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Feb 2017 · 621
MOTHER OF THE EXILES
B L Costello Feb 2017
“We don’t want em!”
That’s what he said,
He’d rather grab what’s between her legs,
He has no idea what she is worth,
To him,
She’s just another skirt,
But she is beacon that shines in the night,
You can’t fold her arms or dim her light,
She welcomes all without a sound,
Silent lips and heavy crown,
Colossus over land and sea
She bids them all,
“Come to me”
It’s sad,
He has no idea……
Has he?
I think he’d even call her “Nasty”
©B L Costello 2017

“With silent lips, “Give me your tired, you’re poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
(Emma Lazarus "THE NEW COLOSSUS")
Feb 2017 · 272
MY NEW GIRL
B L Costello Feb 2017
The curve of her frame,
The length of her neck,
I could do nothing except,
Accept,

Not an affair
Not a mission,
I commit,
A new RELIGION,

A different love,
One that lingers
My blistered,
Numb,
****** fingers

That tortured buzz.
Makes me a wreck,
But I negotiate her frets

The hour is brief,
It ends too soon,
I’m still awake,
She still in tune,

I shake my hands
The numbness is gone,
Change the bandage,
We play on
©B L Costello 2017
Jan 2017 · 648
FORGIVE ME?
B L Costello Jan 2017
I should write about something worldly.
Something important to satisfy the media addicted,
I have seen brilliant poets write about the events and world politics,
I know it is important,
I would love to stand in the shadows of Cohen or Dylan,
Talk about the “Future”, or the times that are “A ‘Changing”,
But my muse is not entertained or interested in Donald Trump,
That shooting last night,
It is tired of walls and boundaries,
It is too busy to be angry,
That careless nymph wants me to tell you how beautiful you are,
How you make me feel,
And what it is like when you touch me.
Rhapsody is real,
I abandon my fears,
How happy you’re love has made me dear,
This may not enrich the critical mind,
I hope you will forgive me in time.
©B L Costello 2017
Battling demons and feeling trite.   Be kind.......
Jan 2017 · 455
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
B L Costello Jan 2017
“Don’t let it hurt”,
(Through tears she begged)
“RELAX”!
“DON’T ****”!
“Cross your legs”,
“It only gets harder”,
“Life is not fair”,
(She pulled the brush through her hair)
“The shoes are tight”,
“JUST SIT”’
“It is do ‘able”
“You begged for that heel”
“IT HURTS TO BE BEAUTIFUL”,
“Is it important”?
“YES…….IT’S A MUST!”
“That’ how people look at us”
“Baby don’t cry….we’re gonna have cake”
“Remember your napkin, today you are eight”!
© B L Costello 2017
Jan 2017 · 272
ADDRESS THE PRESS!
B L Costello Jan 2017
No one agrees,
We should be embarrassed,
The president is not meant to scare us,
Yet,
I’m afraid……
There has been a mistake,
I guess the press conference has to wait…….
Our weakest link,
Proves our strength,
But only as long as there is length,
Too much distance will cause harm,
He cannot see past his arms,
His reach is poor,
His vision stinks,
He squints,
You never see him blink,
A president who is over there…….
Leaves us alone and a little scared,
Embrace us now,
Before we are bitter,
Not everyone can go to twitter.
©B L Costello 2017
Yes, he has addressed them.  This post is a little late.  God help us.
Jan 2017 · 271
THE LAST THING ON HER MIND
B L Costello Jan 2017
She fell to the devil,
And he took her heart,
Unfortunate,
That was just the start,
Terminally stricken,
Like a disease,
He stole her soul and sympathy,
Because of him,
She would know hurt,
She would never know her potential worth,
She took his name and gave her life,
He bled her like a sacrifice,
So young,
She was done,
Before her time,
And he was the last thing on her mind
©B L Costello 2016
Jan 2017 · 224
SLIP KNOT
B L Costello Jan 2017
He tied a slip knot,
His commitment,
Pretend,
An easy escape
Pull at the end,
How perfect i thought,
I envied his wit,
We were the polar….opposite
How simple the break
Metaphoric perfection,
Breaking the bound,
Increasing tension,
No loop to uncross,
No cutting today,
Just squeeze and pull yourself away
B L Costello ©2017
B L Costello Dec 2016
“The times they are a’changin”,
There’s a shift in the powers,
As the smoke rises,
She passes out flowers,
She seems so alone,
I wish there were others!
Watching I wonder where is her mother?
©B L Costello 2016
Nov 2016 · 285
DESIGNATED DRIVER
B L Costello Nov 2016
They say they are my friends,
I guess I work cheap,
I use a plastic bag to protect my seats,
They tell me I am boring,
They do things I never did,
They spend the night in jail cells,
For calling cops pigs,
“C’mon just one!”
“What could be the danger?”
Well…..I could **** someone,
Or wake up with a stranger,
Nah,
I’m good,
For that…..
I’ve no desire
Sure,
I’d love to go…..
As your designated driver
© B L Costello 2015
Nov 2016 · 367
DEATH OF A POET
B L Costello Nov 2016
I would dare to begrudge you heaven
I prefer you here with me,
I would chain you down to keep you,
Forsaking the memory,
I will lie,
I will deny
Like a stone…..
I’ll represent,
But I will never speak of you in the past tense,
I will not surrender,
You to the black earth,
Trust me,
Your loss will cause a rebirth
All that you gave,
Will persist and inspire,
As long as there are words,
And birds on a wire
© B L Costello 2014
"That's no way to say goodbye".  It couldn't get any Darker.  
RIP Leonard Cohen.
Nov 2016 · 833
HOW I HATE TO DUST
B L Costello Nov 2016
I dusted off your picture,
A task I had denied,
But it became embarrassing,
I could no longer hide,
I held it much too long,
My hand caressed the frame,
So long since I had held you,
Nothing is the same,
I stared for much too long,
Such common sense I lack,
Into your eyes I lingered,
Though you cannot look back,
Fighting back the tears,
I returned it to the stand,
Seeking more diversion,
I went to wash my hands,
And now,
I do not touch it,
Its cleanliness,
I’ll trust,
I really need to vacuum,
How I hate to dust
©B L Costello 2016
Nov 2016 · 280
HOPE
B L Costello Nov 2016
No cure,
No treatment
No change,
No effect,
No signs of life,
No answer…..
YET
©B L Costello 2016
A common English word that when used as a conjunction, is equivalent to "but" or "nevertheless". However, used as an adverb, yet defines an action's persistence in time. The word can define an action in the past, present or future:(Thanks Wikipedia)
One of the most optimistic words I've heard.
Nov 2016 · 324
OF WHAT DREAMS MAY COME
B L Costello Nov 2016
Once I had a nightmare,
But it turned into a dream,
Wide awake,
I would  meditate that I could hear you scream,
Imagine how I suffered,
Exhaustion lasting weeks,
Guilt without sedation,
And tortured in my sleep
Finally,
You....said ‘Hello’
But it made me feel sad,
Imagining that pretty smile smothered
By a gag,
Eyes that see me clearly,
Then Clouding full of tears,
Afraid to beg for mercy
Your scream is all I hear
©B L Costello 2016
Just something scary for Halloween
Oct 2016 · 1.0k
UNCONDITIONAL
B L Costello Oct 2016
I did not bring you into the world,
But I was happy that you came,
I took you home one afternoon,
Took pictures…..and gave you a name,
And you where my baby,
Dayenu……that was enough,
And like all things God gives you,
Someday…You must give up,
How blessed I was to have you,
To love and watch to you grow,
I did not bring you into the world,
But, I was there to watch you go.
© B L Costello 2016
For the friend and mother of who lost a wonderful daughter.  Sometimes....you can pick your family.  We were so fortunate that she picked you.  RIP SRS
Oct 2016 · 353
YOUR CT SCAN…..
B L Costello Oct 2016
It’s still there
No change
No effect,
The most optimistic word was…
“Yet”.
Intensely
We listen,
The doctors so smart,
To find hope,
We tear each sentence apart
Clawing through facts,
Sorting out rumors,
God,
I hate that ******* tumor,
It takes all our time,
And we still need more,
There’s none to waste,
He is stage four.
©B L Costello 2016
Please excuse the profanity.  I can not express my contempt for that tumor any other way.....
Oct 2016 · 734
UP ALL NIGHT
B L Costello Oct 2016
Is tomorrow enough?
It has to be,
Today is almost gone you see,
Yet here I linger,
Alone at last,
My memories repeat the past,
The moon does rise,
Still I am inspire,
Embracing my muse,
Thou I am tired,
In the dark
I smoke,
I wait for the day
I will meet tomorrow….
Unafraid
©B L Costello 2016
Oct 2016 · 284
CRADLE TO GRAVE
B L Costello Oct 2016
They only had eyes for him
They smiled and laughed,
As he reached to feel the new air around him,
Tears flowed,
“Oh, he is beautiful”,
And he was……like a promise,
He filled them with hope,
Like a gift his bassinet was adorned with a blue satin bows,
They could not wait to embrace him

In another room,
Another time,
Another place,
He is horizontal,
His hands are folded together,
There is nothing to reach for,
Adoring family lean over him,
Tears and praise together again,
“They did a good job”,
“The flowers are beautiful”,
The dark mahogany frames him like a picture,
How they hate to let him go.
© B L Costello 2016
Trying my hands at prose.  Please be kind.
B L Costello Oct 2016
GRANDMA’S TATTOO
“You could cover that tattoo,”

She said….

”show some respect”.
“Do you think if I did….
the world would forget?”

“But your old”,
“And……it’s strange,”
“It looks like a price,”

Grandma smiled and said….

“Well I’ve paid all my life”,

I challenged her vanity,
And…she fought with her pride,
Never again,
Would she ever hide,
I am older now
I no longer wonder……
…..about that tattoo,
Or the cost of those numbers
© B L Costello 2016
I think it is finished.  I just had to add more of her.  Please stop by again and comment.  As always it is appreciated.
Oct 2016 · 585
I’LL CHANGE YOUR MIND
B L Costello Oct 2016
You think that I am silly,
Just lyrics and some rhyme,
Your comment is judgmental,
Not constructive,
Not kind.
Still,
I choose to write,
A poet……
I am resigned,
A lover……
Not a fighter,
Someday……
I’ll change your mind
©B L Costello 2016
Sep 2016 · 272
EVERYONE DIES
B L Costello Sep 2016
It takes such courage to believe what you know,
Courage can be a frightening blow,
So far….
I’ve been right,
I wish I could hide,
I would love to be wrong….
At least surprised
©B L Costello 2016
Knowing is all, but do we really need it "ALL"?
The truth is not always kind, comfortable, or convenient.
Sep 2016 · 534
I’LL CRY AT YOUR FUNERAL
B L Costello Sep 2016
Sure you can “take it”,
I’m not to blame,
You stick that needle in your own vein.
People’s opinions mean nothing to you,
Yeah,
You can “handle it,
But that’s not what you do…..
Instead you blame others
You argue,
You’re “free”,
You only exist thru chemistry,
So now,
You can “take it”,
“Life is so beautiful”,
It is also brief,
I’ll cry at your funeral
©B L Costello 2016
Sep 2016 · 647
SOMEBODY’S BABY
B L Costello Sep 2016
Long before she was ever rejected,
She was planned….
At least expected,
Before children laughed,
Before the police….
She was loved,
She kept the peace,
I wonder if they see her now,
They who loved her…..and who taught her how,
To tie her shoe,
To washed her face,
Who left her in that awful place?
Somebody loved her…..
Before she went crazy,
Once…..
We were all….
Somebody’s baby
©B L Costello 2016
Sep 2016 · 286
THANK YOU, NURSE
B L Costello Sep 2016
Thank you nurse,
But your sympathy stings,
Every time you say…….
“Poor THING”
The tumor is still there,
His future is uncertain,
But behind the curtain……is still a person.
©B L Costello 2016
Sep 2016 · 313
ERNESTINE
B L Costello Sep 2016
A little dull,
Not too sharp….
Her bite is weaker,
Than her bark
Silenced if she knows nothing,
She smiles when she is right,
She loves recognition,
And a thunderstorm at night,
Most of all….
She wants a stamp
That says, “She is approved”,
For now she is silenced,
And…feels a little used
She listens because she still has hope,
Not because she’s a child,
She still believes in love,
So she always will smile.
©B L Costello 2016
The name Ernest is derived from Germanic word ernst, meaning "serious".
Sep 2016 · 200
AFTER THE RAIN
B L Costello Sep 2016
Like ants on a peony bush,
His fingers so infesting,
Spilled the dew that once was trapped between the petals resting

He left her in that garden,
A child of the earth,
She was just another blossom,
Rooted in the dirt,

The weather changed so fast,
With no hope of escape,
She bowed her head and died,
She never knew a vase
© B L Costello 2015
Aug 2016 · 269
FOUR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT
B L Costello Aug 2016
I could have ran the circus,
But I guess I’m just a clown,

I may have loved the wire,
But the height kept me down,

Intrigued I swallowed fire,
It hurt and I was burned,

If I could have stood the smell,
I would have the pick the pachyderms!
©B L Costello 2015
Sometimes my life is just a four ring circus!
Aug 2016 · 189
LAZARUS’ WIFE
B L Costello Aug 2016
Surprised,
Grateful,
And always amazed,
She praises Christ for another day,
Another day,
She prays for more……
Happy to see him stand at the door,
Smiling…..
Through tears that still have not dried,
Remembering all the times he died
Fearful still,
She still has trust,
The women that lives with Lazarus
© B L Costello 2016
Aug 2016 · 247
WHAT’S THE MATTER?
B L Costello Aug 2016
Sometimes,
I can’t see clearly,
Things are not what I think,
I really cannot not help it…..
After all….
I have to blink,
Sometimes,
I’m overwhelmed,
It’s more than I can keep,
You know,
The plumbing's old,
There’s bound to be some leaks
Sometimes,
I’m irritated,
I remember what was said,
Sometimes I just drip,
It makes my eyes red,
I wish it didn’t happen,
I wish you weren’t so mean,
I wish I had a wrench,
Or an antihistamine
© B L Costello 2016
Aug 2016 · 325
FAMILY REUNION
B L Costello Aug 2016
People you can’t remember from when,
Some you may never see again,
In a week you hear a knock at the door,
“They just stopped by…..”
You’ll wonder…“what for”?
In your car you wonder….
"Why did I go?"
"Most of those people…..I don’t even know",
And…**** it,
You came,
You saw,
And… were seen,
What the hell…
You brought baked beans!
Yet…..saying goodbye…..was sad,
And hard,
Maybe you’ll get more Christmas cards.
Without condition,
Always beautiful,
They'll see me the next wedding or funeral.
©B L Costello 2016
Aug 2016 · 213
HIS SHIRT SAID………..
B L Costello Aug 2016
HIS SHIRT SAID………..
“*******, I’m from Detroit”,
Almost like it was his choice,
Angry,
As if it was to warn,
Who gave a **** where he was born?
The thing that left me so amazed,
He did not have the ***** to say……
Freedom of speech,
What is it worth?
Probably more than his stupid shirt
©B L Costello 2016
Aug 2016 · 1.7k
STUPID AND FAT
B L Costello Aug 2016
Before you became a diabetic,
Before the pain and the anesthetic,
We ate,
We smoked,
We slept past noon,
We played until we were out of tune,
We laughed at the cost,
“Go ahead…bill me,
I guess something has to **** me”,
And now…it is,
Imagine that,
But ****,
I miss being stupid and fat
© B L Costello 2016
Aug 2016 · 511
HE HAS A TUMOR
B L Costello Aug 2016
I thought that he would be my last,
My promise,
I was sure,
Now…I may be his last,
If there is no cure,
Every second I want with him,
But I cannot decide,
Every moment away from him,
Tears me apart inside,
My needs do conflict,
There really is no win,
He has the tumor,
But I am sick for him
© B L Costello 2016
Jul 2016 · 165
KEEP GOING
B L Costello Jul 2016
Unfamiliar
This sickening path,
No fork in the distance,
I hear someone laugh,
In the darkness,
I have to cast my own light,
In his weakened state…..
I watch him fight,
I hate it here,
Nothing is the same,
The only constant is his pain,
And so he fights,
He bravely stands,
Against these demons,
I hold his hand,
Plans are for fools,
There is no way of knowing,
When you’re going thru hell….
You have to keep going.
©B L Costello 2016
Jul 2016 · 468
THE GYPSY’S SONG
B L Costello Jul 2016
The road less traveled is sometimes hard,
My wagon throws gravel,
I read the cards,
This life I choose is wild and free,
It’s better when no one is following me,
The currents do change,
The journey does end,
The road does challenge with dips and bends,
But I am a gypsy,
With fortunes to tell,
I KNOW it’s going to turn out well!
©B L Costello 2016
Jul 2016 · 275
CARE PROVIDER
B L Costello Jul 2016
I was blessed with this,
I know what it is,
I know no cross is heavier than his,
Still…..
I suffer……
I am tired and bent,
My sacrifice,
This is my lent,
“Fail to plan,
Plan to fail”,
I expected the rain,
Not the hail,
It hurts,
My life has been cut in half,
“Man makes plans…….
  And God just laughs”
B L Costello 2016
Jul 2016 · 325
PERFECT BASTARD
B L Costello Jul 2016
The time that you spent hurting me,
Could have conquered poverty,
Healed a burn of the 3rd degree,
Even composed a symphony,
Still, you chose to take your time,
Practicing to be unkind,
Now……….
You are the perfect *******,
I bow down to the master!
© B L Costello 2016
Jul 2016 · 274
ESTATE SALE
B L Costello Jul 2016
Her personal effects displayed on a chair,
The jewelry she hid is sitting right there,
Atop of the dresser she hated to dust,
Strangers browsing,
“Ask how much”,
A man in thick glasses watches the box,
Collecting the cash,
He records what we’ve got……
“It almost gone”,
Then….
We’ll call the truck,
Should I save something?
I don’t know what,
It been so long since I felt really sure,
All that remains is **** without her.
© B L Costello 2015
Jul 2016 · 378
ART IS LIFE
B L Costello Jul 2016
I pray for a change,
I hope it comes soon,
My ukulele is out of tune,
I can’t play,
I am so confused,
He’s suffering,
Where is my muse?
My mind is cluttered,
So is my home,
Without my dog,
I’d be alone,
“I think he is dying”,
Anxiety prods,
My minds begs and questions,
Where is God?
Jul 2016 · 300
CAUGHT AGAIN
B L Costello Jul 2016
The evening sky hid the darkening clouds.  
The only warning was the rumble of their rolling as they smothered a once moon lite night.
Distracted by the ominous consumption,
Stars that once lit an azure glow disappeared under an indigo blanket.
How disappointing I thought it was…….
No stars,
No moonlight,
How selfish I was,
I did not to realize that she was the conquered
It was her loss,
Her rain soaked me,
Like tears it streamed down my face as I ran laughing
My jacket pulled over my head,
Her thunder like fists ponded in protest,
Perhaps she felt mocked,
Finding safety in my car,
I enjoyed the new light show that only lightening can perform.
I just wrote this last night.  I just thought of trying something different.  Please be kind.
Jul 2016 · 270
PREY
B L Costello Jul 2016
She was no victim,
Just not very smart,
Her aim was poor from the start,
All those warnings,
Like ammunition,
They told her “fire”!
But she wouldn’t listen,
A reluctant hunter,
She worried a lot,
Now she is prey,
She lost her shot,
Just to survive,
For her that was good,
Now, she may never get out of the woods
© B L Costello 2016

— The End —