (2 - 7 s) (3 - 10 s) (4 - 6 s) (5 - 7 s) (7 - 8 s) Stanza 3 is the same as stanza 1  and stanza 4 Lines ( 1 - 5 s) ( 2 - 4 s) (3 - 3 s) (4 - 2 s) (5 - 1 s)  Funny thing is I wrote it and THEN saw the pattern :D
374 · Jun 2021
Lets Play Pretend
Ashley Campriani Jun 2021
We fled across all the seven seas
In our ships with billowed sails
We had it all, in just the breeze
and entire countries on our tail

Down the rivers and the streams
We raced through the summer haze
This was what made up our dreams
Until our love became a maze

We got ******* in disappointment and words thrown
Like stones to build the maze up higher
I felt like all my dreams were dashed, and love had flown
But we scaled the dark tower to the crest of hopes Spire
352 · Feb 2014
Wedding Bells and Cadences
Ashley Campriani Feb 2014
I turn to you in my joy,
and say, I love you.
The excitement seeps from my pores
as I almost fly to your side
up the aisle.

Our children dressed to the nines
and our families smiling.
My stomach twisting in knots

What is that feeling? Angry butterflies...
They are excited and so very scared.

I am ready to take your hand
and you are already packed for Basic Training.
You are going to 'seek your fortune' to provide for us
Twisting through the endless spiral cases in my mind
a song drifts up from the depths of my memory
a Cadence that we once sang as we cleaned the house.
I picture you running and running, and working for us
in this heated despair I cry.. They see it as tears of joy.
How relieved am I that they can not see,
that you can not see
the ringing of bells an cadences inside of me.
342 · Sep 2022
Why I live
Ashley Campriani Sep 2022
How long does this pain last
As long as I carry it I suppose
If I keep trudging through my past
That I keep locked up so no one knows -
That I feel like a burden
with nothing much to offer
A broken heart and mind
With empty coffers

My children are why I live
their absence is why I am lonely
They are my reason to forgive
They are my reason only

What brought me my joy
Now brings me so much pain
the absence of their laughter
Drowns me in silent rain

I lock it all away
so that no one can see
But my eyes always betray
The fact that I can't be happy
338 · Jul 2013
Gone.
Ashley Campriani Jul 2013
I hate the dreams I have of us
Of that far day, when we had trust.
The day where you held my hand
Where you pledged you'd understand.
You said you'd never leave...
then why now do I grieve....?
I will not be tossed around
then thrown upon the ground...
I will rise up and move on
you won't know until I'm gone...
329 · Sep 2022
War and Peace
Ashley Campriani Sep 2022
This is worse than all that I've faced
Fear cut deep as the broken heart raced
Anger resentment pain all were placed
Into the mind that God had graced
Faith was strong - peace and War interlaced

The war of the living
The Peace of the Dead
Carrying every misgiving
Life Hanging On by a thread
The heart dark and unforgiving
Steeped in its dread
The eyes with reliving
This is like breathing death she said

Die to me - all of my past
All tears I've cried like oceans vast
Let go of the Soul so downcast
Remember, remember to faith - hold fast
This restores the peace you seek - at last
328 · Sep 2017
Of The Demons and Angels
Ashley Campriani Sep 2017
He spoke in tongues of demons
That dwell within his mind
But could also converse with angels
in the tongues of their own kinds
And as you look into his eyes
and see not an ounce of faith
It had been taken from him
and thus he'd become a wraith
a wailing spirit longing
For heavens cool embrace
He wanted to find his peace
but fear was etched upon his face
He did not want rejected
for his heart could not bear it
So he wandered life in misery
Through God his sins were acquit
Sanity seemed to flee
And doubt replaced his love
And all the while he reached out
To his God above
Fear replaced joy
Had the demons won?
They stripped him of everything
would he be undone?
He wanted to climb out
of the hole that he had made
And every time he fell again
His heart would also fade
Love could reach down
and pull the man back out
if only he would grab her hand
and let her erase his doubt.
Peace, Love and understanding
Is all I want for him to have
To quell his anger, quench his thirst
and finally again hear him laugh.
322 · Sep 2017
The Beat of Our Hearts
Ashley Campriani Sep 2017
Lets dance to the beat of our entwined hearts -
Until the song is done.
Lets sing in the shower of our affections -
and just let that shower run.

Life gives us but one chance -
To find the mate for our soul.
So hold on tight to me forever -
Because you make me whole.

You have mended a broken heart -
That to I thought there was no cure
Hold me tight for the rest of ever -
And know that my love is sure.

When you smile, My heart alights -
With an enduring flame.
It takes away my breath -
Every time you speak my name.

I hope that I am to you -
At least what you are to me
You are the last my heart will love
For only you hold its key.
318 · Sep 2022
Battle Ready
Ashley Campriani Sep 2022
No one know the demons she faces
Each and every day
The fact she's breathing proves what grace is
Her faith won't slip away

She battles with her future and her past
Every day brings a new fight
She wars in her mind and spirit - both so downcast -
To still do what is right

She refuses to live life jaded
Though she always seems to lose
Instead, she finds Glory in what God created
With the Holy Spirit as her muse

She seeks wisdom from each red letter
She seeks strength with prayer at night
She knows this life has to get better
She puts on her full armor of God and is ready for the fight
304 · Dec 2014
Found at sea
Ashley Campriani Dec 2014
We swim through the seas
With a southerly breeze,
That is this life, just searching.

Blindly reaching, fumbling
Loosing our way and stumbling,
Until we find the one who can save us

You stretched out your hand
And brought me to back to land
You put my feet on solid ground

Your touch opened my eyes
Even just out of surprise
That someone like you, loved me.
302 · Jul 2023
To my loyal readers
Ashley Campriani Jul 2023
I've started a Facebook and Tiktok for my art and spoken word poetry called Uncontained Artist.
If you'd be interested in seeing my face hearing me read please seek me out there.
I'll continue to write here.

Thank you.
301 · Jan 2015
You Don't Know
Ashley Campriani Jan 2015
this love that you give me, unconditionally so,
is what makes you so amazing, it's sad that you don't know.
So I will tell you every day, until this voice of mine cracks,
that everything you are fixes everything I lack.
We are equals on this playing field, within this game of life.
I want to lift you higher, and take away your strife.
Together we will walk, forever hand in hand,
and laugh at the world because they couldn't understand.
They have never loved, near as deep as we,
and I pray one day I hope to show all that you mean to me.
Ashley Campriani Jun 2023
The cold hands of heartache
Strangles the words from my lips
I can not take one more heartbreak
I can feel it as my mind rips

I seemed to have shut the door
With the monster on the other side
It keeps on knocking and scratching the floor
This prison - it will not abide

It whispers hatred through the cracks
And growls in the deep recesses
Do I simply wait until it attacks
Or confine it until it acquiesces

I can not let it roam free
it will consume my very essence
I plead for it to let me be
and leave me to my convalescence

Let me take a breath unhindered
Not hitched by this pain
Let me gather my mind that has splintered
and let me have what peace I can regain

I will not ask politely
I will cast you from my mind
I will let my light burn brightly
The shadows - you will not find

I have you contained
At long last
I will keep you chained
Until you are a part of my past
254 · Feb 2017
The Rest Of The Story
Ashley Campriani Feb 2017
The love I capture in a glance
would fill an eternity,
The space between our hearts is nil
This love was purely the will of God
I know with certainty

A love to last the ages
told of only on a books pages
two become one, and grow old
That's not how the common tale is told

The story stops at happily ever after
But it doesn't recount the laughter
It doesn't show the baby, and the joy
It doesn't tell of a love, not even time can destroy...

It just says the end, leaving so much untold...
So I will tell the rest.
Our love to come is on blank pages
waiting to be written, and we will be blessed...

Thank you for your heart
I have mine as a gift for you
I'm sorry that its been shattered before, Its true
None the less, It will love you deeply, with every piece,
252 · Sep 2022
The Mother I Never had
Ashley Campriani Sep 2022
Thank you for taking me into your heart
and showing me the meaning of family
For showering me in love from the start
For cleansing my heart of all its debris

You dusted off and healed my broken wings
when you took me under yours
You renewed my soul - and now she sings
You opened my eyes to how to end the wars

You are the mother that I never had before
You showed me what that love is supposed to be
You're crowned in God's grace - Of this, I'm sure
Thank you for how you teach love to me

You hold peace I never knew
Founded in faith that glows in your eyes
It shows in every word you say and all you do
You are a treasure, a true prize.
For Carole
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