it is a disservice to your heart
to pretend it doesn’t exist
or what it’s trying to tell you
doesn’t matter
sometimes it will be
all that you have left
so give it the love you want in return

Esther L. Krenzin

i can’t hear it anymore
the steady
thump thump thump
of the rock in my rib cage
i’ve tried to beat it back to life
with my fists
but it remained unresponsive
i looked at the filter of sunbeams between leaves
and waited for the feather-light touch
of emotion
i waited till dusk
and still it did not come  
i knew i was not dead
my veins thrummed
eyes blinked
muscles twitched
but the gaping hole in my chest
remained.

Esther L. Krenzin

It robs us of our dignity
pilfers our humanity
and steals us away to
make love with greed
nothing is spared on its warpath
there is no consideration for the collateral
because the promise of something that will serve
the continuation of corruption
matters more than the lives it will crush

Esther Krenzin

I am the **** you do not notice
next to the saccharine flower
the one that silently grows
in the others shadow
the one that spreads itself out
and declares its space on the earth
while others are preoccupied watching the ephemeral flower bloom

It’s so loud out here
my edges curl  
and shrivel inward until I am
quiet
the thick bones of my neck collapse
weary from holding up a head
that wants to bow over in despair
but there is a tug
on my heartstrings
and it leads me to the surface
where all the wars are fought
“this is not where you belong”
it whispers
and takes my hand
to guide me under again
“here, where roots are deep, this is the refuge you seek.”

Esther Krenzin

we fight until there is no in between
until homes are reduced
to wastelands
until we feel incomplete without
a gun in our hand
and still the children go hungry
still the mothers are weary
still the fathers die early

Esther Krenzin

send me away
to a place where i can scream
until my face turns blue
to a place where i have permission
to grieve
to a place where despair is a art
instead of a sin
send me away
for i cannot find that here

Esther Krenzin