its sad how teenagers feel alone
surrounded by others upset in their
room with their thoughts while from
good families and happy childhoods yet
mistreated by those who could not
understand them feeling no meaning for
their life no one to support them forgetting
to remind themselves scars will heal and
smiles will return and monsters inside will
disappear if i could tell them one thing it
would be you are never too broken sure
you have scars and fragile memories but
then again all great survivors do

a venerable set of pearls
got placed on her bare skin
as she felt the coldness
rush through her body

she glanced down
to readjust the gold clasp
seeing her matte red lips
in their polished reflection

the cream-colored pearls
felt so heavy on her neck
and made her nervous heart
seem to sink into her chest

they were her grandmother’s
her mom told her long ago
as she imagined seeing her grandma
walk down the aisle so beautifully

she held onto the pearls
with fond memories of love
as she opened her mouth
and said the words

“I do”

too many times
filled up to the rim
with your morning coffee
it becomes damaged
and breaks away
eventually deteriorating
from the inside out
it’s no longer pleasant to hold
or smooth to the touch
as you read the morning paper
cupping the warmth in your hands
and as it chips deeper and deeper
the coffee begins to seek through
the crevices and tiny holes
when sooner or later
it ends up making its way
to the back of the cabinet
where the broken items are kept
it may not be your favorite coffee cup
(anymore) but rather it is a place that holds
the memories and confessions
of the morning conversations we shared
with our raspy voices and smiles
that effortlessly fell into the cracks
and will last as time goes on

after a long day
I often find myself
resting my head upon
a fluffy cushion of feathers
where I recollect my thoughts
and anticipate for tomorrow
the silky layer of cotton
relaxes and puts me at ease
so delicately
like dust particles
floating through the air
I can smell the trace
of my own unique scent
when snuggling closely besides it
before closing my eyes
and leaving reality for a while
it’s amazing how the simplicity
of laying my head down
on the soft mass of cotton
can soothe my bones
and make my blood
rush calmly through my body
the thought of writing about it
makes me long for the feeling
of nestling in the warmth
so I could close my eyes
and fall soundly asleep