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1. It's time to retreat
    To call off the war, to turn in the trumpets,
    To shut off our hearing aids to those who are bullet-riddled with Ritalin.

2. Leave passion at the door
    The coat rack is missing, but that's what people are for,
    Push them back into the closets with your woolen wares and see.

3. Check in your soul with the desk clerk
    The bellhop promises to bring it up soon, but the elevator is out of order.
    His trolly's wheels were stolen and the stairs are still on fire.

    Sorry.
    No refunds.

4. Lock all the doors and tip your cows
    You're too tipsy for another round of room service anyways and the
    police are planning a raid.
    Tell the too young girls with the too old eyes the time has come to go and
    stitch your innocence back on.

5. Check your bedstand for a bible and a razor
    Ignore the ***** stains; the key to salvation was paid in sin.
    Put yourself on a pension plan because I hear the devil's running a good
    racket.

    Sorry.
    No refunds.

6. Trash this place on Yelp. Trash this place in person.
    The devil is hiding in the woodwork and there's a people zoo of women
    dancing on the yellowed wallpaper.
    The carpet smells like Daddy's cigarettes and Mommy's drunken spit-up.

7. w̶r̶i̶t̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶m̶e̶s̶s̶a̶g̶e̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶i̶r̶r̶o̶r̶
    What a proud song:
    Here's to the the nihilists, here's to the named,
    Here's a vague attempt to mark the world in meaning.

8. Break the mirror instead

Sorry.
No refunds.


But they offer complimentary mints.
 Oct 2016 Shawna Renea
curlygirl
he says
he doesn't want me
like he should.
his blood doesn't boil
and he doesn't feel desire
like he wants to
when he sees me.
but he comes to me
crawls to me
sneaks to me

in the night,
whispering "it's been a while"
while he brushes my cheek.
and then he's
satisfied and disappointed
when he realizes that
he needs me
more than
he wants me,
and that i'll always
want him
more than
i need him.
 Oct 2016 Shawna Renea
Nonah
You bring only rain
I said, and I looked
Off in the distance
A chilly gray day

You bring only cold
You said, and I listened
But you said in time
That you still loved me

And only then
Did I hear the rain
When it was gone

And I realized in time
That I still love you
you never gave me
anything,
not one
single thing,

except yourself.
and it was always
enough.
I didn't.

I never thought rain could be a good thing.

But did you know
Did you know
I'm doing the best I can
And did you know
Did you know
The light in my heart
Has only gotten brighter
Due to you?

And even if I'm afraid
Of what the future holds,
I know that if I'm holding
Your hand
I can handle anything
The world has up its sleeve.
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