14-10
10-4
4-2
2

hatred and anger are only
the absence of love
and can be diminished by
the abundance of love

<                             Friend                             (i)
———————————————————-
                                        ­                        (Hey)>
<(Hey, hows it going?)
                                             (Pretty good, I’ve)
                                             (been writing a   )
                                             (lot of poetry...  )>
<(. . .)

The dog in the cage
The puppy in the cage
Scared and scarred
Whimpering and bleeding
Wanting to run free
Exhausted
Collapsed on the wire
Shallow breathing
Eyes closing
Tail wagging as he sees a light
Tail stilling
Breathing ceasing
Lonely heart finally tranquil
Innocent, broken soul finally at rest
Because all dogs go to heaven

A lonesome swordsman
Stands on a hill
Watching the village
Where nothing is still

No quiet moment
No crowdless street
No content beings
Nothing unaccounted for

Except the man
On the hill
For he knows one thing
That will

One pair of eyes unseeing
One pair of legs not moving
One pair of hands, useless
One heart not beating

The devil-reaper
On the hill
Looks to one broken home
And finds his ****

if sadness was a color . . .
if despair was a shape . . .
what a
            marvel
                        loss
universe it would create!

People seated
Row by row
Packed in a tiny aircraft
Is this what it means to be gods?

We’ve tamed machines
And ridden them into the clouds

A woman sleeps
One man snores
Another works
Is this what it means to be majestic?

We hold all this power
Yet we sit in near silence

Anyone who came before
Would have seen this machine in the sky
And worshiped it as holy

But we reside inside
Trying to relax on rock hard cushions

We have tamed the skies and become riders of the sun
We have become warriors

Yet we sit
And snack
On little pretzels
Impatiently waiting
To be mere mortals again

A ship sailed
Across the  sea
Looking for it’s final resting place
Looking for peace

The ship sailed
Masts unfurled
While in the waves
It was hurled

Another ship sailed
Across the lake
Looking for it’s final resting place
Hoping for it’s last trip to take

The ship sailed
Gently accelerating
While the lake
Was unmoving

A third ship sailed
Across the bay
Looking for it’s final resting place
Waiting for the end of day

The ship sailed
Proud, was it’s crew
While the sun set
And  the night was new

A poet is a castle
Having been built from stone
Seemingly impenetrable
With a moat around it’s walls

A poet builds these walls
To protect what’s within
The moat is filled with creatures
That will destroy whatever tries to come in

But castles are not perfect
The stone can crumble with age
The things within the castle will quarrel
The boiling *** will overflow

And when this happens
A poet writes about the anguish
That they have captured
The pain that they protect

They do not let anyone in their castle
Because they do not want them to get hurt
But castles, no matter how strong they seem,
In the end, will burn

make the night last with dancing
because we grew young here

Atoms
Make up cells
Cells
Make up me

I stand next to the ocean
Trillions upon trillions of atoms
Make up the water
And the things in it

----

People are so small
Minuscule figures line the shoreline
Yet people take up so much space

Millions of hopes and dreams
prayers and questions
Each person is full of these things

Each person has a name,
goals, flaws, joys, and sorrows
Each one living in the moment

I see two people walking down the beach
Hand in hand
I wonder what they’re thinking

‘She’s so beautiful’
‘His smile lights up my world’
Completely unaware of the power they hold

They both hold life,
which means they have choices
They CHOOSE to walk by the ocean

They CHOOSE to be with each other
The ocean chooses nothing
It obeys the moon and tides with total and utter compliance

I see a family
Mother and father watching their children
Skin and bones as active children are, yet so full of life

So full of the ability to CHOOSE
They choose to romp in the ocean without a care in the world
While their parents CHOOSE to love them

I choose to people watch
To watch them interact with the waves and sand
To watch these minuscule, yet amazing beings

the flower in the
field was swaying in gentle wind
a patient flower

Flower was taken
placed into a vase to be
admired by passers

Flower dies slowly
yet willing to wilt for us
yearning for our love

she is beautiful
and she dies beautifully
and gives joy to me

sticky sticky
dripping honey

the words spill out
of your mouth so often

at first i felt
the butterflies

but now i feel
kinda sick inside

i dont know why
i dont like you less

i just feel like
im swimming

in sticky sticky
dripping honey

far too sweet
for a girl like me

There
She stands
The Belle of the Ball,
Bella,
She looks you in the eye
you don't know why
but there she is
Your Bella The Ball

.   U    B
B              B
     E     L

Perfectly round

         U    B
     B              B
          E     L

Sparkling in the sun
                                                 U    B
                                           B              B
                                                ­E     L
Floating on the breeze
    U           B
                      
     B                       B
        E    
                    L

Popping

build up the walls!
for love leaves ruins

sometimes a castle holds a damsel in distress
but this castle holds a fair maiden's heart.
its purpose is to guard it against
the foolishness and destruction of love
but castles are merely stone
and love seeps through the cracks

Crazy, yet relatable...
does anyone else remember the times
that they've pasted a smile on their face?
Hid their pain so well that
the superficial smile was all others saw?
Purple fur to cover a withering heart
Hope was all but lost
Yet you kept on smiling?
You don't want to let others down
So you drown yourself in fake happiness
Your cheeks hurt from the strain
And you're just hoping that you can fake it until its real
You don't share your hurt with others so
you won't bring them down with you
And all the while you are slowly
disappearing until there is nothing left.

cold sunsets
on a crisp winter day

a cozy college campus
students all rushing away

brisk paces to their dorm
or class, or library, or home

running running
running

while the sun sinks
beneath the icy night

There for each other
Thick and thin
They always show up
No matter where you’ve been
They help you when the going gets tough
She is who I look up to
She can always cheer me up
When I’m feeling blue
Built-in best friends

i used to wonder how people in movies fell in love after only one night

then i learned to waltz

Dans Mon Lit

j'ai eu viens de réveiller
mes rêves ont eu une sensation triste
et ont été trop supporter
mais je ne peux pas souvenir quoi ils ont été

je me rappelle dernier nuit, mes larmes sont tombés
sur mon lit, parmi les draps et j'ai dormi
avec mes échecs en formulaire liquide
mes yeux ont été bouffies et mouillés

j'ai réveillé en l'obscurité, et je peux sentir
mes gonflés, séches yeux et mon vide espirit
J'ai allongé dans le silence sans bouger
jusqu'a j'ai souvenu pourquoi j'ai pleure

j'ai espéré que si j'ai sans bouger
le souvenir ne serait jamais revenir
et que réalité serait s'effondre
puis être rebati encore sans cette

mais, ce n'a pas été ca façon
et j'ai dû bouger toujours
j'ai dû revenir au réalité j'ai cassé
et recolle les morceaux

Death comes to us all.
It tells US to make the call.
Will you jump the bridge?

Death can be our friend
Helping escape the real world
Descend into dark

If you believe that, he,
Yahweh is the one true God
Then ascend to light

You,
Pronoun that is used to point out or address another being

Broke,
Past tense verb that means something is somehow changed, usually for the worse

My,
Possessive pronoun that means something belongs to me in some way

Trust,
Noun which describes the building block for all relationships

Dig
Dig
Down

Feel the sweat on your brow
The dirt on your brown, brown hands

The shovel in your fists
The blisters an ugly bright red

Headlamp flickering
Back bending down

Down
Down
Down

Into the dark, damp earth

I thought I was drowning in your love
but it turns out
I was drowning in our fears
our fears of not being accepted
we tried to accept each other
we were clinging to each other like the other was our lifeboat
but neither of us were kicking to keep us afloat

do you ever get the feeling that you arent doing enough?
that you aren't being enough?
that you aren't, yourself, enough?

i know i'm doing a lot, got a lot on my plate
but i know other people
who always seem better

i want to do more, be more - but i don't know how
i'm not the smartest, most practical, most creative
i have no idea what i'm doing

all i have is dreams less grandiose than theirs
and contentment waging war with wanting more
and all i want is to feel enough

not to be jealous of what they have
but to be okay with what i've got
and to feel enough

Do you ever feel like you’re the one
Who always starts the conversation?
Like you’re the one people only hang out with because they are bored?
Do you ever find yourself wondering what part you play in your favorite person’s life?
Do you ever wonder if you’re just a placeholder??

I do...
                                                                   I do...

Why does everyone else laugh at the jokes,
That I find not funny?

Why does no one else laugh at the things,
That I find to be funny?

Why does everyone else seem to have a perfect life,
While I do not?

Why does everyone else seem to be so happy,
When I'm trying not to cry?

Why does everyone make everything seem so easy
When I stumble over my words?

Why does everyone else seem to have everything
While I'm still searching for happiness?

Why does everyone seem to be loved,
While I crave the feeling?

Father
Teach me

Father
Reach me

Father
Don’t leave me

Father
Hear me!

Father
Hear me?

I’m seven again
Mom has left
It’s you and me

I’m eight again
I don’t understand
Was it me?

I’m nine again
Moms back in town
But you act like she’s not there

I’m ten again
Dad won’t you listen?
His breath smells funny

I’m eleven again
I thought you loved mom
Won’t you help her now?

I’m fifteen again
I’m screaming silently for attention
Why won’t you talk to me?

I’m seventeen again
You don’t seem to care
So I won’t care either

I’m eighteen again
He’s gone
You couldn’t protect him either

Father
You never left, but you did

Father
I don’t know how to talk to you

Father
Goodbye

Fear
Such a small word
Such a powerful feeling
Fear
Of the unknown
Of never healing
Fear
Of evil
Of failing

Fear
Of death
Of what may or may not be
Fear
Of life
Of the loss of friends and family
Fear
Of being alone
Of strife

Fear
Of stereotypes
Of losing pace
Fear
Of pain
Of hate
Fear
Of everything or nothing
Of losing this race

Floating
In the water of life
Can you swim?
Or will you
S
I
N
K
?
Can you fly?
Or will you
F
A
L
L
?

Waves washing over
You blocking out all the sound
Floating on the water

Hoping to drown out all of
Reality’s noise
Telling you ‘You’re worth nothing’

Floating on a sea
Of despair, yearning for change
From this way of life

Gooey remains
Of a genius’ brains
Rot inside my head
All is not lost, it is gained

Let it fester and ferment
Filling up my vision
with vibrant, vivacious victory
I finally feel free

I think she feels stuck

"im a ****** old woman living in a crazy house"

i don't think shes happy

which *****

but what can i do?

'how does he have any self confidence?'
no one knows

grandma picks on him
auntie undermines him

cousin doesn't listen to him
he has no power

'how does he have any self confidence?'
no one knows

but he holds the door open with a smile
tells a joke to brighten someone's day

i don't know how he has the energy to be that sort of light
when his days are mostly dark as night

'how does he have any self confidence?'
no one knows

he's quiet and unassuming
until he tells a joke, and his laughter rings out, loud and booming

he talks when someone listens
because that's all he wants... someone to care

The sky turns dark

The wind blows
Shaking the leaves in the trees
Pulling them almost from their roots

The sky turns a grayish blue

Then the rain comes
Down, down, down
Like silky sheets upon a mattress

The storm is here

Helping
Hands
Hurt from
Holding
Hurting people

My fingers are weak
From holding on to you
My arm has been held over this ledge
for way to long
My muscles are straining
They are about to break

I used to have long hair
That was before I really cared
About what people thought of me

I cut my hair
It’s really short

I care about what people think now
And I really want love

All the girls I see have long hair
All the long haired girls have boyfriends

I have short hair
But I want to grow it out again

Ive never really appreciated everything hands can do.
Ive always known hands are useful. I know they bring things close and throw things away. I know they clasp onto something and hold on to it.

But I’ve never fully appreciated their beauty.
Slender, quick-moving fingers
Nails delicately placed on their ends
Wide, soft palms, and the lines across them
Callouses from hard work

Your hands are golden brown
I love them

Your fingers trace my skin
Your palms are so soft and warm on my shoulders

I love to watch your hands
The way you place your hands on the steering wheel
The way you dribble a basketball
The way your hands fit into mine (even though they're so much bigger)

Happiness is a feeling
Way down deep inside
It can be hard to get
And it's very hard to hide

For some it's hard to grasp
And when asked “Do you have it?” they lie
Some lie to much and get all sick inside
Some may even want to die

Enough of the sad
There is so much good
Would you give it out
If you could?

The world is full of people
Some who won’t share
The world is also full of people
Who care

Everyone talks about how
Hell will be a pit of fire
I think the opposite
For fire is warmth and light

Hell will be cold
Cold on this earth is only
The abscence of heat
Hell will be truly cold

Nothing to warm you
Nothing to give you light
You’ll be frozen in terror
Unable to take flight

Stuck in the moment where you realize
There is no hope here
And you can’t close your eyes
To make it disappear

The builder is building a house
Brick by beautiful brick
It seems an unusual house
Everyone agrees

But he loves his house

His ideas are big
His ambitions bigger
But they start with a little house
That he’s designed

For his love

He dreams of his wife
Who will nurture
She who cleans the house
And grows the garden and flowers

While he works on the roof

He longs for the days
they’ll spend laughing together
in their chairs
on the porch that he has built

Drinking lemonade that she has made

He spends his days building
The foundations of this dwelling
With his head full of dreams
His heart full of love

And she watches him built their home

Something about you was different
You said thank you, like everyone else
But our hands brushed and I got this feeling
You were truly thankful

You took the water and chocolate bar
And drank the water first off
You were actually thirsty
You took it in like it was life

You know you’re grown
When your monsters change
They don’t lurk in closets
And hide underneath beds
Now they stand in the hallways
Bunched up, whispering
Now, they point and gossip
Spreading rumors
You’re not afraid to walk
Upstairs at your grandma’s anymore
You’re not afraid to turn off the lights
Instead, you’re afraid of the rush
to get to the classroom
You’re afraid to go to lunch
You’re afraid to talk to them
So, how you know
When you’re grown
Is when your monsters change