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10.0k · Aug 2014
brown eyed girl
Jen Grimes Aug 2014
They touched my wrist
They all did

It seemed that
That’s all they cared
About

Whether or not
The flesh was healing
Properly

What they didn’t seem
To see
Was a girl

With dry eyes
Just trying to feel

Alive
5.4k · Sep 2016
Don't Cage the Elephant
Jen Grimes Sep 2016
Mom said it's not a jungle gym,
It's not a jungle gym.
It's not a jungle gym.
It's not a jungle gym.

But it was a GIANT ELEPHANT!
And chains are for clanging
And metal is for banging
And roped off areas are for sneaking
Under

It’s not a jungle gym
It’s not a jungle gym
It’s not a jungle gym

I didn’t understand why mom wasn’t excited
She just stood next to me staring up at the Elephant

It’s not a jungle gym
I let go of her hand
It’s not a jungle gym
I ducked under the rope,
It's not a jungle gym
I almost didn’t need to duck

Then I touched the metal elephant,
To test if he was real.
2.6k · May 2015
Ballerina's
Jen Grimes May 2015
The walls harbor my secrets
Pink wall paper
Tucks them away as I sleep
Ballerinas dance in my head
I want to be like them
Graceful, thin, light
My secret scrapes at a dinner plate
Longing for more
But begging for less
I want to be her
The girl in my dreams
Who has perfect pirouettes
But when I wake
My knees meet
Bathroom tiles
Bile spills into
A porcelain bowl
I'm not a ballerina  
I'm a bulimic
Jen Grimes Mar 2016
Purple*
Yellow
Orange
I was thinking of so many things
While the sun was painting a backdrop
I wished to hold onto that order
Purple
Yellow
Orange
As if nothing else mattered
Purple
Yellow
Orange
I was in the mountains again
But now the birds sang
And my ankles were boney
Wobbling against the war-zone of stones
Purple
Yellow
Orange
The snow wasn't stuck to the grass anymore
But melting away
lone piles of it slumped against, wasted rocks
That the mountain had decided to toss away
Purple
Yellow
Orange
I wished to stay here
up on the hill,
watching the sun shimmy down through its peaks.
Purple
Yellow
Orange
Like the way I lined up my socks
Sometimes the purple ones mate would go missing
It's pair left to sit lonely in the sock drawer
Purple
Yellow
Orange
I walked the hill alone
My stomach empty, my head in control
The sun seemed to dangle in the sky,
as if  held up by one string
Waiting for the world to blink asleep
But the birds kept chirping
Purple
Yellow
Orange
I know how the sun feels
I feel strung up as well
My subconscious pulling the strings
While I'm only left to follow
Purple
Yellow
Orange
The mountains make me miss the sea
I miss the beach
Take me back, back
to when we walked the waterfront,
salty ocean air cutting through the heat.
Purple
Yellow
Orange
Maybe I should've jumped
when you told me we could escape
"We could go far, into the sea," you told me.
I think that's when i realized,
Purple,
Yellow
and Orange
are nothing like the waves
of
Blue
and Green.
1.6k · Sep 2014
Lovesick
Jen Grimes Sep 2014
I’m tired
So tired
Of feeling like
I’ve been chopped off
At the knees
1.3k · Sep 2016
The Dog
Jen Grimes Sep 2016
The Dog


I found him, outside the basketball court
Sunday morning.
His golden coat seemed soft like
A Patagonia in dead winter, like
a blanket over your legs when the summer breeze hits.

I found him outside the basketball court
Sunday morning,
He came up to me with curious eyes; like
A child in a candy store, like
Detectives, always curious, like
staring at the phone waiting for your mother to reply
Curious.

I found him outside the basketball court
Sunday morning,
His gold tail hiding between his legs, ears perked like
when the caffeine finally kicks in, like
recognizing your best friend in the hallway, like
the addition of red roses to a bouquet, like
her ******* when the water is cold

I found him outside the basketball court
Sunday morning,
His fur was matted, his body emaciated like
The body of an anorexic, like
A child rotting from leukemia,
No longer soft, like a Patagonia.

So I covered him with a blanket,
His eyes fearful, not curious but wet
Like his nose hitting my arm, like
Carrying him in my arms, soft
Even in chilly November;
light as a feather.
1.1k · Dec 2015
Stonehenge
Jen Grimes Dec 2015
The stubble left on your chin brushed my cheek and I couldn’t ignore the burning in my chest any longer. Our lips held a conversation without words and your hands found pieces of me that I forgot existed. I swore you were the one, but maybe it was just the tequila.
here is something I have been working on in my writing class as a professional writing major, called a stonehenge. A stonehenge is a story that is only made up of three sentences. I hope you enjoy it, and maybe write a few of your own!
1.0k · Sep 2014
Compass
Jen Grimes Sep 2014
My heart beats
Wildly
Like a stallion
Fresh out of the gates

Bets are off
When it comes to
My unstable heart

My head
Is a strong
Mare

But my heart says
Place all your money
On the black
Stallion
865 · Feb 2017
A Kindergarten Valentine
Jen Grimes Feb 2017
I gave you a heart shaped card
No chocolates. No flowers.
Your name scribbled in magic marker.

You gave me one of your kisses
The chocolate kind;
And we walked about, your hand in mine.
779 · Sep 2015
The Scenic Route
Jen Grimes Sep 2015
What happened to enjoying
The scenery
Without our cell phones?
What happened to
Sitting in silence
As you inhale the nature around you
Why can't we
Just become a part of the picture
Instead of having to
Pull out our iPhones
To snap shot the moment
And send it out into the world
772 · Jul 2015
Flowers
Jen Grimes Jul 2015
Don’t pick the flowers child they’ll die*
Said my grandmother
And I listened

She promised that if I left them
Untouched
They’d grow and bloom with care

But she never told me that
People are like flowers

And when I picked you
All your petals fell
760 · Aug 2015
Marijuana & Guitars
Jen Grimes Aug 2015
I was ****** when I decided to sit on your bed
I told you it would’ve been more romantic if we were dating
And when you asked why I just laughed

The mattress creaked when you sat on the edge
And it took eternity to lift my head.

You kept taking hits
And I didn’t understand why but it reminded me of a train

When you were done inhaling your creativity
Your hand shook with the possibility of using it
But you just rolled up your sleeves.

Your mouth moved as you talked about
The civil war
And your time abroad
As you laid down beside me

I nodded like I understood
But all I thought about was horses and the red coats
And guns.
694 · Aug 2015
August 12th
Jen Grimes Aug 2015
Empty pizza boxes, and green
Couch cushions
Chapped lips and sunburns
Staying inside because your air conditioning
Actually works

The ice rink that’s always cold, but you
Wear short sleeves anyway
Kissing you between sips
Of hot chocolate, kissing you
Between people cheering
And crowded stands and pucks in nets
And spilt popcorn

The time we broke up
And you cut off all your hair

I bought you a Boston Red Sox hat, so that
You’d remember our city and cover your scalp
While your hair slowly grew back

That night I was drunk
And stained your shirt sleeve with makeup
You never thought the shaking would stop,
I blamed the *****

Corsages and suit coats, tightening your
Tie to match the dress, which took
Months for me to pick out
You never got to unzip it

The morning after, packing up
At 7am because the house was
Too full and my stomach was
Empty

Crossing my arms in the passenger seat
And mumbling that maybe
We needed time apart

Only to come barreling back together, like
Lighting a matchstick
And kissing to relieve the casualties

The time I lost my breath
But found it in your arms
“you’re okay, I'm here… I'll always be here”
And just knowing, just knowing, just
Knowing.

That night in the backseat
When it felt like the first time with you
All over again, the wheels clicked inside the motor
everything fell apart, the world stood still
And then everything fell back together

While going through the trash, sorting plastic
Organizing bottles and classifying cans
I told my mother we had 10 days left
And my tears dripped into the recycling bin

Dreaming about losing you to a plane ticket
And pushing your number at 3am
Because I only have 12,960 minutes left, to hear
The heartbeat through your shirt
692 · Sep 2014
The Carousel
Jen Grimes Sep 2014
Images skirt my mind
Spiraling around
Adrenaline pumps through my veins
And a night run
Doesn’t sound like a bad anecdote

Miles burn holes
In the souls of my shoes
And my muscles tense
Under the traction
Of the hard concrete

I imagine cool air
Burning my lungs
Sharp inhales
And deep exhales

But what no one knows
Is that I keep secrets
Hidden beneath long sleeves

Because miles
Aren’t good enough
For the scale
And retching into a toilet
Wouldn’t illuminate
My bones

Metal and blood
Won’t re-stitch  
Too tight skin

Feeling like the five year old girl
That glimpses back at me
With wide bright eyes
And a vast imagination
I remember

Horses spinning around
Lights blinking colliding clashing
Candy painted lips
The smell of cotton candy
And how she loved
Carousels
647 · Sep 2015
Sea Glass
Jen Grimes Sep 2015
You’re eyes were like sea glass
Luminous blue and green
And the stars danced
As the wind tickled our backs
You held my hand when I asked
And it felt like
We were constellations

My heart kept expanding
Beneath my chest
It could’ve been the drugs
Inhabiting my bloodstream
But I’d like to think
It was the way your hands
Felt, brushing my skin
628 · Jul 2015
Stealing Thunder
Jen Grimes Jul 2015
You broke the ice
Around my spine
And I caught you red handed
With my heart

We raced trough the whole
9 yards of unfamiliarity
I let my hair down
And my spirit felt like a dancer

With you
There was no rule of thumb
My hands traced your skin
Even when your words
Held no spark of decency

You ran amok
Beneath my chest
Butterflies spread their wings
In my stomach

We bit the bullet
Of affection
And swallowed pennies
For our thoughts

You were a blessing
In disguise
And we burned the midnight oil
Losing our hands in each other

I played the devils advocate
In the heat of the moment
And you jumped on the bandwagon
Knowing it takes two to tango
just thought i would make a poem full of idioms, i like how it turned out!
616 · Aug 2015
Untitled (a six word)
Jen Grimes Aug 2015
I am somebody, even
Without
You
603 · Aug 2015
Midnight, the golden hour
Jen Grimes Aug 2015
My heart's a wristwatch
The spiel keeps spinning
I follow it with my eyes
The gears turn and click
And
I want to turn it over
Turn it back, like stones
But
The sheets stay blank
No matter how many words
I spin together beneath my eyelids
My mason jar is still full of you
It tastes like raspberries
And
Forest floors
When I asked you to look inside my mouth to see if they stained my cheeks red
Your face found the cool side of the pillow
And
Your laughter fell into it
The shade of blue
On the wall reminds me
Of fireflies falling out of our mouths
I wanted to swallow them
And
Glow from the inside out with you
603 · Sep 2014
Still June
Jen Grimes Sep 2014
On the first of June
I met a boy with
Blue eyes
And rough hands
He was never part of the plan

That night I kissed him
Under all the arcade lights

I would’ve counted
Every star with him
And as nights blurred into days
His smile never seemed to fade

Over time
My smile, for once
Was real
And I wore it for him
Every day

We laughed between the stacks
Even after
We were told to “hush!”
His eyes lit up when he laughed

The minute our lips separated
I was thirsty all over again
And hours watching clouds with him
Were never long enough

But my blue-eyed boy knew
That in August
He would have to watch me
Pack my life away

I was going to
Avoid eye contact
While I watched him
Help my Dad
Load suitcase after suitcase
Into the truck



And lumps would form in my throat
Because goodbye would be
Farthest from what I wanted to say


It's still June
But I don’t want time
To take my sunshine away
Jen Grimes Feb 2016
It rained
There was ice in a patch
Blocking entrance to the gazebo
Dry, a shelter in the foggy, wet
Weather
We passed the **** back and forth
A ritual
Breaking our lungs
Forcing the smoke in to gravitate our minds to another place
You're my favorite partner in crime
The rain kept us in a soundtrack
On repeat
And I lit a cigarette
To keep us dry a little longer
587 · Dec 2015
Aquarius
Jen Grimes Dec 2015
The light emitting from my computer,
Morphs my bedroom into a spacious
Sea.
Still blue waters,
Where bubbles form from my mouth
Only to float to a shimmering surface.

I want to tell you,
I miss you.
But in this underwater
Fiction,
I’m chapters away from home.
551 · Aug 2015
Curse of Art
Jen Grimes Aug 2015
you said i painted you as a monster
i hate my hands
now i finally understand
why Van Gogh cut off his ear
551 · Jul 2016
Ice
Jen Grimes Jul 2016
Ice
He had the power
To send me spiralling
Back to white powder.
Or keep me steady
With the anchors of his words.
Either way,
I was done for.
540 · Sep 2014
History
Jen Grimes Sep 2014
If I wrote it all down
Would that make it easier
To rewrite our own history

Or would the tidal
Waves keep crashing
Against the shore
Erasing our handprints
From the sand
536 · Feb 2016
Dreaming Symphonies
Jen Grimes Feb 2016
She is comfort after a sea of dreams
Her friends and her eat clouds for breakfast
She likes espresso beans for the buzz
Buzz buzz
Sometimes I catch her dancing around the room
Folding laundry and picking up her room
To the buzz buzz
Buzz
Of acoustic symphonies
I taught her about the strings  
And she showed me the power of words
I strum and she stumbles for syntax
Metaphors come easiest to her
In the dream we meet by the shore
There's always wind blowing through her sandy blonde locks
Sometimes I catch her
But most nights
She floats away with the clouds
Buzz buzz
Buzz
534 · Jan 2016
Home
Jen Grimes Jan 2016
A fragile bird
I tried to hold you
In my hand

The crinkling of my eyes
Brought tears
Drowned out by the patter of rain

I wasn't ready to see you
But I couldn't wait

For months I felt like
I had forgotten how to breathe

Your hand was cold
But your eyes met mine
With warmth

And the restlessness,
The tide breaking
Underneath my skin
was finally, futiley
Still.
532 · Aug 2015
I'll Be the Anchor
Jen Grimes Aug 2015
The shore washed up
Your gritty words
Stained in sea glass
They cut you open

I fell
Into the riptide of your tears
And wished I had an anchor
Because it felt like
I might drown out here

Words broke on your mouth
And I was swallowing
The sea

My feet missed the ocean floor
And white caps
Crashed between our eyes
The current ripped you away

I wished to tell you
That my arms can harbor safety
I’ll be your ship
This time

You can
Tie me out to sea
I'll keep the water still
Let it calm your hearts beat

The ocean will soothe
All your broken memories
And in the end
The tide will wash us in
Again
526 · Dec 2015
Mel's poem to me
Jen Grimes Dec 2015
Dear friend,
This one is for you
You have been there for me
Through thick and thin
I love you
You understand me
You don't judge me
You would never lie to me
Everything is better when you're here
You make me feel like I'm not alone
In this battle
We can conquer anything together
All I have to say is
Thank you
This one is for you

Sincerely yours,
Mel
525 · Jul 2015
Untitled
Jen Grimes Jul 2015
There's a leak in the faucet
It drips your name
The right pedal on my bike
Keeps coming lose
Like the way you tugged at my heart
I let it fall apart for you

You ripped up the floor boards
Stripped me to naked flesh
And bleached bones
i looked away
While you stared in silence
Uncovering the person beneath my shell
Jen Grimes Aug 2015
It’s my fault, I know
My face is blue with “I’m sorry”s
And I feel like stuffing my mouth with asphalt

My words are a blessing
And a curse
I think about not writing anymore

I’m sorry I put you on display
I painted a picture of you
That I can’t erase

Everyone has a dark side
I guess my biggest
Flaw is exploitation

When you’re the artist
It’s easy to forget that there’s ever
An audience in the first place

So high strung, sweating out
Colors in order to express
What’s inside of me

Can’t you see?
It’s the antagonist in me, I was always
Meant to write the story

Ink drips from my pen
At night, until I pick it up
The typewriter is a part, a part
Apart of me

Clicking inside my head, gears
Shifting and turning
Until I find the perfect words
Unsaid

And I’m sorry I unspooled the thread
Of your sweater, I apologize for leaving
The string behind
Leaving it for you to find
504 · Jan 2016
Dear Burlington,
Jen Grimes Jan 2016
I want to thank you.

I want to thank the men
At the bus stop
With smiles and ties
Reminding me that I wasn't a deer
in the headlights of destruction

To my legs
And October 21st
When they carried me home
Strong willed and striking the ground with unwavering steps

For that day I took the bus
By myself
And still felt a small sheet
Of saftey

To Cherry Street and
Pearl Street
For easing my mind when I thought
I was completely lost

For the kids with backpacks
And pink hair
Because their home is mine too.
501 · Sep 2015
Colorblind
Jen Grimes Sep 2015
Tonight, on the roof
You told me about
The cones behind your irises
And how they turned
Your greens to grays.
And I almost told you
That I knew exactly what that felt like.
489 · Jan 2016
A song for Melanie
Jen Grimes Jan 2016
Last night I started listening to bands that I don't even like
Because you told me they make you feel whole in all the empty places

Last night, when it got dark
I listened to their words and tried to understand what you could've heard in their voices
That you never heard in mine
When I told you how lovely you were
486 · Dec 2015
My Lucky Cigarette
Jen Grimes Dec 2015
Cigarettes are nothing but addictions
You would never understand

Because all you ever needed was your hands
Strong willed and expert in making beauty
Out of broken wood  

Nicotine rots teeth
But it makes the shaking of my fingers stop
At least, for a little while

I admired that about you, your hands
And the way you never wondered too much
About life, you just lived in it

Weakness was never something you were
Allowed to own
And I guess that’s why you would never understand
Mine

Cigarettes are nothing but addictions
But I don’t mind the smell of smoke

My mother knew how to sew
But I never paid attention

Maybe I should’ve listened
When she told me how to
Put things back together

Cigarettes are nothing but addictions
I’m not sure you ever knew

But I swore
When we met
My hands stopped trembling.
475 · Jul 2015
Drops in the Earth
Jen Grimes Jul 2015
Fresh grass kisses my cheek
I inhale the earth’s scent
And feel the buzzing ground

Seeds root up from the soil
Leaves laugh in the breeze
And I try to exhale the sound

Birds make a call
Out to red bellied mates
I crush the dirt in my hands

I watch you dip
Your toes in the river
And hope stems from every branch

When our bodies converge
I taste the sun
And a mist begins to emerge

We branch apart
You’re breath’s like pine
And I become a drop in the earth
470 · Feb 2016
A year without snow
Jen Grimes Feb 2016
This year, there was rain
Snow was only a fantasy that Sinatra sang about
On my grandfather’s cassette tape

Before the rain, my mother would make cocoa
And we would sit by the crackling warmth
Of the fireplace
Waiting for our holiday lights to blink on

This year, my boots were caked in mud
And I tracked it around the house
My parents sent me a Christmas card via email
Along with tips on how to detect frostbite

On snowdays I used to stay inside,
Curled up on the couch, with the dogs
Watching the white flakes dance in the wind
Fancying your blushed cheeks and peppermint kisses

This year, I declined candy canes
While the wind, howled
Mourning the death of our trees
And I stopped calling my mother.
Jen Grimes Mar 2016
Two days ago
My sister claimed
That you were emotionally abusive,
I didn’t think it was true until last night
When your hand struck out
And,
Gripped my shoulder
And,
You told me I wasn’t following the rules.
I watched the door shut in front of me
And,
My mouth went dry with words I couldn’t speak.

I try not to remember
The good things about you
Anymore.
Because a bottle  
Of cheap *****
Isn’t enough when
I feel like I’m swallowing
The sea.

Instead my mind
Plays back images of your hands slamming against
The punching bag that you kept hung in your basement.
I wonder if you’ve ever pictured
Your fist hitting my face
While you were sweating out your anxieties.
Somehow,
You still had leftover
Anger bottled up
And,
You raged at me.

In February
It felt like my first time
All over again,
Your hands were gentle and,
My heart quaked but
I tried my hardest not to cry.

I had always looked out
At the world with hard fists
And,
Cold eyes, but you touched my heart
On your couch.

78 days later
All we had left in common
was *** and hanging on for dear life
To the scraps of us.
Your knuckles were scraped up
but you still managed
To **** me
While the stereo
Played every track I knew.

I touched your back
Like I used to play piano,
I tried to read the knuckles in your spine
Like brail
And,
Bring us back to
January 27th
When touching you
Was like slow dancing in the rain.
466 · Oct 2015
Pine Needles & Pixie Dust
Jen Grimes Oct 2015
she found me daintily
waiting in the evergreens and matchsticks
breathing stories of ghosts and mint leaves

oh and the lotus she pined
mixing its petals in mason jars
glowing for us to drink up

with sticky fingers
and red lips we danced
waking the spirit within her

she had wings and I whispered
“Angel, angel, angel.”
I wanted to pull all her strings
back together

and she took me to the edge
of the river she came from
her mouth spoke
of euphoria

we submerged ourselves in.
464 · Dec 2016
A Snow Globe Life
Jen Grimes Dec 2016
Shaken not dis-stirred
Flakes float silently
It's music to me

Fire crackling
Dancing around beneath glass
This Winter love lasts

Footprints stick in the
Fallen snow, I travel where-
Ever, yours go.
454 · Mar 2016
Bullying Mia
Jen Grimes Mar 2016
Your words of loathing
Penetrate my thoughts;
I let them

Your friendship was
An act, a façade;
I walked right into it

Your retched voice
Encouraging my futile addiction
However, I persevere

I’m disgusted by the way
You make me crouch over the toilet,
Bile dripping into porcelain

My hatred for you
Burns beneath tired bones
And yet I cling to you,
As if you are my last breath
452 · Jul 2015
Ashes to Flames
Jen Grimes Jul 2015
Last night I dreamt of you
And it brought back repressed
Memories of shedding my skin
Beneath your cigarette
Stained fingertips

It makes me wonder
About the difference between
Falling apart
And
Falling into place

You showed your teeth
At me in that sly smile
And I cringed

My nerve endings
Were fried
Beneath your fiery palms
And ashtray lips

It makes me think about
Your hands and my blood
Your hands and lighters
Your hands and gunpowder
My hands and your neck

Last night I dreamt of you
This morning I woke up
And washed it away with hot water
446 · Jun 2015
Collision
Jen Grimes Jun 2015
Our world collided
When your lips met mine
The sun shined brightly
The stars aligned

You closed your eyes
But it didn’t last
I barely blinked
It was over fast

Like a head on collision
We spun out of control
You ripped out the breaks
No one told me not to fall
440 · Jul 2015
Fatal Attraction
Jen Grimes Jul 2015
Please, can you skip ahead to the end
Its my biggest pet peeve but
I can no longer pretend
That there’s nothing wrong with the fallout

Soon we’ll be ripped apart,
The universe will want to collapse
But we’re not a work of art
Ill try to hold it in my hands

Come on, just turn to the last chapter
Or rip each one out, instead
Don’t rewrite the story
There’s only one end
i can't stop time or stop you from leaving, so ill write to ease my mind.
440 · May 2017
To Ten Boys I Kissed
Jen Grimes May 2017
I.

my lungs felt like glass bulbs and my head was full of the sea. I leaned across the glove box with my eyes closed. He told me that was the best kiss he'd ever received; maybe it was the mint chocolate chip ice cream.

II.

from far away they were green, up close though, his eyes were blue. Definitely blue. A comforter beneath my tanned legs, his  hand against my thigh. His lips touched mine, gentle and innocent. We fell asleep to the buzz of the television.

III.

algebra was another language, but when he spoke to me; I understood every equation. His kiss left my head spinning. Maybe the pencils held too much lead.

IV

we spent the summer in a run down arcade. He had a freckle on his chest that I swore looked like New Jersey. Our kisses tasted of kettle corn.

V

his hands were calloused. I wish I never knew what cigarettes tasted like.

VI

I could write an entire book about each time his lips met mine.

VII

my sweater reeked of *** but he didn't seem to mind. When we passed through the halls he called me Jess.

VIII

it shouldn't have been him, but too much ***** can impair ones judgement.

IX.

we spent nights lying in the grass, it tickled my back. He gave me his lucky cigarette.

X.

the room was dark and the stairs creaked. His fingers quickened the pulse in my neck. I kept my eyes open.
436 · Jun 2015
Saturns Plea
Jen Grimes Jun 2015
Sometimes, I feel like we are a galaxy;
But you call me,
Your star
426 · Sep 2017
Snapshot
Jen Grimes Sep 2017
The back of a pearl earring, a maroon scrunchy a bowl. Filled with jewelry silver necklaces twisted tangled. BIRDS OF A FEATHER blue nail polish. Crinkled bed spread white curtains ball point pen, scattered push pins. Black boots in the corner, one laced one undone. Half of a lit cigarette ashed on the window sill an imprint on the mattress, purple index cards splayed over a white desk its paint chipped. Glass mason jar filled with coins a barrette collecting dust underneath the bed. A guitar missing two strings a grey green flannel. Grey rug. Ray bands a phone charger a porcelain bowl, prescription bottle. Tie died lighter bear with a missing eye and bowtie. The dog chewed it off.
417 · Nov 2015
Breathing in Smoke
Jen Grimes Nov 2015
Do you remember insomnia?
Running through clocks
And wandering through typewriters

I wish we were falling
Underwater
In the deep blue
Where I always find you

Can we move back to the city?
I miss the buzzing noise
That always echoed behind the window pane

Don't worry.
I won't forget how you
Painted the stars
And we danced under their fluorescence  
Barefoot in the grass

I saw you dressed in green
Your heart beating out
Side of your chest,
I used my humble hands
To gently place it back inside

We'll drown in the deep end
But I love the thrill of the dive.
416 · Nov 2015
Eclipse
Jen Grimes Nov 2015
The sun bursts
An eclipse
In your eyes

I thought I saw stars
But your irises
Lied

I'm a sunflower
In the rain
Drowning from these contradictions

You give me air
In the spring
Just to burn me up
In your sun
416 · May 2015
Anorexia Kills
Jen Grimes May 2015
In March I fell asleep
And dreamt of a ribcage
Like the branches of trees
When I was 16
I counted calories
Like a clerk at the bank

A week later I lost 5 lbs
And you told me i was beautiful
But I knew it was a lie
When I lost 10 lbs
My mom told me I looked good

In April I daydreamed of bones
And ate carrot sticks for dinner
When I lost 20 lbs
And fell asleep on your couch
You held me together in your arms
When I lost 25 lbs
My mom said I looked tired

In May I had a nightmare
About birds stuck in a cage
I woke up with sore ribs
Pictures of models
Lined my bedroom walls
But I didn't stay long

In June I moved to another bed
A different room
My ribcage extended like branches
But the birds stopped singing

You came to visit me
But were afraid to hold my hand
You thought my bones would break
My mom stopped telling me how I looked
She just dabbed her eyes

That night I dreamt about floating
In a river so wide
There were no branches
To remind me of bones
You cried and told me not to go
My mom begged me to stay
But the light was so bright
I couldn't look away
413 · Sep 2014
Eat
Jen Grimes Sep 2014
Eat
Eat baby, please
It’s killing me to watch
While you wither away to nothing
It’s killing me
But you need to know
It’s also killing you
I know the way that full plate
Heaves its weight onto your shoulders
I remember the way you looked down at it
As if you would fall in
And drown in the numbers
I know that you pretend
You’re stomach doesn’t pinch
Or stab you with the hunger
But I see the way
You sit hunched over
Trying to shrink into yourself
Forever trying to make yourself smaller
As if the hunger isn’t
Enough
I know you long for bones
To be the only things
Distending from your skin
But darling
You’re forgetting
That your worth,
Your value
Does not rest in a number
Whether it’s on the back of a box
Or a creaky bathroom scale
You’re forgetting that
Bones are brittle
They break, love
They break
How will I hold you
When my touch could splinter you
When I could snap you in half
How will I shelter you
When that voice festers inside your head
And it rots your thoughts
Your innocent thoughts
Sweetheart, you’re forgetting,
Pushing food around a plate
Won’t give you dignity
And that voice
That voice inside your head
Does not define you
Do you see your eyes, love
When you look in the mirror
Can’t you see the light is gone
From those beautiful eyes of yours
Or do you only see
Failure and flesh
Clinging to your body
Holding on for dear life
As you try so urgently
To shed it from your skin
Please,
Let me remind you
That it’s okay darling
Go ahead,
Pick up that fork
It’s okay
I promise
Trust me when I say
I know
I know it’s hard
I know it hurts
I know it’s not just chewing
That causes you misery
I know that it feels like cotton
Whenever you try to swallow
I know that it’s like a rock, that food
Stubborn as it sits in your stomach
I know it hurts
I know
Just let me remind you
Let me remind you
That its okay, love
To feel
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