briannah rae

briannah rae May 2017

these hollow bones
don't feel the pain
your merciless hands
always seem to convey.
i see the scars
and welts
and bruises
but the stars
in my eyes
shine brighter
than the warning lights
flashing in the distance.
no matter
how many tears
i catch in this jar
it'll never open my eyes
to the love
that's drifted afar.
and every time
i feel your bittersweet kiss
i can't resist
because the way
you make me feel inside
is stronger than
the physical pain
hidden behind
these sunken eyes.

briannah rae May 2017

Day 6.

wilted roses
and torn photographs.
the signs
of heartbreak
that litter the floor
of my bedroom,
the same bedroom
where we once
lay together
under a warm pink blanket,
connecting
glow-in-the-dark stars
and dreaming about
our future
of shared apartments
and Mr. and Mrs. coffee mugs.
falling asleep
to the sounds
of ed sheeran
love songs
tangled
in each other's arms.
running hands
across skin
and whispering
"i love you"
with the smell
of wine on our breath.

31 Day Poetry Challenge
Something That Makes You Sad

briannah rae May 2017

vanilla brown sugar.

she was never
the type of person
to gift me things.
Christmases
and birthdays
were just a sad reminder
of that.
i always have hope
that this year
will be the year.
so when the day came
that she spontaneously
gave me a bottle
of dollar store
vanilla brown sugar perfume,
i nearly cried.
this little gift
that meant nothing to her
meant everything to me.
it meant she knew
that vanilla was my
favorite scent.
it meant she knew
that the perfume
my aunt had given me
for christmas had run out.
it meant that
deep down
she cares about me.
whenever i smell
the scent of vanilla
i will close my eyes
and think
of that perfume,
mom.

May 2017

melissa lynn shaffer

Moleskin

You got me hooked on Moleskin journals.
It might not seem like much,
but when you consider that it's the vessel
into which I daily pour myself,
Like some bank account, holding all my emotional savings,
it's a pretty substantial influence.
So thanks.

You got me hooked on being known.
Not the "name her favorite color/album/flavor" kind of known.

The "ask me how I am, because you hear the trace amounts of fakeness in my laughter" kind of known.

Before you,
I thought being loved was like being admired but on steroids.

Now I see it's more like

a quiet walk
home from class every evening.

there are a dozen other ways,
different bike routes or
back roads you could take

but you would never think to.

Your day would be incomplete without the path your feet
first were drawn to,

you can't bear to miss it
the winding bends in the road and the blossoms you always pause to breathe in.

both familiar and new every evening.

briannah rae May 2017

Day 5.

i wonder how different
things would be
if i had worked up
the **** courage
to tell you
how i truly felt.
if only
i was more confident
in myself,
confident enough
to speak my mind.
i wanted to tell you.
i did.
but the words
got caught
somewhere in my throat
like a beautiful butterfly
in a spider web.
this wrenching fear
of rejection
burned down
the rose garden
and left the blooming buds
black
and charred
and smoking.
i should have said it.
i wonder how different
things would be
if i had worked up
the **** courage
to tell you
i love you.

31 Day Writing Challenge
Things You Never Got to Say

briannah rae May 2017

Day 4.

there are worse things
than being alone.
Of course
there are worse things
than being alone.
but right now
it feels like
the only thing
that hurts.
it feels like
the lone rain cloud
pouring only over
me.
i don't have anybody
to hold an umbrella
for me.
i don't have anybody
to seek shelter in
from the storm outside.
it is so hard
to walk around life
with many people
who call themselves my friend
but aren't truly.
they would never
stand in the storm with me.
they would fend only for themselves.
i can't do this
alone anymore.
and i know
there are worse things
than being alone.

31 Day Writing Challenge
Write About Being Alone