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May 2016 · 218
Women Of The Now
OnwardFlame May 2016
Summer has hit
We sparkle like flowers in the concrete
Hidden and secreted by our inner woes
But we glimmer and run along the plane
Of making everything change.

We're The Women Of The Now
And we don't ******* care how
We gotta make our voices ring and beam
So true like moonshine we drank
The wispy colored straws of existin'
Breathin' eatin' up every butterfly encrusted
Phrase we need to say, we contemplate
And ring true with everything we got to give
Mermaids but we don't need no tail.

Makes my lips sweat when I think about it all
Our hearts glossy as we slide down the little girls aisle
Where we taught look and practice the same
Books on our heads, can't lipstick ourselves enough
But we got so much fiber in our bones
We don't mind that we got the angelic softness
Thats why we are so palpable
A chorus of little boys sing.

We express ourselves through a multitude of veins
Waving our magic wands with newness
Rough, tough, and filled with the utmost love
Stepping in unison, we rip our dresses off
Or wave and swell in the mighty wind
Theres a reason myths were created
As we bare and thrive in our lives
Big or small
We truly go through it all
Warriors, arrows shooting from--

From.

Our eloquent, vivaciously courageous
Jeweled in the goodness of love
Fingertips.
May 2016 · 340
SundayMorning
OnwardFlame May 2016
I guess it was time
That I admitted
That I feel so ******* lost.

Got the day off
I had planned to get lit
I think I did.

You sang, the lights surrounding you
Speaking directly into my soul in moments
That phrase
I don't know
On repeat
You sang it and it resonated with me
Because I don't know either.
And thats why I said to you before I left
"I don't know appears in all of my poetry too."
And I sat next to you outside
My head against the wall
You wore a galaxy shirt
I drank some *** lemonade
Trying to forget all the hurt from the day
The weak
The little things that build up in me
It just
It doesn't all feel worth it just yet.

Transition.
Rebirth.
Can't sleep in late anymore cuz I got everything
Boiling and humming up inside of me
But this path I lead
I don't know where I'm going
I don't know what it looks like
And thats why I can't answer
When people wanna know
I don't know.
Anything anymore.

My soul and my heart is still wounded today
That feeling of it may never recover
I can feel you all crying and hurting in my minds eye
The helplessness sinks into me
But I don't have a choice
I have to carry on
But everything feels like a chore right now.

What do I need?
What will fix that?
How can I pick myself back up?
Happiness is such a tricky thing


Because only we
Only I
Can maintain it.
May 2016 · 201
Evolutionary Grave
OnwardFlame May 2016
Fantasizing razor blades and sharpness
Highlighting all the badness
Get caught up in thinkin' so immortal
Take everything for granted
We all, we all just so scared
Living on the edge, putting ourselves out there
Little patience for others
We walk on top of each other cuz we can
Was loathing you and all your hatred
And then I found out.

And then I heard.

I seem to always be raising a white flag
Not for you
Not for me
But because its just the right thing to do.

I'm sure I'm the last person you wanna talk to
Got so angry at work, phone blowin' up
This white man wants money for no work
While another is killing himself
I had a meeting, couldn't focus
Dark times in the budding sunshine
I sent my love to the whole group
That iced me out cuz I chose to go my own way
And now my heart hurts for each of them today.

I left you a voicemail
It was honest.
I'm sure you saw my name flash and glimmer
Couldn't bring yourself to answer
I heard you were extremely torn up
Don't wanna make anyone come to my screening
Less they can bring some cheer
Its been a dark difficult time.

I wish you love
And I meant it when I left a note wishing happiness
But can't help but secretly hope this makes you man up
See what you have done, what you have been doing
I underlined and wrote in bold
When I sent you my goodbye letter
That life is fleeting, precious
And you couldn't answer.

You couldn't answer.
You couldn't answer.
But I know deep down
Its because I ran, threw myself out of a cab, left the party.
And you couldn't answer.

I know your heart must really hurt
Shedding tears like I made you look on your birthday
I'm sorry.
I'm so ******* sorry.
And I mean it.

I don't know that you will reach back out.
And I feel and want nothing.
But it was the right thing to do.

I met him.
We shared a joint
Talked about you.
I'm so sorry.
Life is so precious.
Death drips and creeps in
Just as we all start thinking
We holier than God.
May 2016 · 745
Happily Ever After
OnwardFlame May 2016
He called me on the phone
It rang and sang his name
The fire emoji blazing.

He wanna talk
Out boppin' around
I bet he's got on his dancin' shoes
Jewels on his fingers, he always got words
Oozing and spilling out of those gorgeous lips
Like diamonds aflame
All of Chicago cooing his name
I just coo the softest.

And thats whats different
Thats whats special
He throws gems and emeralds with phrases
How he goes about his days, his ways
A multitude of love so expressed
He motions for me to join in on the party
Wants to make me comfortable
Not change me, and I listen
I listen
Its one of my best traits.

Southern Belle
Never thought I'd end up here
I sigh so deeply sometimes
Cuz I just thought this would all be so much *******
Easier.
Just about all my lovers got their person
Forevers echoing and demanding them to stay
In one solid place
And I'm listening on the phone
To the polyamory talk
And there ain't nothing wrong with it
But how did I end up here?

Gotta kick up your shoes to stay with it
In the wide big city of Chitown
And I don't want nobody right now
Like that
But my God, my God
He got his lips formulating words into meaningful sentences
I tell him I've just heard some of it before
As he acknowledges it with grace
I just
I just
I just
I just
I'm so ******* ready to go fly and run around a ******* forest.

Room mate got upset when I said I couldn't wait for all this to be over
She doesn't get it
She took it to the heart
But I've been sweating and doing this for a long time
You don't know what its like to always be the conductor
And I wouldn't trade it for anything
But my God
Today, I just wished
I just wished
That I had the comfort of knowing
Feeling
That...that one person
Had my back
And only my back.

"I want to be in something where we chose each other."
And you don't swat away ideas about the future
But I can't sign my time or heart away if theres no hope
As I brushed my teeth in the mirror
We are all reinventing
And it makes me wonder if some folk meant for some things
Others aren't
And I know I got it goin' on
But at the end of the day
The work
The work is what gets me through.

But where are you?
And will you just want me?
Will I just want you?
Room mate said today Lost Boy is so eaten up
Because he wanted me to The One so badly
And I can't seem to get anyone
To just stand still with me
That I wanna stand still with.


I don't know
I don't know
I don't know
I don't know.

I give up
There are no princes.
Only princesses
And the lucky men who get to show up.

(But my God. Find me. Or choose me.)
May 2016 · 512
Her List
OnwardFlame May 2016
Things That Bring Me The Utmost Happiness:
1. Creating my own work and then watching it come to life in ways I never expected.
2. Women Of The Now
3. Directing
4. Festival Directing
5. Acting
6. Being another artists canvas
7. The look in a loved ones eyes when something you say moves them
8. The moment you turn and look at a loved one and really listen to what they have to say. And when they do the same for you.
9. The possibilities of tomorrow. The future.
10. Music. Music for any type of mood.
11. Waking up and dressing like my insides
12. My unique one of a kind style
13. Flirting
14. Feeling and looking beautiful
15. Exercising
16. Talking on the phone to those I love
17. Having lived in different places
18. My Alabama roots
19. My Philly swag
20. Blossoming right now in Chicago
21. Freedom. Going places by myself
22. Meeting new people
23. Making new friends
24. Change. Beginning Again.
25. Tattoos. Changing my hair.
26. Yummy lattes
27. Healthy food
28. Comfort food when hung over or sad
29. Writing. Writing. Writing**
30. Nostalgia
31. Collaborating
32. Listening.
33. Being the one to speak up.
34. Running
35. Staying in by myself. Me time. So needed.
36. Reading.
37. Coffee in the morning
38. Animals
39. People that surprise me
40. Wit.

Things That Absolutely Wound Me:
1. Liars
2. My own inner demons
3. Money
4. Fear of tomorrow
5. People coming and going from your life
6. Negative thoughts and people
7. When others knock me down
8. Waiting
9. Anger
10. My other room mate
11. Just about every single one of my ex-boyfriends
12. Ignorance
13. The presidential race
14. Sexism
15. Racism
16. Being ignored
17. My parent's closed mindedness
18. Fear of the future
19. Going to sleep
20. Waking up
21. Nightmares that are too real
22. Feeling like my person out there doesn't exist.
23. Cheaters
24. Cruelty
25. Not recycling
26. Exclusivity
27. Those that doubted me
28. My mother when she lectures me about tattoos, my hair
29. My father when its never enough
30. My big brother when he won't hear my voice
31. Road ****
32. Those that use me
33. Being scolded
34. My day jobs
35. Stress
36. When women are competitive or mean
37. **** shaming
38. Not having access to free awesome camera equipment
39. Money hungry companies
40. Feeling trapped.
May 2016 · 344
Contour Whore
OnwardFlame May 2016
Casually with fanciful light gestures
A giant bowl full of nothing
But lemons
And limes
Citrus, so **** so sweet
Sat ironically in front of me.

I'm the blonde white girl with nothing but ambition
My bones made up of southern sass, class
We've given up on pondering your actions
You won't ever change
A chorus of hooded goddesses
Breathe in and out
Their nostrils widening and closing
I spit up dust
Watch it wrinkle and curl into the air all around us
I give kindness like I don't own a ******* thing.

My mama ain't so kind
But I guess my papa is
My heart is made of fodder and wild rice
I explained how you caught me in your net
But the words were made of cement.

Reflecting like a picture book
Flipping each moment, word exchanged
Vulnerable suspense
We all. We ALL.
Wanted so ******* much.
Imaginary rings and things
This piece right here
Its dedicated to all of you
And how trapped you made me feel.

5 of my ex lovers have gotten engaged or married this year.

Wilting but not filled with regret
Create. Rinse. Repeat.
Becomes my new middle name
I live for the days where you don't flood through my mind
Any of you.

I laid in my room mates bed
Got caught in the fear of what my future looks like
Am I destined only to be loved by dear women
Faithful to me forever?

Foolish foolish
Could mix it all up in a stew
Brew it and pour it into cocktail shakers
Throw in a splash of blood from unicorns
A sprinkle of elfin mucus
Fairy excrement
And I would still feel the way I feel at this moment.

But leaping over one wall on my own
I date myself.

I let go of the eyes that have stared into mine.

My work screens again tomorrow night.
I'll wear a bow tie and a red grin
I allow myself to be thankful for the hands reaching out to me
I wish you had come over
But I needed to eat cream cheese
Kiss with pale pink lips
And leave like I have always left.

I don't want to run away anymore.
But for now, I still do
But my running has slowed
Because I hissed with love and power
That it was beautiful to.
May 2016 · 571
Pita
OnwardFlame May 2016
I'm not sure where
It shifted or changed
And as much as I love
Movie making
It feels like a job right now.

I could be writing my next piece
At this very moment
But then a flash of all the work it will take
And how I need to be sitting at my make shift desk
Working, drinking coffee
To make it right
Passes through my head
And I don't do it.

I'm so worn out.

Can't complain
Its all good
Gucci,
We would all chime
I don't stop saying certain words
I hit the table with every shot, drink
Because I picked it up from you
And I steal little things from folks
Along the way through life.

Scratch my head, impatient
Doin' time, suckin' it up
Bite the bullet
I ain't nothing compared to you or you
I don't have it as hard
I'm lucky
I'm so lucky
I think in those most robotic way
Just drained.

But I had this moment.
Yesterday
Where I sat on the couch with my editor
Shook hands with my colorist
And watched this entity
Brought together so many hearts
These images I had formulated in my head
Live, action in front of me
And I thought and I felt so deeply in my soul
Part of the audience the next moment
A shout out for upcoming projects
I'm doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing.
May 2016 · 422
RevIve
OnwardFlame May 2016
I don't feel strong today.
My armor of metal and glass swan shaped figurines
That twirl on pedestals to my favorite happiest songs
Has temporarily stopped, idle.

Friday, Friday
Got the day off, drug myself through the inner torment
Opened with hungover eyes
Pouring water all over my wounds
I tangle myself in my web of paranoia
And frightening remains of vulnerability
Of he said, she said.

Shots of Jameson
Thank God got that crew with me
We vibin' out real hard
Making art with full hearts
I don't miss theatre very much
But it will always be there for me
When I retrace my footsteps.

I don't know what I'm doing though.
But folks wave me down with eager hands
And yet,
I still feel like the biggest
Most hated
Joke
Loser.

Clown nose, line me up next to the rest
Check me off cuz I don't matter
But in my head, I'm the star of my own show
I radiate and levitate in my best moments
But today I choose to disappear.

The outside world calls to me
The thin hands of my women yearn and ask me
How my soul abides
A new pimple on my chin
Your heart must ache today too.

But none of it matters
No, none of it matters at all anymore.
Theres not one person
Moment
That could pull me out of this rough week
But me.

So I nod back and forth
Choose to revive my soul on Friday night
Feeling picked on, tricked
It all gravitates with monumental shouts
I eat hummus and avocados
Have I lost more weight?
My room mate asks like I should be ashamed
Everyone is a bully in my head.

I wrote **** it all
On the white board on our refrigerator last night
Turned my phone off, jotted down a drunk poem
Now the trick is to move past the hostility
The killing of lost love
And I could mark out a thousand pieces of paper
In blueberry or strawberry flavored ink
But it would all still be painful.

Its been a rough
Tough
Challenging
Vulnerable
Breath taking
Year One.
May 2016 · 478
Super Predator+DollFace=?
OnwardFlame May 2016
Billie Holiday croons and lingers
Reverberating and shining like slender legs
Clad in red high heels on a pedestal
Inching up silver snake stylistic shadows
You told me once I was born into the wrong era.

If I laid my porcelain body onto the top of the blackest piano
Your lips would kiss me so fully, exceptional mystery
Coiled in braids and rhythmic juices
But our legs, our legs leap up and us into the moments
Our graceful hands conducting water color painted symphonies
With such soft fighting spirit.

I imagine you must practice, practice
Your eyes baring into mine with the utmost passion
I shrug past it to get through my days
Placing orders for quiche and treats
But we schedule our work to be seen
In unison, confusion you said its all beautiful
You like the sense, the taste of it
And I could type with trite reduction
Don't wanna be just another lover on your list
Bowing my blonde head with mistrust
Dust to yesterday, you say
"In time."
You got so much you wanna say, easily and with such comfort
Flying and soaring into your own hours
I loved word playing with the boys of my past
But they never could keep up.

So I don't drown myself in hope or longing
But you lift me up like a chalice
Sipping me so gingerly as to not spill precious
Gems on your fingers
Remember the simplistic hilarity of when we first met?

Or red roses on the table next to us
Red roses on the table next to us
Red roses on the table next to us
We both drank green tea.

Mykele.
OnwardFlame May 2016
5 hours we laid on my bed, sideways
It was set up different
I had to change it after you left
The second or third time
You took all the wine
You left me half a bottle
A ***** bed
My note crumpled on the floor
Thanked me for the pleasure and a place to rest
So I disappeared like we knew I would.

I see you in my minds eye so clearly now
Tricked, deceit
All the voices swarming and warning me
I wanted so badly to think I was the exception
I almost always am
Until it falls out of my hands.

I've always been heartbroken over
somebody
But never thought, never anticipated
After all that talk, all that exposure
You would grow to be one of the worst
Betrayal in a handbag
Covered in spikey hair, whimsical behavior
And the deepest fear
Of not really knowing who you are.

I tried.
My God, I ******* tried.
Fickle fingers covered in golden blood
Swans oozing pus and butterfly encrusted better days
I tried to play
I tried to play
I'm sorry it ended this way.

I guess?
I guess I'm sorry
But as soon as remorse starts to slip and spill
Waves of your face, the way you left it
The way you said it, texted it
I spent my time falling to my knees
You swore
You swore
You swore
You swore
You swore
You swore

It was all deceit
Because I was a beautiful bird you wanted to capture
In your decaying net.

But no regrets.
But I do feel it quite a bit
Your new girlfriend
I wonder what she gives you that I didn't
And if my face wanders into your mind
My body, my sighs
All the times I made you feel so loved
But a witch in black tomorrow
Casts a mystery and truthful wish
And urges me

To watch you drown into the sea
Without me.
May 2016 · 323
A May Dream
OnwardFlame May 2016
I released myself into the arms of my gypsy bed
The chilly shiny air outside teasing

A community of light orange architecture
Cement in light colored confetti
Families upon families recently residing
Thanksgiving.
Halloween themed, our halloween town
A **** victim here,
We interacted but kept our space
Resting like cubicles in paradise
Who I was in this dream, wouldn't get into the car
A blinding spellbound kitchen sink family drama
Colored with a paradise halloween world
For Thanksgiving.
May 2016 · 474
I Don't Double Date Today
OnwardFlame May 2016
I stood in nothing but my khaki brown uniform
$12.98 is your change
$8.81
You wanted a black bottom muffin?
Turkey pesto with no onions, add ranch?
Click. Click. Ring. Ring
Forgot what you said
Forgot what she wanted
Ordered and courted by 7 different voices
Head filled to the brim with rocketships
Camera boom and flash
Cell phone buzzes in the backroom
But I can't answer it.

Hit with the sudden wave
The sun starts to show its insides
Everything is pretty solid
Lookin' pretty
On some days
And like the black frightening beast with nothing but fangs
I'll start to hear and feel it rear its head
And I remember how I left it in the art studio
Of my old Christian middle school
Never to see it again
It was my very best piece.

I remember all of its emotion.

Hit with a wave of what I could do
What I haven't tried
If I extend my arm out to you
One last time
Will you bite me with venom?

I took a tally
A poll
Faces that sincerely love me, adore me
Not for my money or my internet presence
In unison all whispered
It won't change him.

So I found peace
With my phone buzzing
Got a warning at work
Cookies, gotta yell about them louder
My brain dripping and sopping
With colorful ribbons and tequila lime
But I don't drink much during the week
I can't possibly attend everything.

I'm super woman
But I'm still gonna bleed red rose petals.
May 2016 · 485
She Built Her Own Castle
OnwardFlame May 2016
It's moments just like this
Where I'm on the train
And I remember like a whizz of color
And wine
All the times
I left you behind.

You thought you did it
You wanted to be the one to let me go
But this time
I left you for dead.

And that's the answer to all the equations
I've created and mulled over
In my mind
A thousand and one times
I waved goodbye to it all
And stopped longing for validation
Answers
To be your dreams.

I knew it would all come crashing down
All of it, all along the way
Perhaps due to being bred with such
A path that was not meant
For one of our own
And I say all of the times
That I fly and chime high in the clouds
Becoming one with those furious
Inexplicably beautiful swans
He got a tattoo
He wrote a song
He wrote a poem
He carved my initials into his arm
I've been painted
Fantasized
Love letters

And it was all meaningful at the time
And always will be
But you can't capture me in a net
Or just recreate my image
In your boy head

Cuz you were all right
I'm too amazing
And ******* special.
May 2016 · 877
He Wrote Raps
OnwardFlame May 2016
I started this one off
By thinkin' of what we must look like
Feel like, seem like
Smell like
Individually.
Together.
Apart.
Our own entities in my mind
Only to quickly grow bored with it
I've seen and licked
The dry lips of all that experience
A million times over before.

And I could say: "What if this is different?"
In such a whimsical capacity
Wrapped in a ribbon we called
Longing for secret expectations
But I drown the need for wedding veils
But roomie roo is right
I'll always long for that love of mine
To line in line, hand in hand
Adorn the metal armor I've got
With an assortment of flowers.

Those flowers though
With you
Theres somethin' interesting about the paintings hung all around us
I interview you like a grungy journalist from the 90s
You said.
Curt Cobain
But everything changed
Your skin and hot lips runnin' a mile a minute
I furrow my brow cuz I'm thinkin real hard
I'm twirlin' every bit of information
I've got your raps and rhythm runnin around in my head
You've got the deepest biggest message
A flashlight in your hand.

I told you last night just hold onto your hat
You've spoken the same words
Cut up in tiny fractures of glass
We know colored in red wine and graffiti filled fury
For my soul, my heart, my purpose.

You got my black lipstick on your lips last night
As everyone else walked away we dropped
Our professional kickin' it facade
Not that we don't or we won't
But you wanna examine my rings and things
And laugh when I say somethin
Cuz you keepin secrets of your musings.

I've got steel cut boots and knives like arrows
My hair wild fire with dragons for hours
Body like a water nymph with no teacher
I got so much to give but have grown so weary

So I won't ever ask or hope
For you
Or for this
To be different
You explain polygamy to me cuz you wanna strain
The need to be in a relationship with
Oneself.
The independent quality of deep solitary souls
And for once
For once

I nod my head back and understand.
May 2016 · 265
WakeNBakeNRedVelvetCake
OnwardFlame May 2016
I stayed in tonight
And for really, most of the day.

I left twice today to grocery shop
Exercise
The sun beaming through the windows all day
And for once,
I didn't try to pressure myself to be in a different place
To be in
Than I was in.

I was supposed to go to a going away party tonight
A friend that I've met on few occasions
Returns to her college town
And thats nice, thats lovely
Give everyone kisses for me.

Coming off the tails of marijuana distraction oriented bliss
We voice our insecurities by painting roses on them
I've been at it for a long time
Philly ******* is right as ****
I'm healin.

But really.
I am.
And the most painful part has been
The dissension
But I know it ain't nothin based on the love I'm given away
Or the palettes of paint captured with a lens
I kiss and love on the friends
Nurture those that stand next to me

I decided I wanted to end this poem
To write a new one
So I did.
May 2016 · 383
3 Years
OnwardFlame May 2016
I had so much to write and say
The strength of my words I sometimes
Wonder if I can trust
If my mind hears exactly what it is
That I'm trying to reply, or speak into existence
Sometimes it grows hazy
And covered in over complications.

Its 2am, and we all just trying to figure out our purpose here.

I'm so tired.
Tired but pretty content.

I did it
I'm doing it
Its happening.

And as if from an episode of *** & The City
I start to even hear myself think
"...And just like that--"

And just like that,
I remember long bright blonde hair
A soft coral
We ran around Cosco
Exploring our budget, lets feed our team
A hungry army of humans
Eager for art and a path
I travel a path so less traveled by.

And thats the thing
Thats the crux of it all
Thats what makes it so very
Alluring
Difficult
Seemingly impossible
Enthralling
New
Enviable
Challenging
Foreign

Theres no guideline
Theres so formula
Based on instinct, guts, heart

Thats all a path really needs.
OnwardFlame May 2016
I was a fool to think
That we could be together
With the twist of the wrist
I was erased from your life
I zoomed in on your face
To try and understand

Such dead, dead eyes.

They all warned me
Those that mean well but want only
And give only to their comfortable
History
And with the exchange of business cards, speaking my name
The title of my movie out loud
Handshaking
Quaking, aching
But freeing myself into my own
Destiny
A voice or two tries to stop me
Knock me down, disqualify my innermost feelings
They want me to look or behave
A certain way

And today I saw my reflection and thought
Where I have all been
And I worry and I fear
But I'm too busy to be too concerned
And at times, I feel
The most alone.

I went through the pictures
Because I couldn't
Not.

I remember when it was me next to you
And you and you
My brothers right
You are just another boy I dated
Nothing more
But shaking the disappointment
I made you so special in my mind

But the truth is
Your eyes are so dead
And I didn't even realize.
May 2016 · 360
What To Wear
OnwardFlame May 2016
I wake up and run
Phrases and moments echo all around me
Slither and crawl like the anacondas I dreamed of
In my windowsill as a child
Flying high and wrapping around my ceiling
I get back in touch with the little girl I once was
As to stray away from the bitterness.

Polka dot dress
Mama twirled me all around Alabama
My brothers friends chased me
But really, I chased them
I dreamed so high so free
Grew up with a black eye
A black eye of rebellion.

I don't know why people gotta be so cruel
But they send goodbye hand emojis
And act as if we all meant nothing
But I ain't got no part in it all
My art transcends toxic human interaction.

I blanket my eyes wide closed
With nothing but blackness
At night, because its the only way to silence my mind
My thoughts, my inner demons
A strong voice makes me think differently
He doesn't play devils advocate for
Dice and rats
He does it because he has everything
To fight for.

9am
I've already been very productive
I sway and curly my octopus hair
Who knows what today will be like
But lets strive for goodness
A stealthy, relaxed partnership
My eyes take up more and more space
I release ill feelings
Let em' hate
Because they only wound their own hurting hearts.

May.
Its May
I thought deeply in the shower
As tears wanted to erupt
I have so much to pay for
And so much comes
I rise and rise
As Maya Angelou would advise
Dear woman
Above
The flames
The sea
Above it all
Not with my nose upturned
But with humble heart beat.
May 2016 · 396
New Lipstick
OnwardFlame May 2016
Banana peel next to me
I threw away trash and saw it was all black.

Things in my universe are shifting changing
Roomie says I get very unsettled want things to change so quick
But she don't understand thats how the world works
Thats just how I run with and ahead of it.

I get real secretly resentful and lash out in ways
When I feel caged
Controlled
Or like they wanna steal from me.

So I'm trying to find ways to mediate that feeling
The feeling of sharing, giving
And a profound letting go.

And I can do it
I've done it
Lets put aside possession, pride
Like I have so many ******* times before
Because it ain't about my name.

Heres an application
I've scrawled my heart all over it
I'm gonna do everything I can to make it work
My mama told me growing up I was boy crazy too
But I couldn't be more uninterested as of the moment.

I want an intellectual feminist
Someone rooted in artistic appreciation
Loves their family but not with severity
Sees but doesn't chase a future with me
Simply says
"Whats next baby?"
And
"Here is everything I got to give."

And I don't know where he is
But I don't think he is here right this minute
So I give my heart, my validation
My very existence
Away to the art
Where it can't all fall apart
Because nothing is more fulfilling

Than that.
May 2016 · 984
I Cooked Eggplant
OnwardFlame May 2016
I did what I had to do
And now I don't give a ******* **** anymore
Cuz my life is taking off all around me.

Thank you for walking away.
May 2016 · 691
Quiet Down Woman
OnwardFlame May 2016
They told me to make my voice smaller so it made everyone less uncomfortable
They told me to move on because they wanted me to look like the crazy ex girlfriend
They told me I could never do the things I'm doing

So I ripped their throats out
Stuck it in a blender
Watched it whizz and turn
Mush and faded potions

How does it make you feel to have your voice ripped out of its mothership?
May 2016 · 989
Drying Lotion
OnwardFlame May 2016
She came into our lives as quickly as she left
We urged her not to forget us
Snapchatting all our fears away
We begged the others, of her same cloth
Not to abandon our fruitless group facebook message
The thread, she
Created
But we forgot all of those pieces of truth.

She dreamed of our existence
And titled it "Hobble Cage"
Because she couldn't think of a better name
At the time
But she will never forget the morning she awoke in her
Philadelphia sunshine, next to a best friend
Wrote it all down turned it into a thing
As to not forget
We cat called one another in her mind
Men catcalling men
And the women, they ran around in nothing but their underwear
We stuffed one of them into a trash can.

Starbursts at last
She bought them to share with the doggest of dogs of us
And for months she would not go to open up the package
Because she meant to share
But tonight she eats them all.

Young feet dancing and stomping the yellow starbursts down
Into a thin crust
On the Indian themed coffee table
In the deep south.

One of us sketched her in our notebook
When she first arrived
"I can't spend my life worryin' about the police"
She would tell the dog
He loved it.
It was so new
He flew back to the bar on his longboard
Sat next to her and bought shots all night
He wanted so badly to be the right one
Put on a big show, schematics and magic tricks
To appear
Like the warrior sun king
He knew she needed
And he so desperately and like
The dead bird she passed on the sidewalk today
Its face buried in the ground
Upturned
He failed
And will have to live with that fact
For the rest of his days.

She carries on
Its a vulnerable thing
The last starburst
Red
Some, many
Try to barricade her with rope and steel
But she always flies and leads the coop.
May 2016 · 358
.Cadence.
OnwardFlame May 2016
Sleep becomes more and more of a chore
As time lingers on
Weary eyes so lethargically greet the sun
And so wispy eyed with annoyance close
I place a mask over my eyes
Turn off my phone
Tonight
Write and cathartically release inner thoughts
To silence my mind for the night.

11:58pm
Its 12:58am in Philadelphia
11:58pm in Alabama
And whenever people ask me where I'm from
I say I'm a bit of a mutt.

People ask what my end goal is
What I want
Where I see myself going
I don't know.
I really. Don't ******* know.

But thats sort of not true
In truth
In glimmering, exotic, and plain as day
Sight in the corners
Of what we deem goals
I see and I feel
And I long for so much
That I cannot possibly
Possibly articulate it
Into one sentence.
One paragraph.
One essay.
One monologue.
If only I could take the visions and fantasies in my mind
Slurp them away only for a millisecond
To show the viewer.
May 2016 · 354
Teedle
OnwardFlame May 2016
Immobile and so gently soft
Rounded candy eyes
Whiff of chocolate maybe coffee
Delicate, a silent friend
Comforting and so full of life
But no heart.

The teddy bear my mother sent me
For Easter?
I think it was.

Sweet, so quiet
Like a little girl twirling in polka dots once again
Not a care in the world
Chasing and racing
Planning and leading games
All my teachers loved me
And loathed me
Because I challenged them
Circling in dark pink and red
Why? How?

Young lipsticked face in too big high heels
Play dress up, I'll wear white
I spoke and dreamed of princes
But I never cut out perfect pictures
I made my own dolls instead.

3D crafted pictures, grandmama taught me how to sew
We ate meatloaf and the best rice
Rocking chair, daddy's sweet little girl
Not a care in the world
Resilient.
Gentle as this teddy bear

I get back in touch with that girl.
May 2016 · 1.5k
This Much I Know To Be True
OnwardFlame May 2016
The streak in my hair fades to crystal blue
Birds chirp and sing outside my window
The smoothie I made has a million ingredients
I don't know if I'm alone in our 3 bedroom
I ate for free today at work
Had the left overs for dinner
Everything requiring hundreds of dollars piles up high
My parents live and breathe and love me, though they will always expect more
(This is why I will always sort of believe I am never good enough)
I'll always wish I had known better with insert him
Philly continues on without me
I'm happier in Chicago than I was there
I have yet to meet "my person"
I wonder everyday, multiple times a day
If he exists
Since I was a kid, I've always believed I would be assassinated someday
My childhood friend Anna and I use to put on nonverbal sketches to music, playing out that very thing.
It was dramatic and dumb
And so rawly stunning.
I'm a freak in the sheets.
But there is nothing quite like making love.
I wake up every morning and get on the computer
But first, coffee.

I never meant to get into filmmaking
It was an accident.
I don't miss my ex, but I'd like to break his neck
I grow more and more apathetic with my feelings towards him
Each and everyday
I no longer mark out the days
But he haunted me everywhere I went Friday night.
I got caught up in perhaps, the wrong people when I first moved here
I'll always love them.
My parents still help me with money but I pray to end that
I'm the busiest I've ever been
I ate carbs today
And a chocolate popsicle yesterday
One of my girlfriends ate strawberry
It was cute.

One of my past lovers texted me a lot on Friday
(I didn't care but liked the attention)
There are so few men I'm sincerely interested in
I watch the numbers of the money I earn disappear
I miss my old friends but new ones grow
I've been here for almost a full year
I'm still figuring out who I am
Every. Day.
I finally do and say
Almost exactly as I would want.
A good friend of mine really hurt me recently with her criticism
(She did it out of love. But it was brutal)
I recover.
When a new man comes into my life, I'm scared for them to see me without make up for the first time<---a product of my upbringing and who I am.
I throw on whatever I want for clothes everyday and pay very little heed to what others would wear if they were me
I want more tattoos
I don't want to cut all my hair off anymore (as of the moment.)
My film drops and will be screened all around Chicago in mere weeks
My room mate has a much higher standard of living than me
My other room mate acts like a mouse.

I'm planning a road trip with two of my closest, newest friends
Whenever people try to own me or tell me what to do, I run.
(Literally.)
(I once ran away from my entire family in Disney World)
I spent all day being "lost"

One of my ex boyfriends lives in my old apartment with his girlfriend, it is and will always be ******* weird.
(I never really loved him but I tried to.)
My eyes work like a camera
I find myself thinking more about your new girl than you.
My dreams have always been short films
I miss my brothers
Our lives could not be more different
I want to have children
I might want to get married
But I refuse to wear white
I don't want a relationship. Not now. Not for a while.
I'm so drained, I have nothing to give other than presents
(Presence)
I'm on the IUD
I never know when I (gasp) bleed anymore
So I claim to be in a perpetual state of:
"I'm on my period?"
I worry that everyone is mad at me
(All. The Time.)
I'll always be the queen bee
(Don't even have to try.)
I retrace and go back to words exchanged, find the badness in it
It is the small interior death of me
I'm the skinniest I've ever been
I love the way my body looks
(And saying that scares me that others would find me vain)
Sometimes I pretend to like my body less to make others comfortable
Its easier to act small and shy
But I'd really rather rebel.
I miss my grandmother
(She died.)
Its time to move.
Change is always good to me.
I easily adapt
I have introduced myself and put myself out there, on my own
So. So. SO. Very much. The reward of that vulnerability
Has been so ******* plentiful.
I wish I could alter things a bit
But the struggle is so beautiful
Things are about to take off
But I'm so sick of saying that.
**** it.

I'm always tired
I love being alone.
I canceled all my plans today after work because I wanted to be with myself
(This is a thing I so deeply cherish.)
I miss theatre.
But I also really don't.
My **** got stolen Friday night
Another agent wanted to sign me, but she recommended I grow patient and give it 6 months
I look around and see who really has my back.
I am an extremely paranoid, sensitive person
I make art and it is like therapy
(I once had a co-worker who tried to steer me away from this and pit me against a best friend. She failed.)
I wear a uniform to one of my day jobs. I hate it.
(Khaki and brown)
I would rather find gems at a thrift store than drop $200 on one blouse
My dress for the premiere looks like a goddess gown
It is mothers day
I miss Alabama
I woke up with pink eye this morning
One of my girlfriends wants to move back home
(She is one of very very favorites. Lets hope she sticks it out.)
The first year is always the hardest.
Its always hard.
Highest highs. Lowest lows.

I bring light into every situation
And for once
I'm allowing myself to really
Own that.
May 2016 · 420
Rocket
OnwardFlame May 2016
We painted our lips in glitter and gold
Just like when I would replay and replay
Emotional young anthems
A tool surrounding myself with
The blackest and oily paint
Taking days and day to try.

Paint and style it on thick
Run thin hands over it
I painted beasts, text from my poetry
Embedded in the stories of my canvas
And I haven't picked up a paintbrush
To regurgitate my innermost
Demons and diamonds
In really, years.

We started to feel silly for dancing so hard
But ***** and tequila shots
Young livin' life
Throwing mermaids manes
Bare maidenhead weds
The past grumbles and tumbles
Itching for my attention
Each day I seek to find peace
And an immense love for myself.

I always looked at myself through
Someone else's lens
But I've been taking the camera
Into my own hands
Where it fits just right.

Flashes of what could have been
Dancing and quick side steps
Demented it seemed so genuine
But I guess I was the one who knew nothing
Like I'm Jon Snow
But its spring now
The snow is long gone.

And I don't know nothing
And I don't know everything
But when I feel less at ease
I plant my feet firmly into the earth.

Rooted and derived from the soil
Droplets from the moon
Uncovering and discovering new types of answers, solutions
Newness, don't fight it
Up and up
Strong voices around me echo so clearly
As a flash or moment of what was
What wasn't.

I restored my cell phone today
After it was stolen
Everything gone, taken
Young women dancing
Thought, I thought
I could trust the environment
Wrong.

Flashlights we hurried, scurried
So eager to help us, the men were
We wonder now if it was all a set up.

And thats the thing.
We, us, women
Theres so much separation
Stigma
But we breathe life into the universe
We will always be more powerful.

A sling shot attempt
Fighting and flying invisible kites
To and from me
My fickle love
I nod side by side
To my shadow
Old and new
Present, lets not read into this or that
No time
I look just like Arve Marie
May 2016 · 357
End Of An Era. NewNewNew.
OnwardFlame May 2016
Mystical little glass bottle
We empty our fears and our lush
Galatic fuming microscopes
Tropes connecting underground with roots
And musky vines
I'm told I'm overly wordy at times.

Tones lilting and deepening
Heart racing slightly at fear
Of seeing the past again
Would we gasp?
Laugh?
Dodge the bullet that would fly straight into
What we forgot
We shared?

But you've got your new love now
Heard she met mama
Long hair, she's got over 1000 instagram likes
Best friend is right
You got the capacity to be with that
And sometimes in the middle of my days
I'll think just about how
You told me this ***** may or may not be your friend.

Bitterness
Lets swat it away with tea leaves
I remember a mystical psychic
Read my energy, my palm
She told me I had a very fruitful future ahead
Radiant, strong energy
Lots of love, more than one child
Waiting for my white gown
To crown me like it did in dreams
10pm my body wakes up

Drank glasses of *** with one cube of ice
Leisurely reading, killing time
I made a new playlist
Didn't name it after a book of the bible
Or play with season, alliteration
Wave that fee, I had such an honest conversation
About beauty with my production designer
I just wanted to delete all of this

Maybe its time to try new voices on.
May 2016 · 327
Mermaid Pillow
OnwardFlame May 2016
I went back a bit
Lifted the broken decaying logs of the past
To try and better understand
And like a heat wave
Trinkets and dismantled barbie doll arms
Whispering under the bulk of it all
"Girl, get out. Girl get out."
Woman, you are too brave.

My eyes blinked open this morning
As a ravenous wolf made my body his
I gave over to it as fully as I could
My heart wrapped in metal
But my mind, my lips, my limbs
Sighing and free.

And I realize for the first time
I did not have to remind myself of the name.

You reached out as hard as you could
You wanted to notify me of your disgust
Venturing into my room
Claiming your hurt
Get the **** over it.

And it might could be different
But its not
High wasted little white *******
I've got an hour glass figure
The Wolf points out to me in a polaroid on my windowsill
And I poke and **** him because it makes him matter less
The hurt and desire to not be a **** boy
I hit a sore spot
But we held each other before he left
I glowed and floated today
Because sensual physical love
Is so necessary for me.

But I don't seek it out with binoculars
Palettes of paint and digital cinema
Fulfill my desires
But sometimes I wish I had that special solid someone
But it feels too good to do whatever I want.

I went back over where I was this time last year
Through poetry
I wanted so much
Almost a full year
And though it wounds me sometimes
I haven't marked days on my door
Since I X'd it all out with anguish and freedom

Because theres just no need
Sorry you and your brothers gotta fuss
But really

I'm not sorry at all
You wanted to see my bikinied body
This summer, summer time sadness

I'm just sorry
I thought you were
You were
And you weren't.
May 2016 · 546
Maidenhead In Red
OnwardFlame May 2016
I drink ***
3 glasses now
Bedtime story to
The words of Diane Keaton
I'm little red riding hood for the night
But dressed in all black like an actor
Makes me remember stretching
Humming
Freeing our voice

I remember you
And all the men who did me wrong
Like PTSD.

But new music, Brave art
Don't have time for anything but that
But meaty clanging jaws
Urged me not to fall asleep just yet
I can hear all the howls
I wonder if it's a full moon.

Sips more ***
Reads a little bit more
Life is beautiful, luxurious
And so ******* difficult
But I'm lucky.

I'll be the swan in white
Prepared to fight
For the right for us to
Not be hushed
I've been hushed all my life
I would be such a good wife.

Doll me
That was the original name
Sips more ***
Sunshine scarf
I allow the memories
Happy and pain to pass me by
They are all covered in deceit
****** scars
Who knew you too
Would be
Everything I warned you
Against
Congrats you gladly take first place
My girlfriends say you are the worst
******* curse
I can't get her face
Her body
Her hair
Out of my head

And then I think
I know deep down
You, you
You must be the most haunted.

Little red riding hood tonight.
OnwardFlame May 2016
I could allow my fingertips
To dip into pots of honey soaked blood
And recite and formulate
The phrases and words I hear in my skull
(It took me such a long time to say that word without an accent)
And for a brief second, I remember that girl
So well
Bill Cosby sweater
A red sweaty face
My hair up
Standing in front of a mirror
In front of the whole class
I wanted it all so badly.

I've clung to the men I've dated
Framed my life around them
My Production Designer said to me over Dark & Stormy's
Last week
She told me her life plan
It made sense, it was beautiful
And she asked me mine
I struggled for an answer
I really didn't and still don't know anymore
I mentioned that it just has changed so much
Because I thought this with you
Or I would have this with you
And in other words
She so kindly and with such a regal tone
"They are just the men we ****."
She hadn't mentioned the love of her life
The man she lived with
Once.

So what is it about me
That has had me place the men in my life on such pedestals
For the first time I don't long
I don't hunt
I don't feel this undying need to have someone sleep next to me
Be with me
Eat with me
**** me
Love me.

No, not anymore.
Was it a validation?
A hole?
And I'm sure as **** not perfect
But I can leave bars, come into my room alone
Get ready for bed
Glad to do my own routine
And sometimes I feel lonely
And I fear finding "The One"
But what is it about me
That put such importance on that all my life?

A few men said some dumb **** to me tonight
After the screening
And I felt myself just
Hating them
And smiling through my teeth
And then I thought
Man. Are they just less educated?
They get away with ******.
And then I thought, ****
They are just human
Let them just be human.

I met a man tonight
Who I was attracted to at first
As I slid my business card across the table
He remarked with bewilderment and some threat
That I had done so much
How
He's 46
He revealed when I asked

But I blink a few times
Throw my head back and laugh
A slew of the wrong men
That held onto me so tightly
Until with a giant thump
Freed me into the ocean
They wanted me to drown
Because they couldn't bare
To see me happy without them
But I did
I transformed into a mermaid.
OnwardFlame May 2016
I looked into the mirror just now
Before I turned all the lights off
The Campbell House
On Campbell Avenue
In all its drama, and all its tension
Watches Netflix
Reads. Writes.
We lay our heads down
Instagram a pic or two
Letting go of today.

Women in rooms.
Women undergoing such experiences
I went shopping with girlfriends today
And wasn't present at all.

When I glanced in the mirror
I saw the new chain around my neck
With a stone that spoke to me at the store
But perhaps might be fake
But its beautiful.
A soft green, gold
Dangerous. Beautiful.
Like me.

I glanced in the mirror
No make up, a line that just cut through my throat
As I remember that was the title of
The portfolio of poetry
I tucked pieces of my heart away into
And you read it page to page
Shared it with strangers
Trying to engulf my every crevice
I just didn't know you.

I was excited
About the call and response
You did say all the right things
You walked in with such swagger
Strength
Small and light
Strong, playful
And you wanted me
Oh how you wanted
me
And thats how I became your prisoner for the next year of my life.

But.
I looked into the mirror just now
My lips formed an expression
Of just acceptance
Slight acceptance
I guess
Really
Its not all that surprising.

Soon.
Things will all change
So soon.
Dear God
Please let it be for the better.

When others speak profound things to me
I keep quiet because I want to drink up every word.

You're not invited
And its funny to think
A chocolate heart shaped cake
I covered it in walnuts
I bought you whiskey glasses
And I'm at that point now
Where all the yous blend together
In one heaping puddle of ****
Representing a past
A past of lies, deceit, abandonment
And I leap over that ******* pond

With bare Alabama feet.
May 2016 · 366
A Shift
OnwardFlame May 2016
I guess its the end of an era
And I'm just so tired
It would have been great
For today to have been a good day.

Distracted by the ringing buzzing device in my hand
You tried every which way to get my attention
"To put a stop to this"
My girlfriends and I laughed at you.

A middle man
The worst of all
What does it matter
I'm so tired
I'm so just done from it all
Bloodied lip, broken hymns
You once supported me with such love
Don't you dare claim
That you have respected me.

Grossly inappropriate you wrote
I bet you had to dream that one up
And I seem to keep getting criticized
By a million eyes
Yet you don't see that I'm doing such good
You clearly don't see the positive influence I have had
Dark place
The women who have torn me down
The men who have left me
You said
As if a throw away remark.

****** up
Its all just so ****** up
And I'm nervous to stay in my house alone
Because what happens when my other room mate comes home
Things were supposed to be better
Happier
But I feel myself lowly dissolving
Dying into ash
And I know I have to light myself on fire
In order to resurrect.

I'm not sure
I asked myself today
What will bring me happiness today
I don't know
I work all the time
I'm tired all the time
I'm lucky
And I've been looking in mirrors lately
And thinking I'm not special
I'm not pretty
And everything around rains down.

And it occurred to me
In my kitchen
For a moment
I realized and remember
I felt it and I brushed it off
We love each other still
And I have just
Absolutely nothing to give.

I asked myself today
What would bring me happiness
What needs to change
A new boyfriend?
A new haircut?
A tattoo?
A move?
Go out?
Food?
Plans?
Work?

And none of it
None of it really saves me today.

The end of an era
I know thats all it is
3 months has come and gone
Here's to many more
I don't know what will bring me happiness today
I feel so

Scr..and just like that
As I'm mid my own pity party
You call.

A fire emoji next to your name
Your words broken and bent like pieces of forgotten glass
I was right when I told my best friend today
"We are both just going through it"
Your family, your job
You told me of death and obligation
My words longing to be smooth and consoling
I found myself so quickly and in such a
Change
"Its okay babe. I'm so sorry."
I'm here for you always
And I really meant it.

You cried on the phone
My sweet Beautiful Innovator
Mentor
Dear Friend
Artist
We could fall in love
But for now
I'm here for you.
And you me.
OnwardFlame May 2016
Well hello again.
We missed you so well
So we all thought we would chime in
With our poppycock filled grins
Spiders and cheap whiskey demeanor
We got nothin' but each other
And that filmmaker, she's such a woman
She dreamed of us months before she met us.

We welcomed her in
With our spiders and our mildewed floors
Bathroom covered in abandoned tooth paste
And the girls we have ****** over before
We replace them so easily, so heartily
Its such a treat for us
Because you see, little mice in our eyes
We are our own make believe fraternity.

We aren't astronauts or engineers
We can't even sew, but we cook meals
Full of beans and sometimes fancy eggs
Or soggy pasta that we feed the hungry mouths
Of the girls we lure in
And make believe we want to marry
But really, oh really
We just worship in our little den
The notches on our belt
The longboards we ride
The hundreds of times
We made young girls cry.

We aren't evil
Not even sinister
Our brains just lack luster
But we try to make up for it
By huddling together.

Saint Louis, Saint Louis
We claim to be gentleman
Not all of us are all bad
But bad blood, man.

We have ink on our *****
Scores and the ****** we kick out
Before our D&D; days
And we aren't all bad
No, we aren't all bad
But we lack luster
And sure aren't brave.

I don't know what it will take
We induct new women into our cult
As we see fit
But once they turn over the table
We throw them out
Like the whiskey bottles hanging out of our mouthes
Just like mamas milk.

We are threatened by change
And Women Of The Now
So we poke fun, throw frisbees
And make it appear glamorous
But we aren't all bad
No we aren't all bad.

We are just really young
We don't know what we want
We prefer our mildew, our sweat, our residue
We recycle our women, herd our own cattle
Run from obligation, commitment
We would rather recycle, recycle
Pass around the same ball
Dress the same, ride the same longboards
Speak and ink our bodies
So that we never have to be so alone.

We are like sheep
With no shepherd
And the moment a strong force of nature
Encountered us
We guillotined her
She could have been one of us
Continued to play our game
But we very quickly saw
She was the lead honey bee
In every way.

So we sought her ****** out
Or perhaps she claimed her own
As she exited the premises of what we deem
The notorious "Brotel"
No longer smelling of mildew.
Or basement nights.
Card games introducing drunken betrayal
Or bowling alleys where we forgot our hearts
And recycled, recycled
We all might be the same
We might all be different
But we hide and we hurdle
The same ball on repeat.

She got out.
She flew the coop
She disappeared from us
Just like she warned us she would
Mystical. Magical. The Gypsy we called her
And once we got comfortable
Lemon.
And that she will always be
But we hurdle, we spike
We ignite only our own genitalia

She was too brave and ambitious for us
So we killed her with spite.
May 2016 · 352
A Dream
OnwardFlame May 2016
Setting. A beach.
A security room.
A girlfriends hand grabbed me
We heard the iconic alarm
(That we had prepared ourselves for, so well)
Sound and ring
I couldn't remember what it meant
A flurry of female faces, my mother included
Gathered around me and said in unison
"It means he left her."

But could this be false?
We wondered.
I heard you say in the pan over to you
"I didn't think it would be like this. But this woman. She is my it"

It. It. It. It.
I transformed into a solider.

A blur of fast motion poolside bodies
Bright colored umbrellas
I smoked a cigarette in the security room
(That part I made up)
My mother grabbed the large back pack
And handed it to me
As if it were a grenade
I knew immediately what it was
What she meant.

Meanwhile
You, Lost Boy
Partied on the beach with your new woman
She wore a faded white to put the idea in your head
But at the particular moment
Alarms rang and rang
All along the perimeter of the beach
I grabbed the back pack
And went at it as if it were
The wounded corpse of a dying animal.

Notebooks. A pair of green shorts
(this, I remember all this so well)
A black notebook
(I searched through it as if trying to absorb and gather what IQ level she had)
I wanted to know if there was anything about you
About me
Secrets hidden in the ***** crevices of an *******
I found nothing.

At last, after searching through the same materials a number of times
I heard your name through the vehicle of a female voice
(But I heard you trash our gender, and how I stand for us)
I placed the backpack back on the hook
I felt slightly disgusted with myself
Angry at my mother for stealing it
She told me you were all so ugly.

Suddenly
I transformed
The ugliness, the need to search for answers
I would never ever receive
The desire to find out what had just happened
It didn't matter
I stood in full transformative swan glory
A long white flowing gown
Meant for a nobel queen
My hair long and golden silk
A cane in my finger tips
And I radiated and I existed
And I was one with the beach breeze.

I remember other bits and pieces
You saw me and your heart melted
I heard her scream
A cry of such abandonment.

And then I woke up
And bought a salad and some hummus.
OnwardFlame Apr 2016
Does she let you **** her in the ***?
Do you grab her long hair and think of me?
I hope the ink you had torn into your skin
Hurt you and you wanted to scream
But you remained zen because thats what I did.

Does she know that you aren't over it?
Does she know that you can't even hear the word
"Woman"
Without the image of my face, my eyes, my lips
Hitting and splicing you in half
You are the predator and you aren't even special.

It makes so much sense
This is what you do
You couldn't take a moment to breathe
And I'm sure your mama even knows it.

Does your new woman know your darkest secret?
Does she wake up in the morning smelling of ninja turtles
Mildew and all the promises you will never keep?
Does she moan for you real good
As images of the truth fill your mind
Do you tell her you want to marry her
Do you get her off to thoughts of her baring your child
Does she secretly and quietly think
That one day soon she will out grow you so strongly
With such a loud clamoring chaotic sound

That before she knows it

You will have repeated your cycle all over again.

A new girl to ****
A new girl to want to marry
You will grab her hair
And want to **** her ***
And if she has any brains
She will never let you.
Apr 2016 · 562
Orange Eggplants
OnwardFlame Apr 2016
Did it make you feel good
To have your body brightly inked
Where you once held my hand
It looks like you tried to maintain and find
Moments of inner zen
Remember how impressed you were with me
And my calm strength?

I don't know why you seem to enjoy
Bathing in my dust so much.

I thought for a split second today
Perhaps I was ready to unblock you
Judging by your eagerness to enter and take from my room
Lay on the same table I laid
Spend time in my neighborhood
And as I stared at your name and considered clicking the button
I realized I'm still not ready
I'll never trust you.
Apr 2016 · 501
1:43AM
OnwardFlame Apr 2016
Its chilly outside these last few days
I think of you some days and then some days
You skip my mind like looking glass
I fuel it into my art, my heart
But I hear phrases in my head
And forget just about every single one of them
But at the end of the day
The most painful part
Is that you became everything you swore to vehemently
To never be.

You might take the gold
The trophy
Lets glamorize you for a moment in drama
You are the worst.

Congratulations
It doesn't ******* matter.

But I do go back to
When we laid on my bed
For 5 hours on my birthday
I needed to tell you everything
I unfolded my entire past
A la Sophie's Choice
Or so I thought in my little silly head
And you revealed your truth
That was everyday, in my face
Perhaps we both
Could have been better.

Or the time we rode on the ferris wheel
So new, so fresh
Tuesdays were our day
And sometimes when I get drunk
I start to linger on the idea of reaching out
But a group of 9 eyes
And your deception
Stops me every time.

I guess I thought things might be different
I have very little tolerance for those who don't
Choose to be present, active
Beautiful Innovator is having a tough time
I don't know what we are
My room mate asked me how we were last night
It was weird.

I don't know?
We are good?
We are existing?
We talk everyday?
I want you
You want me
But we don't proceed in that way
And thank God.

Gotta be a pin up tomorrow
Let me run in the forest
I remember when we decided we should go
I felt so deeply in my coffee shop uniform
I need this. I need that.
My filmmaker friend tonight
Told me he would put me in contact
With all of the program directors
Of the film festivals
So much is about to happen
I can feel it and I can taste it
And there are those that so badly
Want to lessen me, what I do
Wave me off as diminutive or average
And sometimes I think a lot
That, that is my own analytical fears
Reflecting back at me

But **** it
I say covering myself in silly string, harps, rainbows, hula hoops
This time last year I didn't ******* live here
I've had those who helped twirl me into my present
But my feet
My feet are planted in the earth.
Apr 2016 · 375
Title (optional)
OnwardFlame Apr 2016
Shaking whirlpools from strong spirit
Why read into a line a limit
Tonight was utterly ******* magical
And ain't nobody out there that can take that from me.

I'm a paranoid *******
I know that about myself.

But all that ******* ******* aside
Tonight, I drug myself out of the house
Grabbed a bottle of red wine
(I just realized I left it on the couch)
**** $9 gone.
But what a nice little present
To whoever stumbles upon it
We entered the inside of a fake galaxy
My partner in crime for the night, he handed me
A mini jug full of the sweetest most subtley dangerous
Long Island Iced Tea
"You gotta name this!"
We sipped and drank it up like fairy juice
Lost in the maze of an artistic space
My mind wraps and twists around new concepts, ideas
I jump on board to more projects than I could ever fathom
I'm truly the busiest I've ever been
And its cool.

We climbed into a treehouse like apartment
A fake proscenium in the backyard
I spotted a handsome man at the fire
I made it my quiet mission for him to notice me
We talked of law school
My father.
My brothers
He has 4 sisters
He lives in Colorado and is just visiting
But in those singular moments
We spoke with sass, intellect, articulate words
But he returns to Colorado tomorrow night
I didn't give him my card
But we both wore a mustard yellow
Glimmering fireside smiles
While my girlfriends ask me how my love life is
And I cannot waver, cannot settle, they don't really want me to either
I just can't
Not now.

My face
I feel it coating with exhaustion
My body constantly fighting against me
But I brought myself home early tonight
Because it felt good and like the right thing to do.

Life is beautiful
And its hard
But I'm gonna keep hustling
And I don't care if no one gets it.
Apr 2016 · 489
Watering I
OnwardFlame Apr 2016
What hurts more than anything
I thought so cleverly and poetically in my head
As I drunkenly left the party alone
Entertaining and flirting with the men
Who are ladders above you
But I'm so drained
And I've been revisiting
Listening to the song
That once made me think of you
And filled me with such hope
It just hurt me so much baby
That I gave everything
Ripped open my secrets my soul
And you did too
But you chose to stab me to death
In the end.

And it's funny to think now
How informed
My work is
Dear god please no more
Romantic hurt
It's the best
Worst
And silliest
Hurt.

Cereal and my bed
I refrain from texting
My eyes will soon close
Can't wait
I left the party tonight
Because I didn't feel pretty
Or important anymore
Though we danced and sang our siren songs
I lead the pack
And all these new faces follow
But sometimes I want
To just tag along.

Wolf man and I jest, caress
He's got some **** sass tonight
But I've always got more
I drank Dark & Stormys tonight
With a gal pal
She asked me my end goal

I have no ******* idea anymore.

To be.
Joyful.
Apr 2016 · 259
Year Almost One: Chicago
OnwardFlame Apr 2016
It's really so very beautiful
To crawl into bed
Drunk and alone
In a Breaking Bad tshirt
Shorts with monkeys on them
A bowl of cereal
Knowing all the boys long
But you close your eyes
At peace with solitude
Self possession
At last.
OnwardFlame Apr 2016
I haven't written or sent
Internal words that I hear in my head
To a man
In what seems like
Several moons.

I haven't had a chance to check in with
The lunacy of the moon tonight
Perhaps it resembles
Just how my insides feel.

Your rhythm and tune sweeps and quietly
Peeps its head into the cracks of my armor
"I'm just very guarded"
I said as you held me with your sweet teeth
And suckling lips mirroring inked wells
Covered in curated paintings and projected film scores.

In my minds eye
You hang paintings with your rusty tired hands
Covered in brightly colored patterns designed by only locals
Fashion, but its not fashion for you
Its the air that you breathe in and out of your mouth
Just as you recite poetic words without even a flinch
I cocooned myself on my brightly colored bed
I wore a silly bright sweater the first night I ever saw you perform
And my best friend said
"You look great. You look just like Mykele."

Cut from the same cloth.
I asked you in our almost summer wet Chicago kisses
Well, really
I told you, you had to write a rap about me now
As you replied with smiles and dreaded flowered hair
"How do you know I haven't already?"

You speak to me with the calmness of success, happiness
Grounding, that other men I have encountered
So desperately lacked
As they reached and tilted on the tip toes
Of their attitudes, wanting to be more
Than they could be
For me
I've been told and I've been warned
I've been told and I've been warned
Each time red flags appeared and angled and held themselves
High and low in the meat of my face

But you.
In your visceral dreams
I wear a swan
You colorful cats
We play on the wordage of the letter "m"
Your intellect and brain
Playing and dancing so well
Entwining with mine
But I don't feel like I dote on puppy love poetry
"We don't gotta be 16 about it."
A phrase you so carefully and articulately say
But I can so greatly appreciate
As you embrace me in moments where the art
Within us
Can perhaps become too much.

But I know on a whim I can call you
Express my artistic battles
And you so easily express
Beautiful intricacies
I otherwise would not have
Thought or been advised
On my own.

I don't know what this is
And I don't know what it will be
And I don't know what we doin'
But you are hella special.
OnwardFlame Apr 2016
What is my purpose?
My meaning?
What am I doing here?
Who am I?

My feet are chapped
I could drink buckets of lemon water
Everyone circles and circles and repeats
Themselves
And talks of themselves
And talks of themselves
And wants and wants and wants

My dinner plate is
Green. Beige. Purple.

I sort of hate everything that is coming out of me
Its never good enough for
Or anyone.

I don't know.
I leap and grab the branches of my own self doubt
Been here for almost a year
And thousands of faces and pairs of eyes
Lips
Speak praise
And I don't really love myself right now.

And sometimes I'll think
What if I just gave it ALL up
And went to law school.
Apr 2016 · 405
I Cleaned My Room Today
OnwardFlame Apr 2016
Lightning struck tonight
As I left my editors house
The night sky chirped and shone
Its inner most feelings
I tried to snap chat it
But technology failed.

I scrounged together a bowl of ****
Left a little for me and he tonight
We're gonna get grilled cheeses and ice cream
I glance through the peep holes of stained glass
The frame around Marilyn Monroe and pearl
Colored velveteen cupcakes and lost hope
And implementing structure and surreal behavior
As I fold laundry in my gypsy room.

So much has changed.

I'm gonna go back to the hair salon tomorrow
Because I meant for the streak in my hair to be silver.

I've done and seen just about
It all
Sometimes I just wanna cut it all off
In time.

And it makes me remember a flurry of things, emotions
I had the most vivid dream I've had about you
In such a long
It was demented, wrong at the core
You were silhouetted in a windowsill
Urging and purging me with wrongness
And I think about how when the day comes
That our faces and our bodies
Inhabit the same space
I'll wear a gas mask
As your fingers reach for thin air.

I don't know what anything looks like anymore.
My mother and father want me to wear a white man
Live in a little cottage down the street
Bare 3 children
boy. girl. boy.
Just one girl though
More than one is just too much
They would jest.
But, God, how I love them so
And I know I'm so lucky
But I don't listen much.

I wanna read more
Wanna write more
Wanna watch more
All activities that require sitting down
So hard to sit down
Don't sit down often enough
If only I could delete all the extraneous activities
Facebooking.
Waiting.
Walking.
Folding laundry.
Carrying things.
Going to the bathroom.
Showering.
Eating.
Sleeping.
*******.
Hurting.

I would take all those things and cast them into the sky
With a simple twist of my wrist
Just like colorful flames and fireworks
Every negative thought, moment of self denial
I'd watch them all like a colorful maze in the sky

Be something bigger and greater than myself
And all would be so well.
OnwardFlame Apr 2016
Beyonce's Lemonade made me cry
Weep just silent tears streaming down my face
Two pivotal moments within 57 minutes
Moved to tears.

Just as I have been thinking
That I'm a dry well in need of warm water.

The sounds of moaning, hiccups
Laughter
My room mate and her lovers took over the Campbell House today.
It is very annoying.

But I educate and grow my mind
Sleep comes soon
And the bodies in this room
Too will be gone
The shenanigans can only last so long.

My brothers girlfriend left him again
I wish everyone in my house would stop talking
Just for a moment, that I could cut out all the sound
Delete my snap chat, any moment showcasing
Things I perhaps you could say,
Miss out on you
But I would rather grow my mind
Do my time
Last night I hit a frenzy
Every time a man looked my way
I looked the other direction
And very kindly and sternly asked them
To get off the **** stage

Let the women have their moment.

Plans we were supposed to have
I prefer the solace of my room
Tomorrow is Monday.

Beautiful Innovator calls me on the phone
We run and ignite fires, keeping them fresh and hot
In different parts of Chicago
The leader of Canvas compared me to a hawk last night
He said
I'll grow into a swan
Hawk. I'm beautiful but dangerous
Hawks eat the faces off of squirrels
But everyone wants to photograph their beauty.

Sometimes I feel trapped by all the love
Of people wanting to jump on the wagon
And it makes me act out in small ways.

It makes me think back
To running away from you in the streets of Chicago
Me and summer time so new
I didn't ******* know you
No, I didn't know you
But you fell in love with me.
And come into my room now when I'm not home
Searching for the last piece of yourself
To claim back.

Take it and go.
And I unblock you on my cell phone
Because its my attempt
To--in the tiniest way
Try to hate you and your mistakes less.

I take criticism
I bite the bullet
I bite my tongue at times
There are so many **** things I could say
But I do pick and choose my battles
I've had a cold for about 3 weeks
Restless. Restless.
We snort ******* and dance the night away
But thats not really my forte.

And of course you did.
Because hawks
Swans
We cannot help but be mystfiied by them.
I think and consolidate
If I could shut all the noise out
Just for the rest of the night
With my two lean hands
I would hold them up to the sky
Let the silence be gold.

Your name got brought up to me last night
I looked just like a mermaid.
Dress my room mate like fire
Opposites, we embrace it
I sink in the deepest puddles of
Not knowing
But I don't wanna always be joined at the hip
Of him or her
And when I feel that begin to happen
I run.

So here I am running in reverse in the pits of my brain
My room thats slowly falling apart
Shabby gyspy living, can't keep it up
I don't wanna be a gypsy no more.

I wanna live
And I wanna be so alive
And I don't want it to be for anyone
But the goodness and joy of life
Regardless of how hard things get
Or how dull a moment can become
But I'm strong enough to lock myself away in my room
When I need and want

I was asked tonight what is my end goal
And I said
I no longer know what any of that looks like.
Apr 2016 · 559
Out Of Post It Notes
OnwardFlame Apr 2016
I should fold my piles of laundry
Lately. These days
I find myself thinking and pondering
Fighting with my inner demons.

Beautiful Innovator wants to speak poetry into my ear
Take a night to rejuvenate
Living off of the high of last night
We spun in circles after everyone cleared the room
Threw our own party
My life is beautiful.

Perhaps, I'm in this
Undisclosed
Competition with
Myself.

And thats the doll parts we pick apart.

Sometimes I worry I haven't done enough
That I'm not special enough
Our icons dying all around us
We lift them up, hold their glittering souls
But yet I tell myself
Don't look quite pretty or am educated
Enough
I lack the technical skills, the jargon
Paranoia creeps in
I don't have this
I don't have that
But really.
I've got so much room to slap everything with color.
It shows like an emblem stamped to my forehead
I lock the doors to the house
We can't wait to move out come August
Go 'head be sarcastic *****
Cuz
I keep it clean, motivated, sincere.

I remember laying on blankets in the park
Soaking up the Philadelphia sunlight
Or running through the grass of Alabama
People ask who I am, what I am
Lets not get caught up. Lets not get caught up.
I protect my head and heart
But I would prefer to leave them at the alter.

Can hardly pay attention to this election
Its all become a game filled with gifs and snap chat
Notoriety
My new man's ex lover expressed such interest in me
Midnight and Sunshine laugh for long lengths of time
High five
We figure out our own way to dance.
A collaborator of mine can't collaborate no more
She's going through dark times she said
And I got hint of that before she said so
Cuz her lover posted about it on Facebook.

We reveal our lives
We reveal our souls
I'm still sick
And hung over.

Throwing some shade on a late night train
Though I didn't mean it, I didn't mean it
Fairy queen princess is right
Theres this part of me that just longs
For you all to be here.

Lets not get carried away
I don't dial you
On my cell phone.
Who anymore even is
You?

Maybe I am just another white girl
With a BFA degree.

But I got some worth while **** to say
I allow myself to believe
And my heart is exposed, so open
My mind and my breath can't help but express
I miss who I was in high school
But really she's still so within me
She always was.

We fight
We dance
We line the lights
We glitter like gold
Self care. Give self care. Love.
I stop looking I stop fighting
Enjoying the ride

I can't fully share the goodness with anyone it seems like
But I don't need to
Take note, let it fill you up

Move on.
Apr 2016 · 778
Bumblebee
OnwardFlame Apr 2016
I gotta write a little poem.

Before I embark on the rest of this day.

I don't know what anything is. I don't what it all looks like.

This time last year I wasn't here.

I need more coffee. I need more sleep. I need time to slow down. I need time to speed up. I need love. I need joy. I need ***. I need moments.

Needs. What an interesting thing.

My brain sometimes can't keep up.

I'm just so ******* happy.
Apr 2016 · 693
Almost May
OnwardFlame Apr 2016
Remember how we thought
We might could be in love?

I'm sorta drunk.
3:16am.
I've got one skeleton and a lasso
A lasso of people
It reminds me when a child hood friend and I
We went to the rodeo
We won boomerangs
They came.back to us in the audience
I think?
Or maybe her mama just paid them
To say they did.

I'm so tired.
Comforting sounds from love and homie love we love
But this time last year I wasn't here
Don't wanna lose my spot, my meaning
But I always feel that way
But yet I go and I go and I go
Because I have to
Trust.

Tonight.
Was beautiful
And weird and hard and so very chill.
Short and sweet and meaty.
All the women secretly proclaim
They wanna be the mothers of dollface
But
**** it

Let's do it
Let's **** it
Because I know deep in my heart
This IS just the beginning
And filmmaking
Women
Ladies
We out here
And we are taking over.
So hang tight, hold on
Cuz we sittin next to you.
Apr 2016 · 299
I'm Only 25
OnwardFlame Apr 2016
Self love
Education
I fear my brain, my skull decreasing lacking
I'm too tired to soak up more information at times
But I feel this itching need, desire
To read more, do more, see more.

Come home from work to discuss whats next
I feel like I've had a bad attitude lately
Sleep deprivation and this grind gettin' the best of me
I remembered the image of spinning in my red skirt
This time last week to get me through
But right now that all seems so far away.

Submitting tonight, barked up some new trees
Hire me to do what I please
I haven't acted in so long
My agents don't send me out like they oughta
Too tired to record stupid ******* voice overs
I never seem to book.

Its so hard when you havin' to be what they want
I hate wearing a uniform every day to work
And my hours ain't even bad but its the combination
Too tired, too drained
I don't have no real romance to give away.

Lets pass out real soon
Allow dreams to take over
I asked myself tonight,
What do I need to make me happy?

Some canned tomato soup
Burnt grilled cheese
I told myself lets maybe not do work
But I found myself reading articles, book marking
I've worked so ******* hard.

But it will all be worth it
Mama lectures me about my choices
I cannot imagine being with anyone right now.

I hold myself and my teddy bear tonight
Eye mask on, forget the sun
Or the 56 events that go on
Do what you prefer.

Tonight I prefer
To let my mind and body rest
Lets get up tomorrow, greet the sun
Run, exercise, find reasons to get up
95 percent of the time its so hard to find the drive
But what great discipline
If I can't now, when will I?

Self love.
Body and mind rest.
Forget the past.
Rest.
Apr 2016 · 693
Sunshine Scarf
OnwardFlame Apr 2016
I dyed the front strand of my hair dark gray blue
I told a girlfriend waiting for the train
How an old business partner of mine asked me once
"What are you most afraid of?"
And I said: Men.

Theres this sense of entitlement
****** forwardness. Threat.
Just because you want us
Don't mean we want you.

I've noticed and swam in the ocean
But its not really the ocean
Its just Lake Michigan
I coin the creative things
And I miss my old life at times
But I settle and spread my wings out here.

But there is somethin' about men
And it ain't got to do with location
But I do think in big cities
Monogamy and sincerity harder to come by
Remember how you would use the word ain't too?
Because of me
And my influence.

I heard you came into my room.
We all knew you would.
My Chicago sisters of the moon
Who it took me running away to Philadelphia
To realize I ran out of rope
To see, to see
Appreciate and nourish your surroundings
But I make phone calls and videos
Sending my love and listening ears
My Philly army ladies are the best.

But they did
We called it
I left my door propped open with the paint I used
To paint myself blue
Mystique
The night after you left my heart in the toilet
I knew you would soak me up
See my living quarters
My handwriting all over the walls
So I propped my door open
Just so you could see
I wasn't home.

I heard you celebrated stealing your sweat shirt back
You sifted through my belongings
Made yourself right at home
But honey baby,
I've so clearly moved on.

As you hide behind fundamental fake antics
Lewd gestures
You flick off the cameras documenting moments on film sets
I should have known, I should have known.

It angered me
To hear you were so entitled
I was so wrong about you.

I felt contentment
For all of about 5 minutes
Everyone said you were different, better, real
With me
But I left you at the wedding.

I'm not sure what any of it is
But I hate sleeping these days
I woke up again today to a beautiful black man in my bed
Closing my eyes all morning
So connected, so deep
I swat and gallop past the prejudices of my home town.

Beautiful Innovator and I danced down the streets of my neighborhood
I threw the CimmFest tshirts I snagged into the sky
We howled, we laughed
I felt so free, so open
I ate eggs, he told me to protect my art.
We protect our art
But I can't just have this be a hobby all my days.

I don't know
And I never really seem to.
But I know you see the women get body painted
After me, my influence
We knew you would come into my room
You think you're so cool.

But really.
God Bless, and I meant it
Its only a matter of time one of the boys said
"Don't ever go back. Because then he will think he's got you around his finger. Its not fair to you."
My hair dresser said to me today.
Don't ever go back
Don't ever go back
I can't believe she went back
I can't believe I went back, to soak up more blood
But I bit into my heart
Refilled it with the blood I lost

And close the door of my bedroom.
Apr 2016 · 377
/DollFace/
OnwardFlame Apr 2016
Max & Dot are dead.

I buried them in the sand
Watched them dissolve in the muddy earth
At first, they looked deeply into one another's eyes
For the last time
Held hands
Then let go
Turned to look me in the face
Nodded at the same time
And with prophetic love, companionship
And a wave of sorrow
I watched them limb by limb
Inch by inch
Disappear.

Max & Dot are dead.

I threw up parts of myself I wanted to explore
Parts of the earth, humanity
That resides and boils in us all
They are dead
But their spirit and their story
Remains in the grains of the sand
The earth
The dirt
I like to think
As their faces became fully submerged
In the muddy clay
Perhaps their pinky fingers interlocked

Underground.
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