I birth poems from my pen,
I pick them when their ready
to bloom, as these words flow
so does my love for the pen.

This ones for you,
my poetic bumblebee
buzzing around my head,
busy as a bee searching for
poetic style, sweet like honey.

I plant ideas in your mind,
spark intrigue and desire to
design this ruthless style
of line after line, formatted
by my poets fire.

I lash out with poetic
vengeance, its loosely shunned
but unruly is my desire
to light this fire.

I open my mind wide
as I spit my poetic flames
like a dragon in ragged by
hunger.

These musings burn deeply
inside my mind, eager
to burst forth from its cave,
no longer in a cage.

I am a poetic Dragon.

© 2018 By Amanda Shelton

Once upon a dream,
the stars fell like burning
embers bursting in the sky.

All my dreams flared like
a candles wick, my passion
sparked its whipping flame
to life.

These darker times bring
cold and hardness but
makes way for heated winds
and sunny fevers of summer.

Autumn never stays long,
winter seems to like it longer,
summer sits with spring
for awhile, before allowing
spring to turn everything
pink, green, and blue.

© 2018 By Amanda Shelton

I am dust and ashes,
I am beaten and broke,
I am fearful and stricken
by emotions that darken my days.

I am sadness,
I am weakness,
I am creaked
and brittle from use.

I am consumption and its
dust I leave behind.

Ruin is my name,
I am ruined by time
and shame.

This life was not designed by me,
instead it’s a design built for
disaster and pain.

Such struggles I suffer,
always wade by the constant agitation of my heart and soul,
pulling me under it’s heavy gantt,
which never slows.
Steady as it goes,
nothing changes it’s scheduled path and codes.

I am painful and slow,
I am living but cold fire burns
within my heated mind.

I am alive this I know,
this life I have weaved
and sewed unit my
very last breath
I will feel its bite
and its bitter sweet taste
I crave.

© 2018 By Amanda Shelton

The shadows can't hide my pain,
in the still of the night you came.

This burning turns into
a nightmare, I am running from
the blazing flames of pain.

I have no time to rest,
I have no time to play,
I have no time to think,
I have only pain.

Very rarely do I get a break,
this life is like a 24 hour job,
I always have to be ready to fight,
I am always ready to go.

This pain takes me under
pulling me under toe,
title wave after title wave
I am gasping for air.

Slowly getting heavy,
with each passing moment,
this pain sits upon my chest
trying to break what I have left.

Still I live,
still I give,
still I keep breathing through
the painful waves that try to steal
my well to live.

Nothing can steal my well to live,
for it grows stronger with
every push and shove,
I just know when to give
and when to pause.

This painful life I live.

© 2018 By Amanda Shelton

I suffer because
I am aware of what
peace feels like.

If I never felt bad
I would never know
peace.

You can't learn if
you don't have
something to relate to.

Life is full of it,
sometimes I am knee deep
in pain, other times
I am happier than
sunshine pouring over
the land, you can see
my smile rising
like the sun.

In my darkest times
I have sat through
chaotic heartbeats,
breath stealing pain
but still I keep climbing
higher and higher.

No mountain is too high
for me to climb,
I can walk through thorns
and still I walk
until the end of the road
or when the line is
too thin to climb.

I am always willing to keep
going even when the mud dries
up, I am patient I will wait
for the rain to wash away the dirt
then I will rise again.

This is life,
a climb to the top
where the air is thin
and your back hurts
but it never truly ends.

We endure much pain
but I know we are strong enough
to get to the top.
You just have to imagine
what it would be like
and never give up.

Success is like having
a can of water but no
can opener, you have to
find another way
to open the can or get water.

© 2018 By Amanda Shelton

To relate,
to imagine something similar
to what is being shown,
to imagine what it might be like.

A metaphorical meaning is like
being a shadow
that tries to relate to a star.

A poem with metaphorical meaning
is written with more effort, research, and a deeper understanding
of language.

I have written more metaphorical
poems than average poetry.

I work harder on metaphorical
meaning than I would with basic techniques. I love a challenge
so that's why you see more metaphorical poems
written by me.

I have researched many languages
and meanings to words,
my techniques for writing
reflect my efforts.

I am a writer who writes with imagery and metaphor so often that
I am known to be an eccentric writer.
It's an exotic way of expression.

It helps my readers
to relate to what I am thinking.
Also, it is how my brain sees
the world.

I was not born with language
like most people are,
I am an autistic person.
I don't have a natural language
in my mind, I have learned how
to express myself through writing because of my handicap.

I am not perfect but
I try to improve myself
by learning and practice.

I am still learning not to criticize myself too much. I am never a good judge so I try not to think about it
too much. I analyze everything so
I think it's good for me to try
not to analyze my writing
as often as possible.
I end up changing my work
until it turns into something completely different than
it started out if I do.

I want people to see the effort
and time I give my poetry,
so I do my best to show it.
I am always happy to do
something new and challenging.

My grammar and spelling
has improved because
I am willing to take feedback.

I love it when people are honest
and tell me if I made a mistake because I can learn from
the mistake.

To grow and develop you need
a plan and a place to go
when you need space.
I have learned this and
I believe that is what helps me
to improve.

Metaphorically speaking,
I am like a leaf I change with the seasons and I am willing to grow
within a tight space.
I love being with other
leafs like myself.
That's why I join communities
like this one.

Thank you, Hello Poetry.

© 2018 By Amanda Shelton