She's dark, yet
moonlight glows
inside her soft-eyes
& despite her
tragic-aura,
I still want
her blackness,
to taste her magic,
to kiss
the devil inside her.

They tell me I'm smart.
They say I shouldn't worry; of course I'll get good grades and get into a good college and get a good job and have a good life.
So I sit in chemistry and I pay attention. I write down the reactions, the calculations. I try, I really do.
Semester grade: C.
"Study more!" "Get off your laptop!" "If you went to bed earlier, you'd pay better attention in class." "It can't be that hard; you just need to put forth more effort."

Sometimes I find it hard to breathe.
My throat shrinks to an impossible size and every mention of a chemical equation is automatically magnetized to the ball of worry in my stomach.

When I get anxious, I pinch my lips.
I haven't had a need for lipstick in a long time.

Sometimes I find it hard to care.
Sometimes I dance to Beyonce and move my hips like I will never have another day to be alive.
I pretend that I am important and the ground moves beneath me while I give life to the stars and bring the moon to earth.
Maybe I can.
During musical theater class, I perform the solo and I act silly and I look stupid and I am okay.

They tell me I'm smart.
Sometimes I can't breathe, and sometimes I do not care.

He told me
“Once you start,
There is no end
Your life will
Curl and curve and bend.
Doesn't matter where.
Must you go south,
North, east and west?
Then go, I don’t care
But I should warn you,
Never rest.
Must you leave me?
Must you drive,
Fly and sail?
I’ve tasted it once;
It’s only fair.
I don’t think
I’m mostly sure,
That your wild,
Thirsty heart,
Is grand and pure
And I don’t think,
I am oh very sure,
That you will never be
On the brink
Of becoming bored.
Go find all that’s
Hidden, untold,
Hunt for your own
Silver and gold.
Don’t follow the steps,
Dig through your own road
Fall in love once, twice
Grow warm and grow cold.
When you travel
You haven’t got a home
But be sure,
You’re never alone.
When you travel. Take it all in,
Open your eyes wide
To lights, bright and dim.
And merge with the ground,
With the water
The people, the town
Be the lost and be the found
Remember every note and every sound
Every street fair, yen and pound
Every story from every lip
Bite at the memories, tear and nip
When you travel
Remember well
The essence is not
What’s left to tell
It’s not in riches
It’s not in years,
It’s for you,
For joy, mourning,
Laughs and tears.
It’s to live
With every taste on your tongue
It’s to rust and grow old
With souls and mind so young.”
                                                       *p.t.

For watching over me as the poet in me changed-

From deciding the subject of my next one
A week in advance,
And spending the next few days,
Creating the mood, the right ambience

To having words ready
At the tip of my fingers
To my life revolving around writing,
And not the reverse

From choosing the correct length
The right vocabulary, rushing through
A dictionary for just that word I needed

To being effortlessly able
To aimlessly babble
And in the end, smiling at how poetic
Were the verses I'd created

From wondering who would ever read me?

To feeling a warm, fuzzy glow,
Seeing the lit up yellow lightning
Giving the happy news that my ideas
Someone, somewhere, was absorbing

From having that secret desire of
The Dream Guy stumbling upon this page
Reading me in and out, and
Falling in love with my words before
He began to love me...

To... Oh! Who am I kidding
I still have faith in that fantasy!

To a million more poems,
To many more hearts to enthrall,
Cheers to poetry,
Cheers to y'all!

Remember, don't get *** confused, with love.
Or get hers confused with yours.
For what has been joined together?
Does come with plenty of restriction?

Do remember words are twisted to accomplish a man's mission?
And if your are gullible.
Then you become party of being label the guilty one.

Remember your gift.
Is exactly, what a man seeks?
And the words of phases he uses.
Only works upon the weak.

Don't wake up the next day regretting certain things.

Don't fall  for the line, if you love me.
You would let me.
Don't fall for the opposite either.
You're not woman enough for me.

For your gift.
Is, what he seeks?
Just remember, he will use and try anything to get his way.

Honor yourself accordingly.
Then you be so much wiser.
When you do have any babies.

For your gift.
You truly control.
You can't blame him for entering.
If you didn't keep the door close.

Many might knock.
But won't achieve getting in.
It's not that you're playing hard.

It's just, you know what your requirements are?

Many has gotten sweet talk confuse with truth.
And now walking around claiming,he treated her like a fool.

Remember your gift.
Will forever be cherish.

If you remind yourself, you're not in a hurry.