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12.1k · Jun 2014
Men Prefer Curves
elizabeth Jun 2014
We were barely teens together
and now we're barely sober
on opposite sides of the country

I see photos of her,
sparking thoughts I wish I could erase

She gained so much weight,
I wonder what happened,
She used to look so good


In my critical analysis of her figure
(I could earn a PhD in Judgment of Others)
I miscount the curves of her face,
the shadows falling where they should not be

Her cheeks, I see
(they've gotten bigger)
but I forget to cancel out
the inflation from her smile
7.5k · Jun 2014
Thinking
elizabeth Jun 2014
How could I have forgotten
The way you kissed my forehead
Or the way you pressed your face
Into my collarbone
Or the way you twirled your finger
Around my necklace
The way I do
Every second
Of everyday
When I'm thinking
About you
7.4k · Jun 2014
Linked(In)
elizabeth Jun 2014
There are too many things
I still want to do with you

Baseball games
in the blistering heat
so I can Instagram our love

Trips to the city
I'll tweet about
just vaguely enough that people wonder
what we did all night
in that big hotel room

Swimming with sharks
getting likes on our Facebook photos
and jealous messages from our friends

Our relationship
was always set to private
I guess I liked it better that way
but whether or not my friends can see it
there are too many things
I still want to do with you

Please don't be done with me yet
6.5k · Dec 2014
***
elizabeth Dec 2014
***
I may have finally
run out of words
to describe the feeling
of continuously finding my way back
to a person
I never seem to lose
6.0k · Jan 2015
Self Conscious
elizabeth Jan 2015
Sit alone at lunchtime

Learn how to think
about something other
than what others
are thinking
about you

Sit alone at lunchtime

Play a scene
of wonder and excitement
in your head
and do not worry
if others can see

Sit alone at lunchtime

Destroy the self doubt
you fill up with
prior to chewing

Sit alone at lunchtime

but not all the time

just sometimes
Word: Lunchtime
5.9k · Apr 2015
Home Sweet Home
elizabeth Apr 2015
Even after you move,
your muscles still turn
the steering wheeling
to your old house
and you tell your brain
that the movements are wrong
but still you do it,
in case you drive back
to what used to be
and find
that it is still yours
4.3k · Oct 2014
"You Will Shine"
elizabeth Oct 2014
I have been shining,
but the eyes of our society
have adjusted too well
to fluorescent lighting
for them to notice
4.0k · Jan 2015
Chemistry
elizabeth Jan 2015
It can be said
that whatever you put in
is what will come out

So why is it
that I am not getting back
everything
I am putting in?

I was taught early on
that energy cannot
be created or destroyed

If I am giving you everything,
then you are not destroying it,
just redirecting the love
towards something
you care about more

I suppose I need
to account
for the negativity
I intake from you,
which would make my output
less than perfect

We are a water cycle-
you pour drinks down my throat
and I cry them back into your hands

Let's pretend
our equation is balanced
until I remember
what it means
to be my own pure element
Word: Intake
3.5k · Jun 2014
Giving Thanks
elizabeth Jun 2014
Sometimes Life gets hard
Too difficult to handle
At which time
We must remember to be thankful

This morning, I am thankful
I am thankful for my alarm clock
Reminding me that time
Never slows down

I am thankful for my bed
Reminding me that there is always
Something to look forward to

I am thankful for my empty phone screen
Reminding me that it's okay
To not be needed for a night

I am thankful for the breakouts on my face
Reminding me that sometimes things get worse
And I am thankful for the tan lines on my back
Reminding me that things will also get better

I am thankful for the day ahead
Filled with struggle
And a high chance of failure
Reminding me that these days
Are the ones that build us up
Even though it feels as though
They are tearing us down
3.5k · Nov 2014
id.
elizabeth Nov 2014
id.
a watched *** never boils
and you stared at my every move
not knowing
that I would never bubble over
into the person
you hoped
me to be

for two weeks
I thought there was a baby
growing inside me
but instead
I was just late to understanding
how little you need me
and pregnant with the idea
that I could not live without you

my mother taught me
to never judge a book by its cover
but I forgot
that even the prettiest books
can have no literary value

the first (and only) time
you treated me
as your equal,
we were sitting outside
under the stars
and the moon,
which was ever so slightly
blue

my blessing
was not disguised
as a man that looked
and acted
like a mannequin
but rather
a crack in my heart
that took three years to make
and three months to fill

as it turns out,
I am a cloud
with skin made of silver
3.2k · Jun 2014
America, the Beautiful
elizabeth Jun 2014
As we sat on your couch
Early in the morning
Sun shining through the windows
Cold air creeping in
My head started to spin

You set your alarm
Hockey was waiting
Your favorite thing

I kept you next to me
For just a little bit longer
But you eventually walked downstairs
And left me to sleep

As tired as I was
I could not sleep
Your voice echoing through the silent house
My mind and heart racing
Wanting to be with you

I gave in to your call
Tucked myself behind your legs
Watched you watch your lifelong dream

I didn't expect anything
Except to be ignored
Or meerly unnoticed
For I was just a girl in your house
Not a hero on ice

You wrapped your fingers around mine
I felt your stare
Your lips pressed to my head
How did I deserve
To steal your attention?

Counting down the seconds on the screen
Time before I need to go
1:06, 1:05, 1:04
Is this what life with you is like?
What it would be if it were just us two?
0:31, 0:30, 0:29
I could stay here all day
Like you asked me to do
0:02, 0:01, 0:00
For the next few minutes
All you want is me

I tell you I need to leave
Right now? you ask
Right now. I say
You tell me I should stay

The stairs creak under my feet
The zipper on my boots resist
My fingers and the buttons fight

You stand for me
As I walk down the stairs
Morning-after royalty in the castle of her prince
Will you bow as I remove my crown?

You have never kissed me
As hard as you did
In that moment before I left

It felt as though
You were trying to shoot your soul
Through my lips instead of
Forcing your body around my tongue
So that I could only say your name

Goodbye, my seven hour valentine
The only one I've ever had
You asked at two in the morning
On February 15th
But I like to think it still counts
3.0k · Jun 2014
Weighted
elizabeth Jun 2014
I knew I wanted to step on the scale
But my mind was screaming "don't"
Because that number only tells you
How much gravity is pushing down on you
Not how much you're worth

I stared at the wall
As my bare feet touched the cold surface
For once, I was strong and didn't want to see
A number that would break down
The very small wall of self esteem
I have been trying so hard to build

I prayed I would see nothing
Higher than a 4
Or else my day would be done for
I looked to the spot between my feet
As though I was looking into a crystal ball

And surprisingly, I liked what I saw
2.7k · Nov 2014
sense
elizabeth Nov 2014
friday night
is a blur
except for

the sight of you

running towards me
with such a pace
I thought I might dissolve
before you could make it
to my pavement pedestal

the sound of your voice

that I did not ask you
to turn down
as it echoed in the night
off the sleeping suburban homes

the touch of your hands

against my hip
lightly enough to let me go
but strong enough
to make me stay

the smell of your hair

as I wrapped
my arms around you
in hopes
it would heal the kind of hurt
you cannot see

the taste of your mouth

in the most familiar way
standing just beyond the door
as though the walls
and darkness
would keep it a secret
2.6k · Jan 2015
Blush
elizabeth Jan 2015
"You're lucky you're pretty,"
you say to me with a smile
as I drink more from your glass
hoping to take more
from your heart

My favorite piece of evidence
to use against the case of my friends
was that you have never
complimented my appearance
and suddenly
I need to rethink
my closing statement

Boys that tell me I'm pretty
have been far and few
but liars all the same

I believe you when you tell me this
and it does not ring in my ears
when you kiss me in your bed
because you have already
made me feel
like so much more
I haven't written a poem in a couple days, and I didn't feel like picking a word.
2.5k · Feb 2015
Late Night / Early Morning
elizabeth Feb 2015
The sound of my footsteps
is ringing in my ears
because the music has died
and the pizza
has soaked up
all of the alcohol

But you are still
pounding in my chest
2.2k · Mar 2015
(Not So) Good Morning
elizabeth Mar 2015
The smell of stale alcohol
and a slight pressure
upon my shoulder blades
greeted me
with cold air
and the winter sun

I thought that perhaps
my dreams had been reality
and that you were lying next to me
like so many times before

I opened my eyes
to find mascara-stained pillowcases
and blankets twisted
into a maze of confusion
and bitter disappointment
2.0k · Jun 2014
Aesthetically Pleasing
elizabeth Jun 2014
Every night
And every morning
I stare at my body
Trying to figure out
Who could possibly love someone
With so much extra

So much extra
That has nowhere to go
But out

I roll over
And see the extra gather
Who could love that?
Not I, not anyone

Less is more
I'm not asking to be the most
I'll eat less to be less
Not realizing that I'm blessed
With a body that works
And does what I ask of it

It just isn't pretty enough for me
2.0k · Feb 2015
Good Morning
elizabeth Feb 2015
I woke up
thinking about that time
we stifled our movements
to keep from being heard
by your friend in the next room

The sun on your back,
I tried to wrap my fingers
around rays of light
and run them down your rib cage

Our lips hit like bolts of lightning
followed by thundering smiles
and streams of hot air

Your hands held me
as I wiped the hair
from your forehead
and laughed into your ear

As you try to peel your body
away from mine
I summon you back
with the taste of my tongue
until you have ingrained it
into your memory
and can remove yourself
without unanswered questions
1.9k · Jun 2014
Unlocked
elizabeth Jun 2014
Some people are afraid of love
and falling from unknown heights

I ride the tallest and fastest rollercoasters
over and over again
but can't bring myself
to eat in front of those I fall so quickly for

I'm not afraid of falling
I'll even take the jump
I'm afraid of sleeping with the door open
because someone might see the real me

I told you I was busy
that night you asked me to go ice skating
When really I couldn't decide what would hurt more-
breaking a promise to my friends
or watching you watch me fail

You sleep with the door closed, too
I know because I'm behind it with you
On Friday nights
when late night thoughts and beer
make the perfect mixed drink
to sip on while getting to know someone

Even though I still don't eat in front of you
You've seen the way I sleep,
the way I look when I wake up,
tasted my hungover mouth,
and felt every inch of me

I think I'm ready to go ice skating now
Maybe even with dinner before

But let's keep the door closed when we sleep,
I like it better that way
1.9k · Jan 2015
Sunday Morning
elizabeth Jan 2015
Even though my hands were cold
I felt the heat trying to break open my veins
As you laced your fingers around mine
And pulled my knuckles to your chest

I could have bottled the sound
Of the heartbeat I felt
Reverberating off my bones

Your thumb was no longer molded
By the teeth marks I created the night before
But instead it lightly circled my own

It would have been alright
If we stayed like that all day
1.8k · Oct 2014
Shadows from Streetlights
elizabeth Oct 2014
A few months ago
I found comfort in walking
dangerous streets
alone
drunk
tired
upset

I could have walked
for hours
because the feeling
of something possibly going wrong
soothed me

Perhaps whatever I may have met
on those dangerous streets
would have been more real
more terrifying
than the monsters I faced
with closed eyes
and a clenched jaw
each night
and every morning

I no longer
see those streets
with blurred vision
but instead eyes
that cannot look in as many directions
as I would like
because that gum wrapper
might not be
what I think it is

Maybe my fears are fading,
no longer stored inside
where no one can see them

Maybe my walls have broken
and I feel too vulnerable
to face anyone I may encounter
because I am not confident
that anyone else
would come
to my rescue
1.8k · Aug 2014
Numbered Moments
elizabeth Aug 2014
I remember the first time you kissed me.
We had escaped the loud echoes of your drunk friends,
and left my too-sober roommates to wait for my return.
Your best friend ran up the stairs after I left,
I skipped down the street as the girls called after me, questioning.
I remember the smile that would not fade,
the one that gave all of the answers away.

I remember the second time you kissed me.
We drank too much wine and sat too close together
and told each other too many things.
You yelled at me to stop talking so much,
I asked you questions you pretended not to hear.
I remember the way you kept trying to leave,
but how you did not want to go.

I remember the third time you kissed me.
We got into a fight that you tried to fix
with an overnight stay in the room where we first kissed.
We didn't talk about the fight.
I told you things I'll never forget because I knew you'd never remember.
I remember the way you tried to kiss me in the morning,
and how I left, pretending I didn't know.

I remember the fourth time you kissed me.
That night, I realized we would only ever be friends
and then our hands kept touching, our legs intertwined.
You asked me to tell you everything and anything,
as you wrapped your arms around me.
I remember the way I could see you, looking at me,
out of the corner of my eye when I was too afraid to look at you.

I remember all of the times after when you kissed me.
Graduating to morning, then afternoon,
private to public, drunk to sober.
You kissed me for all reasons,
and no reason at all.
I remember the way you always smiled afterwards,
and how it always made me feel sure.

I remember the last time you kissed me.
It was too early in the morning for there to be time,
my eyes couldn't tell if the sun was awake.
I waited and waited for there to be another one,
but there wasn't.
I remember thinking of all the other kisses,
and knowing too deeply that this would be it.
1.7k · Jan 2015
Happily Ever After
elizabeth Jan 2015
How lovely of an affair they had,
as tasteful and bubbly as the champagne
we drank from crystal,
clear like the air around us

How lovely of an affair she had,
as quiet and romantic as the music
playing in the background,
where they hid their exchanged glances

The lighting was dim,
her suggestion,
where touches between lovers
could be mistaken for shadows

She was the hostess
with the most established reputation,
welcoming her guests into a ballroom
bursting with similar confidence

Even her secrets
were as beautiful as she,
and everything seemed to make sense
if she was the one doing it
Word: affair
1.7k · Nov 2014
Meteorology
elizabeth Nov 2014
Every time I used to run to you
it was raining
because maybe when we walked inside
we didn't want the cold and discomfort to end

I have never minded the rain
and I told myself that the flooding
occurring in my heart
was okay,
because a little water never hurt anyone

Eventually, the walls collapsed
because a little water
a lot of the time
will break down even the toughest stones

After the rain,
you're supposed to see a rainbow
and that's what you tried to give me
but instead I had a water damaged soul
with nothing left inside

You cannot control the weather
and you called to me again
but this time you were the one running
in the late night cold
we have come to know too well

Early in the morning
I heard you whisper
as you looked out the window,
"I've never seen the sky so bright"

Maybe I didn't get my rainbow
instead, a white light breaking through the blinds

"It looks the way it does before it snows,"
I reply
as you wrap your arms tighter around me

Maybe my rain has turned into snow
Just as cold, but more beautiful
1.6k · Jul 2014
Hug Me Goodbye
elizabeth Jul 2014
Every so often
You meet someone
Who you fall in love with
Ever so quickly

There is a usually a clock ticking
In time with your beating heart
Racing, faster and faster
Which one will win?

Time will run out
Time always runs out
Before love can form
But before heartbreak as well

You'll part ways
Never to meet again
When you think of them
Your lips will always remember to smile

Every so often
You meet someone
Who you fall in love with
For no reason at all
1.6k · Aug 2014
Deeper than Distance
elizabeth Aug 2014
A few months ago
I was counting the days
until you left
because your lack of presence
would have been a better present
than the one you didn't give me
for my birthday this year

Every night I would wait
for the day to come
when you wouldn't be near
as if your body was in my bed
pressing down on my chest
until I could no longer breathe

Hating your best friend
will not hurt them
but it will twist your own heart
in ways you never thought possible
and you will pray on stars with fingers crossed
that it might break
or better
stop beating

Absence makes the heart grow fonder
and the tears in our blanket
and the tears in our eyes
have been thoughtlessly mended
with intertwined fingers
in basement bathrooms of bars
we couldn't find again
with a map to guide us

Tomorrow you'll leave me
and move on to adventures
more exciting
than drunk searches
for familiar faces
on streets we could draw perfectly
with blurred vision

I hate to say I'll miss you
and I hate more to see you go
but your darkness was always
darker than mine
and your light was always
too bright for me to look at
so I hope the contrast
of the rainy days and the sunshine
fills you up
in a way nothing else ever has

You were born to fly away
but never given the chance
so I hope you find
that the airplane wings
fit you just right

I hope you accidentally leave
the little broken pieces of yourself
on the cobblestone in London
and in the fountains of Rome
and do not realize it
until you return home

I wish you the best
and the same for myself
because two flowers
cannot grow
in one ***
but if grown separately
they can one day
make a beautiful bouquet
1.5k · Apr 2015
From Now On
elizabeth Apr 2015
I am the sun
that your petals turn towards
when it is warm enough
for you to blossom

I am the rain
that you soak up and crave
in times of positivity droughts
and purposeful dehydration

I am afraid
to deny you what you need
in fear that I will be the cause
of your untimely death

I am reminded
that one must be without water
to appreciate the rain
and experience days of darkness
to fall in love with the sun

For this reason,
I do not move under the moonlight
when you require daybreak
even though my body
so desperately wants to burn
1.5k · May 2015
Air Bubbles
elizabeth May 2015
I've never been that strong
but I can drown emotions
as big as whales
by covering their blowholes
and tying down their tails
so they never reach the surface

I've always loved aquariums
because they are silent reminders
of what we cannot see
and the inhabitants
do not require verbal commands
to continue living

Existing as a mermaid
would be a better option
than being treated as a fisherman
by the scaly creatures
of whose glittering skin
you admire
with appreciative envy
1.5k · Dec 2014
Drunk in Love
elizabeth Dec 2014
Drunk,
you called for me to catch up

Drunk,
you bowed and kissed my hand
and asked me to curtesy

Drunk,
you offered up your arm to me
and laughed when you somehow managed
to mess that up

Drunk,
you kissed me on the corner
with the lights of the cars around us

Drunk,
you held my hand as we walked
and did not flinch as others passed us

Drunk,
you wrapped your arm around my waist
in front of your friends
and held me tighter
than you ever have

In the morning,
I find out that you were sober
and my heart skips a beat
1.4k · Mar 2016
Educational Values
elizabeth Mar 2016
I found my light
in not doing what's expected of me,
but in doing what's best
for a 7 year old
who lost his baby sister
and his train of thought
when counting to 20
because iPads download games in seconds
but it feels like years he's watching an ad
depicting guns and blood and dying and
every time he points a finger at a friend
the law tells me
I have to call his mom
who has no response to
"I just didn't feel like doing math today,"
but musters up every ounce of energy
she doesn't have
to expel one weak statement-
"We must do what is expected of us."

They tell me that restraint
is 3 seconds or more
of student resistance
and teacher persistence
but while my hand never touches him
my words wrap around his legs
telling them to stop pacing
and they cover his mouth
telling it to stop singing
and when he cries in the hallway
at 9:52, screaming,
"I hate this school,"
I cannot explain to him
how lucky he is
to be surrounded by adults
who fake a high tolerance
for his constant fidgeting
so instead we sit in silence
until his anger runs out
and my heart rate slows
and we are ready to try again.
Later, he hugs me.
I do not pull away.
This is not restraint.
1.4k · Mar 2015
Run On
elizabeth Mar 2015
I put on that perfume
I stopped wearing months ago,
that you used to tell me
smelled so good,
in hopes that maybe
the cold, winter wind
might blow the scent across the river,
as it dries out my skin
and helps the tears fall
that I've been suppressing for days
in order to convince myself
I do not need you here
1.3k · Sep 2014
Difficulty Surviving
elizabeth Sep 2014
Eating is hard.
Not eating is hard.
It’s hard to be hungry,
and it’s even harder to be full.
It’s hard to say yes to food,
and to say no.
It’s hard to eat foods you know you shouldn't,
and not eat foods you know you should.
It’s hard to stare down a full plate and think,
“How am I supposed to do this?”
and it’s hard to stare down an empty one thinking,
“What have I done?”
Food is hard to deal with,
once you make it a situation
rather than a necessity.
Breakfast is hard,
lunch is harder,
and dinner is the hardest.
But maybe looking in the mirror is the hardest of all.
I wrote this a while ago and just found it
1.3k · Jan 2015
vs.
elizabeth Jan 2015
vs.
it's a shame
that we cannot
appreciate
what others have
without comparison
word: shame
1.3k · Apr 2015
Red Sky at Morning
elizabeth Apr 2015
Third time's the charm
and you've only ripped my heart out
twice

Let me drink the poison
one more time

The first time I was quenching my thirst
with salt water
in hopes the wounds
would heal
and then I swallowed the sea
because my sailor
would not look at me

The next time
I closed my eyes
at the sight of the waves coming
so I cannot blame you
for pulling me under

I will stay afloat this time
unless your anchor has grown
and you still find a way
to drown me
in the tears I created

I won't know until I try
1.2k · Apr 2015
Head Over Heels
elizabeth Apr 2015
I wish my heart
was more willing to lead
because my brain has a voice
that projects like my own
and I am trying my hardest
to drown it out
with love songs
1.2k · Jan 2015
Educating the Youth
elizabeth Jan 2015
Don't tell me
what you learned in school
was useless

because
every day
you:

count
the number of likes
you got on your selfie
to figure out the value
of your beauty,

write
perfectly formed tweets
to exude creativity and wit
you wish you
actually possessed,

read
status updates
from former friends
who always seem
to be doing something
exciting,

become curious
about the lives
of people
you've never met,
and

question
why you waste
your time
comparing yourself
to carefully crafted personalities
that exist only
for Internet audiences
they would otherwise
be too afraid
to address.

Don't tell me
what you learned in school
was useless.
Word: comparing
1.2k · Jul 2014
Thunder
elizabeth Jul 2014
When you're sixteen
Alone, angry, and depressed
I hope you'll remember tonight
How we played outside in the cold summer air
Searching for little lights to catch in our hands
Only to let go again

I hope you'll chase lightening bugs
For the rest of your life
I hope you see the places they hide
And cry when you are told not to go there
I hope you always find the little lights
That others swat away
I hope you let the little lights go
Because you know they will come back again

When you're sixteen
Upset, terrified, and confused
I hope my hugs will still dry the tears
That everyone else has created
I hope you will still search for me
When everything is falling apart

You are my lightening bug,
My little light in the dark
That I refuse to catch for too long
1.1k · Sep 2014
Book of Life
elizabeth Sep 2014
No one tells you
how to tell your friends
that you've been starving yourself
and no one tells you
how to tell them
(nicely)
that they went a whole year
without noticing
1.1k · Mar 2015
Break Up, Part 3
elizabeth Mar 2015
I still do not have words for you
and my silence in the restaurant
was not due to speechlessness
or too many thoughts
trying to force their way out

I have just run out of ways
to rephrase the sentences
I say to you
every time
we do this

It doesn't hurt any less
and I still haven't lost
my will to fight for you
but I have learned
when to save my breath with you
because I know there will be
another time
when you will take it away
1.1k · Jun 2014
Lose/Lose
elizabeth Jun 2014
A little less than a year ago, you kissed me in your room
I spent the rest of the weekend freaking out because you didn't talk to me
I thought you regretted it
I thought I had done something wrong

A little less than a year later, you did more than kiss me in your bed
I spent the rest of the weekend thinking that things were fine
And then your best friend posted on Facebook
That you were searching for a girlfriend

I have no idea what you think about me
If when people ask about your love life, my face flashes in your mind
You call yourself "very single"
But if I know everything about you, including all your friends
If at the end of the night, you're the one tipping the bartender
If no matter how many girls you meet, I'm still the one you call
If you've started treating me the same when you're sober
Does the word "very" still apply?

I would agree with you--you are single
You can do whatever you want with whoever you like
Just know that it's at the expense of my heart

They say that there's always someone who cares more
I like to think that person is you
But you have nothing to lose
My heart starts to break every time you talk about another girl
I never say a word about another guy
It's only you
So maybe you do care more, but I'm the one getting hurt
Tell me, how is that fair?
1.1k · Jun 2014
Smiling
elizabeth Jun 2014
I always wondered what you thought
when you kissed me
because your eyes always remained shut
as if you did not want to open them
and see that it was me
So I watched you
before, during, after
and sometimes
I thought I saw you smile

I always thought that maybe
you wanted the kisses more
than you wanted me
and I was squeezing into a space
smaller than my body
but I would do,
for now,
and I stopped smiling
just in case

I always noticed how you kissed me
on the cheek
and on the top of my head
and on the shoulder
when I was not looking at you
as if you were trying to break through
and send it through my veins
straight to my heart
and I could not help but smile

I always assumed nothing would change
and the fake love we had
would remain in the dark
of your bedroom with beer in our blood
and we would act cordial
the following week as we sat in class
People would say to me
I didn't realize you two were friends
as they saw you smile at me

I never realized that a day would come
when you would kiss me
when the sun was up
no longer hiding
from the rest of the world
but you did
and afterwards
you didn't do anything but smile
1.1k · Jun 2014
Decisions
elizabeth Jun 2014
I feel like the light is always on in our closet
Like someone recently decided who they wanted to be today
Or they are keeping it ready
In case they change their mind
1.1k · Feb 2015
Winter Weather
elizabeth Feb 2015
It feels like there
is snow
inside my heart

Everything is freezing,
running ice through my veins

There is an illusion of beauty,
until the sun shines down
and ugly
seems to prevail

The beats are slowing
as the weight of the water
is becoming too heavy

I am being weighed down
by crystallized water
that I used to look at
with so much envy
and awe
1.1k · May 2015
War
elizabeth May 2015
War
I've been at war for a long time now
with the girl inside of me

She's smart and witty
and skinny and beautiful
and compassionate and kind
and trapped in the depths
of my empty stomach
and super-glued heart
as if I accidentally stuck her
to one of the pieces
chipped away
by a boy who couldn't see her

Her outer shell is hard
and average-looking
with chunks of fat
in all the wrong places
and it repels sadness
and emits an uncaring aura
that no one wants to touch

That shell is bulletproof
in all places except for one
but this inner angel
is not quite skinny
or clever enough
to escape through the jagged edges
and paint her shell
with her favorite color

Maybe she's been locked inside
her black stone well
for so long
that she no longer
has the will
to try
1.0k · Jun 2014
Pavement Prayers
elizabeth Jun 2014
She stands with her hands clasped together, fingers entwined
at the high table in the corner of the restaurant
Staring outside at the big city
Praying that some day soon her luck might change
Maybe someone might come along and take away her heart
Maybe she'll be able to quit this job
Bringing food to children and happy families and couples celebrating their 6 year anniversaries
And maybe she'll get to have some happiness of her own
But for now she cleans off the tables
Because it's the end of the night and everyone is gone
She'll go back to her apartment
Turn on all the lights
And pretend she likes the silence
1.0k · Feb 2015
In Vein
elizabeth Feb 2015
I'll ask you to hold my hand
and then slip my beating heart
into your palm
instead

You won't notice
until the blood starts to run
onto your favorite shirt

Your mother never taught you
how to remove stains
the color of rust
and so you'll abandon both of us
no matter how much it hurts

I'll hand you a bottle of club soda
and a handle of *****
in hopes that the bubbles
lift up your spirits
and the alcohol
tints your blue eyes
with a color
one might call rose

I will fix the problem
I carelessly created
and you will apologize
for being so afraid
when my pulse is the one
that sounds
like a hummingbird

I won't ask you to hold my hand
but you'll squeeze my arm
and kiss my cheek
to patch up the pain
as I sew my heart
back into my chest
1.0k · Jun 2014
nightmares
elizabeth Jun 2014
"I'm going to sleep," I tell you,
but I will lie awake for hours,
tracing up and down
my hips,
my thighs,
my stomach,
my ribs,
pressing down and gently grazing,
contorting my body,
until I feel exactly what I want

Maybe if I lay like this,
sleep like this
for hours,
I will become the person I see in my dreams
1.0k · Nov 2014
Someone Else
elizabeth Nov 2014
Someone else's illness
won't make your cold any better

Someone else's tsunami
won't stop your wave from pulling you under

Someone else's hurricane
won't stop your thunderstorm

Someone else's novel
won't make your sentence meaningless

Someone else's depression
won't make your sadness go away

Someone else's excitement
won't diminish your happiness

Someone else's better
won't take away your best

Someone else
won't be you
995 · Jan 2015
Say No
elizabeth Jan 2015
Make poor decisions
like eating too much ice cream
after a long day

Be selfish
when things are going wrong
and you just need a nap

Put others down
in a different chart
so you do not compare your successes
to theirs

Be greedy
and want the best
for yourself
Word: Self
972 · Jun 2014
Restraint
elizabeth Jun 2014
I wonder
If you'll spend hours
Staring at your phone
Waiting for the reply
My friends told me not to send

I wonder
If you wanted
Something to make your beer soaked lips
Curl up into a smile
Something to warm your already
Over-heated heart
Or if maybe
You just wanted me to know

I wonder
If when I didn't respond
You went down the list
Of girls that might care
Unless that's what you were doing

I wonder
If your friends knew
The nameless ones I don't hear about
With whom you have a summer built bond
Strengthened by drinks of the same nature

I wonder
If you'll find a plastic placeholder
When sleeping alone
Becomes the loudest thought

I wonder
If you'll wish she was me
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