When the world is asleep
Deceitful vanity is cast aside
Along with broken dreams, hope and pride
Gone are harsh, fears and tears
Blissful silence is all I hear
Anchored to reality, I sojourn alone
Yet in this vast serenity, I sense a kindred soul
As the sun slowly creeps into the sky
May we leave the shackles of our body
And on rainbow wings of fairy butterflies
Soar with hands entwined
To mystical worlds of solemn splendor

In the big city, our eyes are always cast to the ground
Everyday, we bustle and hustle
Striving for a slice of the paper,
the digs
and the chicks
For once, if only for a few seconds
go outside and look into the night sky
Take a break and give it a try
See the most wondrous of creations
See without all that artificial light
Be enraptured by the mystic starry sky
Notice the enchanting twilight canvas
Appreciate the cosmic tapestry of glittering diamonds and gems
Disconnect from social media, be rooted in the moment to that spot
unplugged
Put on the brakes, stop pondering your lot
live in that moment
Its beautiful, isn't it

She creases her forehead in confusion
She wonders what they say as they pass her by
What are they saying, to whom and why?
They murmur, frown, giggle and titter
As if they have no emotional filter
The little she hears almost brings her to tears
Do they dance to the tune of some shadow puppeteer?

Call them rumors, gossip, lies, hearsay or fabrication
Call them improvised news or forged information
Little difference would it make.
Malicious whispers, known to topple empires
Sunder relationships and cause death
Her chest hurts and she can’t seem to take a breath
As her heart tumbles in her chest, her mind is drawn to Wilkinson v. Downton
In that moment, she could almost relate to Miss Wilkinson.

Ware those Whispers
They travel far and wide
But their source is always close to home
Who tattled? Was it a loved one or a close friend?
She may never know.
Ware those whispers.
They may have as little as a kernel or as much as a boatload of truth
At this point, the defence of truth is surely moot
She called them girls, squad, friends and besties
In their company, she was merely lollygagging
Behind her back, their tongues were wagging

A mere misrepresentation can cause complete devastation
They scoff at her frantic utterances of truth
To them, it is no more than mere superstition
She retreats into her Fortress of Solitude
In this bubble of quietude, she lifts her hands in gratitude
Though she knows it is no more than a blanket fort of self-deception

They continue to natter and chatter
She ceases her cries of protest, for it no longer matters
In calm desperation, she starts to twine the hanging rope
But wait, suicide is still a crime under the law
She stands helpless as the whispers sneak past her defences
She grips her head in an effort to drown out their voices
To this they mutter, “look, surely she is non compos mentis”

Dear child, let them run their mouth for God is thy witness
Guard your tongue for the walls have ears
Calm your heart and hear no whispers
Let them speak, they are no more than vipers
Do not be sad, though you may lose some friends
It is only the beginning and not the end
They may think they have you assessed
But they have no idea how much you’re blessed
And at all times, ware those whispers.

Black and blue
Yet beneath that thin veneer of flesh runs streams of red
Red...just as human as you
Born with colour of a different shade
Always believing my colour to be my biggest shame
Dark skinned, my very existence a hateful sin
My days are spent with my head hung in fear and impotent rage
Keenly aware that I'm human but of a lesser grade

Black and blue
A symbol of justice and truth
Once in my youth I cheered for you
Now, jaded and old i turn my head and hide from you
Years of anger and persecution has made me shrewd

Black and Blue
The painful imprint you left on my skin after Karen's call came through
Despair, frustration, sorrow
In that moment, I feel all shades of blue
All this suffering because of the lies of Karen, that hateful shrew
This time I walk away with my life
Can't say the same about my wounded pride

Black and Blue
Blue, the colour of peace and harmony
That's what others see when they look at you
But with every wheezing breath my lips turn blue
Black creeps along the edges of my vision
Black and Blue, the colours of death
My lungs burst as they strain for that free breath of life
"I can't breathe"
I'm not allowed to.
After all, I'm not a human like you.