She stands there in knickers,
A cap on her head,
Looking tomboyish, truant and tough
And a cigarette dangles
From unsmiling lips
To warn all she’s not taking their guff.

It’s a sepia snapshot,
The 20’s, I’d guess,
The photographer long in his grave,
But the girl is my grandmother
Though I’ll admit
It’s an image she’d choose not to save.

All the years that I knew her,
So quiet and prim,
Don’t quite match with the face in the frame.
That’s the reason I treasure
This photo of old,
‘Cause both Jennys were one and the same.

From the sleeve
The vinyl slips
I move my hand
The needle dips

Sinatra with rolled up sleeves and a cigarette
Takes up a stool in my kitchen
Tips his hat and sings as I peel potatoes.

It's funny,
P
  U
     S
        H
            I
              N
                 G

Feelings

                                  D
                           ­       O
                                  W
                    ­              N

Everything gets f o r g o t t e n

But when you start to,
T.  H. I.  N.  K.

                               About everything


I remember why I
          
                        Wanted these things gone

BUT
        I
   Have
      To
    Think
       Of
     Them


          *or I'll never move past it

I'm the "crazy lady" here in town
My long skirts and big hats seem to frighten
My eyes are too big for my face,
I'm well aware
But, I paint them anyway
I can't leave
I drink too much
Think too much
I lie about caring what these people think
I care
It hurts
The things they say
Odd
Strange
Crazy
Insane
*****
They say
"What? She knows no other colour than black is in existance."
"Her family have their money from shine."
"Her nans is Cherokee. Red skinned. And she dyes Her hair, I've heard."
I'm the crazy lady
I look away.....

freedom of speech until you tear off the Hijab of a Muslim woman
walking down the street
and leave her beaten in the blood from your knuckles
exclaiming how much you hate terrorists

freedom of speech until you pour gasoline all over the floor of
an LGBTQ center and set it to flames
because you say that is not love's way

freedom of speech until you're a police officer who beats a handcuffed man
to death while he is laying on the pavement you took him down on
with five other officers by your side
because you think your safety was more at risk
and his skin color only proves it

freedom of speech until you **** a woman you had already detained
and fake her mugshot to save your department
because "the crime rate is rising" on this side of town

freedom of speech until you light up a church
because you still believe you're superior
and want to show it

freedom of speech until you walk around in a white cloak
pretending to be so pure
yelling that anyone outside of your shade is a social parasite
although your color did not always touch the grass of this nation
until you stole it

freedom of speech until speech becomes hate
and hate becomes crime
and there's killing
and killing
and killing

freedom of "speech"
and this entire world will go blind

your eyes are so stunning
there are times when they widen
and for a moment they become the center of my world
i don't know how to avoid their pull
how can i look away
when you've given me a glimpse of your soul
i'm drowning in the blue
but i'll never call out for anyone else