Have you ever seen a sunflower
In love with the sun?
Or watched a dandelion
Like wishes on the breeze?

Have you ever sat with the river reeds
As they sing about their ocean dream?
Or listened to the trees
When they tell the stories of their rings?

Have you ever picked wildflowers
Because they remind you of her?
Or given hope to a daisy
When a rose was chosen instead?

I used to want the romance
Like the beauty of a rose.
But I saw what love was really like
And changed my heart’s desire.

I’m not the girl for roses,
Too harsh for their soft love.
And much too bitter
For their sweet scent.

My heart is covered in ice
Too cold for delicate petals.
But daffodils have learned
How to survive the winter.

I used to hate poetry
Writing it especially
My teachers would make us write
Sometimes about ourselves
Sometimes about family
But I always half-assed it
Not really putting much thought into it
Then I had Ms. Mosnik
She ignited a spark
A love for something
I never fully appreciated
She didn’t tell us what to write about
Just told us to write
And the words just started flowing
She had us write one poem
I wrote four
And I kept writing
I met my muse
And fell in love
Then I broke apart
And my poems weren’t as great
But I’m writing again
And maybe it’s not my best
But there are words on the page
And I’m proud of myself
So much can change in a year
So much can change
In just a few months
What a roller coaster this life as been

Today
I am free
No heavy chains
Making me drag my feet
No bars
Making me a prisoner of my mind
No more tension in my shoulders
From carrying the weight of the world
Today
I am free
And the bird of my soul
Is singing again

There's a war going on,
Between the person I want to be
And the person
I'm afraid of becoming.

One is a Queen of Hearts
Who fights for those she loves.
She brings a smile
To everyone's face
And love is her greatest weapon.

The other is a Joker
Who lies, cheats, and steals.
A master at manipulation
That only cares about herself.

The battle scars I wear,
Are all internal.
This war is inside my head
And it's been going on for years.
A constant struggle
That controls my life.
When one side wins a battle,
It changes who I am.

As a Joker,
I am cold and apathetic.
I couldn't care less what you think
And you become a pawn in my game.

As a Queen,
I am quiet and distant.
I fear that I'll hurt you.
So in order to protect you,
I push you away.

And the Queen isn't careless.
She thinks before she acts.
And maybe she'd win,
But unfortunately for her
The Joker is stronger.

I'm still a little broken,
So bear with me.
I didn't give myself time
To heal
Or to build up my walls again,
Before falling in love
With you.

I fell once before,
But the one who caught me
Eventually cut himself
On the sharp edge
Of one of my scars.
He dropped me in his pain
And like a fine China tea cup,
I shattered when I landed.

All the fragments of me,
I held together with glue,
They fell apart on impact
And broke even more.

But you were there.
Whether you didn't know
Or just didn't care
About my jagged edges
And damaged state,
I'm not sure.

But you offered me your love
And I'll gladly accept.
I'll fix myself again,
But better than before.
Because instead of glue,
I'll mend myself with gold.

She's cold to the touch,
But leaves fire in her wake.
And though he's warm,
He has eyes like ice.

They say opposites attract,
And these two seem wildly different,
But they're similar in the way
That destruction is their pasts.

She keeps to herself,
Allows her fire to burn her,
Because it hurts her so much
To know she's burned others.

And he has similar fears.
Afraid to hurt the ones he loves.
He pushes them away,
So his cold heart doesn't freeze theirs.

They could love each other endlessly,
Be exactly what the other needs,
But fears and doubt get in the way,
So for now they're just friends.

The people who sit on the grass
And make friends with the wild flowers.
The ones who lay back and look up,
And think the clouds
Are just as beautiful as the stars.
Who close their eyes,
As the breeze dances around them.
These people,
They're my favorite kind of people.
Because they understand,
Beauty isn't always extravagant.
Sometimes
It's as simple
As a smile.