Anxiety;
Killing me slowly
Caged;
A prisoner to my mind wholly

Enslaved;
By the thoughts in my head
Wishing;
To finally wake up dead

You were not forged with wings
To spend your life perched upon a branch
Watching the world pass you by

They will steal your light
And then ask why you have become so dark

She deserves everything that she wants,
but she doesn’t want everything that she deserves.

I am done trying to prove my worth
To those unworthy of me

Death must fear me too much
To take me away
So instead he takes those I love
If only death knew
I am not afraid of him
I welcome him with open arms
I stand next to her casket screaming
TAKE ME INSTEAD

When my daydreams take center stage
There is no greater way
For this tale of love to curtain
Than for us to linger hand in hand
For all our remaining days
Growing old on the porch swing
Watching our children's children play
Amongst the wildflowers
On a brilliant spring day

I welcome the familiarity of rock bottom
I have laid my head here many of night
Looking up from the depths feels safe
I cannot fall further
When I have already hit the bottom
Here I am safe, here I am home

You broke her heart
But she still loves you
With all the pieces

I find you among the small things
And for that I am thankful
As the little things are all I have left

The warm tickle pressed upon my skin
From the heat of the sun
On a dewy spring morning

In the song of the birds
Not unlike those we used to watch
Flit across your yard

The scent of fresh cut grass
The same I smelled from you mowing
As I picked dandelion bouquets for Grandma

In the smiles of passing strangers
Because to you there is no such thing
Only friends you have yet to meet

I find you among the small things
And I will cherish them profoundly
Until we meet again

I thrive in the darkness
I'm better off being heartless

Someday I’ll wake
And find you next to me
Until then I just have my dreams
And my poetry

Her happiness and sadness
Were altogether fleeting
She found solace in writing

One whom is sad
Cannot write about happiness
One whom is happy
Cannot write about sadness

Wandering somewhere
in the moments between
She wrote her best poems

Burn me once;
Shame on you

Burn me twice;
Shame on me

Burn me three times;
I build an impenetrable fortress around my heart

I don’t know what my future holds
But of this I am sure
Your fingers fill the spaces
Between mine perfectly

I want you to take me
Savagely, passionately, madly
Crash into me

Let all your worries melt away
Insatiable need replacing all thoughts
With lust, desire, craving

Breath shaking
Bodies aching
Don’t stop

Lost in a sea of sweat
And waves of sheets
Drown in me

Bodies enterwine
Possession: you are mine
Never leave me

I’ve found my biggest enemy
Resides right between my ears
Poisoning my thoughts
Feeding on my insecurities
Killing my self worth
One negative thought at a time

I had to let you go
So I can finally grow

when they ask me why i choose
to cover my body in pretty tattoos

I tell them it is to canvas the scars
from others attempting to mar

to wear my afflictions as a badge of honor
reminding myself that I am stronger

to show the world pain can be beautiful
that I am here, and I am unmovable

In her bones
A cri de couer lies
Begging for liberation
From the ruminations
Her tongue infixed
Upon every inch
Of her beaten down body

Your words cut deeper
Than the blade at my wrist

I never truely bought in to the concept of fate
Until you touched my lips and my heart
At the same time

Your name tastes so good
Kissing my sultry tongue

I pen my poetry in ink
Instead of lead
Because I tend to ovethink
Then begin to dread

Criticize my own writing
Before the critics get the chance
My anxiety fighting
Telling me to erase with every glance

My work isn't good enough
Erase write repeat
Poems are just not up to *****
I should accept my defeat

So now I use ink
There is no going back
Nothing to rethink
No need to self attack

My words freely flow
From pen to page
Allowing myself to heal and grow
Displaying my poems on main stage

Even the lonely caged bird
Sings a beautiful song at dawn

She didn’t want to be saved
She wanted to feel safe
While she saved herself

She wasn’t waiting
for a knight in shining armor
She fought her own demons

She didn’t expect to be treated
Like a princess
She wanted to be respected like a queen

When your life gets dark
I will shine a light on the positive

When you feel empty
I will fill that void with laughter

When you feel weak
I will help you focus on your strengths

When you need guidance
I will help show you the way

When you are scared
I will be your protector

When you are down
I will be there to raise your spirits

When you are lost
I’ll be a compass to guide you

When you are sad
I’ll be your shoulder to cry on

No matter what life throws your way
I’ll be here anytime of day

Even though you’re the one that hurt me
I still want you to be the one
That holds me to make the hurt go away

I pen my poetry in ink
Instead of lead
Because I tend to ovethink
Then begin to dread

Criticize my own writing
Before the critics get the chance
My anxiety fighting
Telling me to erase with every glance

My work isn't good enough
Erase write repeat
Poems are just not up to *****
I should accept my defeat

So now I use ink
There is no going back
Nothing to rethink
No need to self attack

My words freely flow
From pen to page
Allowing myself to heal and grow
Displaying my poems on main stage

Some nights when I lay in bed
I think about what my future will look like
Other nights I wonder
If I want to be here to find out

Some choose
To tell their stories
She wears hers
On her skin