Emma B

Emma B Nov 2013

People scale rocks
cliffs
mountains
to look at the world
they left behind.
All that pain
for all that beauty.
It's worth it.
So why are you still
down here.

Emma B Nov 2013

I wrote your name and it burned through the paper.

Ten Words.

Emma B Nov 2013

Words Unsaid

I think the hardest thing in this world
is holding on to words.
Words are heavier than any furniture, any weight you may lift.
Unsaid words cause everything to fall under their weight.
And it's so easy to lighten the load.
Just open your lips
"I'm sorry
I should have said
I love you.
I still love you. I'm sorry.
I should have said.
I'm sorry I love you."
Why is something that should be so easy so difficult.
Unsaid words make opening lips
like opening a safe
with locks from another world, and steel walls five feet thick.
Why can't I talk to you.
Why didn't I speak.
I'm sorry.
I thickened the walls of the safe tenfold
It's now guarded by locks whose combinations come from memories which never happened.
And the only way to open them would be to change the past
and I've watched television.
They make it seem easy.
But I know that in this world, memories that never happened are ones that never will
and even if I guessed the numbers
the locks would open a safe with words from a different time.
words no longer real, and no longer mine.

Thinking

Emma B Nov 2013

Stars

Maybe we like the stars
because we see ourselves in them
we see the brilliant light visible to the human eye
but we know they are just hurtling ***** of gas and fire
shooting through the vacuum, no direction
awaiting a spectacular, explosive fate
only to fade into nothing
black like the background
they're not here for any reason other than that they can be here

we're just like the stars.

Emma B Nov 2013

We Were

We were going to fly to planets that didn't have names yet
we were going to dig a hole and swim in the core.
we were going to sink hawaii, but keep the volcanoes
and we were going so settle down
on the side of the moon that only we would see.
we were going to do ballet on top of the pyramids
and wait for the planets to align
so we could **** past them one by one.
we were going to sing in space so nobody could hear us
we were going to invent invisibility
but not tell anyone.
we were going to grow a garden where all the plants had bow-ties for flowers and spaghetti roots.

we were going to slide down the biggest slide
we were going to swing the swings all the way around
we were going to build camelot from the sand in the backyard
we were going to make potions out of dish soap and dish soap out of vegetable oil.

we were going to bed
you were supposed to wake up.

Emma B Nov 2013

Dark Spots

Before the days of modern science
the sun
was a pure white ball of light
when we fused the right filters, though,
we saw the dark spots
the spots hidden by the brilliance
the spots that were there all along
the black blobs of no lights masked by the fire.

And It's the same with you.
For years I saw you as a perfect sun.
A flawless orb of life and light within my grasp.
But I just bought my first pair of sunglasses, polarized, with all the right filters.
You've got more dark spots than I thought.
More tears in your imperfect photosphere
than I could have possibly imagined.

And don't mistake dark spots for scars because scars are places that once were pure
a dark spot
was always missing.

You're missing a lot of pieces.
I'm glad I see that now.

Emma B Oct 2013

Dresses

I do not wear dresses very often
so every dress I've ever owned
is still hanging
in order
in my closet.

The first,
whimsical and red
a crimson corduroy triangle
green ribbon
yellow flowers
it was for the first day of preschool
but it was also for every other day
whimsical and red

The second:
Nutcracker pink
for days in San fransisco
when the matching coat
was necessary.
I used to dance.
Nutcracker pink.

The third:
Barefoot lavender
not the color, the scent.
Blue and french
avec des fleures jaunes.
we caught fish with brie cheese
Barefoot lavendar.

The fourth:
Navy blue didn't match
but we sewed the straps anyway
i made the first mistake
you forgave me for that one
thank you
Navy blue didn't match

The Fifth:
White Surrender.
sprinkled with turquoise
I surrendered
I didn't have to
I didn't want to
I'm sorry.
I don't usually wear dresses
I hope you still realize that.
White Surrender.

Whimsical, Red
Nutcracker Pink,
Barefoot Lavender,
Navy Blue,

White,
surrender.