Behind closed eyes 
And shuttered dreams 
And barred windows 
I see the color green 
For the sea I write 

Behind iron bars 
And deathly individuality 
And ghostly thought 
I see the color white 
For the air I write 

Behind four pointed snowflakes 
And glistening ice pools 
And a hatchet clinging to the 
Frosted waves 
I see the color red 
For the fire I write 

Behind the open air 
And the dank walls 
And the endless earth 
I see the color of hope 
Blackly shining

She orchestrates her life 
With organization 
And control 
Ands let's not one problem 
Slip into place 
And she cleans her spotless room 
To prepare for the company 
Coming over 
And she takes precisely 
3 CDs
And scatters them artfully 
On her desk
To make the room seem 
Lived in 
And less perfect 
As she tries to mask 
Her loneliness 
And separation 
That gusts just strong enough 
To shake the timbers 
But leaves the foundation 
Still standing

The sheets on my bed 
Have turned 
From pure white to parchment yellow 
And I cannot bring myself 
To change them alone 
So every night I sleep 
And grow a little sadder 
As they smell less and less 
Of you

It was 9/11 on my mind
I remember watching it as a child 
I remember being happy 
I was being pulled out of school! 
My mother brought me home 
We all huddled around the TV 
I remember watching the explosion on the news 
The towers falling 
And not understanding what 
The big deal was 
And continued on my serious business  
Of playing puppets 
The only dimple in the memory 
Is the worry 
And anger 
On my parents faces 
As I grew older 
I got acquainted with history lessons
And little by little 
The story was uncovered 
The horror 
The pain 
Emotional and physical 
The deaths 
The anger 
The heat of explosion 
The thud of pavement hitting desperation 
America's icon 
Falling 
                    Falling 
            Down down down 
The symbol of our 
Freedom 
Of united belief 
In justice 
As the black angels 
Descended from the sky 
To rip loved ones 
From the arms of those bound to earth 
By grief 
And little by little 
That memory grew 
From a wisp 
Of happiness at no school 
To a thorn 
Snarled on the edges of thought

I watch 
As the sun sets 
And reflects off the metal 
Buildings of humanity
And think how sad this is

I watch you 
As you 
Scratch your wrist 
With nails filed to a point 
Skin red
You feel pain 
Yet continue your own 
Punishment 
Curled up on the couch 
In the library 
The silent books 
Trying 
To offer comfort 
To your wounded soul 
The sun streams through the window 
Turns your raven hair 
To home spun gold 
And the stars 
Nestle themselves 
In your everlasting cold

I saw you up and walking 
Through the mossy 
Rainy wet 
With jeans that wrap 
Like snaking thread 
And a strip of cloth 
Wound tight around 
A bare ***** excuse 
For a shirt on your back 
Such a careless exterior 
That tries to hard 
To get noticed 
By the boy that walks beside you 
I've known you for so long 
Yet the only thing I recognize 
Are your eyes  
Trying so hard 
To be grown 
But still holding on 
To girlishness 
And I drop back 
Away from you 
Encircled in the warmth 
Of the new loyalties  
Of the new friends 
That walk beside me 
And I am happy to step away 
But sad to go