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Aug 2017 · 298
sun in the sky
a m a n d a Aug 2017
you.
you are
the ink and the smoke,
the blood and the sand.
Aug 2017 · 363
another one bites the dust
a m a n d a Aug 2017
a plane taking off
a green sign
dreary rain
sad songs
blue eyes
lime spritzer
cottage cheese
a ten dollar bill
a penny on the pavement
white pants
laughter
a bad smell
weird hair
a magnet
cinnamon
Aug 2017 · 235
last night i dreamt
a m a n d a Aug 2017
that i was in
an elevator,
the cable broke,
and i began falling.

then i woke.

and i was sad
because i had thought
the cable broke
long ago.
Aug 2017 · 195
any major dude
a m a n d a Aug 2017
if, being a seemingly
reasonable person,
you thought that one
would get used
to this feeling of your
guts being torn out
your heart d r o p p i n g
down into your stomach
your breath escaping
in a strangled cry -

if, indeed, you thought that -
well then you, sir,
would be completely wrong.
Aug 2017 · 259
a ginger thwack
a m a n d a Aug 2017
sometimes i know
that my brain
is refusing to learn
or
it does not know
the way around
or |through|

and so it remains
i n e r t
- inept -
Aug 2017 · 690
the core
a m a n d a Aug 2017
it’s hard to admit
there is no center
where you thought one was.

you were sure it was there.
you felt it.
and so went looking for
the place it should be.

and there you found nothing.

instead of finding
the anticipated end
you found a
winding,
forking,
complicated path.

what you imagined a heart
is really an artery.

and upon inspection
only find another layer to
peel back,
rip off,
or burn altogether.
Jul 2017 · 355
the emperor has no clothes.
a m a n d a Jul 2017
-

the hypocrisy
on display
is almost beyond
the grasp
of a rational mind.

it is
shiny and gold.
(and in an italic font)
it is g l e a m i n g,
moist.
sweet.

it is utterly ridiculous.
shameful.

emails?
who cares about emails?!

just sit with that for a moment...

-
Jun 2017 · 687
try it, it's easy!
a m a n d a Jun 2017
you have to be able
to look at life
as it presents itself to you
and learn
to rearrange the pieces
until they align
with your idea
of yourself.
Jun 2017 · 345
the absence of
a m a n d a Jun 2017
at least i’m in a place now
where i know what is mine,
what i am responsible for.

and i own this,
this thing we are in.

because i decided a
long time ago
that i would rather have
a little of you
than none of you.

and i know
what i allow and
what i can accept,

but i feel a rumbling
about things coming.
an awakening,

where i suddenly
know
what it is that i want.

it is only
my not knowing
myself,

that keeps
this going.

when i can finally see
and know
what it is i want

you will hear the earth
quake and you will know
i am bringing pain.
Jun 2017 · 232
musing
a m a n d a Jun 2017
the multiverse
p e r s i s t s.

you can be
a different character
in a different game.
a m a n d a Jun 2017
it is easier
     to try to unravel
the work of your predecessor,

than to create
     a legacy
of your own.
Jun 2017 · 257
(in general)
a m a n d a Jun 2017
heed this thought
and
tread lightly



i am not your
***
(gag)

nor am i
your sweetheart
b a b e
|*****|
dear
or
hunny
(do we condescend much?)



i'm gonna give it to ya
straight

i am not your anything.
nothing,
not one single thing.

and i sure as ****
ain't your mommy

so take your little boy,
"life's not fair"
game and go home

we all have names.
be simple.
be stylish.
be modern.
lead a movement.

my name is amanda.
use it.
Jun 2017 · 262
*spoiler alert (you failed)
a m a n d a Jun 2017
the presidency
is not a school
for the
ignorant,
rich,
and delusional.

it is a test.

and i hate to break it to you, buddy,
but
you've
already
FAILED.
Jun 2017 · 553
the current
a m a n d a Jun 2017
i'm only here
to advise
on what i have seen
and what i see.

there are indicators
of the elusive path
to deliverance
to truth
to beauty

it is simple
and direct

and it looks foward

it promotes growth
it is innovative
it is creative

and it is no one color
or shape

it can be found anywhere
by anyone

get into the current,
if you can

otherwise,
you will be left behind.
Jun 2017 · 1.1k
i see that
a m a n d a Jun 2017
i am the foundation.*

i am the
b a s e [bass]
   you build
            worlds upon.
May 2017 · 543
bruder
a m a n d a May 2017
i know that it seems
like now is the time
to hunker down
in the dark
with some keebler elves,

but if i can teach you
just one thing
it would be that
now is not that time.

-

now is the time
for r i s i n g.
now is the time
for crushing fear.
for beards,
for drums,
and an annoyingly
confident disposition.

i know it doesn't seem so,
bruder,
but i know more than you.

i can see the you
that you cannot see,

and i am telling you,

**now is your time.
May 2017 · 292
hip to the jive
a m a n d a May 2017
just in case
you aren't
    hip to the jive,
"state flexibility" means:
yeahhhhhhhhhh, uhhhhh
*you can go **** yourself!
a m a n d a May 2017
some people
are just
not very smart.

i'm talking adults.

they just don't have the
it, the
thing
that all the smarties
seem to have.
but they do seem
to talk a good game.

a key component is missing.
things don't add up.

and it's a
strange thing to witness,
to come to terms with,
to accept.

but let me tell you
the strangest thing
the most maddening of things:

observing other people
who you otherwise know
as smart people
fall prey
to one of the dummies.
the liars.
the snakes in the grass.

observing you
in this state of
sickness
and dementia
and delusion
is unreal.

you don't seem to be aware
that you are sick at all.

and in watching the
contortions you will make
for this fraud,
i see that stance
you have taken
on me.
May 2017 · 712
just sayin?
a m a n d a May 2017
(why buy the cow
when you can get the milk
for free)

only works as a
metaphor

if you believe
yourself a commodity.
May 2017 · 270
a veil of light
a m a n d a May 2017
things
s l o w
d
  o
    w
       n
suddenly
*in the violet-white
sheen
f l o a t i n g
on the air.
May 2017 · 249
a m a n d a May 2017
sometimes
a thing can be
m i n i m a l
to the point
of confusion.
Apr 2017 · 449
cast your gaze about
a m a n d a Apr 2017
it's probably
     h i g h time
we crawl down
from our perches
to survey the rubble below.
Apr 2017 · 340
keep the important thought
a m a n d a Apr 2017
if we decided, today,
that handlebars would be installed
every few feet of everywhere...

would we, tomorrow
start swinging down hallways
like monkeys?
Apr 2017 · 294
a rare step b a c k.
a m a n d a Apr 2017
suddenly,
  i s e e
that there may be
a possibili ty
that it's me
that will
d e c i d e.
me that
*quits.
Mar 2017 · 676
kickin it old school
a m a n d a Mar 2017
art is a thing
that takes the now
takes the real

and makes it
u n r e a l
supa r e a l
surreal

\undone\

n u p s k c a b

reflected | back

better.

deeper.

and l i f t e d
      h
         i
           g
             h
                e
                  r.
Mar 2017 · 411
when money becomes real.
a m a n d a Mar 2017
money is about priorities,
and this may not be apparent
until you barely have enough
to get by.

to many children,
it is like magic.
it appears in other people's hands
and gets you
things you WANT.

not until you are a teenager
do you realize that there
are some things you WANT
not just for fun,
but because these THINGS
shape your life, are essential
to your way of life, and are
felt as NEEDS.
a car.
lipstick.
phone.

then money becomes
abstract, once again.
credit card.
student loan.
car loan.
it's what people do.
no one sits you down
and helps you figure out
how much those student loan
payments are gonna be in 10 years
with such and such an assumed salary.
with so and so bills.
you are 18.
you don't have a clue.

the illusion will
eventually come crashing down.
the abstract
becomes concrete,
and the math doesn't
add up.

that's if things go well.

what happens if things
don't go as planned,
as they so often do not?

you may just plummet
into an unfathomable hole.
(it's really not as hard
as you might think.)

and in this state,
you realize money is
about priorities.

if you have no credit cards,
and no savings,
you only have exactly what you earn.
and what you earn may not reflect
your years of experience, work,
and education.

then what?
you choose.
you prioritize.
and i don't mean, oh
should i go to the bahamas
or iceland this summer?

i mean,
shelter.
where can i live?
can i afford to live anywhere
on my own?

transportation.
if i don't have a car
i can't get to work.
if i can't work,
i can't live.

food.
how can i make
this little bit last 2 weeks?

pay the electric or the gas?
because i can't pay both.

cable? internet?
pick one.

new clothes?!
ha! doesn't make the cut.

doctors?medicine?
good ******* luck
with that one.

someone asks you to go out,
for a birthday, just for fun.
you break into a cold sweat
trying to figure out if there is
any possible way to act like a normal
human being and go out.
there might not be, and you will have to say no.

the government would like
their loan money.
it's simply not possible.

it's christmas.
what are you gonna do,
not pay rent for a month
in order to get presents?

and you hear people
give you ridiculous advice
for a situation they
have never experienced.

just don't have a coffee.
or color your hair.

just get another job.

because they don't see
that what they are suggesting
is that you take away
the smallest, maybe only
pleasures in your life.

or that you are literally
one costly repair away
from being homeless.
carless.
jobless.

it spirals quickly.
and if your masters degree
can't get you out of poverty,
but has actually made it worse,
what is the answer?

sometimes it doesn't matter
even if you do
*all the right things.
Mar 2017 · 600
one hundred million words
a m a n d a Mar 2017
exaggeration inevitably
brings you
closer
to
the
source.
Mar 2017 · 559
a thing i thought.
a m a n d a Mar 2017
[i picture myself]
>I see my mind's eye self<
as a sculpture
made of stone
facing outward toward the sea
where the ocean meets the land
(meets woman)
face to
the waves
a barrage.
   an erosion.
a return.
Feb 2017 · 553
(sometimes)
a m a n d a Feb 2017
i imagine
my life
as a
roller
coaster.

metallic.
minimal.
sleek.
vintage.
rickety.
fas­t.

a frame
with restraints
on a path.

i am
40% of

>>>the way down.

to the bottom.

on the way

back up.>>>
Feb 2017 · 422
naked we stand.
a m a n d a Feb 2017
for the first time,
we show the world
our weakness.
Jan 2017 · 252
consider.
a m a n d a Jan 2017
coming to the aid
and defense
of one group of people

does not

signal a refusal to
aid and defend
a different group of people.
Jan 2017 · 969
if i were president.
a m a n d a Jan 2017
nope, sorry.

not,
AMERICA FIRST.

*humanity first.
Jan 2017 · 299
~<all the sads>~
a m a n d a Jan 2017
I'm seeing all these
people having
a sad
about the
women's march.

yikes. thought you guys were tough.

didn't know that a knitted kitty kat hat was so terrifying and offensive to people who don't believe in political correctness. So sad!
Jan 2017 · 637
#alternativefacts
a m a n d a Jan 2017
"Yes, I am outraged. Yes, I have thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House ... but I choose love," Madonna said from the main stage area near the National Mall.

"I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters," Trump said.

Don't worry guys, he doesn't mean anything he says. He's so super funny. He's cool, guys.

But you better watch out for that Madonna. That woman will destroy the White House with her love.
Jan 2017 · 286
(we are all links.)
a m a n d a Jan 2017
what do
     y o u
want to
c o n n e c t
to?
Dec 2016 · 311
a vision
a m a n d a Dec 2016
a golden 7
with a pink bird.

a blue veil of lace.
Nov 2016 · 645
(where we live)
a m a n d a Nov 2016
the rejects.
the uglies.
the fatties.*

slightly u n d e r
and to the left
                     of the mainstream

dug under a little,

|grooving at our own pace|

pulling at the roots.
Nov 2016 · 286
alert level
a m a n d a Nov 2016
(indigo)

sister is about to blow.
tolerance of ******* has
    h i t
an all-time
l
o
w.
Nov 2016 · 436
let's imagine together.
a m a n d a Nov 2016
imagine.

you are a 14 year old boy
and one day
a strange, 45 year old woman
that you have never met

comes running at you
full speed while you
are walking home from school.

she knocks you to the ground
and kicks you in the stomach.
drags you to her car.

she pulls a screaming baby
out of a carseat and
forces it into your arms.
tells you it's yours now.
it's registered in your name.

while you stand there in
shock and disbelief
blood dripping down your face
she warns you that if you
ever tell anyone about
what just happened she
will ****** your entire family.

she gets in her car
speeds off and
you never see her again.

you go home with a
hysterical baby and
tell your parents what happened.

they just shake their heads at you.
you must have done something
to make this happen.

and so sorry,
but you have to keep that baby.
there is no other option.

you are only 14.
still, you are responsible for
making sure that baby doesn't die.

you have to figure out with your 6th grade
education how to
feed your new baby.
and get it healthcare.
and an education.

no more football games for you, son.
you don't matter anymore.

you shouldn't have been walking home
by yourself with a red shirt on.

you plead for help.
your parents don't care.
your friends can't help you.
you can't go to school anymore.
you can't pay for childcare.
and your government wants
to punish YOU.

can you imagine?
because i can.
Nov 2016 · 967
(this is why)
a m a n d a Nov 2016
we are protesting.

why we won't shut up.

because we are angry.
because we have had enough.
and we are throwing down
a line in the sand.

enough.

standing up for yourself
and other human beings
in the face of danger and adversity
is one of the hardest things
a person can do.

it takes guts.
it takes determination.
it takes strength.

and for that you mock us
like children.
calling us names.

you are reflecting in every way
what we find repulsive
in this man.

for months,
we heard every excuse
in the book to
get your man
off the hook.

about women.
about minorities.
about immigrants.
about refugees.
about the first amendment.

people continue to struggle
for things you take
for granted.

and instead of showing
kindness, empathy, and understanding,

you align yourself
with a demagogue

who has no problem
standing in front
of the world
complaining.
whining.
showing contempt
and ignorance for everyone
under the sun.
blaming everyone else for his problems.

shows absolutely no empathy
for anyone but a select few.

seeks, encourages,
and causes
division.

i'm not sure what is going on
inside you that
you can't see that.

that you can't recognize
danger when it is about
to engulf you.

that you can't remember
the cold facts of history.

when one group of
citizens' rights are threatened,
we are all threatened.

when one group is marginalized,
we are all marginalized.

you feel safe in this society.

and you don't
understand
those of us
who do not.

you do not put yourself
in the place of others.

some of us can.
and some of us do.
some of us have
seen injustice,
inequality,
and bullying
with our own eyes.

some of us realize
that even though you don't think
your way of life is in jeopardy,
it is.

and by standing up for ourselves
we are standing up for you.

we have to protect the most
vulnerable among us.

we are done with excuses.
with discrimination.
with sexism.
with victim blaming.

we are done.

so, yes
you are going to
see opposition.

and if you spread
lies, nonsense, and hatred

don't expect to go
unchallenged.

*because we are done.
Nov 2016 · 612
be it. say it. do it.
a m a n d a Nov 2016
i think it
a grave mistake
for
worldviews
to be held
hostage,
s e c r e t,
tight
against
one's chest,
reinforced
only by
filtered
media.

It is a dark path.
a journey into
an obsession with
yourself and those
who agree with you.

progress only arises
from s h a r i n g
ideas,
thoughts,
experiments,
experiences.

one does not
get an education
to learn only about
oneself.

it is the others
who provide the
most beautiful,
complex unraveling of
your tightly wound views.

a society that
does not share ideas,
does not excel.
does not improve.
does not invent.
does not create.

a society fixated on a mantra
of sameness
will collapse
entirely.
Nov 2016 · 384
November 9, 2016
a m a n d a Nov 2016
i am
g l a d
the veil has been
pulled back.

now i can see you.

now i know
exactly who
i am dealing with.
Nov 2016 · 699
imagine, for a moment
a m a n d a Nov 2016
(a thought experiment)



imagine you are
a young white boy,
in america,
in a small
town,
in the
1980's.

you are bright.
you love
to learn.

your family
loves you,
supports you,
encourages you,
believes in you.

you are innocent.

one day in
elementary school,
you are sitting at your desk,
listening attentively
to your teacher.

you are learning about
your country.
about presidents.
about elections.

suddenly, you hear
your teacher say that
men could not vote until 1920.

you quickly look around the room.
you don't understand.
what does she mean?

women could always vote,
but not men, she says.
men were not allowed.

she can't be serious.
this must be a joke.

you look in surprise at
the other boy's faces.

your face burns when
you lock eyes with a girl
in the class.

you sit silently.
you didn't know
that men were lesser.

no one had told you
until now.

you thought boys
and girls were the same.
had the same rights.
the same opportunities.
why wouldn't they?

you learn that men
had to fight for 40 years
for this right.

the women wouldn't
even write it down.
they thought it was ludicrous.
they tried to stop men at
every turn and succeeded
for decades.

thoughts clammer
in your mind.

what is wrong with boys?

it seems like everyone thinks
the girls are smarter.
the girls can be trusted.
the girls can be free.
the girls can make decisions.
only the girls know how
to run the country.

your teacher explains
that this is not the way
we are anymore.
now men can vote.

you look up at the presidents
hanging on the classroom wall.
they are all white women.
you hold your head up
a little higher.

no big deal.
there must not have
been any qualified men
to run for president since 1920.
yes, that makes the most sense.
that is logical.
to think otherwise
would be to assume
the world is not fair.

-

now it is 2016.
you are 36.

you have a job.
you have a masters degree.

and for the first time
in your life,
a man has the chance
to win the presidency.

this man has
devoted his life to
public service.
has a law degree.
served in office.
worked hard at
everything he did.

everything he has ever
done has been scrutinized,
ripped apart,
diminished.

he wants to secure
rights for men to use their
bodies as they choose.
he doesn't think this choice
should only be in the hands
of women.

he thinks men deserve
to be paid the same
amount of money as
women do for the same work.

he thinks fathers
should have rights.

he thinks birth control
should be easily available
and affordable to all men.

he is attacked on all sides.
he isn't tall enough.
or handsome enough.
he is balding.
his wife cheated on him,
so obviously he's an *******.

the woman running against
him constantly belittles him.
calls him names. rolls her eyes.
points and jeers,
hovers behind him
while he addresses the nation.
makes up outright lies about him,
and no one challenges her.

suddenly, all around you,
you see women rising up.
defending her. brushing off her
diseased ideas about men.
men should loosen up.
take a joke.

she thinks men should stay home.
stay out of business.
she thinks men without huge penises
have no value. no talent.
she even thinks someone should
just ****** this stupid man.

she owns young men's sports teams,
and likes to walk into the
locker room while they are changing.

and it has taken you
almost 40 years
to realize that

the chances of
every single president
just happening to
be a woman since 1920
is astronomical.

you are a white man.
you are almost 40.
you have played by
all the rules.
even the rules specially
set aside for men.
but you are
not represented.

you have to battle
with women about
your rights over
your own *****.

you work harder.
you get paid less.

people constantly
comment on your
appearance.

on your attitude.

on your smile or lack thereof.

judge you based on
how much chest hair is showing.

and you see a man,
that just won't quit,
battling unspeakable odds,
standing up for you.








can you imagine?
Nov 2016 · 413
from a distance
a m a n d a Nov 2016
i'm not sure what's going on.
i think i am always
deeply in my own mind
or in yours
trying to figure you out,
all of you.

and there is nowhere else
for my awareness to go,
it's just there,
opened,
listening,
all the time.

but who is
listening to me?
Oct 2016 · 381
a briefing
a m a n d a Oct 2016
i try to keep
you in the periphery,

not anymore
a clear
and present danger.

now an
a w a r e n e s s
of your power
over
     me
remains vigilant.

i feel it
always by
my side,
aware it
could strike
at the
moment
of your
desire.

i can't think
of any
protection
against this.

i don't know
     how
to
   save
          myself

from the you
        in the ether
   at the edge
of the wind.
Oct 2016 · 363
a primer
a m a n d a Oct 2016
everyone knows
you can't just
love
anyone.

it strikes you.

and then you
are altered.

you can't fix it.
you can't undo it.

forever,
another human being
has a part of you

that you can
never get back.
Oct 2016 · 791
the progression
a m a n d a Oct 2016
sometimes i just
say what i think,
because once
i'm gone
what else of me
is there
anywhere
in
    the
         universe?

when you
already have
something,
you take that
thing for granted.

when you have
the better of
something,
you take for
granted those
who have less.

what you have
reached, you
expect others
to also reach.

but you
are not everyone,
and everyone
is not you.


some of what
you have,
i do not.
and some of
what i have,
she does not.

you should be
looking below you,
not above.
that is where you
will find the answers.

if everyone is
reaching below
and
lifting up
no one
is left behind.
Oct 2016 · 1.6k
ready to take the knee.
a m a n d a Oct 2016
oh ****.
i just had
another thought.

when kaepernick
kneels
to express
distress at his
country's
injustices
against
minorities,
(and for christ's sake
if you believe
there is no injustice
then i don't know
what to say to you)
in a quiet,
legal,
non-violent
expression,
a demand
for unity,
equality,

he is booed.
made fun of.
called
a traitor.
entitled.
disrespectful.
unpatriotic.

everyone loses
their godforsaken
minds
because a black
man
with money
kneeled.

for ****'s sake, people
wake the
**** up.

you know
what's disrespectful?

violence.
inciting violence.

you know
what's unpatriotic?
denigrating
entire groups
of human
beings.

entitled?
if equality is
special treatment
then i guess so.

i'm bout ready
to take the
******* knee
myself,

seeing the
rampant,
jovial
racism,
sexism,
classism.

the absolute
pride
people in
my country
are taking
in marginalizing,
dehumanizing,
belittling,
assaulting.

it's disgusting.

without a doubt
i will take
the *******
knee.
Oct 2016 · 575
guess i'm out of the loop
a m a n d a Oct 2016
huh.

i didn't know
it was cool
to joke about
children
accidentally
killing themselves
or others
with guns.

i didn't know
you were supposed
to make fun
of someone
for thinking
it might be
a good idea
to try to protect
children
from getting shot.
Oct 2016 · 533
which is it?
a m a n d a Oct 2016
is she an
all-powerful
world leader
in control
of every country
on earth,
the mastermind of
a global conspiracy,
and in control
of the entire
US government?

or

is she a
completely
incompetent woman
unable to achieve
one single thing
in her lifetime?

just checking.
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