I used to write poetry,
quite prettily,
With flow and effervescent soul
Firm of form and splashed with
The color of a thousand heartbeats
Of dreams and tears and please-accept-me's,
Humble offers of a crumbling spirit
And you could hear it in my words
If you cared to put your ear to my shell,
The ocean in my broken heart churning
Threatening to swallow me whole.
I used to write poetry,
But times have changed,
seen me turn orange and
fall from my branch.
Dry and brittle on the forest floor
I feed the worms.
I feed the roots.
Summer is gone, and winter bears down.
I used to write poetry,
Now I chisel away pieces of
My stony disposition
And fantasize of the warmth
That once kept my heart aflame.

I fear for my son and the example this sets.
We had other options, why choose this?
'Grab the women, exile the dark.
Worship like us or bare a mark.'

Off goes the tv, the radio down.
I'd hate him to hear such heartbreaking sounds.
We'll wait for the bombs when this man's temper explodes.
But they always said a woman wouldn't be as controlled.  

You call us childish as we fight for our rights.
They're yours too, you're just blinded by pride.
You bang on your chest and cry for respect.
But we'll know who to blame though you'll deny and deflect.

You voted against me, your wives, mothers, daughters, and friends.
But we won't kneel before racism, objectification, and threats.
I bow my head to pray and to weep.
Because of this villain, our country will bleed.

If I should fall in love with you
You'll never know my feelings true
I'll keep that **** under my hat
Pretend I don't know where it's at
And silently I'll pine away
Though never in the light of day
Like some lovelorn ethereal ghost
Beneath black skies this love I'll host

I'll glance your way through shaded eyes
And tell myself a million lies
To keep my heart safe and alone
Locked up tight in its cage of bone
Til I am sure the chance has passed
When you've moved on, I'll breath at last
If I should fall in love with you
I'll deny it til we are through.

Oh, Jesus, are you listening? 
I forget how to pray. 
The folks you gave for guidance, lord, 
You took them all away,
And left me here to walk alone, 
Beloved I have none-
I am nobody's brother now;
I am nobody's son.

It's not my place to question you, 
Divinity, I'm not, 
But for a man as young as i
You've put me through a lot. 
So Jesus, if you're listening, 
And truly have my back, 
Now would be a perfect time
To cut a guy some slack. 

I don't feel that I'm owed a thing, 
I know I'm not exempt, 
And all of us know suffering
At times we all have limped. 
But lord, I'm barely crawling now, 
I lack the strength to stand. 
I'm not asking a bailout, lord, 
I only need a hand.

Help me get back up on my feet, 
I can take it from there. 
I haven't asked for anything, 
I think it's only fair. 
I'm not the child that lost his world.
No longer- I have grown.
But right now, Lord, I need a hand, 
I can't do this alone.

Statues may tumble
But hate still stands
On a pedestal, proud
And foolishly clinging
To a dying light
To a long since lost battle
That will never end.
Walls crumble, steel bends
And the spirit bows
But right or wrong, friend,
It just does not break.
Even standing there
In the rubble of "what should be"
Realizing that doesn't exist now.
There is only "what is".
And all you can do is fight.
Bridges burn, and we'll never
Make it back to where
We were before the fires.
Simply standing on the banks
On our pedestals
In the rubble
Chest puffed
Chin out
Needing to break something else.

The wind won't blow,
And it won't rain, 
And I can't see the moon. 
No crickets chirp
Or whippoorwill
Or solitary loon. 
Just me beneath
A silent sky
That light dare not impune 
A loneliness
Consuming me
I pray this passes soon.