You were a kindly ear when no one was here;
You saw me shaking and took away my fear;
You were a shoulder to lean on when I was weak;
You blew away the clouds when all was bleak;
You make me feel like I have important words to say;
A compliment from you can make my whole day;
When you saw that tears were imminent,
You took me in your arms and said, “You were brilliant;”
You make me feel wanted, one-of-a-kind,
And you’re the best friend I can find;
Your eyes are a work of art,
They’re a one-way mirror - we share the same heart;
If that’s not what a soulmate is,
Then I don’t know where else to start.

Blank page;
Early age;
Trying to set aside my rage-
But all I find is sorrow.

My lips sing the same old tune;
Passersby stare at me like I'm a loon;
Perhaps they wouldn't if I found a new song to croon-
Maybe you've got one I can borrow.

In the streets, we walk so close;
In my head are a thousand poems I'll never compose;
But I know I'll never be your morning rose-
Cupid must have missed when he shot his arrow.

Tonight I lay in my bed,
Thinking of all the words I have and haven't said,
Wishing I'd just opened my mouth instead-
Maybe I'll have better luck tomorrow.

You are not demure.
Your vocabulary is not pure.
But baby, I'd just like to say
That I wouldn't have it
Any other way.

They look at you and say,
"Pretty girl, but I wish
Her **** were as big
As her mouth is."
But I don't.

I love the way
You wear your hair,
Like you just don't care,
Like you are a lion,
And this is your mane.
I love the way
Your eyes are sea blue
And you haven't got a clue
How these little details
Drive me insane.

They look at you and say,
"Pretty girl, but I wish
She took more pride
So she looked as good outside
As she does on the inside.
Maybe if she took her head
Out of that book, then
Her neck wouldn't be so bent.
Then she'd look heaven-sent."
But I don't.

Don't get me wrong-
I don't love everything about you.
You laugh too loud and too shrill,
You argue even when the point is nil.
Your eyes are too big for your face,
Sometimes your jokes are out of place.
You're regular hurricane of a girl,
But sweetheart, I love severe weather.

So honey, if
What they want is a
Pretty girl
To live in a pretty world,
Hair in a messy (in a cute way) bun,
Skin kissed by the sun,
Coke bottle figure
Who's never pulled the trigger,
Cherry lipsmack kiss
Only knows of bliss,
Then so be it.

They can keep
All of the pretty girls
Living in pretty worlds
Who have given up their goals
And sold their souls,
Because I don't want any part.
Love, it's always been you
I've wanted from the start.

The one is a myth
I bid farewell long ago,
Along with the illusion
Of lasting bliss.
That was a fairytale, I know-
Concocted to charm little girls
Whose parents could not bear
To break it to them
That they would never be a princess.

But maybe it was not a total lie.
Perhaps there are many ones
Just waiting for
The right moment in time
To stop you with a smile,
Maybe even stay a while.
Then when the season changes,
The one will too,
And you will be blue,
But then you will find someone new.

Is it like going to the library?
My heart is a bestseller-
Someone new takes it for a spin
Until a different story catches his whim.
I was the right book at the right time,
The patron has a wandering mind-
It is not a crime.

It is not like going to the library,
Because they check out my heart,
Then return it again-
But they rip out their favorite page
To keep as a souvenir of the adventure-
Because to them, that is all it is:
Another adventure, another conquest,
Another stop on the road to where they are going.
They do it without knowing
The trail of tears they leave
And the hot fire of rage.

The one is a myth.
There are over seven billion people here,
But that does not mean that for everyone
A prince or princess shall appear
Standing underneath the tower window
Calling, "Let down your hair!"
Hey, I never said it was fair.

empty is not the right word.
what is the word for
not quite empty but not quite full?
there is a glass on the table-
it is not half-empty,
but it is not half-full.
it is just a glass of water.
i am just a glass of water:
not empty, not full;
not happy, not sad-
not anything.
not anything at all.

the clear blue nothingness
reminds me of the fact.
it’s dotted with cotton candy clouds.
i wonder if they are as sweet.
my tongue salivates at the thought.
it is like a land of dreams
without sorrow or pain
yet i am here,
floating lightly
though i feel like a paperweight,
weighed down by the lump in my throat.

it’s hard to remember
what home looks like.
i can’t see in terms of
“where i belong,”
i only see in terms of
“the trees are like broccoli sprouts-” and
“the cars look like hotwheels-” and
“every single one has a person in it, and
they all have their own journeys, and
i am here.”
i don’t think they know how beautiful it is.
i didn’t.

home to me now is a backpack
a couple books
and a trinket from an old friend.
they are the only ones like me:
strangers in a strange land.
i’d like to find my way back someday-
if only i knew the way.

tonight i am
a tourist
in your bedroom
my party dress
is like hawaiian shirts and khakis
compared to the t-shirts and jeans
littering your carpet
like fallen brown leaves
during autumn
i sit on your duvet
because you said
wait here-
i’ll be back in a minute
but it’s been ten
so my eyes wander
like a wayward wren
your books are not mine
there’s no poetry
there are pictures of memories
on your wall
none of them me
after tonight, that’s all i’ll be-
a note is on your board:
i love you
was it her?
it’s hard to see
oh wait, it was me
it’s bent and folded
like my insides
the writing is fading
like the makeup on my face
what’s taking you so long?
maybe you didn’t want me
and all this time i was wrong
and you’re hiding in the bathroom
waiting for me to take the hint
and leave
of course that’s it
i can’t believe
i thought you
actually wanted me
i’m so silly
of course
i do not belong here
my purse looks wrong
laying next to your guitar
but i can fix that quick
i will simply
thank you
for the ride
nurse my wounded pride
then i’ll be gone
and you will forget me
before long
so i get up
and the door opens
and you’re there
and you smile
and you touch my shoulder
and you say
i’m sorry
i took so long
i wanted to find
the perfect record
with the perfect song
you know that one
about a sunset in waterloo?
it always reminds me of you
but i’m here now
and i’m so silly
this whole night
is a mess
like my lipstick
on your lips
oh this anxiety i detest
your clothes are funny
compared to my dress
your books are not mine
besides the one on the end
(my brilliant friend)
the memories on the wall
are not of me
but they could be
i do not belong here
that is for sure
but then again-
all these things
were chosen by you
and i was too
so maybe i do belong
after all

the silence never bothered me before-
quiet between two so intertwined
is not uncomfortable like the silence
it is merely absence of sound
-but it bothers me now
all but consuming my mind

and i say nothing
and you say nothing
and everywhere there is nothing

i pray for the radio to work its charm
with those magic changes
give me a song to sing
give me anything
that would be better than this
small talk between two so intertwined

"you're awfully quiet," you say
and i say nothing
because my right brain has a lot to say
but my left brain knows not to say it

i want to say, "i know that you don't want me here"
the thought, clear like perfectly formed ice,
echoes through my mind:
(i know that you don't want me here,
i know that you don't want me here...)
somehow that is the one thing worse than
the deafening silence
because it's the truth
and we both know it

i want to scream, "can't you see i'm hurting?"
it's written all over my face
in smiles that don't reach my eyes
in lips joined in vowed silence

"i miss you," you say
and i say nothing
but i want to be the braveheart
and cry something bold, like
"if that is so then
how come when i'm here
your face is illuminated
by a phosphorescent glow?"
but i hold my tongue
i know my thoughts are wicked
yet they are my thoughts

and i say nothing
and you say nothing
and the silence says everything